Scream Praises [Cashton mpreg]

Week 37

Calum's jaw tenses when he walks into the bedroom. Ashton's sitting on the end of the bed with his elbows on his knees, face in his hands. His curls are falling over his knuckles and twisting around his fingers, while his entire body seems tight and on edge. Michael's standing in front of him, looking as broad and tall as ever, with his arms over his chest and his jaw clenched. They'd clearly been arguing prior, but they both look up as soon as the floorboards creak under Calum's feet.

Ashton's eyes look like fucking fire. Calum flinches back automatically, before Ashton looks back to the floor, rubbing his hands down his face in exasperation.

"Do whatever you want, dickhead," Michael spits out, looking back to Ashton and kicking at a box next to him with the steel toe of his black boots. "Just- you have a fucking impact, and you don't seem to realize it. I'm going to end up raising your fucking kid, and we all know it."

Calum flinches again, but he knows. He's going to be fucking useless by himself. And, on top of that, he already feels himself physically shutting down from intense heartbreak. He's not going to be able to do this for very long, this single dad thing. Luke's busy with school, so Michael's going to have to step up. He only works nights and Luke only has classes during the day, so it shouldn't be a problem if Calum needs help. Still, Calum would prefer Camellia's dad actually try to raise her.

"I need to do this," Ashton says firmly.

"Do you?" Michael interjects, before Ashton can even finish. "Do you really? Or have you just had your sights set on this end goal of leaving for so long, that you don't know what to do without it? You don't know what you'd do if you stayed, do you?" Ashton pauses, so Michael takes that as his cue to keep analyzing him. "On top of that, you're too fucking stubborn to do what you're told, aren't you? We ask you to stay and you leave. Just want to prove us wrong, don't you?"

"Shut the fuck up," Ashton stands up then, looking bigger than his full five foot seven stance. "Shut your stupid mouth for once and get the fuck out of my apartment."

"It's not yours," Michael counters immediately. "You signed it over to Calum, remember? You don't even own your own fucking apartment."

"Well, I'm here, and I want you out," Ashton demands. Michael flicks his eyes over to Calum for approval then shrugs.

"Can you-" Calum starts quietly.

"Yeah, I'll grab Cam," Michael cuts him off. "You can pick her up tomorrow, after fuckface leaves." Ashton goes to protest, but shut his mouth when he sees the sharp look Michael sends his way. Michael leaves, and Calum starts shifting around nervously in his own bedroom. He's uncomfortable, standing here while Ashton shuffles with his boxes. They don't speak again until the front door slams shut.

"Please- please don't do this," Calum whispers.

Ashton crosses his arms over his chest. "I have to. I'm going, I have to."

"You don't," Calum says quickly. "You don't have to, Ash. Please just-" he can't help it when his voice cracks, then pitches lower so he can whisper, "Please don't leave me."

"You're not going to cry, are you?" Ashton raises an eyebrow and steps forward curiously. Calum hastily wipes the tears burning his eyes and shakes his head. "Come on, we can't both cry, you're supposed to be the strong one, here!" He sounds a bit hysterical when he says it, which makes Calum glance up with a frown.

Ashton stumbles closer, knocking into Calum until he falls back with a huffs to sit on the edge of the bed. Ashton's quick to crawl into his lap and slot his smaller body against Calum's chest.

"Me and you," Ashton bumps his hand against Calum's chest, making sure he can feel the ring on his finger. "We're in it for the long haul. Til death do us part."

"Then don't go," Calum mutters. He tucks Ashton closer and props his head over Ashton's freshly dyed, soft green hair. It really brings out his eyes, Calum's kind of in love with it.

Ashton squirms a bit until Calum falls back, huffing out a breath when Ashton falls on top of him. "I have to. I love you so much, but-" he cuts off and presses his lips to Calum's jaw. "I have to. It'll be good for both of us, okay? I promise you, Cal. I need to get this out of my system- it's like, I don't know, it's like there's something in my veins. It almost burns. I have to leave, it's a miracle I've stayed this long. As soon as it's gone, I'll come back to you."

Calum's laying on his back in the middle of his bed, feet hanging over the edge, with his tiny husband curled on top of his chest. He strokes his hand down Ashton's spine slowly and breathes out a sigh. "I respect your decision."

"Thank you," Ashton whispers.

"But," Calum continues. "We're married. No getting pregnant again, no getting hooked on drugs, promise to call to check in once in awhile, and introduce yourself as Ashton Hood."

