The Bodyguard (5sos)

Chapter 18

Maeve POV

"Good, but try to punch through the bag." I tell Luke as he attempts to throw a punch.

"How am I supposed to do that? The punching bag is solid!" Luke exclaims.

I sigh. "Pretend that you can. Try and drive your fist through it."

Luke looks at me skeptically, so I move him to the side to show him. "Instead of stoping here," I show my fist stopping right at the bag, "just don't stop. Keep going and your fist will eventually stop." I show him what I mean. "You will do more damage that way, and you'll have more power." 

He tries to follow my advice and throws another punch. He continues until I'm satisfied and leave to watch the other boys throw punches. Calum seems to be doing alright. He's taking out his frustration on the bag.

I turn to see Michael who isn't even making a fist properly. His thumb is wrapped in his other four fingers. Many people make a fist like that, but it's a good way to break your thumb. I quickly fix his mistake and he seems to be more confident in his punch.

Ashton seems to be treating the red punching bag as if it were a glass vase. If he were in a fight right now, he wouldn't even bruise his opponent. He needs to use his full body weight for an effective punch. I give him a few pointers and he seems to be doing well.

"Alright boys. You're all doing well, how about we go into the ring? You guys can throw a few punches at me." I suggest.

Ashton and Luke exchange glances. "Is that really a good idea?" Luke asks.

I nod, they need to practice in a real target and not an inanimate object. And have something that will fight back.

"What if we hurt you?" Ashton says.

I snicker. "I promise you won't hurt me. It's good practice for me anyway." I assure them. "Who's up first?"

-//-

Ashton drapes his arm around my shoulders as we walk around the city of Austin. Michael and Calum insisted on going to a milkshake store that they saw on the way to the local gym. Another one of their bodyguards is coming with, and unfortunately for him, Michael is acting like a two year old and is holding the poor bodyguard's hand. Jaxson is running between our legs, sniffing at the ground.

I fiddle with the clutch in my hands. Ashton pulls me closer to him when we have to pass a few people. I find myself having to calm the butterflies in my stomach when he does this small action. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Ashton smile to himself as he glances at me. I can't help but smile as he brushes a lock of my hair behind my ear.

"You look beautiful today." He compliments in a soft voice.

I glance down to the blue lacey blouse and grey shorts that I'm wearing. It's my favorite outfit, but I like the shorts.

Suddenly, Ashton trips over a curb and I have to catch him before he falls. My hands wrap around him as he clutches his calf. I remember that he was shot there. I have to drag him over to the nearest bench. Luke glances back, concern filling his eyes as he looks at Ashton. I wave him forward telling him to continue and we'll meet him there.

"Hey, are you alright?" I ask.

"Fuck." He mutters under his breath. "I'll be fine. Just give me a moment. This happens sometimes."

His eyes squeeze shut as he tries to manage the pain. His heartbeat and breathing start to increase at an unhealthy rate. I know he is thinking about the day when he actually got shot. The memory tends to play through your head after it happens.

"Ash, Ashton listen to me." I say calmly. "You need to slow your breathing down. Focus on my voice, only my voice. Ready? Breathe in. Out." He takes an unstable breath with me. "Keep going. In. Out."

We inhale a few more times before he actually calms down. He keeps his eyes closed as he sighs and relaxes. For a couple of moments, I don't move. I let him take his time to process what just happened.

"Ashton? Thinking about the day is common. It's probably going to be a memory for the rest of your life. I know it's hard, but try not to think about it so much. Eventually, it'll stop playing in your head as much as it does now." I fail to explain what I mean to him.

"How do you know it'll get better?" Ash croaks.

"Because I've been through it. Being shot is not fun. It's a fucking nightmare." I touch my right side where I had previously was on the wrong end of a gun. "And it's not fun looking at the scar. But here, look." I pull my shirt up slightly, looking at the faded red scar. "It'll always be a part of me. And it's there to remind me to live another day. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right?"

Slowly, Ashton starts to nod. I can tell that he wants to ask what happened and how I got shot there. That's a story for another time, when the other guys are around.

"Thank you, Maeve. For everything." He sighs as he puts his arms around me.

And this time, I don't hesitate to hug him back. But I catch him off guard when I tilt his head so I can kiss him. My lips attach to his slightly chapped ones. Clearly, we don't want to push our boundaries, so I pull away, but leave by mouth close to his.

"You deserve everything, Ashton"

Signing off,
Maeve

Oooo Maevton!! Is that a good ship name? Leave a comment or vote if you enjoyed. It really makes my day to see you comment!
Alacazzam