tags: coffee shop AU, hero and powers AU, slice of life, fluff and humor, lots & lots of friendship
summary:
Ashton turns to greet him, faded red hair swishing gracefully with the motion until the gentle waves settle and frame his face, all sunny grin and perfect dimples and sparkling hazel eyes and Michael hates Calum he hates him so much.
“Oh hey, it’s my favorite customer!” he says with his stupid cute voice constantly sounding on the verge of laughter and happiness and sunshine.
Michael hopes his face isn’t as red as it feels, averts his eyes to shield them from the powerful glow Ashton always seems to emanate, “You say that to all your customers.”
Michael is a programmer by day, a vigilante’s guy in the chair by night, and a full-time admirer of the cute barista down at the coffee shop he frequents, and sometimes he wonders if everyone around him is way too dramatic or if he's missing something.
or,
this technically still counts as a coffee shop au
omg hi, fic exchange time i am Late but this is my first time participating in the @5sos-fic-exchange and i had the honor of writing for the lovely megs @igarbagecannoteven !! i hope you enjoy this, thank you for giving me the opportunity to write lots of friendship dynamics <3
a huge thanks to hazel @allsassnoclass for organizing this wonderful event <3 and a shoutout my dearest maya @calumsash for being an amazing sounding board when i was losing my mind <3
In a world where having powers is the norm, Mika leads a double life : programmer by day, vigilante hacker by night, she makes the most of h
PROLOGUE TO MY WEBTOON IS UP!!!!! please give it a read a like perhaps a subscribe if it is what u desire. im gonna go crawl back into my cave to draw the rest of it now
In a world where having powers is the norm, Mika leads a double life : programmer by day, vigilante hacker by night, she makes the most of h
PROLOGUE TO MY WEBTOON IS UP!!!!! please give it a read a like perhaps a subscribe if it is what u desire. im gonna go crawl back into my cave to draw the rest of it now
In a world where having powers is the norm, Mika leads a double life : programmer by day, vigilante hacker by night, she makes the most of h
PROLOGUE TO MY WEBTOON IS UP!!!!! please give it a read a like perhaps a subscribe if it is what u desire. im gonna go crawl back into my cave to draw the rest of it now
In a world where having powers is the norm, Mika leads a double life : programmer by day, vigilante hacker by night, she makes the most of h
PROLOGUE TO MY WEBTOON IS UP!!!!! please give it a read a like perhaps a subscribe if it is what u desire. im gonna go crawl back into my cave to draw the rest of it now
hi hazel, congratulations on the milestone <3!! i am here to request some dog pics please and also if ur up for it, perhaps some mashton with "the intimacy of borrowing a jacket still warm from their body heat" ? <3
hi teresa! here is the prompt!
mashton: the imtimacy of borrowing a jacket still warm from their body heat
It starts as something small. Michael isn't even that cold, but he gets chilly easily these days and always feels more comfortable when his sleeves are longer, like the fabric resting against his wrists is a miniature blanket that he can bury himself in. When Ashton takes the light blue cardigan off and Michael asks if he can slip it on, he's anticipating a quick joke about stealing Ashton's fashion sense when they turn the stream on, then getting too warm in a few minutes and taking it off again.
He doesn't expect the immediate rush of warmth and comfort that he gets the second the soft fabric touches his skin. He can smell traces of Ashton's new cologne on it, and underneath his fingertips the fabric is soft from Ashton's wear, despite him having bought this particular cardigan recently. It's the most comfortable sweater he's ever worn honestly, too big in just the way he likes, warm without being suffocating, and downy without the vague scratchiness that most of the other cardigans he's tried on has.
When he finally looks up from marveling at how nice the texture feels against his skin, he finds Ashton's eyes on him, bright and amused.
"You like it?" he asks, dimples popping.
"Yeah," he says. "I should borrow stuff from you guys more often."
"Not you, too," Calum groans while the others laugh.
It's funny, the band used to share clothes all the time, to the point where half of the shirts they wore on tour belonged to the band as an entity rather than one individual person. The all stopped swapping as much when they found their own styles, but the other three still sometimes borrow an article here or there, and they don't always give them back. Michael is the only one who rarely does so, too attached to his baggy shirts and too particular about the fit of each pair of pants to feel fully comfortable swapping outfits with someone else. His clothes make him feel more like him, and wearing something that belongs to the other boys makes him feel like he's playing dress-up or hiding behind one of them instead of being himself.
Except, maybe, for this sweater. He doesn't mind the way it envelopes him like a hug, especially when the faint spicy scent of Ashton and his lingering body heat makes it feel like a hug from him, specifically.
