"You're not allowed to hate me! Do you realize I'm the main provider in this household? I sneak you guys junk before dinner, I'm the one who buys you guys things. SO STOP HATING ME!" Ashton screamed. Calum was perched on top of the desk with his legs crossed. Michael was on the bed and Ashton was by the door.
"Stop being stupid then!" Calum retorted.
"I'M NOT!" Ashton argued, "you are!"
"Nuh uh!" Calum replied. Michael didn't know what to say so he put in earbuds and turned up his music so loud he could only hear Andy Biersaks voice.
Downstairs Luke was watching a movie that came on the family channel. It was some cliché film with a nerdy girl who comes to realize her plush life isn't so bad after all. To Luke, it was boring and only succeeded in putting him to sleep.
***
"YUH HUH!"
"NUH UH!" Calum's throat was sore from all the "nuh uhs" that he had screamed, but he knew Ashton would give up soon. Michael was scrolling through his music selection. It was around midnight, MIDNIGHT. They were literally arguing all day.
"Can't we just be friends?" Michael tried.
In response he received two simultaneous "NO"s.
Darkness was circling in on him. Slowly it closed him in. Only a spotlight revealed his body, laying flat on his back with his arm half covering his face. Something darted past the light. Luke's eyes popped open. He was panicking, but he couldn't move! His arms and legs were stiff. He could only wiggle his tongue, which really didn't do much in his situation...
Then the only light went out, leaving Luke alone in the darkness that had been surrounding him. It wasn't so bad, or so he told himself. A weight pressed itself down on his chest. The air was heavy and thick. Heaving, he couldn't catch his breath. Luke was choking- no suffocating and no one was there to help him. Then something flew over him, moving as fast as light.
"DAD! DADDY!" Luke jumped up from his nightmare. No one was coming. The room was dark, since the Tv shut off after the movie and the curtains were closed. "DADDY!" Sobbing, he hugged the pillow and cried into it.
'Looks like no one is coming'... Luke thought as he started shaking. He was crying so much he was starting to feel ill. Then the nightmare began replaying in his head and it all became too much for him.
"CALUM!" He tried atlast.
"Is that Luke? Luke's alone!" Michael followed Ashton who was following Calum. Michael turned on the lights, showing Luke crying into a pillow.
"Calum?" He questioned. Calum hugged him while moving him onto his lap.
"Are you okay?"
Shaking his head, he explained, "I-I had a nightmare,"
"I'm so sorry baby boy-" Ashton tried to push his hair out of his face. Luke shoved his hand away.
"N-no you're not, you didn't come downstairs!"
"Love, it's okay now-" Michael tried to take him from Calum's arms but Luke clung to the kiwi boy.
"You two hate me!" Luke yelled in accusation.
Both parents froze, "why would you think that? Luke we couldn't hear you," Ashton said.
"I yelled for you!" Luke cried as he clung to Calum, who was strangely warm and soft. He was wearing a gray hoodie and a pair of Michael's sweat pants. Luke fell asleep in one of Ashton's T-shirts and a pair of boxers. They basically all share a wardrobe.
"Why didn't you just come upstairs?" Michael asked, too tired to deal with children and husband at the moment.
"It was dark," Luke muttered, "I don't like the dark." As much as Calum wanted to go to his bed and sleep he didn't want to leave Luke, and his parents were being idiots at the moment, so that left him to take care of Luke.
"Just go to bed, I'll sleep with Luke. Bye," Calum readjusted him and Luke so Luke was squished between his body and the back of the sofa. The blonde hid his face in his brother's hoodie as his eyes fluttered shut. Calum wrapped his arms around Luke's torso.
Ashton and Michael relaxed, seeing their boys going to sleep.
They chose to go to bed too, and hopefully work things out with Calum in the morning.
"Am I a bad example?" Ashton wondered as he held Michael.
"Yeah. Why?" Michael was brutally honest when he was tired.
Ashton groaned, "you're suppose to say 'no cutie, you're not.' "
Michael waved his hand in dismissal. "Sleep!"
"Is that bad? Maybe Calum's right. Maybe what I did is unforgivable,"
Michael sighed, "yes, you did something terrible, but I'm tired so shut up... please... and thank you."
"I don't want them cheating when they're older, Mikey," Ashton whispered.
"Can we drop the subject and sleep?" Michael yawned.
"Fine, but I want you to spank me for it tomorrow."
"What?"
"I-I think it could fix things, with the boys and us. Calum would know that I'm owning up for my actions, and Luke would know it's alright now. I don't know why but he really was upset by our fighting."
"We can talk more in the morning, okay? Let's just sleep for now, please," Michael pleaded. His tired eyes were heavier each minute.
"Okay, good night, Mikey. I love you," Ashton kissed his cheek, a pang of guilt striking his chest.
"Love you too..." Michael drifted off to sleep happily with Ashton by his side. The older man couldn't really sleep. He tried, but eventually he got tired of tossing and turning. It was making him feel sick.
Slipping out of bed, he made his way downstairs, checking on his boys. Luke was sleeping peacefully with Calum next to him. They were really cute together. Even though they were mad at him he still wanted to protect them. Ashton sat in the recliner on his phone until he fel asleep, his thoughts soon fading.
A/N: Thank you for the request! If you want a dedication for it let me know. Anyone who sent in ideas should message me again. I like knowing what you guys wanna read so feel free to request certain things for either of my stories. I love you all!
