Riding Hood • Malum ✔️

Chapter Two

"Code red!" Michael screamed, bursting through the front door of the Hemmings' residence. "Code fucking red!"

Liz popped out from the kitchen, just as her youngest son dashed down the steps with his boyfriend right behind him.

"Lucas! I will not hesitate to ground your ass for two weeks if you don't slow the hell down!" the older woman yelled. "Ashton! Slow down, honey, you'll get hurt."

Luke scoffed.

"You act like he's your son."

"He does the dishes more than you do, anyway."

Luke pouted and Ashton laughed, kissing the blonde on the cheek.

"Code red!" Michael shouted for the umpteenth time.

Liz rolled her eyes and made her way back to the kitchen, used to Michael's wild behavior.

Luke grabbed Michael and pulled him up the stairs to his bedroom, Ashton following happily behind. When they were all settle in their usual places: Michael on the bed, Luke in his leather armchair – that he had somehow convinced his parents to buy and put in his room – and Ashton sitting on Luke's lap. The oldest of the three, Ashton, had his phone out and seemed to be scrolling down some sort of list.

"Okay, if my notes are correct, code red means really, really hot boy that Michael wants to either blow or fuck," he announced.

"God, you write this shit down?" Michael asked, scrunching his nose.

"Do you even know how many times you run into Luke's house screaming code blue? Which, by the way, means you're craving spaghetti and coke," Ashton replied immediately, not even fazed.

Michael pouted cutely, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Lukey, your boyfriend is being mean to me," he whined.

Luke shrugged, rolling his eyes.

"So what? You're mean to everyone," he replied boredly.

"I thought we were supposed to be besties," Michael huffed.

The blonde rolled his eyes again. One day, it would get stuck there. Michael was sure of it.

"Anyways," he started, ignoring Michael's pout. "Who are we talking about?"

Michael instantly brightened up, smiling.

"His name is Calum."

His reply was instantly met with a snort from Ashton, followed by a choking sound from Luke. Michael stared at the two boys in confusion. God, this is why they were together.

They were both fucking dorks.

"Calum? As in, Calum Hood? As in, Mr. Senior-Straight-A-Student-Nice-Guy-Never-Hurt-A-Fly that's never had a girlfriend or a boyfriend, like, ever?" Ashton asked incredulously.

Michael frowned at the description.

"You make him sound like a total dweeb. He's hot as fuck. What's your problem?" he complained.

Luke rolled his eyes again. Michael was this close to smacking the back of his head so they stayed stuck that way.

"Mikey, Calum's the definition of a nerd. He's quiet. He's smart. He keeps to himself and spends all his time in the library. I don't even understand how the two of you even met."

"I was looking for a book for fucking Tomlinson's class and he helped me find it," Michael explained, slightly insulted.

Ashton chuckled from his spot on Luke's lap.