Sorry, I would have updated yesterday but I ended up trying to write a one-shot (which is still in progress bc damn) & then I got distracted by Transformers 2 being on TV. And then I got distracted by 5 Seconds Of Summer. That's happening a lot lately. God. I can't. I love them. They're hilarious. Luke & Ashton just give me pain. God. I've never shipped something so hard that it hurts. Oh well. That is completely irrelevant right now.

There's something REALLY REALLY REALLY important I need you ALL to read at the end okay? Thanks.

I do say, some of you have very good and interesting theories about this BRRAL thing as well as Ashton, Luke and Brad... it's quite scary.

Disclaimer: I do not own R5, The Vamps or 5 Seconds Of Summer, all rights go to Hollywood, Mercury and Capitol Records.

Chapter 16
Afghanistan

To say Afghanistan was the worst place in the world to be would be an understatement of the century.

They had been there for a few weeks now and they were hating it. They had no idea how soldiers coped being here for a full year or more before they actually got to go home, like what the hell. Sure the boys had only been on a couple minor tasks to do along with some serious ones, but even still people got hurt. And when people got hurt even worse it was really too much. Even the spiders. God the spiders.

Ross doesn't know if he's ever heard Ashton and Brad scream like girls so much in his life. They are freaking huge. That huge you can't pick it up in your hands and throw them out. Luke threw a hardback book at it and it still never died. So Rocky being Rocky jumped from his bed and stood on it with both feet. He doesn't know if it died because Brad opened up the door to the room they were in and Rocky kicked it out like a football as far as he could.

Their hearts were not beating at its normal rate.

It's needless to say they did not sleep that night very much.

They had been over here for a couple weeks now and they were wishing they were going back home but they still had a couple more days to go before they returned to Utah.

No doubt when they get back things will have changed. It always happens when they go away from the base for too long. A lot of things change.

God knows what they've done this time.

Probably something that'll kill them.

It was night time over in Afighanistan and they were all getting ready to go to sleep. Ashton and Luke were sharing a bunk and so were Ross and Brad, Rocky was on his own in his little single bed. He sat on his bed, looking over at the bunks, sat up with his arm supporting his head, looking lost in thought as the four talked "I need a fuck buddy." Rocky said randomly, thinking out loud.

That made silence fall over them all and turn their heads towards him. "Excuse me?" Brad asked.

Rocky shrugged "I don't know. You've got each other, I've got nobody."

"Wha—What makes you think we're all fuck buddies?" Ross asked, completely baffled and confused. His brother came out with some weird shit sometimes.

"Oh, just the fact you are all always together and never with anybody else. Every time I'm alone and I have no idea where you are, I ask someone 'Where's Ashton?' 'Oh he's with Luke' the other person replies or vice versa, same for you two." Rocky pointed at Ross and Brad. "Seriously. Be more subtle hiding your sexuality."

That was all it took before Rocky found four pillows being chucked at his face seconds later. Only because it was the only thing the four boys could reach without getting from their beds. Rocky grabbed all four the pillows "Oh, look, more comfort for me." he quickly stuffed them underneath his head "Maybe you can all sleep with each other to re-gain the comfort."

"Someone's a little bitter tonight." Luke commented on the way Rocky was snapping at them and acting all pissy.

Ross grinned "He's just angry because he can't see his little girlfriend back home."

"Whoa," Luke said, sitting up as best as he could "he's got a girlfriend? You never told us this!"

Rocky sent a glare to Ross, shaking his head at him. "There's this store that we go to every morning before we have to come back here and there's these two girls. One with brown hair and the other with blonde hair. Rocky's girlfriend is the brown haired one. Though, you wouldn't really call her a girlfriend, because he's only spoke to her a couple times, got her number and that's about it." Ross explained, looking at Rocky with a mockful grin.

"Ohh!" Ashton said, smiling like he had finally got it "so it's one of those secret relationships that even the other person doesn't know you're dating!"

"Isn't all his relationships like that, though?" Luke asked, looking up at Ashton from the bottom bunk – making everyone laugh but Rocky.

Rocky continued to glare at Luke. He knew it was meant to be a joke, but he couldn't help but feel angry and slightly pissed towards him for that "Very fucking funny, Luke. You would know stuff about relationships, wouldn't you because you are such a fucking great expert. Seen as though you've got a magnificent girlfriend, right? Oh, wait a minute! That's right! She broke up with you the night before we left to came here! Why did she break up with you, Luke? C'mon, please tell us."

Luke rolled his eyes, suddenly becoming unhappy "Shut up, Rocky."

"You don't like it when the tables are turned now, do you?"

"It wasn't even me who started this Rocky! It was Ross! Then Ashton said something stupid-!"

"Hey!" Asthon screeched.

"-and I'm pretty sure if I didn't say something, Brad would have said something ten times as worse."

Rocky looked over to Brad, who was on the bottom bunk. He looked like he was trying to hide something from Rocky, even though it gave him his answer that Brad was going to say something worse than Luke. "You are all unbelievable! Can't you all leave me alone with your stupid comments!"

