ASHTON

I wake up early the next morning in the guest bedroom, my eyes foggy and my hair falling in my eyes. Calum insisted on me staying with him through the night, since he doesn't like sleeping by himself, and I was in no way about to refuse. Calum has a way of curling into himself when he sleeps, tucking himself close to whoever is laying beside him, and it makes me chest flutter every single time.

I glance at the clock in the bedside table, groaning when I see it's 5:30 in the morning. I wipe my eyes tiredly, wondering why I woke up so early.

Just as I am about to roll over and go back to sleep, I catch sight of Calum. His eyes are scrunched shut, a thin layer of sweat coating his skin and plastering his hair to his forehead. He fidgets occasionally, and as I watch him in confusion, he starts mumbling muffled words, tears starting to roll down his cheeks.

My heart sinks as I realize he's having a nightmare, and I quickly lean over to wake him up. I shake him gently.

"Calum," I say softly, shaking his shoulder. The boy just seems to cry harder, his hands shaking. I furrow my eyebrows in fright, shaking him harder. "Calum!" I say louder.

Calum's eyes shoot open and he jumps away from my touch, fear filling his eyes as he wakes up. He looks at me, and I wait as his features relax ever so slightly, his forehead still wrinkled in worry as he breathes deeply.

"Calum, are you alright?" I ask gently, careful not to let my voice be too loud in the silent hours. The boy's bottom lip quivers and he covers his face in his hands, tears continuing to fall down his cheeks. His entire body shakes.

"I'm sorry," he sniffles. "I'm--" He stops, his voice shaking too bad to talk.

"Hey," I say, laying back down and reaching my arms out. "Come here, lay back down."

Calum doesn't argue. He sniffles a few more times and lays his head on my shoulder, pressing his nose against my shirt. I wrap my arms around him and hold him close, keeping his quivering frame against mine. I've learned throughout these past couple of days, along with being friends with him at work, that he likes being held. It seems to calm him down.

Calum's tears wet my shirt, but I ignore it. I tuck his head under my chin, feeling his soft breaths against my skin. "Nightmare?" I ask softly. Calum nods. I bite my lip before asking, "About Luke?"

Calum shifts unhappily, burrowing further under the covers, as though the blankets were a shield. "He was-- he was mad after work and I said something wrong," Calum says, his voice cracking. "And he was yelling and he was hitting me, and-- and everything was so loud, and--"

I squeeze him closer to me, silencing his words. His shoulders shake and I close my eyes sadly as I hold this crying boy in my arms, wanting to wipe away his tears and somehow cure his heartbreak and trauma, but the most I can do is just hold him and let him cry on my shoulder.

"You're away from him, okay? You're here, with me," I tell him quietly, my heart beating loud. "I won't let him hurt you again."

Calum slowly stops shaking after a couple minutes, a few occasional sniffles sounding before he finally uncovers his face. His eyes are still red and swollen, his nose pink and cheeks flushed and tear-streaked. He glances up, looking apologetically up at me before rolling out of my arms, sitting up on the edge of the bed.

I slowly stand up, yawning loudly before looking over at Calum thoughtfully.

"You wanna go get ice cream for breakfast?" I ask him. Calum turns around, a confused look on his face.

"It's not barely even six in the morning!" he protests, smiling a little. I relax a bit once I see his mood lighten, and I raise my eyebrows at him.

"Lucky for us, there's an ice cream shop open 24/7, all day round," I say, and I see Calum's eyes brighten.

"You're kidding!"

"Am not." I smile, and I grab some clothes from the dresser. "What do you think?"

Calum nods excitedly, and he stands up to get dressed. I watch him pick out his outfit, smiling at how much happier he seems as he looks at the clothes. Yesterday, he picked out a bunch of new clothes, buying himself a brand new wardrobe. His choices surprised me, considering I've only seen him in the work uniforms and the light colored sweaters outside of the restaurant. He picked out a bunch of band t-shirts and tank tops, even getting some flannels and skinny jeans like mine. He looked as though he was making the biggest decision in his life as he was buying them, and it wasn't until we were walking back to the car that I realized Luke never let him wear what he wanted to.

I get dressed in my own room while Calum does as well, brushing my hair half-heartedly and running a toothbrush over my teeth. I'm not sure how presentable I can make myself look at six o'clock in the morning, but as I stare at myself in the mirror, I figure it's the best I can do.

Calum knocks on my door once he's ready, and I find him in the doorway wearing a black tank top with exposed sides, revealing his tan, smooth skin. I can see the faded bruises from where Luke's fist connected with his skin, and I'm proud of Calum for not caring about them enough to cover them up in a long sleeved shirt. He slides on a flannel for the cold weather as he steps into my room, wearing his familiar, scuffed black and white Vans.

I grab the keys and pat the top of his head as I pass him, and he smiles, following behind me. He seems to fall right into routine, walking out the door and waiting as I lock it, and then stepping beside me across the lawn to get to the car.

Once we get into the truck, I turn on the heat and Calum tucks his feet under him in the seat, staring out the foggy window as I start driving. He looks awfully cute as he watches the trees pass, his fingers twisted together in his lap.

I don't think Calum actually believed me about the ice cream shop until we pulled into the parking lot, parking next to a rusty car that looks like it hasn't moved in centuries. Calum's eyes widen at the small shop, and he looks at me with surprise.

"You were serious!"

"Of course I was," I say, smiling at Calum's happy expression. I shut off the car and get out, listening the the brown eyed boy do the same. He joins my side as we walk up to the shop, stepping inside the cold atmosphere.

A girl in a baseball cap and a polo shirt with the shop's logo on it sits behind the counter, looking exhausted. She looks up when she sees us, and gives us a grin.

"How can I help you?" she asks. I look at Calum.

"What do you want?" I ask. The boy looks overwhelmed at all the choices, and he stares at them all with furrowed eyebrows. He shakes his head a little, glancing up at me.

"I don't know," he says. "I haven't had ice cream in years."

I can't imagine why in the world he wouldn't have ice cream for years, but I just rock back on my heels and tell him, "That's alright. Just pick out the one that looks the best."

Calum peers at the rows of ice cream behind the glass. He blinks before saying, "Can I have strawberry?"

The girl begins scooping it into a cone, and she looks at me expectantly.

"I'll have mint chip, please," I say, and take out my wallet. Knowing Calum, he'll try to pay for me, so I slip the cashier the money while he is distracted by the strawberry ice cream in his hands.

"What do you think?" I ask him as we walk back to the car. Calum looks brightly up at me, looking just about as happy and free as I've ever seen him.

"It's so good!" he exclaims joyfully. We get into the car and I put the heat on. Calum says, "Luke never let me have sweets."

I turn to him in surprise, but Calum just continues having his ice cream happily, like what he just said was nothing. Anger boils in my chest at the blonde boy, but I take a deep breath and do my best to diffuse it.

Before I can say anything else, Calum eagerly points out the front window, up towards the sky. "Look, Ashton! Look at the sunrise."

The sun was mostly up already, but that didn't stop the beautiful pastel colors from swirling in the clouds like a watercolor painting. Pink, blue, orange, and yellow colors paint the sky, casting a warm glow over Calum's face.

"It's beautiful," he says softly, and he sinks into his seat, big brown eyes lifting to admire the colors that streak the sky.

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A/N i have to work tomorrow send help

do you have any siblings?? bc I have a twin brother and an older brother and idk I sort of wish I could switch one of them out for a sister

thanks for reading! hope you enjoyed cashton. please vote & comment your thoughts.

I love you to the moon!

-grace