*tw, this chapter involves death, murder, and gore. Read at your own risk*

Soft, dark curls bounced up and down in anticipation as the Dodge Durango pulled up in front of the two men.

Calum had been more excited than usual to finish his shift. He used to like it because that meant he could wind down, relax, and prepare for the next day. Recently, it meant he got to spend the evening with his boyfriends.

    But tonight, it meant he got to take the Next Step!

"Where are we going?" Calum asked, smiling at Ashton as he opened the back door to allow him into the car. Michael had pulled up to the sidewalk outside the hospital where his 2 boyfriends were waiting for him. Luke was sitting shotgun, grinning at Calum as he greeted the others.

"You'll see, babe, it's a surprise," Michael told him, having already discussed with Ashton earlier in the evening where they'd be going. Michael was so glad things had improved. He wasn't sure how this final test was going to go, Ashton had kept that a surprise, but he hoped Calum was ready for it. He had no idea what it could be, but he knew he would pass and they could finally do what they wanted.

Calum frowned in confusion when 20 minutes later they showed up to the park where he'd stolen clothes from a homeless person. Luke too looked a bit perplexed, but he knew whatever Ashton had in mind was fine. They all trusted Ashton wholeheartedly.

"What are we doing here?" Calum asked, waiting for Michael to come around and open his door. Michael and Ashton always did that for him and Luke when the two younger men were sitting in the back. Calum thought it was sweet.

"You're taking your final test before we truly can get on with Helping," Ashton told him. At Calum's hurt look, he continued explaining. "We know you're ready, Cal, but we also need to make sure you truly know what you're doing. Tell me what Helping really means,"

Ashton looped Calum's arm through his and started them down the path. It was nearing dusk, the sun having already set most of the way. Dark clouds covered the bits of orange and navy that painted the sky as the stars started to peek out. Street lamps buzzed above their heads, casting yellow-orange shadows on the brick as they travelled along the path, deeper into the park.

"When we Help someone, we let them achieve goals that most people don't want to recognize because they're too selfish to give the sick person what they truly want. A lot of times, it's people who aren't DNR's but they should be because putting them through a full code would be harming them more. So we Help them pass along to a better place so they're not in pain anymore," Calum explained cheerfully, looking at Ashton with a smile. The man was looking forward, lips etched in a straight line.

Michael and Luke were behind them, walking hand in hand. Michael had rolled his sweatshirt sleeve down so it covered their hands because Luke always got cold when they were outside at night.

He didn't understand what Ashton was doing, he couldn't see his boyfriend's face, but by the way his shoulders hunched over and the shake of his head, he knew he didn't like Calum's answer. Luke looked at him, but he only shrugged.

"We kill people, Cal. That's what we do. We kill them because keeping them alive is torturing them."

"I m-mean, I said that, we H-help them--"

Ashton abruptly stopped, tugging Calum back to him so his arm didn't detach from it's socket.

"No. I need you to say the actual words. What does 'Helping' really mean, Cal?"

Michael understood. He wondered if Calum was too far in his fantasy land, unrealistic ideals of what they were doing to understand the nitty gritty. He too had worried that once Calum really came to grasp what they did, he would freak out again. It all made sense now.

"It, I, uhm,"

"Cal, you can say it, baby, it's okay. It doesn't make it any different, we just want to make sure you're okay," Michael told him, walking to him and setting his free hand on Calum's shoulder. "We just want to make sure you understand."

He took a deep breath and nodded, looking right into Ashton's gaze.

"When we Help people, we kill them."

"Good, baby! That's the first step. You're okay with that?"

Without hesitation, Calum nodded. Luke was so proud of how far he'd come. He couldn't believe the scared man that had cried when he'd been locked in the bedroom was this boy standing in front of him.

Ashton allowed a small smile to grace his face.

"Good. Now, let's go over to where the hobos are. You're going to kill one."

Calum stood still, it took Ashton a moment to realise the rest of his boyfriends hadn't moved when he did.

"What?" he asked, looking back over his shoulder.

"I'm going to what?"

"Ash—"

"I don't see what the big deal is," Ashton walked over to them. "That's what we do. It shouldn't be too difficult,"

"B-but, Ash, why should I...kill someone here? They've not done anything, why would I just kill someone who doesn't deserve it, or isn't sick?"

Luke wanted to cry at how adorably confused Calum looked. He genuinely was upset, which made Luke want to comfort him, but Ashton knew what he was doing...so Luke hoped.

Ashton scoffed. "Cal, the people here are all washed up druggies draining society. They shoot up and get all sorts of terrible infections, then come into the hospital and get excellent care, only to never pay for anything and treat us horribly."

Calum still looked unsure.

