"hey daddy what's that?" tucker asked pointing to something outside.
"what's what?" calum replied climbing off his bed and walking over to the window where tucker was standing.
"that thing."
calum's gaze fell upon his old trampoline in the back corner of the backyard.
"that's a trampoline. do you wanna go see it?"
"yeah!" tucker squealed. "let's go!"
"okay." calum chuckled. "we gotta bundle you up first. it's cold outside."
"kay let's go then." tucker shouted pulling calum out of the bedroom and towards the stairs.
"you still scared?" calum asked as the five year old halted at the staircase. he nodded.
tucker had mastered going up the stairs fine. it was going down that terrified him.
"can you pick me up please?"
"i guess so but you have to start doing it by yourself soon okay?" calum said softly picking the five year old up and adjusted him to comfortably rest on his hip.
tucker nuzzed his head into the crook of calum's neck like always and squeezed his eyes shut as calum made the short trip down the stairs. when they were safely back on the ground calum tapped tucker's back and placed him back down.
"thank you." he whispered.
"let's get you all bundled up."
the two didn't take long to pile on the winter clothing and were racing to the backdoor when they got intercepted.
"whoa where do you two think you're going?" joy asked stepping in their path.
"to the trampoline." calum said rolling on the balls of his feet trying to act as innocent as possible.
"and do you really think that's a good idea? the thing could break at any second. it's so old."
"eh worth the risk." calum replied shrugging.
"i don't think you should risk it."
"moooom." Calum whined. "i'll test it out before he goes on. i promise."
"fine. go." she huffed. "just give me a heads up when you're coming in and i'll have hot chocolate ready."
"yes!" calum cheered. "let's go tuck."
he laced his gloved hand with tucker's and pulled him outside towards the trampoline.
"wow." tucker breathed. "it's a lot bigger then i thought."
"yeah it's pretty big." calum laughed. "let me go test it out."
the twenty five year old climbed on top of the trampoline and stopped in his tracks when he heard it squeak.
"don't hurt yourself." tucker called.
"i'll try not to." calum replied. he took another step towards the middle. he turned to face tucker before taking a small test jump.
thankfully the trampoline didn't break. just whined and creaked from old age.
"okay let's get you up here." calum said clambering off and grabbing tucker. he playfully tossed the five year old onto the trampoline before climbing back on himself.
"now what?" tucker asked linking his hand with calum's.
"you jump." calum stated jumping up and down. tucker gave calum a confused look before caustiously following his actions.
it wasn't long until the five year old was screeching with glee and calum was the happiest he had been in a long time.
"okay okay i need a break." calum wheezed lying down on the trampoline.
"daddy don't stop!" tucker whined.
"bud i'm out of breath. let's just lay down for awhile."
"fine." tucker huffed before plopping down next to calum.
"i'm gonna talk to nana and see if we can get a small swing set out here. with a slide and everything."
"really?" tucker asked excitement clear in his tone.
"yes really."
"i love you." tucker whispered. "you're the bestest person ever."
"i love you too."
tucker curled up into calum's side and rested his head on his shoulder. calum wrapped his arms around his son and rubbed up and down his back to keep him warm.
"your hair is so long." calum mumbled pulling at the raven colored strands that reached the middle of tucker's back. "we can finally cut it now. if you want to."
"no i like it." tucker stated. "it keeps me safe like you do."
"alright. if you ever want to cut it just say the word."
"daddy is that snow?" tucker squealed scrambling to stand up. calum looked up at the sky to see small white snowflakes drifting down.
"yeah it's snowing tuck." calum said sitting up.
"let's catch snowflakes!"
"alright let's get off the trampoline first."
"okay hurry!" tucker said running over to the edge of the trampoline waiting for calum to make his way over to him.
calum climbed off before plucking tucker up and placing him down on the grass.
"go nuts little man." calum laughed pushing tucker to run around.
"tag! you're it!" tucker yelled slapping calum's arm before running away.
they spent about twenty minutes chasing each other around the backyard before getting yelled at by joy to come back inside the house and then another ten minutes before she came back to yell at them once again this time announcing they had guests.
"okay bud let's go inside we have company."
tucker whined in protest as calum picked him up and carried him towards the house.
"bubs i promise if there's enough snow on the ground tomorrow we'll go play in it."
