5sos smut :: boyxboy

happy endings ✧cashton✧

Credit: emiliathegreat

Cite: AO3

Calum let out a puff of breath, watching it condense into a small cloud in front of his face as he pushed open the door to the small bookstore.

He didn't really know why he ended up there, or how really. He convinced himself that it was for one reason: to get out of the cold. With numb fingers, he would rather spend some time in a heated shop than walk all the way back to his fourth-floor apartment in the brisk air that would quite possibly chill him to the bone.

It definitely wasn't because of the cute boy with the curly hair that he saw through the window. Nope, not at all.

The place looked old, like it had been standing longer than Calum had been alive, and it smelled like old wood and new paper. It was something that he hadn't smelled in a long time, not since he'd gotten out of school, and there was something comforting about that and the jingle of the bell on the door as he walked in.

The boy behind the counter gave him a polite nod and a small smile, pushing the pair of glasses he wore up the bridge of his nose. Calum smiled back briefly, and then found a way behind one of the many chest-high bookshelves, looking for something to stare at other than his shoes. He ran his fingers along the spines of the books on the shelf, on which there was a sign that said SCIENCE FICTION in a large, bold script. Shrugging, he scanned the titles, waiting for something to jump out at him.

"Excuse me," A voice asked from the other side of the shelf, and he looked up, startled, into a pair of bright hazel eyes. It was the boy. He was a bit shorter than Calum, but was just as fit. His hair was pulled back in a red bandana that was a few shades brighter than his shirt, to which was pinned a name tag reading Ashton.

He smiled widely as Calum jumped, revealing a pair of dimples. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you," He apologized. "You just looked a little confused. Can I help you at all?"

"Uh, yeah. I was... looking for a book?" The statement came out sounding more like a question, and he hoped that he hadn't just embarrassed himself.

Ashton laughed adorably, stacking his forearms on the top of the shelf between them. "You've come to the right place then, um...?"

"Calum."

"Well then, Calum. This is kind of a bookstore, if you haven't noticed." He waved his arms around for emphasis. "Plenty of books to pick from."

He smiled again, and Calum just wanted to fucking kiss the smile off of his face. He convinced himself that he was getting way too far ahead of himself. Sure, he was cute (like impossibly cute) but what were the chances that he liked guys, let alone him? He didn't want to get his hopes up only to be let down.

He snapped back to attention when he realized that Ashton was looking at him expectantly, as if he was waiting for an answer to something. "I'm sorry, I kinda spaced. What was that?" He replied, and he could feel the blush creep up his neck.

"I asked if there was anything specific that you were looking for." He said, walking back toward the front of the shop to adjust a display.

"Not really." He said, stuffing his hands into his sweatshirt pockets. "I don't really read all that much, honestly."

"That's ok. It's never too late to get back into some paperback adventures." Ashton winked. "Do you want me to recommend something? I've probably read almost every book in this store cover to cover."

"You've got to be joking."

"Should I take that as a yes?"

"Sure, knock yourself out." Calum confirmed, watching as Ashton made practically a beeline toward one of the shelves.