Nashville, Tennessee (Thursday, July 4th, 2019)

"My baby!" Ms. Clifford yelled from their open garage door. She waited for the dozen SUVs to pull into their long, winding driveway until she ran towards her son. She wrapped her arms around his waist, engulfing in his scent. "You've grown so much."

"Mom, I'm twenty-five, I don't think I've grown since the last time I saw you," Michael laughed as he squeezed his mother tighter.

Luke walked next to them, lugging a large tote bag behind him. "Bella spilled her lunch on me," he stated, making a disgusted face. Mike and his mother looked down at Luke, trying to hide their giggles as the mac and cheese residue stained his light blue shorts.

"That's why you shouldn't wear such punk-not shorts."

Luke rolled his eyes before turning to Ms. Clifford, "Please scold your son. I'm going to go change." He wasn't really their son-in-law, he was just kind of their son. He knew his way around their large house, he knew when Fender got fed, he knew when Ms. and Mr. Clifford worked better than their actual son did.

Ashton was bouncing a—once again—crying Bella on his hips. "He knows you didn't mean to," Ash repeated.

She sniffled, "He hates me!"

"Luke would never, ever hate you." Ash sighed as he made his way to the two Cliffords. He side-hugged the older women, greeting her then thanking her for letting his family stay with them.

"We're excited to have the crew for the cookout, Daryl has been outside for hours preparing enough meat. I swear, it smells like a slaughter house back there." She laughed, placing her arm around her son once more.

Michael leant his head against his mother, glad to have her back. She was his one and only friend for so many lonely years, just because he made it through doesn't mean he doesn't need her anymore. He still calls her as much as he possibly can, he can't live without his mother in his life. It scares him to think that one day, he won't have her.

"Slaughter house," Bella repeated. The skin around her eyes was red and irritated from the tears.

"It's where they kill animals," Ashton explained.

"Why?!" Her golden-brown eyes widened, her mouth falling open. "Don't kill them!" She began crying again as Ash rolled his eyes. He loved her, but he wanted to put a muzzle on her.

"Okay, I'm putting her down for a nap, I'll see you two before dinner." The older boy blew them kisses before walking inside the stone house.

The crew was piling up, patting Mike on the back as they made their way into the back patio. Tables were set up, fresh flowers in glass bowls waiting in the center. The crew was staying at a hotel down the block, but the Hoods and Cliffords were obviously staying in Mike's childhood home.

Calum recognized the home he and Michael seemed to have grown up in. Every day after school, they'd come back to the Clifford's where snacks would be in the patio, money for pizza on the dining room table. They'd mess around with music and photography, expressing their dreams for future.

They expected their dream to come true. They were going to keep trying until it became reality. It feels nice once it paid off.

He brought Ivona through the corridor slowly, rocking her back and forth. After a day of traveling, they were glad to have a mid-afternoon nap. He turned her body so she could see the framed 8 by 10 photo of Calum and Michael as scrawny, awkward, semi-emo teenagers. "Look, that's me and Uncle Mikey."

Ivona licked over her lips, tilting her head to the right. "You?" She asked, pointing her finger towards the dark-haired teenager.

"Yeah, that's me."

Iv giggled, a smile on her apple cheeks. "Where's Daddy?"

"I didn't meet him until a decade later," Calum answered. He continued to walk down the dark wooden hallway, he could hear Ash humming a tune to Bella. He was so happy number three was on the way, he loved kids, he really, really loved kids.

Luke leant against the brick wall, one foot over the other. He munched slowly on his plate filled with food, his eyes watching everyone react with each other. They were sharing stories, having casual conversations, talking about the rest of tour. Luke just didn't really like socializing. Even though this was literally his family, he didn't feel comfortable just sitting down and starting up a conversation.

Michael sat at the head of one rectangular table, his guitar tech to his right, his lights guy to the left. This was his two families colliding. He had his real family a few tables down, and the crew family spread about. It's everything he has every dreamt of.

His vibrant eyes casted over to his husband. Mike could tell Luke was trying to hide within the shadows, like always. Michael didn't think they were going through a rough patch, per say, they were just not agreeing on everything. He felt bad for always saying no to Luke about everything, but he needed to.

Michael called Luke's name, inviting him to a spot on his lap.

Calum lay Ivona on the opposite twin sized bed as Bella before sneaking into the guest room across the hall. He closed the door behind him, quickly collapsing on the bed. Ashton giggled then placed a hand through the dark hair. "How're you feeling?"

"Tired," Cal answered. He readjusted his body, his hands below his chin, his eyes looking up at his boyfriend.

"Me fucking too." Ashton set his other hand below his neck, closing his eyes and pointing his nose towards the ceiling. "Should we go socialize outside?"

"Eh, they all know us. I don't think they really care."

Ashton rolled over, he wasn't able to find a comfortable spot on the cold sheets. "Are we going to take the girls to see the fireworks tonight?"

"Is it already the 4th of July?" Calum asked, rubbing hands over his tired eyes. "Find out if we can see them from the one of the balconies off of Mike's room, I'm so not in the mood to actually go anywhere."

