Hellooo! I have intentions of finishing 12 Days of Holidays, was supposed to before the new year, but life changes and exhaustion from these new changes! Anyway the last for parts will be made

Adore You (Part 6)

AshtonXFemale Reader

Part 5

Warnings: Food, secret confessions, mentions of adoption, mentions of running away, fluff, slight slow burn

“Tell me something no one else knows about you,” Ashton said, his fingers idly tracing the palm of your hand. You both laid in a makeshift fort in his living room, boxes of Chinese takeout scattered around you and some tiny portable projector playing a film you both have long forgotten about. 

“Something no one knows?” you hummed, earning a nod from him. It was nearing the end of Spring break and the both of you have been talking non-stop since your first official date. It was you who asked Ashton out for the second time, feeling a sudden urge of courage. This time it was less strenuous and more comforting than anything. Your face scrunched up at his question as you thought about the answer. You almost felt brought back to the first day of classes where you had to play ice breakers in order to get to know classmates you were most likely never to see again. 

“It’s not a hard question,” Ashton laughed, breaking the long silence of your pause. 

“For me it is!” you exclaimed, retracting your hand from his and sitting up. Ashton sat up straight too and bit onto his bottom lip. “Besides, talking about myself is boring.”

“You’re not boring, Y/N.” Ashton responded. “I can go first if you want,” his head dipped low to look you in the eye and Ashton gave you a smile. You couldn’t help but to smile back and nod. He had a way of comforting you and you laid back down into the pillows looking up at the patterns of the blanket that covered you two. He shuffled onto his side and peered down at you as he thought for a moment. 

“Now look who’s-”

“I got it!” he interjected, grinning at you in amusement. Your eyebrows rose at his reaction and you held in a giggle. “When I was seven I used to be VERY obsessed with tadpoles and woul- for a good while actually- I would carry some with me everyday to school without anyone knowing.”

“How’d you manage that?” you asked, shifting positions to lay on your side to look at him directly. 

“I’d carry it in my thermos and people would just assume it was juice,” he said matter-of-factly. You laughed hard then, shaking your head at his admission. “Alright. . .your turn.” You thought for a moment, eyebrows scrunching. Ashton reached out with his thumb to rub away the wrinkled creases from your expression. “So serious,” he muttered, making you smile in return and let out a sigh.

“I once ran away when I was fifteen. Hitchhiked and got into some pickup truck with this old man. Made it to the city line and turned back. I had been gone for maybe three hours, no one was none the wiser.” A heavy silence penetrated the air, and you found yourself opening eyes you hadn’t realized you closed. Ashton was staring intently at you, worry written across his face. “I know, very dangerous for a young woman like me to hitchhike, especially alone,” you said. 

“Where were you heading?” he asked instead. You had expected him to reprimand you for being so careless at a young age. That was the last you got and could see curiosity fill Ashton’s worried expression.  

“To find my birth parents. I had just found out I was adopted and was spiraling over it. Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents dearly. It’s just I always felt like a black sheep, like something was wrong with me and then they tell me this huge secret a week after I turn fifteen.” You went quiet for a moment, eyes dazed as if you were placed back in that moment. “I thought if I could find my birth parents it’ll help me answer questions on why I was so different.” 

You had never told anyone about it. You were content now at the fact that you were adopted, something you didn’t hide anymore. But that story of you attempting to run away, it had always been a well kept secret between you and your stuffed animals. “Aren’t you going to ask why I turned back?” you said. The two of you had somehow found yourselves laying on your backs. Ashton’s fingers playing with your own. He shook his head in response. 

“Not unless you want to say,” he muttered, allowing the silence to envelop you once again. You weren’t expecting to share that part of yourself, but that was truly the only thing people didn’t know about you. Ashton just seemed so easy to talk to and you trusted him with the information. A warmth filled your stomach at his words. He wasn’t going to push and would allow you to tell him when you wanted. You turned your head to the side to look at him, eyes wide in the dim light. Ashton turned  his head to face you too, your faces inches apart. “Thank you for sharing,” he whispered, almost trying not to disturb the peace. 

“Thank you for listening,” you whispered back. Your eyes flickered down to his lips then back up to meet his gaze. His lips parted, tongue ducking out to moisten the plump skin. Time seemed to slow and you could see him glance at your own mouth. Just as Ashton was leaning towards you, a knock sounded at the door. The both of you jumped in surprise at the disturbance. 

