You were sitting outside at a local pizza place one afternoon, wanting to get out of your apartment for lunch. You had just finished a couple slices of pizza and were sipping on your soda and scrolling through your Twitter feed when you happened to look up – and it just so happened that Ashton Irwin had turned the corner, walking toward the pizzeria with his mom and siblings.
Your eyes widened slightly, immediately feeling your heart beat even harder as they approached. You knew Ashton was spending time with his family during his week off of tour, so you weren't sure whether or not to ask him if he could take a quick photo with you.
You opened your mouth as he approached, but quickly decided against bothering him, looking back down at your phone. You were sure he wouldn't want to be bothered by any fans – especially after what had happened yesterday with the ones that had been following him pretty much since he got home.
When Ashton and his family passed you, you let out the breath you were holding, not realizing just how loud it was until a couple minutes later when someone poked your shoulder.
Ashton's POV; Two minutes earlier
"Did anyone ever buy that place on 5th?" Ashton asked his mom.
"Yeah, a pizza place opened there a couple weeks ago," Anne replied, "You wanna try it out?"
"Not unless there's somewhere else you guys want to go," he said, looking at his siblings.
"I could go for some pizza right now," Harry mentioned, causing Lauren to giggle.
"You could always go for some pizza," she teased, making him shove her gently as they turned the corner.
Lauren couldn't help but notice your eyes widen as they were walking to the door. She saw you open your mouth slightly before you closed it again and looked back down. She smiled as everyone piled through the door, hearing you sigh just before it closed behind Ashton.
"Hey, Ash," Lauren spoke up while they stood in front of the counter, looking at the menu and waiting for the person in front of them to finish ordering.
"Yeah, Laur?" Ashton said, not looking at her.
"I think you should go out and talk to that girl." She waited until she got her brother's attention before pointing out the window to the table you were occupying.
"Yeah? And why do you think I should do that?" he asked.
"She's a fan."
"You can tell that by looking at the back of her head?" he cocked an eyebrow, making Lauren roll her eyes.
"She was going to say something before we walked in here, but she stopped herself," she informed him. Ashton looked out at you for a moment before turning back to his sister.
"This week was supposed to be about you guys," he shook his head.
"Ash," Harry rolled his eyes that time, "Just go talk to her. We'll come out and find a table when our food is done."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!" Lauren squeaked, "Now go!" Ashton turned to leave the restaurant just as Anne stepped up to the counter.
"Oh, Ash!" she called after her son, making him turn around, "What kind of pizza do you want?"
"I'll just split with you," he answered, making her nod as he opened the door and walked back outside, feeling his brother and sister's eyes on him as he walked up to you.
Your POV
You felt a gentle poke on your shoulder as you took a sip of your soda, making you look up from your phone. You gasped a bit as you swallowed, causing you to start coughing. Ashton's eyes widened and he just instinctively placed his hand on your upper back.
"Oh my God, are you okay?" he asked in a bit of a rush, "I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to scare you."
"No, it's fine!" you assured him once you'd calmed down, "I just wasn't expecting to turn around and see you." He smiled at you as he took his hand back.
"May I?" he asked, holding the back of the chair next to you. You nodded and he sat down. "My sister said you looked like you were going to say something as we walked in," Ashton explained, "She said I should come out and say hi myself." You couldn't help but laugh lightly, making him smile again.
"I was, but I figured since you're leaving again in a couple days that you'd want to spend as much time with them as possible. And after what happened yesterday, I didn't really think you'd want another fan bothering you for a photo or something," you admitted shyly.
"You're not being a bother," he told you, "Those girls yesterday had been following me around all week recording me and my family."
"If it makes you feel any better, no one blames you for the way you reacted," you said, "They totally deserved it."
"They kinda did, huh?" he chuckled.
"Kinda?" you giggled, "I think you handled it pretty well considering you'd kept telling them to stop. I mean, you just smashed that girl's phone; I probably would have hit her, to be honest."
"Wow, maybe I should hire you as my bodyguard then," he teased. You rolled your eyes, a small smile on your face. Ashton looked through the window and noticed one of his family's pizzas were being put on the counter, so he quickly turned back to you. "You mentioned not wanting to ask for a photo," he reminded you, "But I really wouldn't mind taking one with you."
"Are you sure?" you asked softly, "I'm totally cool with-"
"Of course I'm sure," he promised.
"O-Okay," you stuttered a bit, opening your camera and handing your phone to Ashton. "Would it be okay if you took it?" you asked shyly, "I'm kinda shaking and I really don't want the photo to turn out too terrible."
"Are you okay?" he asked, clearly worried about you.
"Yeah," you assured him, "You know, it's just the whole favorite band thing. I have to put all my concentration into either not shaking or not throwing up, so..."
