Imagines and One-Shots (Book Two)

What You Lost (Calum Hood) - Part 2

this one's kinda short but i'm pretty sure a few people wanted a part two and a lot of shit is happening in the world right now so if i can make at least one person's day a little better then i've done something positive and all i want is to make someone happy

~

Two years later

It was never unusual for Calum to be running a little late in coming home – depending on how long a certain fire took to be put out, obviously – but what was unusual was when he was over two hours late and hadn't called. You tried not to let it worry you too much – you knew the risks in being a firefighter and you didn't want to be that clingy – but you weren't going to lie and say it didn't scare you whenever he wasn't home on time.

You hadn't been in the bedroom for long – just wanting to lie down and try to go to sleep – when you finally heard the front door open. Your heart skipped a beat as you sprung up from the bed, hastily heading down the hallway.

You were first greeted by Rusty happily wagging his tail as he nudged your hand, and he trotted off to another part of the house after he was satisfied with being pet after not seeing you since he and Calum left for work. You then walked a few more steps to the hallway entrance, letting out a deep sigh of relief and swiping the backs of your hands across your cheeks before hurrying to Calum and throwing yourself into his arms.

"Hey, princess," he huffed in surprise, holding you as tightly as you were holding him, "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Y-You didn't call," you choked, "I thought s-something happened to you."

Calum always knew that the one thing that terrified you most was the thought of him leaving for work one morning and never coming home, so he wasn't entirely surprised to be seeing this reaction to him walking through the door. And, to be honest, he'd be lying if he said it didn't terrify him too.

He knew that at any given moment on the job, something could happen to him – it was a thought in the back of his mind every single time the station got a call – but he never really paid any mind to it until now.

Now that he wasn't coming back to an empty house, it was as if he felt there was more at stake than just Rusty. Calum knew that if anything were to ever happen to him, Rusty would be given a new home with one of the other firefighters and he would be fine.

But you...

Sure, Rusty loved him, but at the same time, the dog loved everyone he came into contact with. You, on the other hand, were a person that was weary of other people for a long time before they earned your trust – but it seemed like Calum earned it the moment he met you. And he knew that it may have had something to do with the uniform he put on nearly every single day, but seeing you around other people and then thinking about the way you were with him...

It actually made his heart ache at the thought of you having to start all over again with someone new. Calum was so in love with you that – and it may be a bit selfish, but he truthfully didn't care – he didn't want to imagine you being the way you were with any other person but him.

"I'm fine, princess," Calum finally spoke after coming back to reality, one of his hands rubbing your back to help you calm down, "I meant to have someone let you know my phone died, but I forgot until I was already on the way home. I'm really sorry I made you worry so much, but you know I'm always going to come back home to you."

"N-No, I don't, C-Cal," your voice broke, "I n-never know if y-you're gonna co-come home or n-not..." You felt his lips hit your upper jaw, his arms squeezing you gently.

"I'm home now, so you don't have to worry anymore, okay?" he murmured into your ear as he kissed it, "C'mon, baby girl; Let's go to bed – you look exhausted."

One of Calum's arms loosened so his fingers could tap lightly on your lower back. He felt you smile slightly into his skin as you jumped up, wrapping your legs around his waist so he could carry you to the bedroom.

Having heard Calum walking down the hallway, Rusty immediately found his way to his side so he could take his spot at the end of the bed by your legs. He jumped up as Calum set you down, only to have you hug him tighter when he tried to let go of you.

"Baby girl," he chuckled, "As much as I don't want to let you go yet either, I'm not about to try and sleep in this uniform."

"Why not?" you whispered, kissing the skin on his neck where it met his collar, "You look good." The statement only made him laugh again.

"You telling me you prefer me with my clothes on?" he smirked, "Because that's not what I've been hearing lately."

You immediately released your hold on him, letting him see you roll your eyes as you pushed him away from you. He winked teasingly at you before stripping down to his boxers and tossing his uniform into the hamper to be washed tomorrow.

He came back to the bed, plopping down as you were kissing the top of Rusty's head, earning yourself a lick to the hand that was rubbing his paw. You felt Calum reach over and pet the dog as well before grabbing your hand and pulling you to lie down with him. You cuddled up to Calum as close as you possibly could, feeling him wrap his arms around you as you made yourself comfortable.

By the time you finally settled down, you were halfway lying on top of him with your arm resting on his chest so your fingers could trace over the feather tattoo on his collarbone. His breathing steadied in content – your touch always seemed to have that effect on him – and he squeezed you ever-so-slightly, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

"I love you, princess," you heard him whisper, his voice muffled slightly by your skin.

"I love you too, Cal," you replied just as softly, kissing the skin closest to your lips.

~

inspiration: http://anarchyaustralia.tumblr.com/post/144683636833/submitted-by-calvmhqqd-firefightercalum-always