“Shit-the dessert,” Ashton said, “I forgot we ordered that.” He pulled away from you and got up from the fort to grab the delivery. You sat back in your spot, feeling slightly dazed. The two of you were so close to kissing. Something you hadn’t done yet. You cleared your throat and sat up as Ashton came back inside the fort with two bowls. 

“What did you do before uni?” you asked him, graciously taking the bowl with your requested dessert. You remembered him saying he had chosen to pursue a career in photography after a stint of not being in school. 

“I traveled with my best friends. We were basically living a nomad type life. It was fun for a while, but I could tell we all missed home.” Ashton chuckled at a thought that came to him, “I do miss exploring the world.” He dug into his own bowl after that, your attention now back on the film that seemed to be nearing an end. After a while Ashton muttered something about it being late. You were supposed to go back to your dorm about an hour ago, but being with Ashton was too much fun. “I’ll take the couch,” he said, not really asking if you wanted to go home or stay. It was a decided fact to Ashton that you would spend the night. 

“We can sleep in the fort together,” you found yourself blurting. You were feeling a bit bold. The words surprising yourself. Ashton’s eyebrows raised, a look of perplexity coming across his face. “It’s cozy and you shouldn’t have to be uncomfortable in your own home,” you added, trying to save some type of face. Ashton let a laugh slip past his lips and he gave you a dimpled smile. 

“I should warn you, I am a cuddler.”

Adore You (Part 5)

Ashton IrwinXFemale Reader

Part 4

Warnings: pure fluff, tender moments, food, nature, photographs, wars

Dress comfortably, but bring a change of clothes. I’ll pick you up at 5am. 

You stared at the message over and over, sleep still in the corner of your eyes and a yawn leaving your lips. You hadn’t been daydreaming the day before when you got Ashton’s text during the afternoon. He had written five in the morning and somehow you set an alarm to wake you up at 4:30am so that you could get ready. It was Spring Break and you were supposed to be sleeping in, not waking up at the ass crack of dawn. You were barely into your break either which meant things were not at all what you expected it to be. Since Ashton dropped you back off at home the two of you had been messaging non-stop, aside from the times he would work. The two of you had just been talking, getting to know each other a bit. Ashton’s message about picking you up was the last thing you had heard from him. 

The sun wasn’t even out yet and you had no idea what Ashton had planned for your date. Let alone why he chose 5am as the start time. You had just finished packing a spare set of clothes when Ashton messaged you that he was there. After giving yourself a quick look in the mirror to ensure you looked “on the first date” presentable, you gave yourself a quick pep talk before leaving. 

“Good morning,” you smiled, waving at Ashton. He was leaning up against the side of his jeep, dressed in navy colored sweatpants and a gray t-shirt. The grin on his face was bright for the early morning. 

“Good morning, I hope you slept well?” Ashton said, he opened the car door for you. You slid into the passenger seat, tucking your backpack between your feet. 

“Sorta. Having to get up this early made me anxious,” you confessed, Ashton gave you a slight frown, closing your door and jogging to the driver side. “Why are we up this early?” you asked once he was inside the car. 

“Well. . .I thought we could watch the sunrise,” he said, a beautiful smile coming back onto his face. “But we gotta hike to the spot.” Your head whipped over to stare at him in bewilderment. Ashton kept his attention on the road, but from the dimple poking out of his cheek you could tell he was trying hard not to look at you. That explained why he wanted you to dress comfortably. 

“You got me up at 5am to hike just to see the sunrise?!” you reiterated, nearly in disbelief at the revelation. He finally gave you a side glance, a guilty look on his face this time. “Ashton!” you whined out, slumping into your spot only to earn a giggle from him. “This is practically kidnapping.” 

“It’s not kidnapping if you voluntarily got into the car,” he said, “I just didn’t specify the activity.” You rolled your eyes at his words, elbow resting against the door and chin landing into the palm of your hand. It was silent for a moment and Ashton took another glance in your direction. “I promise it will be worth it,” he said, right hand reaching out to give your thigh a reassuring squeeze. You relaxed in your spot at his words and gave him a sly smile.

“You better be right. If not, you’re making it up to me,” you told him. Ashton held out his pinky to you and you hooked it with your own. Both your thumbs met in the middle, locked with a “kiss.” The rest of the car ride was spent getting to know each other more until you made it to your destination. 