"Well, I appreciate it being the second one," he grinned, taking your phone.
Ashton scooted his chair closer to yours so he could lean back comfortably and get you both in the frame. He snapped a couple photos of you two – one of both of you simply smiling at the camera and then two kissing each other's cheeks upon your very shy request. Ashton, of course, was happy to do it for you, and he gave you your phone back as Anne, Lauren, and Harry came outside.
"Hey, Ash!" Harry chirped, then looked at you, "Hi!"
"Hi," you smiled sheepishly. You noticed Anne was looking around for a table, but there weren't any open with four seats. "I-I can move if you-" You started to stand up, but Anne quickly stopped you.
"Oh, that's alright, dear," she said, putting her hand on your shoulder to make you sit back down.
Anne set the two pizza boxes down on the table in front of Ashton, urging Lauren and Harry to take a seat as she went to the next table. She politely asked the couple sitting there if anyone was using the seat in front of her and when they said no, she brought it over to your table, sitting it between her sons. Ashton moved his chair until it was touching yours so his mom had some room. He paused for a moment before looking at you.
"Sorry," he said, "I should have asked if it was cool if I did that first."
"I'm cool with it," you nodded quickly, making Lauren and Harry snicker quietly to each other. Ashton paused for a moment before gasping slightly.
"I just realized I totally forgot to ask you what your name is," he said.
"Oh, my name!" you squeaked, "Right, I have one of those!"
"Oh my God, you and I have that in common!" Ashton teased, making you giggle softly.
"No way, you have a name too? What are the chances?!" you said dramatically, "I'm Y/N." As the family was opening their pizza boxes, you heard your stomach growl loudly. "Well, that's not embarrassing," you looked down as if you were talking to your stomach, making the group laugh. "I'm gonna go..." you trailed off, pointing behind you to the door. You were stopped from getting up once again by Ashton.
"You can have a slice of my half," he offered. You chewed on your bottom lip, thinking for a moment.
"That depends on what kind you got," you said.
"Just pepperoni," he shrugged.
"Mmm," you hummed, shaking your head, "No, thank you."
"What?!" he exclaimed quietly, "Y/N, do not tell me you're one of those people who only gets cheese on their pizza."
"I'm a simple girl, Ashton," you shrugged.
"You just got far less attractive," he scoffed before he thought about what he was saying.
"Well, I'm sorry my taste in pizza toppings doesn't meet your standards," you teased, getting up and going inside, hoping your blush wasn't too noticeable.
~
Ashton's POV
"I am so happy I was alive to witness that!" Lauren squealed.
"God, why did I say that out loud?" Ashton groaned, putting his face in his hands.
"Well, it's not like she didn't enjoy it," Harry snickered, causing Ashton to kick him under the table. "Ow!" he yelped, "Ashton!"
"Know that you deserved that," he grumbled, glaring at his little brother.
"Mum!"
"Kids, stop fighting," Anne said after swallowing a bite of pizza.
"Way to intervene, Mum," Lauren rolled her eyes, making her laugh.
"What? Ash is into her, she's obviously into him..."
"I don't want to hear about this from my mum too!" Ashton whined.
"Oh, are we having a family meeting out here?" you asked, making him perk up at the sound of your voice, "Do I need to go back inside and pretend to go to the bathroom or something?"
"That's a little dramatic, don't you think?" Ashton scoffed jokingly.
"Hey, if you were having a family meeting, I wouldn't want to intrude," you sassed, setting your plate on the table and sitting back down in your chair, "I can't be part of family meetings if I'm not part of the family, you know."
"Not yet, you aren't," Harry whispered to himself, earning himself another kick to the shin from Ashton. You simply smiled and shook your head at the behavior, a bit confused as to why the two boys were acting that way since you didn't actually catch what the younger one had said.
~
Your POV
Over the next couple hours, you had gotten to know the Irwin family very well. Being a fan of 5 Seconds of Summer, you never in a million years thought you would ever get to meet a member of the band, much less spend an afternoon with one of their families.
You had always thought that you would pair well with Ashton and after getting to know him more personally, you realized you were completely right. Conversation with Ashton was never boring and he never made you feel out of place with his family. Honestly, they treated you like their own or like they'd known you their whole lives.
You found yourself pushing the thought of knowing Ashton was leaving in a couple days and would probably forget about you once he meets another girl, but he was paying attention to you now and you were going to appreciate every single moment while you could.
It was in the middle of a very heated – and very hilarious – discussion about how Ashton still couldn't understand how someone could order just plain cheese on their pizza that it was interrupted. It was Lauren who pointed it out right after everyone noticed the smile on her face had immediately dropped after laughing at something you had said.
"Uh-oh," she mumbled, looking over her mom's shoulder, "Stalkers, 2 o'clock." Ashton couldn't keep his groan in as he looked over and saw them coming.