"Really, what are they doing here besides wasting space? They're dirtying this beautiful park. This area could be amazing, but instead everyone steers clear because you never know who or what you're going to encounter," he gestured to a pile of stinking garbage nearby. "It's horrible what happened to this place, and something should be done about it."

Calum glanced at Michael and Luke to see what they were thinking of Ashton's speech, but they both seemed like they agreed, so Calum nodded. He wanted to be a part of them, that meant he had to commit.

"All right, I'll do it."

"Good. I figured this would be the perfect place, because no one important is ever here," Ashton waved them towards the bridge, going off the path to find their victim. "And no one cares if a random drug addict dies, so no one will look into this. There's practically no repercussions from it,"

Calum tried to convince himself of that.

Was he really about to kill someone?

Somewhere in the back of his mind, his voice of reason was screaming at him that this was wrong, but he couldn't listen. He pushed the voice away, craving the love and acceptance he got from these boys instead. He knew he'd make anything okay to stay with them. And Ashton's reasoning made sense, he knew that many of the people in this park ended up in the hospital. They treated the staff horribly, and essentially were wastes of space. So wasn't he doing something good by ridding the world of something horrible?

But what if he got caught? He knew Ashton said no one really cared, but surely if someone showed up dead the police would have to do some sort of investigation?

What if he got taken away, put in jail for something that wasn't even his fault to begin with? What if they pinned it on the others and let him free? How would he go on without them?

"Oh Cal," Luke sighed, noticing the distress he'd locked inside his mind. Luke opened his arms, and almost without intention, he launched himself into Luke's grip, taking shuddering breaths to control himself so he didn't burst into tears. He wanted to prove that he could do this. "Baby, it's okay,"

"Don't want to be taken away," he whimpered into Luke's shoulder. "Wanna be with you,"

The blonde chuckled, rubbing up and down his back.

"You won't, baby, trust me, it'll take a lot to separate us now, yeah? We're all in this together."

Ashton joined in, nodding for Michael to join the group hug.

"Cally, you don't have to worry, okay? Nothing bad is going to happen. It's just a little test yeah? I know you can do it," Michael assured him.

It looked like Calum was too deep into his head, he didn't respond to Michael. The man sighed, pulling back and shaking the boy's shoulder lightly.

"Calum?"

Luke sighed when he heard his breathing pick up.

"He's panicking, how do we make him stop?" They didn't have time for him to have a panic attack right now, Luke wasn't sure what would happen if Ashton didn't think he was fit to Help them. He needed to pass his test. Usually when Calum got like that, they had to let him be for at least an hour, if not more.

Ashton opened his mouth to say something when Luke surged forward and pressed his lips against Calum's. He didn't know what to do, he was hoping that would be shocking enough to make him respond.

And respond he did; Calum snaked his arms around Luke's shoulders, pulling him close and kissing back with everything he had. Calum didn't even think about how the only other time he'd kissed one of them was when he told them he wanted to be part of their team, he moulded himself against Luke like his life depended on it. It felt like it did, after all.

A few moments later he pulled off, both men smiling breathlessly at the other.

"That's one way to stop a meltdown," Michael drolled from behind them, arms crossed but a smirk plastered across his face. He quite enjoyed the show, obviously Luke did as well. Ashton was the only wild card, blank look on his face as he watched the others.

They all looked to Ashton, trying to figure out what was going on in his head. He winked at Calum before motioning them on.

"Let's go, it's going to get cold soon. Sun's already set."

With a new motivation, Calum followed his leader, ready to start the next part of his life, his hand held safely in Luke's comforting grip.

They stopped in front of a bundle on the ground; wrappers, garbage, and blankets all in a lump next to shopping carts filled with plastic bags and soda cans. It wasn't something Calum ever would have looked at before; he would have bypassed it quickly, keeping his gaze forward and hurrying just a bit more so he wouldn't be confronted. Now it felt like one of the most important things in the world.

"You have a choice, Calum." Ashton said, looking towards where a booted foot stuck out from under a pile of rags. "There's two ways you can do this: I have a knife and a gun."

He removed both weapons from his pocket, eliciting a gasp from the small dark haired boy. He'd never seen a gun up close like that. The silver metal glinted off the street light, almost blinding him as he gazed at it.

"The gun is easier. You can be farther away, it's less personal, there's not as much of a chance you'll be seen. It has a silencer so no one will hear you." Ashton explained, pointing to the long, silver barrel at the front of the weapon. "But the knife is more intimate. You're right there, physically taking the life. You need to be closer, so there's more of a chance of someone stopping you." the tall brunette shrugged, keeping Calum's gaze. "The choice is up to you." He held them out, one in each hand, waiting to see what Calum would choose.

Luke knew this was more than just a simple decision. Having been in Calum's shoes once before, he knew what this choice meant. He held his breath as Calum let him go, stopping forward. He hesitated before reaching out.