"but i wanna play in it now!" tucker retorted.
"i know you do but i'm cold, you're cold and we have people visiting us. plus nana made us hot chocolate."
"fine." he huffed admitting defeat and halting his struggling.
calum playfully tossed tucker over his shoulder and spun around a couple times just to make the little boy laugh before going inside.
"did you two have fun?" joy asked as calum plopped tucker down on the kitchen counter.
he nodded. "tons. right bud?"
"we had lots of fun." tucker said agreeing as calum pulled the layers off him.
"well that's good. let's get some hot chocolate inside your system to warm you guys up."
"thanks ma."
"go sit in the living room with the boys i'll bring the hot chocolate to you guys." she said ushering them out of the kitchen into the living room.
"hey." ashton said as calum sat down on the couch next to him with tucker in his lap.
"i didn't know you guys were coming over today."
"yeah we wanted to stop by." michael explained getting up from the lounge chair to sit next to calum.
he pulled tucker into his own lap and let the little boy mess with his chocolate brown strands of hair. joy walked into the living room and placed five mugs of hot chocolate on the coffee table before mumbling something about being in the kitchen with david and leaving the room.
"so um we wanted to know if you wanted to go out tonight?" luke asked leaning forward resting his elbows on his knees. "like for a couple of drinks or something."
"and if you don't want to drink we can just grab something to eat." ashton suggested.
"i have a five year old there's no fucking way i'm going out drinking." calum gaped. "one, i don't want to drink in the first place and two, do you really think they would let me bring a five year old into a bar?"
"well you wouldn't bring him." luke retorted.
"excuse me?"
"you'd leave him with your mom for a couple hours." luke replied as if it were obvious solution. but to calum that wasn't an option.
"i'm not leaving him here. if we go anywhere he's coming with us."
"are you actually being serious?" luke nearly shouted. "oh come on calum he can survive for a couple hours without you. stop coddling him."
"stop coddling him?!" calum spat. "you're fucking joking right?"
"guys please don't fight." ashton begged.
"you've been back for over a month now!" luke yelled. "and you haven't left his side once."
"incase you fucking forgot i was kidnapped for the past almost seven years and he has been my only company for that time. and i am the only person he truly feels safe with! so sorry if i spend all my time with him just to make sure he's okay!" calum retorted.
"and you've been back for over a month he has got to be comfortable with someone else by now! it's ridiculous!"
"fuck you. get the fuck out of my house." calum sneered. "if you don't understand that the only positive experience he ever had with a person his whole entire life was with me so that makes him terrified of the world then you can't be in my fucking life. and i don't want you to be a part of his."
"cal baby please calm down." michael said placing a hand on the twenty five year olds shoulder.
"me? you want me to calm down? fuck off. don't start with me."
"you both are being irrational." ashton said softly. "you guys need to calm down and talk about this in a civilized manner."
"i am in no way being irrational." calum growled. "if me wanting to make my son feel safe and comfortable is being fucking irrational all of you can fucking leave."
"you're babying him for fucksake!" luke yelled.
"get out of my house right now." calum spat. "leave."
"gladly." luke grunted before storming out of the house slamming the front door behind him.
"cal-."
"i don't want to talk about this." calum said before getting up and rushing out of the room leaving ashton and michael in an awkward silence.
"is daddy okay?" tucker asked speaking up.
"um i don't know bud. let's go check on him." michael replied softly standing up with the little boy in his arms.
"i'm gonna go try and calm down luke." ashton sighed. "good luck with calum."
"same to you."
ashton gave michael a curt nod and went to go find luke while michael made his way upstairs with tucker. when he got to calum's bedroom he placed tucker down and lightly pushed him in the direction of calum. he toddled over to the bed and climbed up to immediately get pulled into calum's grasp.
michael kicked off his boots before crawling into the bed behind calum and wrapping his arms around his waist, spooning him.
"i'm sorry love." michael whispered.
"not your fault." calum mumbled. "can you just hold me?"
"that's what i'm doing isn't it?" michael said giggling.
"i love you." calum breathed. "i love both of you so much."
"i love you too." michael replied softly.
"i love you too daddy."
"me and you against the world right tuck?" calum asked softly.
"what about mikey daddy?" tucker piped.
"i guess mikey can join our little group if he wants too."
"i would love to."