"You can go if you want," he said, turning back to you, "I'm sure you don't want to have to deal with this." There was a hint of disappointment in his voice, almost as if he didn't really want you to leave.
"They got me on camera, Ash," you sighed, "I'm already dealing with it."
"Hi, Ashton!" the blonde girl chirped, stopping a few feet away from him and his mom.
"Hello, girls," he forced a smile, "I really would like to just spend this lunch with my family, so if you could please leave us alone for a while..."
"What about her?" the redhead asked, pointing at you. You swallowed thickly, not expecting to be brought into this so quickly. Ashton breathed deeply, not wanting to cause a bigger scene since there were already people watching.
"She's not causing any problems," he stated in your defense.
"But she's still just a fan," the blonde scoffed, "What makes her so special?"
"She hasn't been stalking me all week," he said bluntly, "She was here first, she offered to move so we could sit together, but we told her she could stay. You two have already crossed the line with stalking my family now as well, but I would really appreciate it if you kept yourselves away from her."
"We aren't stalking anybody, Ashton," she said, batting her eyelashes at him as you all subtly rolled your eyes.
"Is that why you got your phone smashed then?" you spoke up, earning yourself a surprised look from the family and a glare from the two girls standing to the side. "You guys were straight-up stalking him yesterday," you went on, despite the obvious pleading look Ashton was giving you to just let it go, "I mean, I saw the video and the fact that literally the sweetest person alive reacted that way should tell you just how out of line you were to do and say what you did. He's just trying to spend time with his family before he leaves again for...what is it, five more months?...without having people like you harassing him and stressing him out and telling everyone his address. Like, I don't know how anyone could think that's okay, but you just aren't very good people – or fans for that matter – for doing that."
"And you're better?" the redhead shot back.
"Better than you," you replied, leaning back in your chair. The two girls looked at each other before silently stomping away, not having anything further to say to you or Ashton. "Let the rumors begin," you said lightheartedly, trying to make the family feel better. They all chuckled under their breaths, turning back to you.
"You didn't have to do that," Ashton shook his head, "But thank you."
"Like I said: They deserved it," you shrugged.
"Y/N, can we keep you?" Harry asked innocently, "That was the fastest they've left us alone this entire week."
"I'm afraid I've got my own things to do, Harry," you smiled at him, "But if you ever see me around town and you need help, I'll come to your rescue."
"Hey, kids," Anne spoke up, looking at her two youngest, "Why don't we go visit some shops down the street for a bit?" Lauren and Harry nodded eagerly, making Ashton furrow his eyebrows in confusion as they all got up.
"Mum, what are you-" Anne cut Ashton off, smiling at him.
"I know how much you don't like the stores down there, Ash," she said slyly, "Why don't you stay here and talk with Y/N for a while longer and we'll come back in a bit?"
"Mum," Ashton said firmly, now knowing exactly what his mother was doing.
"See you, Ash," she grinned, "And it was very nice meeting you, Y/N."
"You two, Mrs. Irwin," you smiled, waving to her, Lauren, and Harry as they walked away. "She did that on purpose, didn't she?" you asked despite already knowing the answer.
"Yeah..." he trailed off, "I can leave..."
"You can if you want," you whispered, hoping the disappointment in your voice wasn't too obvious.
"I don't, to be honest," he replied sheepishly.
"Really?" you asked, a bit surprised by his answer. He tilted his head at your reaction.
"Well, yeah," he let out a confused laugh, "I think you're really nice and the way you stood up to those girls for us was really cool. It's nice having actual conversations with fans when they don't just want a photo with you or your autograph."
"But speaking of autographs," you sighed dramatically. He giggled quietly, holding out his hand for you to put something in for him to sign. You, however, decided to have a little more fun with him. "Ashton," you scoffed jokingly, putting your hand in his, "If you wanted to hold my hand, you just had to ask." He laughed loudly that time, and you expected him to just take his hand back, but he didn't – he slipped his fingers through yours, squeezing your hand as he rubbed his thumb on the back of it. "This is officially the greatest day of my life," you commented, leaning toward him so your arms were pressed together.
"Do you actually have something you want me to sign though?" he chuckled, "Because I will."
"Oh, no," you giggled softly, "I don't even have a Sharpie." Ashton reached into his pocket, pulling out a marker.
"You never know when you'll need one," he shrugged.
"Clearly, you do," you stuck your tongue out at him. He let go of you to reach for a napkin and you instantly found yourself missing how warm his skin was.
"If I find this on eBay later, I'm going to come back and find you somehow," Ashton told you with a teasing tone.
"Is that a threat or a promise?" you smirked, making him look up at you. He smiled slyly, looking back down to draw you a little picture.
"That, Y/N, depends on how much you sell it for."
