5SOS Imagines

Ashton Imagine: Christmas Surprise

Merry Christmas to y'all! :)
I'm sorry I haven't updated for a while but I was really busy, but now I have a winter break so I'll be updating a lot :)
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"I miss you, babe."
The video is a little laggy and his voice comes out static-filled from your laptop speakers, but it's all you had and it's better than nothing at all.
"I miss you too, Ash. I wish... I wish we could spend Christmas together."
Your voice is wistful, eyes downcast as you stared at your fingers, turning your gaze out the windows to another city you forgot the name at, back to the screen with the person you loved so much.
"I know. Me too, love. I know it's hard, but... but we'll always have another Christmas together."
His voice is peppered with false cheeriness, but he knows and you know that you'll never be sure about next Christmas or the Christmas after - you'll never be certain about birthdays and anniversaries and holidays and breaks, not for a while.
Not when his band is growing, when he's playing gigs at cities all over the world, never staying in one place for more than a day.
Not when you're just as busy, performing your own shows and attending interviews and holding up in your studio and meeting with fans.
You always found it funny how the two of you always crossed the world in crazy paths for your job, but you never crossed paths.
You both performed for fans on big stages, for screaming crowds - sometimes on the same stages for the same people, but never on the same day.
You loved your job, you truly did - but the stages and the interviews and the people always faded and blended together after a while.
You only wanted to sing for his ears. To answer his questions. To be by his side.
And it's always times like Christmas where it hits you the hardest - that you might love what you do, but you wouldn't always have the people you loved by your side.
The both of you knew from the start that it wouldn't be easy. Busy schedules, hurried phone calls, bad Skype calls - maintaining a long distance relationship was never easy, but all you needed was to hear Ashton's voice or see his smile and you'd always remember how much you loved him. And it'd all be worth it.
But there's something about Christmas that makes you feel that it wasn't enough.
That a blurry video call wasn't enough. That a phone call wishing you Merry Christmas just didn't quite cut it.
You knew it. He knew it.
Maybe it was a little selfish to suddenly decide that what you had wasn't enough.
But it was Christmas and there were couples walking hand in hand in the snow, sharing cups of hot chocolate and wearing hideously sickening matching sweaters and exchanging gifts and kisses underneath the mistletoe, and you can't deny the fact that you wished Ashton was there.
It didn't matter where you were - you just wanted him.
You wanted him to hold your hand in the winter wind and you wanted him to cuddle you in his coat and you wanted to brush the snow off his curls and you wanted to burn your tongue on piping hot coffee and you wanted him to laugh at you for it. You wanted to decorate a tree with him and you wanted to wrap presents horribly by his side and you wanted to see his hazel eyes in the flickering Christmas lights and you wanted to kiss him underneath the mistletoe and you wanted him so, so much this Christmas.
You wanted every stupid Christmas cliché with Ashton and you didn't even care that you were just a whiney, needy girlfriend who wanted the warmth of the person she loved in her bed on Christmas morning.
You just wanted Ashton.
But the setting sun in your windows and the bright morning light from his room through the webcam reminds you that you couldn't - at least, not for this Christmas.
He says he loves you and you say the same to him, but there's no denying the identical sadness in your smiles when you say goodbye before ending the call.
The calendar reminds you that there's only a few days until Christmas.
And the empty hotel reminds you that you're alone.
-
You pull some strings.
At first, it's more of you acting on your desperate wishes, but the more phone calls and fixes you make, the more it seems possible and the more your heart lifts.
It takes sleepless nights of calling people from all over the world - agents that you bicker over rearranged schedules, friends that help you piece together ideas and details, companies that change your ticket and your performances.
It takes several nights full of hair-pulling frustration from hearing no, we can't just simply do that and you're just being foolish and trying to stay rational and professional when you're talking to certain people, but the puzzle pieces start falling into place.
Of course, with a little help of you forcefully jamming a few of them into where you wanted them to go, but so long as it fit, then you supposed it didn't really matter.
You start to feel a bit of the Christmas spirit seep into your system, and you no longer dread the days that pass by, counting down the days until Christmas day.
You try to hide it when you see Ashton on the Skype calls, but you can never contain your smile for long, not when you're so excited for him to see your surprise.
Soon.
And the interviews and performances become considerably more cheerful, knowing that you have something to look forward to. The days flash by, and soon you're wheeling a suitcase down an airport terminal, a skip in your step and a smile on your face.
You make one more phone call before stepping into the plane.
Cal?
Aren't you supposed to be on the plane?
Yeah - I'm just... is everything in order?
Don't worry about it - I've got it all taken care of. We're keeping him busy 'till you get here. Just make sure you follow the plan we made and everything will be alright. And for the love of god, don't pounce on him the moment you catch a glimpse of him - that would kind of ruin everything.
Alright, alright, Cal. I promise I won't.
Good. Don't worry - you'll be fine. It'll be perfect.
Thanks, Cal. I really appreciate you helping me out.
It's nothing. I'll see you in a few hours, yeah? Get some rest. You're gonna have a busy Christmas.
You smile to yourself before turning off your phone, getting yourself settled in the small plane seats, staring out the windows.
Just a few more hours - the thought brings butterflies of excitement and giddiness fluttering in your stomach and a happy smile on your lips.
Soon.
-
You peek your head from behind the curtains, eyes curiously searching the view before you.
You found it sweet how the band decided to play one last show for the fans on Christmas Eve, hundreds of thousands of fans showing up to spend Christmas with their favourite band.
