Nutella (Alternate Version)

. 63 .

Michael groans as he wakes up. The past few days have been pretty rough. Lukes attitude did get better, but his misbehavior turned into mischief, which Calum is always happy to join in on, so he's had two rowdy and mischievous boys who's seemingly only purpose on life is to make his more difficult.

He can already hear them downstairs giggling and makes his way down, finding that theyve dragged a bunch of toys down from their playroom and are spreading them all over the living room. He knows it'll be a fight when it's time to clean up, but for now he doesn't bother making an issue of it.

"Good morning babes, come give me loves." He greets and the two look at him. Calum stands to do so but Luke giggles.

"No!" The blonde bites with a grin.

"Fine then, don't, my little brunette bug will." Michael teases and sticks his tongue out at the blonde. "Right Cali?"

Calum makes a thinking face and glances between the two. "No!" He repeats and giggles and Michael rolls his eyes.

"Fine then, I'll just take them!" The man stands and chases the two with his arms out, and the younger boys immediately take off running around the house giggling.

Michael frowns as he hears his phone ringing in his back pocket and stands straight, ignoring the boys trying to get him to chase them again and answering it, shushing them.

"Hello?" He answers. The boys watch quietly and curiously as Michael talks to whoever's on the phone. He sighs when he hangs up.

"I have to go into work." He tells the two and Luke frowns. Normally, for a few hours a day, Michael works in his office. Lukes really not sure what he does, he thinks it has something to do with insurance, but Michael hasn't had to go into work since Lukes been staying there.

"Who's gonna watch us?" Luke quietly asks Calum who looks at Luke. "No one, we gotta be big." He informs. The blue eyed boy frowns.

"I don't wanna be big!" He whines loudly and Michael sighs.

"I'm sorry bub, but you gotta. I can't leave you here when you're little. Maybe you two can do something fun like go to the mall or something, yeah?" Michael offers.

"B-but, I never had to be alone with ashy, even big-"

"Lukey, you won't be alone, im right here, yeah?" Calum says gently, already coming out of headspace.

"It'll be fun, okay buddy? Can you try and be big for me?" Calum coaxes, Michael watching with a smile.

Luke huffs and nods, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to be big. He feels his chest too tight and tears touch his eyes and sobs, pushing himself right back into headspace.

"No! Too sad when I'm big!" Luke cries and Michael and Calum both frown, feeling sympathetic. Whenever Luke has been out of headspace, which has been very infrequent, he's been very distraught, sad and anxious and stressed and overall emotionally miserable. They don't blame him for not wanting to leave his headspace.

"Okay, it's okay Lukey. You can stay little." Calum says with sad eyes to his friend. He turns to his dominant. "I'll take care of him, it'll be fine. You can go." He smiles and Michael gives him a worried look. He doesn't know how well that'll go down, especially with Luke being so troublesome lately.

"I don't know cal, you sure you won't slip? You can handle him?"

"I don't feel like I'm gonna slip at all, mike. I'm totally fine, I can handle Luke, I bet he'll listen to me just fine, huh buddy?" Calum asks the blonde who pouts and nods.

"But I don't want Mikey to leave." Luke pouts and Michael smiles small, remembering how attached Luke was to Ashton and feeling warm that Luke feels bonded enough to Michael to feel attached that way to him too, at least a little bit.