Michael loves how Ashton hugs. He always holds him securely, but never too tight, and he's not a brick wall like Luke or made completely of hard, lean muscle like Calum. Hugging Ashton is like hugging a live teddy bear, and most of the time Michael curls his hands into fists to keep from clinging. He could stay in a hug like that forever, but as cuddly as they all are, an hour-long hug isn't something he wants to ask for, especially when Ashton loves moments of contact but doesn't prefer prolonged ones when he's not in control.
"Start the stream, dude," Luke says to Calum, coaxing Michael out of his thoughts. He fiddles with one of the buttons on the cardigan and steps out of the line of sight of the iPad as Calum sets up, struggles to start the stream, then eventually succeeds after many unhelpful suggestions from the rest of them. The joyful noise of Luke and Calum interacting with fans forces him to focus, and he spends the stream discussing "Complete Mess", dropping hints about their upcoming projects, and laughing at everything going on. It's not a very comprehensible stream, but it's fun, and he only brings up how comfortable the sweater is once more. He takes it off soon after, because if he keeps it on for much longer he's worried he won't be able to give it back.
-/-
Michael doesn't mean for it to happen again, but spring in the UK is chilly. Michael handled the cold a lot better as a teenager than he does now, and he forgot to bring his jacket when they decided to grab breakfast today. The walk back to the hotel isn't overly long, but it's breezy and Michael never quite warmed up after walking over to the restaurant, even while drinking a hot cup of coffee. He's dreading the idea of stepping out of the building and back into the cold.
"You okay, Mike?" Ashton asks, nudging him while the rest of the group heads out, chatting easily amongst themselves. Michael grimaces and tugs the sleeves of his long-sleeved shirt over his fists.
"Fine. It's chilly."
"You're too Australian," Ashton says, sighing and tutting like a disappointed parent. "Other places get cold, Michael."
"I know," he whines, even though he's smiling. He's used to the other three teasing him for how cold his hands get or how much he complains about the weather when it's anything less than sunny and warm. In response, he loves sticking his icy hands on the back of their necks and seeing them jump.
"Here," Ashton says, shedding the fuzzy brown coat he put on when everyone stood to go.
"Then you'll be cold," Michael says, holding his arms out in front of him in an attempt to fend Ashton off. The coat looks incredibly soft, though, and he already has goosebumps on his arms in anticipation of the sudden dip of temperature between the restaurant and the outdoors.
"You need it more than I do," Ashton snorts. "I'll be fine for the walk back, but you'll complain the whole way otherwise."
"Oh, I see," Michael says, mouth twisting up in a smile. "You're just trying to shut me up."
"Never," Ashton grins. Michael lets him slip the coat over his shoulders, immediately feeling the same warmth and comfort that he got from the blue cardigan. He doesn't like the texture of this coat as much, but it's still warm from Ashton's body heat despite him only wearing it for a minute before passing it to him. Michael wraps it around himself and sighs in contentment.
"Better?" Ashton asks, brushing a hand over his shoulders again to get the jacket to unbunch, fretting like a mother bundling her kid up for their first winter.
"Yeah, thanks."
Ashton rewards him with another smile that overtakes his entire face. One thing that Michael learned during lockdown is how much he loves seeing his friends smile in person, especially Ashton. He has a way of making every beaming smile feel like a glimpse of the sun. Michael looks forward to seeing that grin directed at him for the next few months.
"Come on," Ashton says, placing a hand at the center of Michael's back and coaxing him forward. "The others are waiting."
Michael tugs the sleeves of Ashton's coat over his fingers, then steps into the cold. The walk back to the hotel is the warmest he feels all day, even under the stage lights at their show later that night.
-/-
It becomes a thing after that. Every time Michael feels a little bit cold, Ashton is there with a jacket or sweater to wrap around him. Ashton himself doesn't need them most of the time since he runs warm, but without fail he provides one for Michael whenever he wants it. Michael likes it best when he gets one that Ashton was just wearing, rather than one he brought "just in case." Ashton's body heat warms him down to his bones the way no fabric or yarn alone can, but any of Ashton's fluffy sweaters or light jackets help.
Luke and Calum have definitely caught on that Ashton keeps giving him clothes under the excuse of Michael being cold, but neither of them have said anything or interfered. Michael's thankful for that. Luke or Calum both have a different fit for their clothes that wouldn't be as cozy on him, and he likes that this is something for him and Ashton. Although they're a group of four best friends, they each have their individual dynamics within the group, and he likes that they all understand that a ritual between two of them doesn't need to be something that all four of them partake in.
Calum is going to start teasing soon, though. Michael can see the amusement in his eyes every time clothing exchanges hands backstage or on the bus.