"I was thinking I'd start the bidding at a million," you said thoughtfully, leaning back in your chair.
"You think this is worth a million dollars?" he asked, capping his marker and handing you the napkin. Ashton had drawn you a picture of a piece of pizza right beside his name. You laughed as you took the napkin from him.
"I think it's worth way more than a million dollars," you answered honestly.
"Thank you," he shook his head as he smiled. He paused for a moment before speaking again. "Can I ask you something?" You simply nodded and he went on. "Earlier, after those girls left and you said 'let the rumors begin', what did you mean by that?"
"I don't know," you shrugged, "I just figured they're gonna be pretty pissed, so they'll start some stupid rumor about how you're dating a girl and how rude she is to fans and all that bullshit."
"That doesn't have to be a rumor, you know," he murmured.
"What, me being rude to fans?" you asked half-jokingly. Ashton couldn't help but smile slightly before letting it fade.
"No, I mean... We could be dating..." Your heart started racing and your stomach filled up with butterflies, but you tried to keep your cool.
"I've never been asked out on a date before, but that almost sounds like an invitation," you commented. Ashton furrowed his eyebrows, looking at you in surprise.
"You've never been asked out on a date before?" he asked. You shrugged again, a sheepish grin on your face. "So you've never had a boyfriend?"
"No, I've had boyfriends," you shook your head.
"But they've never taken you on a date?" he seemed so confused by the fact.
"Is it that unusual?" you asked.
"Kind of!" he chuckled quietly, "But I am going to take you on a date so spectacular that even if you had been on any other date before, it would obviously be so vastly superior in every way that you would never want to date anyone else ever again."
You cocked an eyebrow, "You've been practicing that speech, haven't you?"
"No, but I'm still taking you out," he said matter-of-factly.
"And when are you going to do that?" you giggled, "You're leaving to go back on tour tomorrow, Ashton."
"Then I guess I'm going to have to take you out tonight," he smirked. You felt your cheeks getting hot, but he didn't stop there. "Or-" he said after looking at his phone. "-since it's already nearly 3, we could just do it right now."
"Ash, I am not date-ready right now," you shook your head, but you were smiling about the fact that he seemed so eager to spend more time with you.
"You look beautiful to me," Ashton shrugged, getting up to throw everything away. He came back over to you, holding his hand out for you to take.
You looked at it for a moment before placing your hand in his, letting him pull you up. You quickly grabbed the napkin Ashton had signed for you, putting it in your pocket.
You expected Ashton to let go of your hand again, but you found yourself thinking you needed to not expect Ashton to do anything because you were usually wrong. He tangled your fingers together, holding onto you tightly as he led you down the street.
"So where are we going on this date exactly?" you asked, making sure you stayed close to him.
"Well, first, we're going to find my mum, brother, and sister so they're not worried about why we're not at the pizza place anymore," Ashton chuckled, "And then, I'm gonna take you to my favorite place in all of Sydney."
"And where might that be?"
"That, my dear, would be Sky High Trampoline Park." You gasped suddenly.
"I've always wanted to go to a trampoline park," you giggled at your own outburst.
"You've never been?" his eyes widened, "God, is there anything you have done?"
"I met Ashton Irwin from 5 Seconds of Summer once," you smirked.
"Really?" he grinned, "I hear that guy is a real douche. Is that true?"
"Nah," you sighed, "He's literally the sweetest person alive." He smiled widely before leaning down and pressing a kiss to your cheek, making you blush.
As Ashton led you to the store he knew his family would be at, he spent that time getting to know you. He found himself actually able to be his happy self around you and not just doing it for cameras or fans.
He knew he was falling for you, and he was falling fast. But he didn't even know if you'd be willing to stay with him through the constant months away from home or whatever the fans might say about you – especially after that video gets out.
But as he felt you lay your head on his shoulder and your hand tightly holding his, he knew it was going to be worth it.
~
After you returned home later that night – and despite your brain telling you not to – you opened up Twitter. You wished you could say you were surprised to find you timeline filled with the video of you telling off the stalkers, but you really weren't – the redhead wasn't exactly being discreet about filming Ashton and you just happened to be in the frame since you were sitting so close to him.
What you could say you were surprised with, however, was the way your friends and the other fans you followed were all saying how incredible the video was – and a friend would occasionally pop up in your notifications screaming about how 'OH MY GOD, Y/N, YOU MET ASHTON IRWIN'.
As you scrolled down your timeline, you found yourself laughing at some of the reactions and how quickly the video turned back on the two girls who had started the whole thing.
After a few minutes of scrolling, you found one tweet that caught your eye. It was a quote tweet of the original video with the caption 'this girl is my hero'. You smiled at the tweet, but your heart skipped a beat when you scrolled down a bit more and saw that Ashton had responded to it.
She's my hero too