baby, I'll show you the world [muke af]

Savannah, Georgia (Saturday, July 6th, 2019)

Savannah, Georgia (Saturday, July 6th, 2019)

Ashton giggled loosely as he watched his two girls blow out their candles. The shutter sound of Calum's favorite Canon has become the soundtrack to his lifetime.

Both of their hair were pushed back, birthday hats strapped to their heads. The string pulled uncomfortably at Ivona's skin, but Calum made her keep it on for this one photo. (When Calum says 'one photo', he actually means one entire shoot).

Ash helped them remove their candles withouts burning their little fingers. He placed it on their side plate as they began to feast on their dessert. Cal took his hand under the table, leaning his head no Ash's shoulder, then pressed his lips quickly to his neck. "I can't believe it's been four years," he whispered before sitting back up.

"Four years old," Ashton said to the two girls, "Soon you'll need to pay taxes and college loans."

"Uncle Lukey said college is stupid," Bella pointed out. She had pink frosting all over the front of her face, her once pink lips dyed that hue.

"Okay, well, Uncle Lukey went to college for six years," Ash responded, "You're going to college."

Calum placed his hand on Ash's knee, soothing him slowly. "Don't."

Ashton eyed him before going back to the dinner he was still slowly munching on.

Luke stood in the mirror at their hotel, his arms locked on the underside of the counter. His reflection was clear, the mirror polished to perfection. After walking though a city like Savannah—where each house matches the next—he realized he will never, ever have a normal life.

He'll never get up and mow the lawn, or make Michael mow the lawn. He'll never worry about being able to afford this or that. He'll never send his kids to public school, he won't have to. Luke knows he'll never live a typical middle-class life like the one he grew up in, and it didn't really hit him until recently.

Michael knocked on the door. "You alright?"

"Yeah," he squeaked, "I'll be out in a minute."

Michael made himself comfortable in their blanket fort once more as he continued to scroll through Netflix, trying to find the perfect movie they haven't seen yet. Luke and Michael quite liked movie nights, even if neither could focus for more than an hour, they liked the concept.

Luke stared at himself in the mirror once more. He wasn't always the person he was physically. He had chubby cheeks, a rounder face. He had extra skin, baggy eyes, blotchy skin. Even after graduating high school, he still felt like the ugly Hemmings brother. He'd look up at his two older brothers and question why he wasn't them. Why didn't he have a broader jaw? Why didn't he have darker facial hair? Why wasn't he attractive?

He matured, mentally and physically. He never learned to love himself, but he came pretty close.

Mentally, Luke stayed pretty close to the same. He's still organized in a messy type of way. He likes things his way, but he's willing to adjust. He's lost but grounded. He's a mess, but a hot one.

Sometimes, the blonde gets jealous of his husband. Michael is able to float through life without a single care in the world. He's able to live his life one minute at a time, not worry about tomorrow. Michael has other people for that.

Calum hoisted Ivona on his shoulders, her hands grabbing the top of his ears. They walked around the beautiful city, the sunset glowing perfectly at every bend of the road. Cal craved to make this moment permanent with a photo (or a dozen), but everything was wrapped up.

Ashton was holding Bella's hand in his right, Calum's hand in his left. This was his family, and he was proud. He was practically counting down the seconds until the small rise of his stomach would become child number three.

(a/n) don't worry, this story is gonna become sad soon, too. 

i have another story coming out next week (maybe?? don't trust me word) called "the last brushstroke destroys the painting". i know, it's as long as a panic! at the disco song. it's an artist!muke au, and it's really cool so far. i'll give more details soon. 

anyways, cool. hi. thanks for reading, sorry these fillers have been such a drag lately.