Status: i update when i feel like it

Even If You Don't

My Head's Underwater, But I'm Breathing Fine

Mari's POV

"What the fuck, Mari?" Michael asked the moment he, Luke, and Ashton popped onto my phone screen.

"Do you guys like it?" I smiled innocently as the other girls came around to the back of the couch to join me on Facetime.

"It's, uh..." Ashton trailed off, "It's...new..."

"Yeah..." Luke nodded slowly, "It's... It's different than I was expecting... You're, uh... You guys are working on...expanding your sound..."

"They're certainly doing something," Michael snorted, whining when Ashton elbowed him in the ribs.

"You don't like it?" Kenzie frowned, and the rest of us had to hold in our laughter because we knew she was just trying to break Ashton – since Calum wasn't in the frame, he didn't need to conceal his amused grin.

"No! That's not it at all!" the brunette said quickly, "You guys sound incredible! I... I really liked the, uh... The... The note Mar held was amazing!"

"What about the lyrics?" Kaylynn wondered, "Do you think they're good? We worked really hard on 'em."

"The lyrics, yeah..." Luke chimed in again, "The lyrics are... They're something else... You, uh... You don't hear lyrics like that very often..."

"Yeah, maybe there's a reason for that," Michael mumbled, only earning himself another shove from Ashton.

"I guess Mikey's not a fan," I sighed.

"He'll come around," Ashton shook his head rapidly, glaring at the guitarist before turning back to us.

"So you and Luke like it so far, right?" Kenzie asked. Luke and Ashton looked at each other for a moment before Vanessa decided to put them out of their misery.

"They're really drowning on dry land here, guys," she giggled, "Can't we end their suffering now?"

"What?" both boys asked simultaneously while Michael just cocked an eyebrow.

"It's not meant to be a legit song," I assured them with a smile, "We were just messing around before writing something for iHeart." They all sighed in relief, making the rest of us laugh loudly.

"It's really bad, guys," Luke breathed, shaking his head.

"It's not bad," Ashton interjected, "Like, it's a catchy song – it's just different from your normal stuff."

"But would you listen to it if we did decide to release it for real?" Kenzie asked.

"Ash would listen to you read the encyclopedia if you told him to," Kaylynn snickered, "I hardly think he's a reliable source to ask about this."

"I resent that," Ashton frowned, making us laugh again.

"Thanks for trying not to hurt our feelings, guys," I told them.

"Except Michael," Vanessa snorted softly.

"I wasn't gonna lie!" he rolled his eyes.

I just smiled again, "We'll talk to you guys later, okay?" They each nodded and I was about to end the call when Ashton stopped me.

"Hey, Mar," he said, "When you see Cal again, tell him his stuff should be there late next week."

"Thanks, Ash."

"Oh, and-"

"I will bug him every day about the shipping until he pays you back," I smirked lightly when Calum rolled his eyes.

"God bless you," Ashton sighed dramatically, "May your happiness be full and your crops be plentiful." I couldn't help but laugh loudly in response.

"Goodbye, Ashton," I told him. He teasingly blew me a kiss before I finally ended the call.

"He's so cute," Kenzie breathed out softly. We all groaned lightly before deciding to leave the studio for the day, knowing we weren't going to come up with anything for iHeart by trying to force it out of ourselves.

~

Calum's POV; 2:23am

Mari and I had hung out at her place for a while after getting back from the studio. When it came time for dinner, we went out to her favorite restaurant – she insisted I'd love it, and she wasn't wrong – and then went to see a movie.

When we got back a little after 11pm, Mari was already falling asleep. Instead of forcing herself to stay away until I went to bed like she usually did, she simply lazily kissed me goodnight and dragged herself into her bedroom while I just watched her with a smile.

It wasn't until nearly 2:30am that I decided to go to bed myself, turning off the television and making sure the front door was locked before quietly heading into Mari's room. I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth, rubbing my eyes slightly.

"Calum!" I heard Mari call out, causing me to turn the faucet off for a moment.

"What, Mar?" I replied, receiving no answer. I simply shrugged it off, turning the water back on to rinse off the toothbrush when I heard her say my name again.

"Cal..." she said a little softer, followed by a gasp.

It was then that I rushed out of the bathroom, finding Mari sitting straight up on the bed. The lamp on her nightstand was now on and I could see her cheeks glistening slightly.

She was breathing heavily, but her expression softened the moment her eyes found mine. She let out a deep sigh of relief as I hurried to the bed, climbing back up beside her. She instantly flung herself onto me, hugging me tightly.

What's wrong, baby girl?" I asked, rubbing her back gently.

"Bad dream," she mumbled into my neck. I kissed her skin for a few minutes until she calmed down before speaking again.

"You wanna go for a drive?" I asked her.

"But it's 2:30," she replied with a slight sniffle, pushing herself up to look at me.

"Perfect time to go for a drive," I grinned, kissing her nose. All she did was nod, prompting me to get up, take her hand, and bring her with me.

I didn't bother putting a shirt on and neither of us cared about getting shoes; I just grabbed my car keys on the way out the door.

I opened the passenger door for Mari and let her get in before going around to the driver's side and sitting down myself. I looked over at her after starting the engine, finding her seatbelt already on and her feet perched up in the seat with the rest of her body. I couldn't keep myself from smiling – not that I wanted to anyway – making her give me a look.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked with a shy grin.

"Just love you," I answered, making her blush as I pulled my own seatbelt across my torso. She reached for my hand after I was done buckling up, bringing it over and holding it on her lap. "Where to, princess?" I asked her as she rubbed my skin with her thumb.

"Hmm..." she hummed in content, "Wherever you wanna take me." I chuckled lightly, bringing her hand up so I could kiss the back of it before finally pulling out of the apartment building's parking lot and just taking Mari on a drive around town.
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Title: "All of Me" by John Legend

ehhhhhhhhhhh i don't wanna talk about it