Calum isn't here right now, though. They've long left behind the days when they could only afford one hotel room for the four of them, sharing beds and kicking each other in their sleep, all four of them chatting long after they should've gone to bed, and playing pranks on whoever was the last to wake up in the morning. These days, they each get their own room. Michael appreciates it, because he likes having his space after being packed together on the bus, but they usually end up hanging out in the evening anyway unless someone makes other plans.
Michael's plan right now is to knock on Ashton's door and grab a sweater, because the air conditioning in his hotel room is colder than he'd like but he knows he won't be able to fall asleep later if he accidentally turns it too warm messing with the thermostat.
Right as he's about to open the door and head across the hall, however, someone knocks on the door. He glances through the peephole and smiles.
"Hey," he says, flipping locks and tugging the door open to reveal Ashton smiling on the other side. "I was just coming to find you."
"Yeah?" Ashton asks. "Looking for this?"
He tugs on the hoodie he's wearing, something gray and worn enough that Michael's not sure what the original logo on the front was supposed to be.
"I figured you'd want it," Ashton says, already stripping it off, tugging down his t-shirt underneath so he doesn't accidentally take that off in the middle of the hallway, too. "You can't handle normal air conditioning anymore."
"Hey," Michael says in a token protest. He doesn't mind, though, not when Ashton is already holding the hoodie out for him to take. He slips it on easily, sighing in contentment at the way it blankets him. Ashton reaches around and adjusts the hood for him so it lays nicely.
"Thanks," he says, burrowing into it like a turtle finding shelter in its shell and slipping his hands into the pockets.
"I was thinking of watching a movie," Ashton says, gesturing back to his room. "Want to join?"
"You're not going to go exploring? I thought you were trying to see something new in every city we stop in," Michael asks. He's been invited to many of these outings so far this tour, but going from staying in LA to a different city each day tends to burn him out more than the concerts themselves do. Ashton is the opposite. He loves absorbing every new place they stop at by seeing as much of it as possible, especially since he wasn't allowed to during lockdown.
"Nah," Ashton says, shaking his head. "I'll do a bit of sight-seeing tomorrow, but I'm tired tonight. I'll let you choose the movie, if you want. Everything's set up in my room."
Michael hums. He was going to stay in and watch tv until his brain melts, but watching something with Ashton sounds better, especially when he's already wrapped up in his hoodie.
"Sure," he nods. "Let's do it."
"Great," Ashton grins. Michael pats his pockets to be sure he has his room key and phone, then gestures for Ashton to lead the way, snuggling further into the hoodie again. The warmth that he feels will stay through the next few hours, pressed near Ashton on the bed so they can both see the tv at the best angle, and he'll still be able to feel it lingering when he falls asleep back in his own bed, still wrapped up in Ashton's hoodie and warmth.
sea monster au masterpost!!! ive been talking about this one for a While so heres a collection of old and new doodles... can u tell which ones are older lol
so basically this started because of des @cakes-curls coming up with the concept of sea monster ash cus of this pic and then requesting a doodle of him and slime michael.. full credit to her for the original idea which has spiraled out of my control <3
but wait! there is fic for this!!!! meghna @reveriesofawriter actually wrote this wonderful one shot when i first started drawing these and it’s one of my favorite things ever, go read it please <33
the og doodle is under the cut along with a couple extra ones (floofy haired ash for jess @daydadahlias whos basically a co-author to this au at this point <3)
hello <3 for the wip game: blue, hand, laugh, curl!
teresa do you want to know something heartbreaking? only one of these words appears in any of my mashton wips, and it only appears once. my docs are in a bit of a mashton drought right now it seems, so we're going lashton for most of these instead
blue
“Whatever you’re comfortable with,” Ashton says. The psychics in the room don’t really seem comfortable with anything, but Liz nods and produces her tarot deck. She’s had it for as long as Luke has been paying attention, and the edges are frayed with use. It’s a standard tarot deck with a blue back, only as impressive as she makes it at any given moment.
“Wait,” Persephone says. “Have Luke deal.”
hand (I went with hands instead, as I liked those sentences better than my singular mashton hand sentence)
He never should’ve left home. He’s going to die with only the fish for company, family none the wiser, and he didn’t even tell them goodbye.
Then strong hands are gripping him, pulling him out of the sea. The sun is blinding, his lungs burn, but his first taste of the open air feels like rebirth.
laugh
Calum slings an arm over his shoulder and Michael laughs. Luke leans into the touch, grateful for the warmth of another person next to him after the numbness of the performance.
“You definitely sang. You sounded great,” Michael says, worming his way in between them and holding both of them too close. Luke wrinkles his nose.