"You still have five more minutes 'till you're supposed to appear, so keep that pretty head out of sight."
Calum's voice comes out as a hiss as he jostles you back behind the folds of the black curtains.
You pout at him, but the smile quickly returns back to your lips - you haven't been able to keep the grin off your face for long, not when you can feel the adrenaline and excitement running through your veins.
"I was just taking a peek, Cal - "
"Yeah, well your little peek might ruin the whole surprise and I'm trying to be a good friend here."
You smile up at him and punch him lightly on the shoulder.
"Thanks, Cal."
"Yeah, I know I'm awesome and all. I'm expecting a huge gift from the both of you with all I've done for this."
"One from the each of us or can it be a group effort?"
"So long as it's not just me staring at the two of you eating each other's faces the whole night."
"About that..."
"I'm starting to have second thoughts about helping you."
"Cal!"
You smack him, a little harder this time, frowning playfully at him. He grins at you, pretending to rub his shoulder in mock exaggeration.
"Just joking, woman. I was getting tired of seeing him look all sad and sighing dramatically every time someone mentioned Christmas anyways."
Before you can respond, Luke comes bustling in, eyes wide and breathless.
"We can't stall him for much longer - he's starting to get suspicious. If I were you, I'd get out there now and get to it before he starts hammering me for answers."
"You wouldn't be hammered if you were a better liar." Calum mutters underneath his breath, rubbing his forehead.
"Well, I'm sorry if I don't want to lie straight to the face of my bandmate! Who also happens to be extremely muscular, might I add." Luke retorts, puffing his cheeks.
You roll your eyes at the two boys before taking a quick peek out the curtains again.
You could see the crowd waiting - rows upon rows of fans, eager for the show.
You were a little nervous at the idea at first - all these fans were waiting for a show, but not from you.
But you knew there was one person who would be waiting for you, who'd cheer for you even no one else did.
And that was the only person that mattered.
You take one last deep breath before smiling nervously at Calum and Luke, giving them one last pat on the arm before you walked out onto the stage.
You can hear the murmurs of confusion, but you try to loosen up your nerves and smile at the crowd before you.
You've done this a million times - hundreds of shows and thousands of people - but somehow, this particular performance feels a little different.
More special.
"Hi there - I know you're all waiting for 5 Seconds of Summer - and I know why, they're awesome people and an awesome band - but I would just like to share a little something today."
You hope no one can tell that your hands are shaking as you hold the microphone to your lips.
"It's a little cliché and probably way overdone, but it's Christmas and I'm just a silly girl who made a hundred phone calls and flew a thousand miles to be with the boy she loves this holiday season."
You grin at the flashing cameras, and when you turn to the side of the stage, you see Ashton standing there, his jaw to the floor and paralyzed at the sight of you.
You give him a little wave and your beam grows bigger at the sight of him, the butterflies erupting in your stomach.
"So... before the show starts, I'd like to dedicate this song to someone very special to me. I sure hope he knows who he is and I think you guys know, too - and just a hint, it's not Luke."
You hear Luke protest from backstage, his loud hey travelling across the venue.
You chuckle a little, but you blow Luke a quick kiss. You think you might just be hearing it, but you think you hear Calum saying something along the lines of she's just into drummers, mate.
The crowd quiets as the music starts, and you can feel the familiar nerves start to creep into your system, as they did with every show.
The bells and the upbeat melody of the song is practically ingrained into your mind from all the times you've practiced it, but the catchy beat still has you swaying your hips playfully, grinning as the song begins.
I don't want a lot for Christmas...
The crowd cheers at the all-too familiar line, and you smile brightly at their support, your voice louder and more confident with their cheers.
But there is just one thing I need...
Everyone is chanting the lines with you, and you sing along, unable to stop yourself from grinning at their dancing figures and excited voices. You find yourself roaming the stage, laughing in between breaks and holding onto the hands of the fans that reached out to you in the front row.
You catch a glimpse of Ashton at the side of the stage, his smile bright enough to light up Times Square. You can see his feet tapping and you know he's itching to run to you, just like how you've been itching to wrap your arms around him this whole entire time.
All I want for Christmas is you
You finish the song with a belt that comes from your heart, releasing all of your elation and jittery nerves and happiness, spilling it into the final seconds of the song.
When the music starts to fade away, the crowd roars and you're beaming, bowing your head humbly at the deafening cheers of all the fans before you.
You feel a little light-headed from the glee of the show and seeing Ashton and you suspect you might be floating on cloud nine.
You're almost taken aback by the sudden collision of Ashton crashing into you, his arms around your waist the moment the song ends, lifting you off the feet, hazel eyes staring up at you as if you were the stars.
His star.
The crowd cheers louder - if possible - at his sudden appearance, but you and him could care less, not when you're finally staring at each other and holding one another in person after months and months of seeing each other on a blurry screen.
"You came all the way here... for me?"
His voice barely comes out as a whisper, but you can hear him perfectly fine despite the screaming crowd.
"I couldn't spend Christmas without you."
You smile down at him, touching your forehead with his.
It didn't matter that the two of you were standing on stage in the middle of a crowd for thousands; it didn't matter that there were hundreds of cameras trained on you and people screaming your name.
All that mattered was Ashton's arms around you and his breath on your cheek and his lips mere millimeters away from yours.
And in front of a crowd of thousands, Ashton presses his lips on yours, his hands on your back firm as he pulled you closer.
Cameras flashed and girls screamed, but all you felt was Ashton's smile on your lips and his arms around you.
And you couldn't think of any place better to be for Christmas.