     You wheezed out air, head rested between your legs and hands on your knees as you tried to catch your breath. It had been a while since you last hiked and your hiking locations were never this steep. Daylight was starting to peak out, the early morning air crisp and somehow burning your lungs even more. A few trees surrounded you on your left and boulders to your right. Your eyes focused on a beetle scurrying by with a rock in hand, one eye closed tight. You felt Ashton’s hand gently land on your back, his face soon appearing in front of yours. “Here,” he said, holding a water bottle in front of your face. You reached out for it, cracking it open and spilling a bit of the water as you brought it to your lips. 

“You’re trying to kill me,” you said over the rim. He laughed, hiking his backpack up his shoulder even more. 

“I’m sorry,” he sighed, “You had said you used to hike, so I thought. . .” 

“No, it’s fine-this mountain is just hella steep.” Your breathing finally got back to normal, and you stood up straight to give him a weak smile. 

“Yeah this mountain wiped me out the first time I climbed it,” he told you. He gave you a concerned look and you sent a thumbs up to him to signify you were good to go. 

“Did you collapse at the top?” you asked, slowly trailing behind him. Ashton paused, his hand reaching out to help you over a log that was in the middle of your path. 

“I did, actually,” he laughed, “Legit waited an hour before I decided to go back down.” He didn’t let go of your hand as the two of you continued your trek up. Soon Ashton pulled you through a grove of trees on a flatter part of the mountain and you found yourself looking at the most breathtaking view. “The sun should be fully rising in three, two, one,” he said, glancing back and forth between his watch and the view. A gasp left your lips and your hand came up to cover your mouth. It was silent and you basked in the view, sucking in a deep breath and slowly releasing it. 

“This is. . . “ you whispered, trying not to disturb the silence. “Absolutely gorgeous,” you finished off, you felt Ashton’s fingers brush against yours and your own fingertips tickled his. He fully grabbed your hand then.

“Gorgeous indeed,” Ashton whispered back, you could see him looking at you out of the corner of your eye and you smiled to yourself. “I uh-I brought my camera for some pictures,” he said after a few minutes. You looked at him then, a smirk playing on your face. 

“To document a first date?” you questioned, receiving an eye roll from him.

“No, to document the sunrise, but this lighting looks fantastic on you, so I wanted to ask if it’s alright-you might be in some of them?” You laughed at his words and glanced back towards the stunning view then at him.

“Snap away,” you told him, gesturing towards the view. He pulled his backpack from his shoulder to pull out his camera. A second later you heard the snap of the camera, and then a few more clicks. You didn’t know if you should pose or not, so you stayed taking in the scenery. “Do you always carry that thing with you?” you asked, gulping down the water Ashton had given you halfway up the hill. 

“Not all the time, but I can’t resist a good photo opportunity especially in nature.” He turned the camera on you this time. You gave a quick smile and pose before waving him away. After a few more pictures were taken, the two of you found a rock to sit on and fully absorb the quietness. You laid your head on his shoulder and in turn Ashton laid his head on top of yours. 

“I can see why you’d like it up here,” you commented, “It’s peaceful and it feels like everything in the world will be just alright.” He wrapped his arm around your shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

“Can forget assignments and deadlines exist from up here too,” Ashton said. You nodded in response and the two of you sat in silence for a while. A hum of comfort left your lips and you felt Ashton’s head move against yours and briefly felt his lips ghost at your hairline. The two of you watched the sun slide higher up into the sky and your eyebrows furrowed as you thought about the message Ashton sent you the day before. 

“Why’d I need to bring a change of clothes?” you asked, finally breaking the silence. Ashton looked down at you with a grin.

“Ya get sweaty while hiking,” he told you, “And this isn’t our final destination.” Your eyebrows rose in surprise at his words. He laughed at your response. “What? Did you think this was just a hiking date? I made plans, Sweetheart.” He bumped his shoulder against yours and shot you a smile. You bumped him back, and Ashton stood up. He dusted dirt off his bottom then reached his hand out for you to take. 

“Okay then, what is next on the agenda?” you asked, grabbing Ashton’s hand and allowing him to pull you up. He pulled you into his chest for a hug, the two of you shuffling a bit in embrace. You looked up at him with a smile on your face.

“Depends,” he hummed, smirking down at you. 

“On?” you questioned, the embrace breaking as you both started to descend down the hill. You followed closely behind Ashton, marking where you were stepping.  