“You definitely smell.”
curl
Ashton passes the dog off, and he does settle once he’s allowed to curl up in Michael’s lap. Michael strokes him gently, the open adoration on his face making him look more like the Michael Ashton first met, before he learned the meaning of tragedy. Cradling both dogs to him but still bearing the harsh marks of his sadness, Ashton feels like this Michael is a compromise between the one he will never get back and the one he still has trouble recognizing.
send me a word and I’ll scour my wips for a sentence that includes it!
for the wip guessing game can i ask about "smile" and "night" please -hazel
hello @allsassnoclass my dear <3 thank you for these!
smile
"No way, my couch sucks. It'll fuck up your neck," Ashton insists, clumsily patting the space next to him. He cracks an eye open, smiles against the pillow, "You haven't even told me your secrets yet."
night
There's a picture frame on the nightstand, a young girl and boy grinning toothily at the camera. Michael assumes they're Ashton's siblings—he's mentionned them once or twice before.
Send me a word, if it’s in my wip document I’ll answer your ask with the sentence that it appears in
'eyes', 'hands' and 'colour' for the wip game pretty please?
hola buenas tardes <3
eyes
Captain Irwin sighs again, closes his eyes, and when he opens them they’re sad still but the hurt has subsided and he gives a lopsided smile, teases half-heartedly, “You know, being cute isn’t gonna get you out of every pickle.”
hands
Michael knows he didn’t. But it’s easier to pretend like he did. The loneliness claws at his heart, leaves marks in its wake, and he holds its hands, drives the claws deeper, punishes himself for ever even daring to hope for something else.
color (this is literally the ONLY one i found across all wips gfhHJHD)
So that’s what they do, Ashton questioning him over his favorite color, songs, movies, everything, like a rapid fire game of twenty questions. Luke finds himself relaxing over the course of the trip, Ashton’s quick wit and humor keeping him on his toes while simultaneously making him feel comfortable.
Send me a word, if it’s in my wip document I’ll answer your ask with the sentence that it appears in
i am here for the wip game i am here hello! how about "giggle", "sleep", "small" & "pretty" 🥰
hello maya beloved thank you <3
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Michael doesn’t miss a beat, blurts out before he can even think about what he’s saying, regrets it immediately, until Ashton giggles and then he doesn’t regret it as much anymore.
sleep
Michael stays there until the moons are up in the sky and the red night has fallen, until his lids are too heavy, and he eventually falls asleep, body numb from the chill that has set into his bones.
small
“Long night of work ahead of me,” Ashton admits with a grin, takes another sip. There’s a small, red heart on his wrist, Michael notices. He hadn’t seen it before. “How have you been?”
pretty
Luke sighs next to him. “I don’t have a lot a friends, you know,” he admits. “And the ones I have, I made a long time ago, which means they’re, uh. Pretty much stuck with me at this point,” he chuckles, rubs the back of his neck. “I’m not very good at meeting new people.”
Send me a word, if it’s in my wip document I’ll answer your ask with the sentence that it appears in
hand (used 60 times in part one, here's the first):
Regardless of who’s playing that night, Ashton gives them his full attention, claps at all the right places, and throws a dollar or five into their tip jar at the end of the night. He’s a sucker for anyone’s art form, no matter if he understands it or not. It’s special to them, and he’s grateful for the chance to experience someone else’s passion first hand.
blue (used 14 times):
He clutches a sparkly acoustic guitar in one hand, baby blue painted nails biting into the strings as he waves at the crowd and settles onto his stool. “Hello,” he says, voice swaying from a deep register to a higher head voice with one single word, elongated through a crooked smile.
curl (used 10 times):
It’s fucking adorable, seeing him all curled up in the middle of Ashton’s large bed, eyes fluttering like he’s barely hanging onto the last shreds of consciousness in an attempt to wait for Ashton’s return, a pleased twitch of his lips being the only acknowledgement that he knows Ashton returned as he lets his eyelids cover the blue beneath completely.
for the fanfic wip game: blue, mullet, thigh, giggle <3
i like where your mind is going with these teresa! sadly i do not have any blue but i got all the other three <3
mullet:
In his sleepy haze, he almost forgot about last night, dressing up to go to one of their friend’s Halloween party, putting together this improvised costume that includes an old football shirt his dad got him, one of the many gym shorts he owns, some sports sunglasses and a cheap blonde mullet wig he bought last week.
thigh:
Duke doesn’t trust people very often, it took him months till he stopped acting like the most unintimidating guard dog whenever Luke walked into his apartment. But he took an immediate liking to Ashton, plopping himself on the man’s lap the first time Calum brought him home, declaring Ashton’s thighs as his favorite place to nap.
giggle:
Calum thinks it was pretty funny, staying in character for the night, it definitely brought a lot of giggles out of Ashton throughout the party which is his favorite sound in the world.
Send me a word, if it’s in my wip document I’ll answer your ask with the sentence that it appears in