Ashton snorts in amusement at that and swipes his thumb along Calum's jaw. "We hyphenated."

"So?" Calum shrugs. "You're mine, everyone has to know." Ashton smiles when he presses his mouth to Calum's cheek, but Calum ignores him. "And no STD's. Or drinking and driving. Or- here, this is a lot of rules, do you want me to write them all down?"

"I think I got them all," Ashton hums.

"You're right, I can just email them to you later," Calum nods.

Ashton tilts his head back enough so he can press a chaste kiss to Calum's mouth, then pouts. "Please drive me to the airport? I don't want the cab driver to think I'm weird when I start crying in the backseat by myself."

Calum doesn't want to. He wants to pin Ashton down and force him to stay and take care of his daughter. He can't, though, not with how restless Ashton has been lately. The way he sees it, either he lets Ashton go do his thing now, willingly, or he wakes up one morning to an empty bed. Ashton will run away if he has to, Calum knows he will.

Ashton's always been more adventurous and wild than Calum, he physically needs to go outside once a day, has to walk around and get some fresh air, and he gets restless if he doesn't do anything exciting. Having a baby was probably absolute hell for him. He couldn't go out for a while, couldn't break into a sprint, couldn't do anything. The urge to run is pent up inside of him from the last nine months and he needs some sort of release.

Calum's just sad it had to come in the form of flying back to Australia and abandoning his family. He wishes there was another way but, knowing Ashton, there isn't. Leaving is the only solution in his mind.

He rubs his hand over Ashton's spine slowly and nods. "Yeah. I'll drive you."

☆☆☆☆

Ashton promises he said goodbye to Camellia before Michael left with her, so they take off for the airport. Ashton denies he's crying the whole way there and punches Calum in the arm every time he looks over. Calum sits with him as long as he can, holding Ashton's left hand with his so their rings clink together.

"Promise you'll wear it the entire time," Calum says. Ashton nods quickly. "And promise you'll be honest about me and Cam if someone asks."

Ashton nods again. "I promise, okay? I'm married, I have a kid, got it. I'll tell everyone. Maybe I'll just buy a billboard and plaster it on so the entire city knows, how's that?" Calum gives him a look that has Ashton tearing up and punching his shoulder again. "I'm gonna miss you, Cal, you dick."

"I know," Calum reaches over with his free hand and runs it through his husband's green curls. "We'll miss you, too." Ashton laughs almost hysterically and sniffles, wiping his nose with his knuckles, before smacking Calum upside the head.

"Don't get sappy, you know I'm emotional," Ashton mumbles. "I have a uterus, I'm always emotional."

"Or you're human," Calum suggest, to which Ashton sends him a tearful glare. "Don't look at me like that, people cry! I cry all the time!"

Ashton snorts and looks down so he doesn't have to look at Calum anymore. "I can't believe I was the pregnant one." Calum rubs the back of his hand with his thumb and leans his head against Ashton's shoulder. Ashton sniffles some more and adamantly doesn't sob, until his flight is ready to board.

Calum let's go of his hand and cups his cheeks carefully. "I love you so much," he whispers. "I will always love you, okay? Me and Cam will be waiting for you to come back."

Ashton nods and closes his eyes, eyelashes fluttering against his cheekbones, while he sucks his bottom lip into his mouth. "I'm-" he cuts off and leans farther into Calum's hands. "I have to go."

"I'm know,"

Neither of them move. "Please tell Camellia about me," Ashton mumbles. "I don't- I don't want to come back a complete stranger. I don't want her to not recognize me. I don't-" he cuts off and breathes in a shaky breath, so Calum silences him with a chaste kiss.

"I will," he assures him. "I'll tell her all about you, mama, I promise." Ashton let's a single tear escape down his flushed cheek, so Calum swipes it off and kisses him again. "You're going to miss your flight. I love you, okay?"

"Okay," Ashton mumbles. Calum releases him finally and picks up the strap of his carry on. They both stand, Calum handing the bag over, and Ashton pouts until he gets another kiss. Finally, finally, he whispers, "I love you, too." He follows that up by punching Calum weakly in the shoulder, then enveloping him in a big hug.

When they part, Calum swipes the tears off his small husband's cheeks and kisses his forehead. "See you later, Ash."

Ashton smiles slightly and nods. "See you later." 

((Oh no this fic is done.  Sad. I love little Ashton.

Anyway, there's an epilogue so worry not I wouldn't leave this so open ended. Also, BONUS!, I didn't kill off Ashton like I was planning!!! He's totally fine!!!!! sad

-Mel))