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

Happy (late) Birthday!

I woke up to stifled giggling. I wasn't sure what was going on, but then something extremely heavy was dropped on my chest and I'm winded instantly, unable to breathe. I opened my eyes to everyone, and I mean EVERYONE. All of my new family were sitting on the bed, leant against walls, beaming down at me like insane people for some unknown reason.

Even John was there, standing awkwardly at the back of the group, hiding something behind his back. Calum stepped forward and proudly placed a children's party hat on my head and a now-familiar pair of muscular arms hugged me from behind.

"We missed all of your birthdays, so we're treating today like a joint birthday." A tap on my shoulder grabbed my attention, so I looked over at a sleepy Mikey holding out a badly wrapped present that he'd had no help with whatsoever. I opened it quickly, becoming a child again at the thought of a wrapped present. Inside were two, expensive-looking jewellery boxes. As I stared down at the mystery boxes in my lap, more presents are swapped and laid out on the bed for me to open.

I decided to save the two boxes for when my 'Puzzle' and I were alone, tucked them under the cover away from prying eyes, and picked up a cylinder that's been wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper.

I got a tube of gourmet jelly beans (my favourite sweets) from everyone and another present on top of that. Skull earrings from Luannah, a pair of black, ripped skinny jeans from Allie. John got me two tickets to see Panic! At the Disco live the next year at the Reading festival and Canalea got me a state of the art webcam. "We thought," Calum chirped, "that after we saw the video you did with Hannah, that you should start recording yourself singing." It's such a thoughtful gift, they all know how much I love to sing to myself.

The others stood, getting ready to leave, when John stopped us in our tracks, blocking off their exit with a sly smile on his lips. "I've got another present for you all. Because you boys have worked so hard, I've arranged for you all to go paintballing!"

After a minute of stunned silence, an excited cheer erupted from us all. Everyone standing up pulled each other into a group hug, jumping up and down like children in the playground. I would have joined them if I could, but I wasn't properly dressed and Michael had his arms clamped around my waist, tracing shapes into my skin which caused me to shiver whenever his nail lightly scraped my spine.

Eventually, our exciting bandmates left us alone so we could get dressed in peace, but I couldn't put it off any longer. Reaching under the covers for them, I opened both of the boxes that Mickey gave me and my eyes became saucers.

The first box contained two jelly bean rings made out of crystal. Mikey took out the brown one and put it on my left ring finger, then let off a quick laugh at my expression.

"This isn't me proposing! If it were, we wouldn't be in bed in our underwear, I hope future me is a bit more romantic than that!" He tilted my chin upwards, so I wasn't looking at my new ring but looking him in the eye, which contained so much care in them. I don't even know how that's possible, all I know is that, at that moment, I knew I loved him, and if we ever split up it would take a very fucking long time to get over him.

"What are you thinking about?" I came out of my daze to a concerned Mikey searching my face. I couldn't bear to admit that secretly I was a major softy, so I tried to shrug nonchalantly. "How one day, when we're dead and gone, my great-grandchildren will be Tom Hiddleston sexy and defeat the toaster overlords..." I smiled at him,  then took out the larger, cream coloured jelly bean ring and placed it on his ring finger. "What's with the rings?"

"They were something I found on the internet, thought they would make a good gift. Yours is brown because your favourite flavour is cola... I just thought it could be a little present from me to show you that there's only you for me and I wish we were in different circumstances when I told you this but here goes. I love you, so much, and all I want or need is you..."

After a stunning minute with Michael looking at me, silently praying for some kind of reply, my face broke into a broad smile and I threw myself onto him, almost breaking his ribs with the tightness of my hug. I crashed my lips onto his. "Should... have told you sooner!" he mumbled against my lips and I playfully slapped him in response. "All joking aside, I do love you."

"And I love you, Michael, since the very first day." We beamed at each other for a while, cuddling and enjoying each other's company. "God woman, I'm meant to be punk rock, but you've turned me soft!" I scoffed at him and pulled a face, letting him know exactly what I thought he was, a big, adorable kid. He playfully thumped my arm, starting a play-fight that involved pillows.

After a heated battle, he pinned me to the bed, breathing heavily and not just from the mini-workout we'd had. Slowly and carefully, he peppered my face with kisses, then started to gently trace my jawline, nipping the skin as he went. You could tell he wanted to continue with whatever he'd just planned, but his eyes widened as he let me free and handed me the other jewellery box.

Inside was a bracelet made out of multi-tonal leather straps that crisscrossed each other. All of these straps are connected to a metallic heart. I wasn't sure what it was until he gently took it out of the box and prised it open for me. It was a locket and inside were two adorable pictures from the last time we saw each other. It was beautiful and the best present I've ever been given!

When I lifted it to look at it closer, Mikey took it off me and put it on his wrist in one movement. He saw my shocked face, smiled and took out the bottom of the box, revealing a necklace that was the same. One of the pictures inside was the same, me and him laughing because he'd gotten ice cream on his nose, but the other was different. It was my favourite picture of him, he'd just woken up and I'd wanted him to pose because Michael Clifford when he's just woken up is hot!

"So you've brought me a lot of beautiful couple's presents." Smiling at my comment, he shuffled over and I lifted my bed hair so that he could put my necklace on for me. The leather cord only just fits around my neck, giving it the effect of a choker. The heart was cold against my skin, but the leather was warm from Mikey holding it. I smiled down at what I could see of my little piece of 'home' while Mikey takes the opportunity to kiss my neck again. I turned around to give him a kiss, which turned into a longer kiss than I had planned.

I smiled as the kiss ends and he beamed back at me. "I love you. You love me too... right?" God, he's so adorable. I kiss his hands and reply with, "To the moon and back." I realised how cheesy that sounds but it's how I felt, so I didn't care.

He kissed my cheek tenderly, holding the moment right there. "Don't worry about cheesy. I like cheesy. Especially pizza." I rolled my eyes but gave him a small smile at his ability to read my mind and his addiction to pizza. "Aren't we supposed to be getting ready to go paintballing?" Mikey looked shocked. He'd forgotten already, the numpty!

"Oh yeah! Knew there was something... Come on! We'll have a shower, then pick out outfits for each other." We'd only been together for five months but we were already an old married couple, picking out outfits for each other and- "Wait, are you going to shower first, or do you want me to go in before you do?"

"Who said anything about showering separately?" That smirk and the twinkle in his eye told me his mood straight away, and... what can I say? I was in that mood too, so why not?

A/N I'm so sorry it has taken me this long to update "Tattoo", but there were technical difficulties with people blocking the story and me having to re-write chapters... messy business... but it's over now, YAY! I will try and update as soon as possible but with coursework piling up I don't know when it'll be done by.

The picture at the top is the picture Ellie is referring to when she says Michael had just woken up.

Love from the Randomer in chief, Ellie xxx