Michael smiles as he watches the two boys color together in the play room. Luke woke up in headspace and has been fine so far today, and hes relieved. The past weeks been rough, lukes nightmares occurring frequently and stopping the boy from easily slipping into headspace when he pleases due to the stress.

The man cringes at his phone when it vibrates and he sees the caller id, stepping away from the boys and into another room before answering.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Michael? It's Ashton." The man answers, sounding a bit nervous.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Um, well, I'm out of rehab, I'm back in my apartment and everything... I was wondering if maybe I could talk to Luke? If... he's comfortable with that?" Ashton explains and Michael glances towards the boys thoughtfully.

"Lukes in headspace right now, he's... he's been having nightmares and so it's been hard for him to get in headspace, I don't really want to take him out right now, he's having fun with Calum. I'm glad you're out and settling in, though man. Next time I can get him out I'll talk to him about it and let you know." Michael decides after a moment of thought.

"Lukes having nightmares again?" Ashton says, sounding upset enough that Michael assumes the man can guess exactly what kind of nightmares Luke might be having.

"Yeah... yeah, I mean, he's fine but sleep and headspace are a bit rough right now." Michael sighs.

"Oh... well, if... if you think he'll be comfortable with it, let him know I love him and I miss him and I'm here whenever he's ready." Ashton says. Michael nods.

"Yeah. I'll let you know how Luke feels about talking to you, alright?" The caregiver says and Ashton sighs.

"Yeah, Thankyou. Thanks, really, for everything, Michael."

"Yeah, man. Good luck. Bye." Michael ends the conversation and makes his way back to the playroom, mood a bit gloomier now. He knows he should feel happy about the progress, about ashton getting better and wanting to make progress towards mending his relationship with Luke, but he just can't find it in himself to be happy about any of it. He feels dreadful and gloomy. He blames it on worrying about the rough transition, that it's not really that he doesn't want the progress to happen, that he's only dreading it because he knows it'll be rough on Luke, on all of them. But really, he's not sure if he feels like going back to Ashton is what's right for the blonde.

"Daddy?" Calum asks timidly and Michael glances to him.

"Yes baby, what's up?"

"Was that Ashton?" Calum asks, looking irritated. Michael sighs and glances to Luke, who seems to be in a very young headspace as he pays no attention to the twos conversation and babbles as he messes with some stuffies.

"Yes love." He answers quietly.

"What's he want?" Calum asks and Michael frowns.

"Honey, stop having such a bad attitude. He just wanted to let me know he's out of rehab and in his apartment and to see if he could talk to Luke on the phone, I told him it wasn't a good time." Calum sighs in relief and nods smugly and Michael rolls his eyes. The boy is horrible and concealing his feelings in headspace.

"Don't act this way about ash in front of Luke." Michael warms and Calum rolls his eyes.

"I'll act how I want."

"I mean it calum. Lukes feelings about Ashton are up to Luke, I don't want your attitude to affect him." Michael warns in a stern quiet voice.

"I just want what's best for Luke." Calum sneers and Michael clenches his jaw at the implication that he doesn't.

"So do I, and I won't let anything bad happen to him, but he's allowed to have his own feelings about Ashton. I'm done having this conversation with you while you're in headspace, if you'd like to come out and come talk to me about it more I'm happy to do that." Michael says finally and Calum hmphs, turning away from his caregiver and going over to Luke, who's happily giggling and babbling as he now plays with blocks, mostly having fun with knocking them over.

"Are you hungry lulu? You wanna snack?" He asks the blonde, immediately recognizing his tiny headspace and taking on big brother role.

Luke looks up and grins, reaching his arms up and letting Calum help him stand and toddle towards the stairs. Michael follows and gets in front of them as they walk downstairs, letting Calum help Luke scoot down by himself but being there in front to catch him if he stumbles and keep him from falling down the stairs.

Once they make it down luke whines, tired, and reaches his arms up to Calum as he's who's closest, giggling when the boy picks him up and awkwardly carries him to the couch, plopping him down there and handing him some toys out of a basket down there and running to the kitchen to fetch them both some snacks under Michael's supervision.

Michael thinks it's adorable to see Calum play big brother and try to take care of Luke. Luke seems to rather enjoy being babied by the other little as well. It makes it all the more clear how difficult the transition to being separate will be.

Once they've eaten their snack Calum plays with the toys with Luke, starting out just trying to entertain the boy and then really getting into it and playing a bit more enthusiastically and roughly. Michael watches as he works on his laptop at the dining table where he can see the boys from without them feeling like he's helicoptering and notices that Calums getting overly excited for how little Luke is, "battling" the other boys toys with his own as Luke babbles and seems to be getting confused and a bit upset. Michael doesn't feel the need to intervene, though, and kind of wants to see how it plays out, as he knows calums been working on not getting too crazy for Luke and being able to calm himself down to appease the other boy and not freak the fragile blonde out.

Despite that, Calum just continues to elevate until he's being loud and energetic with their pretend play and finally Luke bursts into tears, feelings hurt that calums toy is beating up his toy and that calums barely leaving room for him to participate in playing and frustration at being too little to communicate.

