... and it all started with a tattoo (COMPLETED)

We're all goin' on a... spring/summer holiday!

Ash's POV

The plane gets to England in three hours, so we have some time to kill.

This is maybe a good time to get stuff off my chest.

I decide to wait for a bit, so everyone's comfortable before I offload. I wait for about half an hour because that's how long it took me to find my balls. "Guys, I have something to say and I want ALL of you to listen" On 'ALL', I take out Mike's headphones, so I know he's listening. "Okay Ash, we're listening. What's on your mind?"

"Well... Ever since we meet the girls, we've become distant as friends, and as a band. We don't get excited as much as we used to and it's got nothing to do with being tired. I mean, when's the last time we had a proper heart to heart about manly shit? We haven't keeked as much as we usually do, and the fans know something's up. This needs to stop, guys! We're unravelling! So, can we be honest with each other, just for... ten minutes?!" I let the question hang in the air. Everyone agrees you can tell, and they all look sheepish. "Look, I'm sorry for making everyone feel shit but that needed to be done."

"Yeah, it did," Luke admits. After another brief, awkward pause, he pipes up. "I want to go to England because I'm meeting up with someone for a date." I let out an "OOOOOOOOOOO!", then clasp my hands over my mouth. Luke gives me a small smile, which turns into a laugh. "If it goes well, I'll bring her with me to meet 'the parents'."

This makes me laugh, because I saw myself in a suit with braces, inspecting Luke's love prospect and interrogating her, while Cal was my wife, wearing a dress and everything. I tell them this, and they all laugh with me.

I look at the boys around me, my best friends, my brothers... but two of them secretly hate each other over one girl.

I've got to stop them. I've got to end THIS.

I decide it's my turn. "Well... I want to go to England because I'm also going on a date and I'm not ashamed to say I'm going to go on a date with Ellie." Mike and Cal both bristle at that, thinking I'd stolen their girl. "Whoa, calm down guys! By 'Ellie', I mean Ellie the younger, y'know, the tall one that wears glasses... Hannah's BEST MATE." As soon as I said that, all mouths drop, then I'm covered with congratulations.

Calum decides to interrupt the celebrations by quickly shoving in, "I'm just meeting up with some friends to work on a couple of songs." We all look at him weirdly. I mean, that was a weird thing to say, but I guess we're being honest, so... "What are you gonna be doing, Mikey?" 

He thinks about it for a bit, then concludes, "Might go see the rest of the girls. See if they want to spend the day at a theme park or something."

I didn't have the heart to tell him that the girls were still in school, but Luke picks up on the major problem for Mike. "Ellie goes to uni, remember? She goes to Exeter, so if you want to go see her, you'll need to get the train there. But surely you know all this..." Mike looks down at the floor, ashamed of himself and admits, "I haven't been texting her because I told her not to text me."

"Sorry to burst your bubble mate," interrupts Cal, "but we know. Even if she's not texting you, she's texting us. Ash, the most." When Michael looks at me in disbelief, I nod my head to show Calum wasn't lying. "A-and what's she said, Ash? Be honest."

I don't need to even think about what to say because the answer comes naturally. "I asked her what she was going to do when it came to you and Calum, you want to know what she said?" I wait until he slowly shakes his head before I continue. "She said, and I quote, 'I like Michael, and I'll wait for him, for however long it takes'. You've bagged a keeper and you're too blind to see it!" 

The plane is silent while this info sinks into Mikey's skull. We sit still for what seems like an age. We're all so still, we get scared when Mike jumps up suddenly and runs to the pilot's door, bangs on it while he yells, "Can't this tin can go any faster?"

We all have to manhandle him away from the door, and when we force him into the nearest chair, he's a changed man. He has a glint in his eyes that he's been missing for the last few weeks and there's a massive grin on his face. "Mike... what's got into you?"

He runs a hand through his hair to try and make it more presentable, then turns suddenly towards us. If you didn't know him, you'd think with that smile he was mad, but I recognize that look. He was about to do something amazing or stupid. "Nothing much. I'm just going to go to Exeter and win Ellie. And I know how I'm going to do it."