Calum's heart skipped a beat as he hovered his hand over the gun. This was his first kill. He didn't want it to be difficult, it was already a lot to handle, he figured that might ease him into it. Easy to start out, and then he could work up to the knife.

He looked at Ashton, hoping for confirmation in his hazel eyes, but nothing was revealed. He was blank, stoic, unmoving, almost like one of the statues in the park.

Almost as if he couldn't help it, at the last second he changed his mind and grabbed the knife. It wasn't like any knife Calum had seen before, certainly no kitchen knife. The handle was made of ivory, with grips that fit the shape of his fist. The blade was serrated and curved in a slight bend, like one would draw the bottom of a smiley face. It seemed strange to him, but it rested comfortably in his hand, and he knew he'd made the right choice.

This was a test. If he was going to run with these guys, he had to catch up. He needed to get into it quickly, because he was already behind them. He wanted to be equal with them.

Luke let out a sigh of relief when Ashton smiled and clapped him on the back.

If Calum had picked the gun, Ashton would have had to kill him. He wouldn't have wanted to, his boyfriends would have been mad, but they'd get over it. Their overall goal was more important than any one person, he'd begun to think. If they had someone who was going to slow them down, he would do what needed to be done since no one else would.

Thankfully, that wasn't the case. Calum passed, now he just needed to finish his assignment, and they could go home and celebrate.

"Good choice, baby. Now, go do what you've been told." With a slight push to his shoulder, Calum stepped forward towards the body curled up under the blankets.

Calum glanced back at Luke, wrapped up under Michael's arm and a comforting smile on his face. He gave him a little thumbs up, like Calum was a child getting on the school bus for the first time and needed a little encouragement.

He was ending a life. Could he truly do that?

"Pretend like it's the source of your entire frustration," Luke told him. "Imagine he's the person you're most angry with in the world, that with each stab, you're getting rid of something bad."

Calum nodded, turning around.

He couldn't overthink it. If he did, he'd never do it.

He inhaled, raising the knife over his head and letting it fall. A small groan was heard, but he didn't let that stop him. He crouched down, letting the knife slide through the body time after time, thinking of every messed up moment from his life.

All the times coworkers sneered at him for being a travel nurse; all the times he was made fun of in middle school for being a little chubby; when his parents got divorced and tried to make him choose between them on weekends and holidays; when people shoved him into a locker every single day in high school...every bad thing he'd ever felt was poured out of him through each plunge of the knife.

Blood poured from the hobo, splattering all over. His arms were covered in red, as well as splashes that made it to his face from the force he used to finish his task.

Luke watched how the longer Calum went, the more upset he got. He bit his lip, finally deciding to put a stop to it when he noticed the tears running down the boys face, mixing with the blood that splattered against his rosy cheeks.

With the gentleness only Luke could manage, he set his hand on Calum's shoulder, startling when the boy dropped the knife and turned around to hold him.

"Lukey," he sobbed. "I can't be alone anymore,"

"It's okay, baby," Luke comforted, running his fingers through the sticky hair. He would need a shower when he got home. "You're okay now, we're here for you. You don't need to think about that any more. It's all over,"

Calum quieted down, grimacing as he pulled away from Luke's chest. The man's clothing was covered in blood, and as he gazed at himself, he too realised he had the same fate. He was looking for a clean area to wipe off his face, and Ashton offered him a small towel he'd retrieved from his back pocket after noticing what he wanted.

"Thank you,"

Ashton stood in front of him, holding his shoulders as he looked into Calum's eyes.

"I'm so proud of you, Calum." Ashton told him sincerely, smiling back at the huge grin that plastered across the newest recruits face. "You look..." Ashton trailed a finger down his blood splattered face, "Amazing,"

Calum blushed, inching forward and looking at Ashton through his eyelashes. He parted his lips, closing his eyes as Ashton leant down and pressed a kiss to his lips. A few moments later, a loud scoff was heard to their left. Calum broke apart, looking at an upset Michael.

"I'm the only one who hasn't kissed you, and Ashy has kissed you twice," he pouted, arms crossed.

Calum chuckled, thanking Ashton quietly before sauntering over to Michael. Killing someone had made him confident. He wrapped his arms around the other man, getting up on his tip toes and leaning close.

"You look hot with blood all over you," Michael told him, rubbing his cheek.

Calum blushed, still looking right at him.

"Maybe you want some?" he rubbed their noses together, transferring the blood to his boyfriend who groaned, claiming his lips in a heated kiss.

"Hey, let's take this home. It's getting dark, and we've got all night to celebrate what happened." Ashton said, picking the knife up from where Calum had dropped it on the ground before embracing Luke. He wrapped it up in the towel, and the others followed him into the car.

***

wtf was that.

~ashtonfortherwin