Gypsy. 

‘G.’

‘My traveller girl.’

Gypsy, where are you going?

The flight from Las Vegas McCarran International to the Sydney Kingsford Smith airport is 18 hours and 24 minutes, and Gypsy specifically picks this flight because there’s a layover in the Los Angeles International Airport for two hours.

“Guess who’ll be in LA?” She asks as Willie sticks her suitcase into the trunk of Matty’s car in the parking lot of Charming. “This girl. This girl.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Willie sighs as Sissie laughs and Matty rolls his eyes. “Just be careful,” Willie implores. “Don’t need you dancing in quicksand with the devil.”

“She’s eighteen, Willie,” Sissie tuts. “She’s perfectly capable of takin’ this trip, darlin’—What do you think she’s gonna be doin’ in college?”

‘Sweets.’

‘Love.’

‘The traveller girl.’

Gypsy, why are you leaving?

Harry is leaning against the back door and he’s watching. 

“Grandpa,” she says with wide eyes and a hand on her grandfather’s shoulder, “I’ll be fine; I promise.”

Gypsy, Gypsy, Gypsy. 

Matty looks between Gypsy and her grandparents. He's come to realize just how close she is to each of them, and he’s come to realize just how much they love her and trust her and wish for her happiness. 

He’s also come to realize that Gypsy is stubborn, and she’s going to Australia he's positive only to see that boy she likes. He’s certain of it and while he thinks it’s cute; that it’s sweet she’s still got feelings for this boy he does not know, at the same time he does know intuitively that going all the way to Australia to see this lad — who does’t even know she’s coming — simply won’t work in the way she intends it to. 

But, if there’s one thing that Matty knows it’s that Gypsy has her heart set on seeing this “friend” of hers and there’s no stopping her.

Honestly, at this point, Matty truly just hopes that Gypsy comes home with with a smile and without tooth decay. 

Gypsy, Gypsy, Gypsy. 

__________

“You know what, if she says she’s not going down there to see him, then I like…I believe her,” Justin said to Matty and Harry the night after they ‘helped’ Gypsy pack her bags. “I mean, it’s Gypsy,” he continued, as both Matty and Harry remained silent. 

“Why would G lie?”

She was the most honest, vocal person he thought he knew. She was really very quick to speak her mind and share her (very tumultuous) feelings, so what would make things any different, now?

Justin shrugged a jean-clad shoulder. He remembers very distinctly the day that they met and the night they shared over Absolut with Ed. 

“I dunno,” he said, because he has not forgotten how disappointed she seemed to be missing Australia with her best friends. “I’ve got no reason not to believe her.”

And the car pulls to the terminal of Virgin Australia when Justin turns in the backseat to face her. 

“You ready, Gyps?”

And Gypsy nods and jumps from the car and dishes out hugs with a smile as wide as the gate because not only is she traveling to Australia, but her ‘goodbye’s’ with her friends are not permanent. She can feel the very ‘temporary’ feel of it all and it makes her feel very good knowing that she's got people outside of her grandparents who will be looking out for her and expecting her safe arrival back home. 

“Call us when you land, Sweet Tart,” Matty grins as he snakes his arm around her shoulder and lays his head of very soft hair against her forehead.

"Of course, Matty.”

“Yeah. Have fun, G,” Justin shrugs. He’s leaning against Matty’s Volkswagen with his hands in his sagging camouflage pockets and Gypsy can only grin because he’s trying not to give off just how much he cares that she’s leaving—He’d like to pretend like he doesn’t care that she’s leaving, but in all actuality he is truly going to miss this Gypsy because damn near all of his entertainment and summer fun has come once he met her, so what the hell is he supposed to do while she's gone?

“I’ll miss you, Justin,” Gypsy says with sparkling eyes. She leans against him and the car and forces him into giving her the hug she knew she was going to get from him, anyway. 

He groans. “What the hell are you—”

“Shh, shh,” she whispers. “Don’t fight it, okay.”

His hands are around her waist even though he continues to groan. “Creep.”

“Shh, shh, shh.”

And she pulls away from him. “See you soon, yeah?”

“Pssh,” he scoffs, “You’ll be gone less than a week,” he says, because its Wednesday and she’ll be back by Saturday. “It’s like you slick won’t even be gone.”

She rolls her eyes. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Matty thinks this is funny. 

And now, Gypsy turns to Harry. 

She stands. 

She stares at him. 

His hands are in his pockets. 

He smirks. 

She smiles.

“Goodbye, love,” he says. “Don’t have too much fun without us.”

Gypsy rolls her eyes. “I could never have too much fun without you, Harold.”

“Not my name,” he says, and he crosses the space between them for a hug. He wraps his arms around her waist and bends down — because Gypsy is not tall at all and Harry most certainly is — to nuzzle his face in the crook of her neck and shoulder blade, his cheek against the skin exposed from her tank top. 

“I know, Harry,” Gypsy replies, and she grins against him. “I know.”

“Bring me something back from Australia,” Justin says, as Gypsy pulls from Harry’s arms. 

“Oh, yeah?” She crosses her arms. “Like what?”

“I dunno,” Justin shrugs. “Something cool.”

“Won’t my presence be enough for you, Justin?”

At that, Harry laughs. 