Their bedroom door swung open, causing both men to jump. Luke stormed in with a fury, his face red with embarrassment. He jumped in-between the two lovers, burying his face in the pillows. He let out a scream, "I hate my husband!"
Cal scrunched his eyebrows as he looked over at Ash. "What'd he do?" Even though Calum and Luke have been forced to become family for almost four years now, they still weren't as close as Luke & Ashton nor Calum & Michael.

Luke sat up, tucking the pillow between his arms. He looked nowhere in particular, just somewhere in the distance behind Cal's head. "So, I was just enjoying my time in the corner being anti-social, and Mike made me come sit on his stupid lap like the fucking degrading douchebag he has become, right? And, he starts to tell the entire table of six about how much I want to have kids, okay? And, like, that's personal things. I got fucking mortified, and called him a name, then stormed out. Like, both tables next to us were listening, too!" Luke rolled on his back, accidentally kicking both of his friends at least twice.

"Boo, what'd you call him?" Ashton asked, placing an arm under Luke's head. He figured Cal couldn't possibly be upset about comforting such a sweet, little baby deer like Luke.

"Nothing," he said between closed teeth.

"Luke," Ashton used his mother-voice on the twenty-seven year old.

"I called him a mother-fucking asshole, just the usual," Luke whispered. He paused, before a laugh escaped his mouth. "I hate myself."

Calum was fairly confused at why Luke was laughing, but figured this was how he dealt with emotions. "That's not bad, I've probably called him worse."

Ashton cuddled closer to Luke, wrapping his second arm around Luke's thin body. "We do not condone that language in this family."

"You called me a dickweed this morning!" Luke defended himself, looking over at his best friend.

"You made my daughter cry!"

"She spilled hot food on me!" Luke propped his legs up over Cal's bum, trying to get more comfortable as he figured he'd be here for a while. "I feel like I'm at all those stupid family reunions again, where someone is asking about my GPA, another about my college plans, someone is making fun of my shorts, and another making fun of my hair. It's a never ending cycle, is it?"

"We all hate our families, but we love them," Calum said, hoping it made sense. The tan boy rarely gets along with his family, especially his extended family, but he still loves them. They're not abusive nor murderers, so he doesn't really have a true reason to hate them. They're just annoying.

"I'm not supposed to hate my husband!" Luke exclaimed. He pulled at his short shorts, the spinning fan above them making him cold. It was boiling hot outside, way too hot for his sensitive body. Maybe it was the heat making him cranky.

"You don't hate Michael," Ashton said, "He's just being annoying right now. Give him space, try talking later tonight."

"I don't want to talk to him."

"Don't you dare make me use my mother-voice on you again," Ashton warned. He looked at the blonde through the corner of his eyes, a smile on his face as he thought about the words that fell from his mouth. "You seriously sound like Bella right now. She's three."

Luke shrugged his shoulders. "I've been so angry with him lately, Ash."

Calum figured they both completely forgot about him. Even though Ashton's hands were tangled in Calum's hair and Luke's sweaty feet were on Calum's lower back, neither of them truly acknowledged his existence.

"I know you have."

"He used to be the one to really want kids, and I didn't. Ever since the twins took that first breath, all I've wanted was one of our own. Suddenly, he doesn't know if he wants any, ever." Luke slid off of Calum, pressing his head into Ashton's side. He curled up, his knees bending over Ash's legs. "I hate everything."

"This won't be solved with time. You need to talk to him, either come up with a compromise, or just talk. Tell him how much it means to you. Communication is so important, Lukey." Ashton's hand left Cal's hair, and trailed up and down Luke's back instead.

"There's too much Lashton in this room. I'm going to go get dinner," Calum said out of the blue. He quickly stood up, giving the cuddling boys a second glance.

"Is that our ship name?" Luke asked, looking at Cal, then Ash, then back to Cal.

Ashton smiled, a blush to his cheeks. "Aw, that's so cute."

"I hate this family," he said, storming out. He closed the door, then peaked his head in once more. "I actually love you guys. Do you want me to bring you food?"

"We're good, baby. Thanks, though. Don't say anything to Mike, if he asks, tell him Luke is in here resting." Ashton patted the blonde's back, pulling him closer.

"He won't ask. He doesn't care." Luke pouted, sniffling in.
"Michael loves you to death, Luke, you know that. You are literally his entire universe," Ashton said. "There aren't enough songs he could ever write to describe his infatuation with everything you are."

"I know."

"He loves you so much, you know that. I know that you know that. I don't know why he said that, maybe he was trying to be a douchebag to impress the crew. He's a borderline fuckboy, no one knows what goes through his head."

Luke bursted out laughing, his entire body shaking with bellowing laughter. "Never did you call my husband a fuckboy."

"Does he know where the clitoris is?"

"I have never seen that body part, thank you very much."

"Okay, the point is, you married a fuckboy." Ashton patted Luke on the back once more, "Do you wanna stay in here until everything settles down?"

"Will you sing The 1975 to me?"

"No."