5SOS Preferences

Family Member Dies

As you can tell from the title, this preference is not going to be a happy one. I wanted to do this one, because it was easier to write since I have experienced the loss of several family members.

I am so sorry if this triggers anything, this was not my intention. I rather enjoy writing these real-life scenes because, unfortunately, life is not a fairy tale. Not everyone gets a happy ending, but that doesn't mean we can't try.

Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this chapter. My personal experiences are linked with Michael's and Luke's scene. I did not really do that on purpose, but when decided which family member would pass on in each scene, I had decided on those two, and since I had personally went through those passings, it was easier for me to write my own experience then to try and make something up.

Calum-

You sat on the couch, staring blankly at the wall. Your mind was going a thousand miles per hour trying to wrap your head around what you were just told. You couldn't tell anyone how long you had been sitting there, because you didn't even know. You couldn't really tell anyone what you were thinking about, because you didn't know that either. You were completely in your own bubble. So much so, that your surroundings disappeared and you didn't register that the front door had opened.

It wasn't until a hand fell onto your shoulder did you come back to reality. You followed the arm up until you saw Calum's worried look.

"Oh, hey, when did you get home?" You asked him, looking at the clock on the wall. "Is it really that late? I said that I was cooking tonight, so I should go do that."

Before you could get up, Calum was around the couch and sitting on the coffee table. His fingers brushed across your cheek and it wasn't until you felt the wet streak that you noticed that you were crying.

"What happened?" He asked. "Was it someone on Twitter?"

You shook your head. "I got a call from my mom. My cousin, you know the one who was fighting overseas?"

He nodded. "The one that I met at your sister's wedding? Your favorite one."

You nodded. "She's gone, Cal." You whispered. You opened your mouth to say something else, but nothing came out. That was the first time you had said it out loud and it finally hit home. "She's gone and she's never coming home." You tried to hold back a sob but that didn't work.

Within seconds, you were overcome by your tears and Calum wasted no time in bringing you into his arms and holding you and you cried. He didn't say much, just things like 'I'm here' and 'it's okay, let it out.' Knowing that Calum was not going anywhere and he was going to be there for you through the whole thing just made you cry harder. You felt him kiss your forehead but he didn't say anything.

After a few minutes, you finally calmed down to a small sniffle. You frowned as you saw the tear stains on his shirt. "I'm sorry about your shirt."

"That doesn't matter. Are you going to be okay? I know how close you two were." He brushed away a stray tear.

"In time," you said. "Her funeral is going to be in two weeks."

"Do you want me to come with you?" He asked.

"If you want to, I'm not going to force you to go to a funeral." You chuckled lightly.

Calum put his hand on your cheek and gently moved your head to face him. "Do you want me to come with you?" He repeated.

You nodded. "Yes, please."

"Then I'll make sure anything band related is put on hold. You come first." Calum smiled and kissed your forehead again.