the pale and the dimpled ;; mashton

// epilogue //

DECEMBER 3RD, 2016 < TWO YEARS LATER

"Luke!" Calum yelled into their apartment two years later. "Luke; come here!"

Luke's blonde quiff peeked out from around the corner of the wall between the hallway and the kitchen. "Yeah babe?" He asked, sauntering into the small space and sitting on the counter. "What's up?"

Luke's eyebrows furrowed together as he noticed that his husband was shaking, a small leather-bound book in his hands. "Cal, baby, what is that?"

Calum looked up and met Luke's blue eyes that he loved so much. "K-Karen sent this. She wanted us to see it."

The older boy passed the little book over, and Luke cautiously took it into his hands. He felt all the different scratches on the front cover as he opened it, hearing the stretch of the seams on the inside. On the inside, written in the small, messy handwriting he could only remember as Michael's were the initials were only a few words (since, really, how many did Michael know?).

"Wha - how did you - when did he - what?" Luke whispered to himself as he pressed two fingers to the imprint of his best friend's name: Property of Michael Clifford.

"It's a diary," Calum said quietly, before bitterly laughing. "Or journal, as he proudly stated."

Luke flipped through it, noticing the tens of pages that were already filled with scribbles. "Turn to the last page." Calum said, his eyes closing tightly as he tried to keep his tears at bay.

Luke did, reading over it quickly. His hand shot towards his mouth, muffled sobs emitting from it.

Dear Ashton,

I've gotta be quick, since I know he's coming. I knew he'd be coming.

I don't know if you'll ever see this, but I'm hoping you will. If I die, I don't want you dying with me.

I love you so much, and I wish this never happened. You mean too much for me to lose you, and I cannot fathom a world without you.

There's something I never told you, about my family, about my parents. Yes, my dad moved to England, but I never mentioned that he was my stepdad. My real dad, was Joseph. He left right after my birth, he couldn't care for our family. But he watched me, for years. I saw him everywhere--no matter if I wanted to or not.

And God I hated him. With everything I had. So when he left Australia I thought I was free, that I could live normally, that we could live normally.

But he came back, and turned my life into a living nightmare. And I'm so, so sorry that I never told you all this.

Ashton, please take care of yourself when I'm not there too. I love you, forever and always, to the moon and back.

Michael.

ps. how's your mum? x

"I - he - no," Luke choked, trying to collect his thoughts.

Calum's cries were finally audible as Luke pulled him into a hug, letting his husband sob into his chests. Calum's fists curled Luke's shirt in his hands, as the younger boy just buried his face in his neck.

"Luke?" Calum asked once he had stopped crying. He looked up, eyes rimmed with red and face stained with tears. "Do you - do you think they're okay? That they're happy?"

Calum just pulled him closer, kissing the top of his head with love and pain. "Yeah, Calum, I do. I do."

- come on take a walk on the wild side,
let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain,
you like your boys insane.
choose your last words,
this is the last time,
cause you and i,
we were born to die.-

THE END.

//an

guys I'm legit sobbing right now.

okay, so if you didn't catch on michael and ashton were both murdered by joseph. joseph was actually michael's biological dad, but he left their family, yet stalked michael.

((joseph rots in a prison in america btw))

um yeah so this is the end of The Pale and the Dimpled :(

I'm v sad guys it feels like I only started this yesterday but nOPE ITS ENDING

((ps. the ps. in michael's journal is the first thing ash said to him ok))

um I just want to say thank you for everyone who's read, voted, commented and supported me throughout this fanfic. you guys are the real MVPs.

I love you all so much and honestly I most likely would not have finished this without you, thank you.

Thank you, and I love you to the moon and back. ♡

bye loves.

pS. happy december 1st :) //