Brad scoffed "Our stupid comments? You're the one who makes the stupid comments and makes them feel bad! Or better yet just pisses them off. You're the one who started this with the little 'oh, I need a fuck buddy' comment. So fuck if all four of us are fuck buddies? - Which are are not! So don't go thinking anything! - You literally have no limits with your comments and don't know when to stop and you think it's amusing, but when it's us saying stuff about you the way you say stuff to us you don't like it one bit. So don't say that we've got stupid comments, Rocky. Cos I swear, one of these days you're going to say something you won't be able to take back or make up for because it'll be too late. Why will it be too late? Probably because you'll wanna make up up for it but the person you said it to will be long gone by then. And by saying stuff over here in Afghanistan like that, especially things you won't be able to take back, it's pretty fucking dangerous considering me, Ross, Luke or Ashton could get killed any minute. So shut the fuck up and get over yourself." Brad took a deep breath before lying down in his bed and pulling the covers over him, turning his back on Rocky.

Ashton sighed, feeling the awkward and tense atmosphere "I think I'm gonna go stand outside for a little while," He said, climbing down off the top bunk "anybody else coming?" he asked, going towards the door. Nobody answered, they all either sat there or laid there making no movement or noise. "Suit yourselves then." Ashton opened up the door and stood outisde.

Luke pulled the covers over him "I'm going to sleep. Night guys."

Ross replied to him before deciding to get down from his bunk and followed Ashton outside, where he found him sat on the floor a couple metres away. He walked over and sat down beside him, making him jump a little as he had his back facing Ross "Why did you come out here for?" Ross asked.

Ashton shrugged "Give them all space before hell all broke loose. I ain't splitting them up if any of them end up fighting."

"I doubt they'd end up fighting."

"You never know."

"Are you going to go back in there?"

Ashton nodded "Oh, yeah. Maybe when they're all asleep or nearly asleep. That way I don't have to put up with their bitching."

Ross nodded. Ashton had the right idea, he always had the right idea. Every time the five of them were always going to end up doing something completely stupid and dangerous Ashton would always take the other route and keep himself safe, rather than getting hurt. Even though sometimes he would actually join in on their stupid antics. If they had never met Ashton, or if Ashton wasn't around anymore, lets just say Ross, Rocky, Luke and Brad should probably be dead right now. That's how much stupid stuff they got into sometimes.

Ross cocked his head, looking in front of him. He turned his head to Ashton "How come Luke and his girlfriend broke up?" Ross asked, as he hadn't heard anything about them breaking up. He thought they were still together. "I mean, the day before we came over here they seemed happy on the bus to the base. What happened?"

Ashton shrugged "Something about... I don't know. I don't really care. I never liked her anyway."

Ross laughed "Have you ever liked any of his girlfriends?"

Ashton shook his head "Not really, no. Then again, I've never really liked any of yours, Brad's and Rocky's girlfriends. I'm just that friend that hates everyone their friend dates, really."

"I can tell. Maybe that's the reason Luke's girlfriend broke up with him. You." Ross joked. He laughed, but saw that Ashton wasn't laughing. In fact, he was looking at Ross with a 'you-guessed-it' kind of look. Ross's face dropped "What did you, Ashton?" he asked.

Ashton shrugged "Nothing. I'm Luke's bestfriend. Of course his girlfriend isn't going to like me, Ross. She thought that he spent too much time with me, and the thought of him spending almost two months over here in this country was too much for her to think about. Because as she said, and I quote, 'god knows what could happen'."

"Oh..." Ross said, slightly disgusted "well, it isn't something to worry about. A lot of people get girlfriends like that. Unfortunately, Luke got one. And it really doesn't help with Rocky making comments about stuff like that the way he does."

"Yeah, that didn't help either."

Ross looked up to the sky, seeing the sky was as clear as anything and all the stars were out shining. He smiled a little and tapped Ashton on the shoulder "Oh, well. We only have to survive a couple more days," Ross said, standing up "then we can all go home. Including you. You need it."

Ashton really did need to go home. He needed to get out of Afghanistan, because he had been getting very little sleep whilst he had been here. Mainly due to the fact he had heard all sorts of stories about what could happen and how their life's could come to an end end any minute, and it scared him. Ashton is never scared or worried, he's always happy, laughing, chirpy and caring.

But whilst he's been over here, he's been the complete opposite and out of focus.

"Hey, dude. Don't jinx me." Ashton joked.

Ross nudged Ashton in his shoulder with his knee "C'mon, you'll be fine. You'll get home. Now come on, lets get inside. We can't stay out here all night." Ross said, turning back round and going back inside.

Ashton watched as Ross went back inside and the door closed behind him. He faced forwards again, looking out at everything that was in front of him – thinking about what he and the others had to do tomorrow. They were going out on some sort of patrol, or whatever it is. Ashton doesn't know, he's not officially in the army he's just here to help out. They have been told and warned about what could happen.

Death. Death. And basically more death.

Along with the occasional IED going off.

God they were helping out, not in the army officially, why did they have to do the dangerous stuff?

Ashton shook his head, getting up from the floor and going back inside. Dreading about what tomorrow could possibly bring for him.

Yeah, so you're all going to hate the next flashback with Ross and Rocky. I don't know how much you guys actually like Ashton in this story considering he's only been in it for like 2 or 3 chapters. Oh well. I might just leave that flashback out and do random things before I actually end up doing Ashton's death. Idk.

Anyway. PLEASE READ:

So, the reason this chapter is so short is bc I don't know what to do with the flashbacks anymore other than showing you all how everything came to it is now and if I do that, that means I have to skip to when they all make it to Utah (butwhosaideveryonesgoingtomakeittoutahoh) and I don't want to do that bc that means the story has to end. So is there ANYTHING at all that you guys want to see happen in this story that I can do before they get to Utah? Whether if it's in the flashbacks or not? PLEASE tell me what you want to see happen bc it would help me a whole lot right now!

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