“On if you like french toast sticks because I know this place that does like every flavor under the sun,” he said over his shoulder. Ashton stopped for just a moment and turned his body in wait for your answer. 

“I honestly can’t remember the last time I had french toast STICKS, so I’d say. . . of course I’m down!” you said, earning a grin from Ashton. The climb down was always easier than going up and sure enough by the end of it you were starving.

     Ashton sat next to you in the booth. The heat radiating off his body and warming your already hot skin. The two of you had changed clothes in the back of his Jeep before heading towards the french toast place. You didn’t realize how drenched in sweat you’d be and was grateful Ashton suggested you bring a change of clothes. Now the two of you were in the cool of the diner, but still the tension lined your skin at his close proximity. A menu being shared and your hair stood on ends as he wrapped his arm over your shoulder, scooting closer to you. You swore he’d be able to hear how hard your heart was beating, and you tried your damnedest to not stare at him from the corner of your eye. “What flavor do you fancy?” he questioned, raising a hand to push his glasses up his nose. 

“The red velvet sticks sound amazing, but I keep looking towards the tiramisu ones,” you responded. “What about you?” 

“Hmm cinnamon roll is always my go to,” he bashfully admitted. You laughed at his admission, at least it wasn’t the classic french toast sticks he was going for. “Do you want to maybe try the variety special? Since you’re having trouble deciding.” Your eyes widened at the variety special list. 

“Ash, that’s way too many sticks for me,” you mumbled, eyebrows furrowing. Two french toast sticks from the sixteen list flavor board. 

“How about we share it? Whatever's leftover can be boxed up,” he suggested. 

“It’ll allow me to try both the red velvet and tiramisu,” you said in agreement. It also gave Ashton the chance to try something other than his usual order. Once your order was taken, the two of you found yourselves in a game of thumb-of-war as you waited. “So how’d you f-find this place?” you asked, trying to invade Ashton’s thumb as it nearly pinned yours down. 

“I’m all about the mom and pop shop places,” he said, tongue sticking out as he once again tried to pin you down. “One day of procrastination led me here. . .curiosity really.” You smiled at his words, understanding how curiosity got the better of him. The entrance to this place held knickknacks that’ll draw in any magpie. It was something new you were learning about Ashton. Just from his accent it was clear he wasn’t a local, but he seemed to become one just by finding local eateries. Ashton became distracted as the tray of food came towards your table. You took advantage of it and pinned his thumb down. 

“I win!” you shouted in triumph, hands lifting high in the air. 

“That has to be considered cheating,” he argued, moving his cup of fruit juice to make space for the two large plates. All you could do was laugh in response, shaking your head as he tried to plead his case. 

“There are no rules to thumb-of-war,” you teased, eyes widening in surprise when Ashton stuffed one of the french toast sticks in your mouth to shut you up. He bit down on his lip to hold in the laughter at your reaction. Your expression changed into delight at the taste. “Which one was that?” you asked, mouth still full. 

“Uh I think it was the blueberry pie one,” Ashton said, helping himself to the food as well. You licked your lips in satisfaction, grabbing your own fork to dig into the meal. You couldn’t help but smile around your fork over at Ashton. If this was what he did on first dates, then a second date was definitely in the cards. Until then, you were going to enjoy your morning with the dimpled man.

Sorry for the lack of updates. I’m in my final semester for my Masters degree and moving back to my home country so things are wild

Adore You (Part 4)

A/N: I don't even know if people still look at this blog, but someone messaged on AO3 asking me to finish this series, so I decided why not!

Ashton IrwinXFemale Reader

Part 3

Warnings: talks of alcohol use, embarrassing moments, food, fluff

A groan of pain left your lips at the bright light coming through the curtains. Your head was pounding and your mouth felt dry as the Sahara Desert. You peeled your eyes open only to squint once again at the bright light. You turned away from the window and found yourself facing a nightstand with a picture of Ashton and some people you didn’t recognize. “Oh fuck,” you moaned out, placing the pillow over your head. You had almost forgotten you had called Ashton drunk last night. Worst of all he saw you puking your guts out and you asked to go home with him. “Take a deep breath,” you whispered to yourself, breathing in deeply through your nose and slowly out your mouth.