Michael watches as calums eyes snap up and he snaps out of his play, looking at luke in shock for a moment, trying to figure out what to do, and then pushing the toys away and pulling the blonde into his lap, cooing at him and apologizing and frantically looking over to Michael to make sure he's not in trouble.

Luke fights against the maoris hold on him and Calum gets more frantic as he tries to comfort, and finally Michael stands and comes over, taking a willing Luke from calums lap and setting him on his hip, bouncing him around rubbing his back as he stops crying and reduces to sniffling and laying against the mans shoulder. "You're okay little one, it's alright." Michael says gently, sitting on the couch next to Calum with Luke in his lap.

Calum looks on guiltily as Michael calms the blonde. He didn't mean to upset Luke, he thought they were having fun together.

"Lukey, Calum was just trying to play, I know he got too rough but he didn't mean to be mean or upset you, honey." Michael says, seeing calums clear guilt and wanting to reassure both of them that he understands, and make sure Calum knows he isn't upset.

"I'm sorry Lukey." Calum nods, scooting closer, getting upset when Luke won't look at him or do anything to show him he accepts the apology.

"Daddy, Lukey wont listen! Tell him I'm sorry!" Calum whines, tearing up at the littler one being mad at him.

"Calums sorry baby, he's gonna try and be more calm next time." Michael chuckles at the emotional little boys. Luke sniffles and takes his face out of its hiding place in Michael's shoulder, looking at Calum and pouting .

"I'm sorry Lukey, I didn't mean to." The brunette pouts back. Luke just looks away again and Calum whines, tearing up more and looking at Michael again.

"Luke is really little honey, he's probably just tired and doesn't understand his feelings. He'll be okay, so will you. Maybe I should try and put him down for a nap and me and you can hang out for a while, hm?" Michael suggests and Calum whines.

"But I don't want lu to be mad at me daddy!" Calum cries and Michael shushes him.

"He's not mad baby, he'll feel better when he wakes up. You watch cartoons and I'll be right back, okay?" Calum pouts and nods, letting Michael stand and go upstairs with the blonde to put him to sleep.

It's not twenty minutes before Michael comes back downstairs and sits next to Calum, pulling the boy into his lap to cuddle.

"I thought Lukey was having fun." He pouts and Michael nods.

"I know Honey, and he was for a long time, you didn't really do anything wrong, I know you were just trying to make him happy and play and you were having fun. Lukes just very sensitive when he's that little and needed things to stay calm. No ones mad at you, it's okay. I should've helped sooner." Michael comforts and Calum sighs. "Maybe we can decide what we can do next time?"

"Next time I can pay attention to how lukes feeling so I can calm down before he gets really upset." Michael nods.

"Next time I'll step in before Luke gets really upset too if I see it happening and you aren't noticing. Good job baby. Now, while we have a while alone, what do you wanna do with daddy?" Calums silent for a while, leaning against Michael's chest, and then he sits up and gives Michael a look and Michael frowns. It does not look like a headspace Calum look.

"Can we have couch sex?" Calum asks with a smirk, clearly not in headspace at all anymore and Michael laughs.

"What made you slip out love?" He chuckles and Calum laughs.

"I don't know, maybe the words 'what do you wanna do with daddy now that we have some time alone?'" The boy laughs and Michael chuckles.

"That's not what I meant, but you know I can't say no to couch sex." Michael replies, kissing the Maori.

"Lukes all the way asleep, right?" Calum asks between kisses.

"Out like a light." Michael replies, laying Calum down on the couch.

"It's been a while huh?" Calum asks and Michael hums and shuts him up by dragging the boys shirt over his head.

"Eager are you?"

"Shut up Calum you started this." Michael says as he kisses down calums chest.

About 45 minutes later the two are both completely undressed and about 2/3rds through, yknow, passionately hugging, when over Michael's moans in his ear and the sound of the couch slamming against the wall Calum hears footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Fuck, Mikey, stop stop stop Luke-" Michael doesn't respond and Calum scrambles to grab a nearby blanket and get it over them.

"Lukes coming!" He hisses and Michael finally seems to realize and stops thrusting, laying still on top of Calum and getting the blanket the rest of the way over both of them, glancing at where Luke is just coming into sight on the stairs with a frantic look.

"Sum noisy." Luke pouts, rubbing his eyes and looking at the two through a sleepy glare.

"I wanna cuddle too." He pouts and comes towards them more.

"No no no, Lukey, why don't you go back upstairs and lay down in your bed where it's comfier and Michael and I will be up in a minute to cuddle you there, okay?" Calum offers and Luke pouts.

"But-"

"There's not enough room for all three of us on the couch baby." Calum says and Luke goes to argue again when Michael cuts him off.

"Upstairs, Luke." He says in a no nonsense voice and Luke pouts, stomping his way back upstairs.

"Do you think you can finish in three minutes or less?" Michael whispers and Calum chuckles.

"Youre on."

Four minutes later the two are dressed and clean and running upstairs to a pouty Luke to cuddle.