Justin shrugs again. “If you think that’s good enough to make me happy, then…” He smirks as Gypsy rolls her eyes. “Then I guess I’ma have to take it.”

______________

Gypsy’s layover just isn’t long enough. 

She spends her two hours roaming around her gate in LA, staring out of the window and wishing she were in the cool breezes and sunny skies gracing the atmosphere outside. She sits against the glass and daydreams with her head in her palm about driving around in topless cars with seagulls and car tires and ocean spray all melding into the background noise of The City of Angels. This layover really only makes her more excited for Justin and Matty and Harry and her list. This layover only makes her wish that her friends were accompanying her to Sydney. 

I’m waiting at the gate, she texts to her grandmother and grandfather and mom and Harry and Matty and Justin and Ash and she’d text her dad but she can only Skype him so she’ll wait until she’s situated in Sydney. 

Look out for hot celebrities - Justin

Fab! Love you! Have fun! Yay! - Grandma

Be careful!!!!!!!!!! - Grandpa

Love you, angel. Have fun and tell your friends I say hi. Be safe. - Mom

Hiiiiii Gypsyyyy  - Ashton

Is this where I’m driving us? - Matty

Have fun love. xx - Harry

And Gypsy can’t help but reread each text, one by one, over and over — She’s curled against the corner between the carpeted floor and the glass window, smiling at her phone or at the runway outside. 

Gypsy is so excited. 

And like that, time is up. 

And like that, Gypsy boards her second flight. 

While Gypsy’s layover was not at all long enough, her flight into Sydney certainly is. 

The flight, in fact, is too long. 

She spends nearly a day in the air, she realizes, for her to sleep completely through landing as the young lady beside her has to tap her awake with a soft, “We’re here.”

And like that, she’s made it. 

Like that, Gypsy is in Australia. 

And she exits the plane into heat similar to Vegas but more intense as she is surrounded by varying accents much different than her own and oh my god—this is Australia—she’s made it and things are good and life is great, she thinks as her bag falls onto the conveyor belt first in baggage claim and her phone buzzes with a text from Ashton because he’s here. 

He’s here.

He’s here. 

I’m here, he texts from his car outside. 

Ashton sits behind the wheel, sunglasses over his eyes, eyes trained on the words popping up on his screen. 

Just got my bags :)

Ashton grins.

Sweet is what he texts, and as he locks his phone and rolls down his windows, he sees her. She’s got that same huge smile of hers across her face and she’s got her freshly died hair pulled into a blonde bun atop her head. She’s got on a tank top and he can see her hummingbird tattoo and so now he’s jumping from the car and waving over the roof. 

“Gypsy!” He calls. “Gypsy! Holy fuck, you’re in Australia, mate!”

She catches his eye and rushes to the car. 

It’s reallyso hot on the asphalt and even hotter near the running engines of the cars picking up loved ones, and Ashton’s long hair is even hot against her face as he wraps his big hands around her waist and crushes her against him in a tight hug. Gypsy takes in a big breath of Ashton because she’s missed him so, so much. 

“I can’t believe I made it,” she grins, because she really, truly cannot believe that she has touched down in the heat trap that is Sydney, Australia. 

“Oh my god, we’re gonna have so much fuckin’ fun,” Ashton squeals excitedly. He begins talking and laughing to himself as he takes Gypsy’s bag from her hand and throws it into the boot of his car. 

“Ash, slow down, slow down,” she laughs, because he’s gone on and on and keeps laughing at his own jokes and hasn’t stopped, yet. “You haven’t taken a breath.”

“It’s ‘cause I fuckin’ can’t believe it,” he says. “The lads are gonna be so fuckin’ excited…”

Gypsy pulls open the passenger door and thinks, Holy fuck, because Calum. 

“I hope so,” she says. 

“Gypsy. Gyps,” Ashton scoffs. “We’re gonna have to fuckin’ celebrate or something because this,” he nods, “oh this right here is —”

“You’re so dramatic.”

“Yes,” he grins again “Yes, quite possibly because my best mate is in Australia. Quite possibly.”

Gypsy rolls her eyes and slides into the car. She pulls out her phone because she’s made it and there are multiple people who requested thats he tell them when she touched down Down Under. She’s shaking her head and laughing out an, “Ashton…” as he giggles beside her.  

Ashton slides into the driver’s seat beside her and pauses, one hand on the wheel, the other on the gear shift; his eyes on her. 

Gypsy meets his gaze and grins. “What, Ash?” 

Ashton’s smile only stretches wider. “Nothing.”

She giggles. “Then, why are you staring at—”

“Hi.”

She giggles again. “Hi, Ash.”

Ashton nods to himself. He giggles and his dimples are showing and Gypsy is just so freaking happy right now as Ashton turns towards the road and begins to pull from the curb. 

“Hi, Gypsy.”

-~*~-

 SHE'S MADE IT GUYS ARE YOU HAPPY FOR GYPSY? IS SHE READY FOR THIS REUNION WITH THE BOYS? SHOULD SHE HAVE GONE SOMEWHERE ELSE? WHY IS THIS IN ALL CAPS? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS FOR YOUUUU. 

L O L. 

Gif of Ash picking up Gyps from the airport and all that. 

Big things boutta happen y'all. I hope ya readayy. 

Comment and vote and all that stuff. 

Hugs for thugs. xx