You timidly pulled the pillow off your face and sat up straight in the bed. You were still wearing the same clothes from last night. You didn’t remember falling asleep, but must’ve done so in the car. Your eyes scanned the room, taking in the bits and pieces of Ashton that you could gather. Your attention landed on the picture again, taking in the people surrounding him. They all had a similar shade of hair as him, bright smiles painted on their faces. You concluded it was his family after a few minutes and a smile embraced your own face at their happiness. After placing the picture back into its spot, you slipped out the bed. You sucked in another deep breath and decided to finally leave the room and face the embarrassment. 

Ashton wasn’t anywhere inside the one bedroom apartment. A computer desk in one corner being disheveled and a waste paper basket overflowing with crumpled up paper. There was a pillow and blanket on the couch, letting you know Ashton had slept on there last night. Your fingers traced along the back of the couch as you made your way towards the desk, eyes locked on the pictures clipped around the space. Ashton didn’t just take pictures for the school journal. The ones in front of you now showcasing various places and people. The way he took pictures captured the true essence of the subject. It was an art and he was damn talented. You continued to look through his stuff, trying to find out more about Ashton. It was the sound of the door opening that made you turn towards the entrance and see Ashton coming in. “You’re up!” he grinned, closing the door with his foot. 

“Uh yeah,” you muttered, hands going behind your back in embarrassment at being caught practically snooping. “I was just looking at the pictures,” you finally admitted, watching as he sat a bag down on the kitchen counter. 

“Those are from my trip back home,” he said, walking over to you to grab one of the polaroids. He smiled at the picture and then handed it over to you. “That one is my sister for her birthday. She wanted me to take some professional looking shots,” he told you. Your fingers grazed over the picture and you laughed at the clearly non-professional pose of cake being smashed into her face. 

“She’s pretty,” you commented, handing back the picture. He nodded at your words, setting it back in its spot. “Do you travel a lot?” you questioned, eyeing a section that showed landscapes. 

“Only when I can. Harder to do now that I’m in school,” he commented, heading back towards the counter. There were a couple of the same location, but with a timestamp to show the progression of the light change. It was then you realized you had no idea the time of day. Did you sleep through the morning? Was it late afternoon? You had absolutely no clue.

“I thought you might be hungry when you got up, so I went out to get lunch,” Ashton said, answering the questions running through your head. 

“Thanks,” you muttered, suddenly shy in front of him now. You hadn’t contacted Ashton in two days and when you finally did, it was because of a drunk call. He didn’t seem to mind, digging into the bag to take out containers of food. Yet for some reason you felt guilty. “For everything,” you added on, finally walking towards him. 

“You don’t have to thank me. I just wanted to make sure you were safe,” Ashton reassured. You shook your head at his words and his eyebrows furrowed at the action.

“No, I just-” you began, swallowing hard. “I was going to call you today and say yes to your date proposal-I’ll admit I blanked when you had asked me the question because no guy has ever been that up front with me.” You began to pick at your nails an action of you being nervous which Ashton had picked up on. 

“I’m sorry I drunk dialed you and that you had to see me like that.” He had been sitting at the counter, elbow resting against the counter and chin in the palm of his hand. A chuckle left his lips at your words. “Don’t laugh at me!” you exclaimed, only making him laugh even more. 

“I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you,” he began, “It’s just-you’re cute when you’re flustered.” Your mouth clamped shut and your eyes widened in shock. Ashton tossed the bag into the trash bin and slid over one of the boxes to you. “Eat,” he said, digging into his own food. You stared at him dumbfounded for a second, then climbed into the barstool next to him. The two of you sat in silence for what felt like an eternity as you began to eat at the food he had gotten you. After some time you chanced a glance in his direction. He had already been watching you with a phantom of a smile on his face. Ashton had been trying to figure out what to say to you since your apology. He didn’t mind that you drunk dialed him. Didn’t mind that he was the one to come and get you. Ashton was in fact quite pleased that you even asked to stay with him last night. It showed how much you trusted him and it made him feel relieved. 

“Usually a few dates have to go by before I reach this stage with someone,” he finally spoke. His heart warmed at the smile that came to your face. “But, I seem to have a soft spot for you.” You giggled at his words and relaxed in your spot. 

“Well, we’ll have to fix that then,” you replied, earning a nod in return. The rest of the afternoon was spent with you and Ashton making plans for a proper date. One that wasn’t on campus or as a result of a drunk frat party night. After the food had been finished, Ashton offered to drive you back home. The next time you would see him would be for the date and you had to admit you were excited for it.

Sorry I haven’t updated. Life has just gotten a bit tough