Imagines and One-Shots (Book Three)

Any Other Reason (Calum Hood) *

requested by anonymous on tumblr

don't get used to how fast i wrote this lmao

Warnings: Smoking, asthma attack

~

"You're gonna kill yourself one of these days," you mentioned, hearing the footsteps stop moving abruptly before they padded into the living room where you were sitting on the couch.

"Helps me relax," Calum said, a cigarette already in between his lips with his lighter in his hand, "You know that."

"Just saying there are healthier ways to relax," you shrugged, not looking up from your book.

"L'be fine," he told you, heading back to the back door to smoke on the deck, "M'a big boy -- make my own choices." You simply sighed and shook your head, returning to the words in front of you.

~

Saturday evening

You just returned home from a day out with your mother and grandmother. You enjoyed spending time with them, but you were happy to finally get off your feet for the rest of the evening. Unfortunately, though, you weren't coming home to a necessarily clean environment.

You walked into your house and everything was as normal as it always was -- you kicked off your shoes by the door and dropped your bag onto the closest seat of the couch before heading into the kitchen to get a drink. And it was then that you started to smell the smoke. 

At first, you thought something was burning, but the moment you entered the kitchen, you realized that wasn't the case. Calum was sitting at the counter, lit cigarette in one hand and his phone in the other as he scrolled through his Instagram. 

"Calum, why are you smoking inside?" you demanded, a small frown on your face. His head snapped up, instantly looking at you like a deer in headlights.

"You're home earlier than I thought you'd be..." he trailed off.

"How often do you do this?" you tilted your head.

"Um..." He clearly looked like he was trying to decide whether or not to lie to you before choosing the option that would get him in less trouble. "Whenever you leave for more than two hours," he confessed. 

"Calum, why would you-" you breathed in deeply before instantly regretting it.

Since the room was thick with smoke despite the windows being open, the act of breathing in the fumes triggered something you hadn't actually told Calum about yet. His eyes widened the moment the first cough left your mouth, immediately shoving his half-smoked cigarette into the ash tray beside his forearm. He hopped off the barstool he was sitting on and rushed to your side.

"Y/N, what's wrong?" he asked frantically, taking your face in his hands. You couldn't really speak through your coughing fit, so he tugged you over to the seat he'd been sitting in. "Do you need something?" he shook his head, "A drink? Do you need water? I can get you water!" He let go of you to go to the fridge, but your tiny voice stopped him.

"C-Cal," you struggled through your wheezing, making him spin around, "B-B-Bag."

"Your bag? You need your bag? Where is it? Where'd you put it?"

"C-Couch," you coughed again, your hand pressed to your chest in some sort of futile attempt to relieve yourself. 

Calum instantly ran into the living room, grabbed your bag from the spot you put it, and hurried back. The moment it was on the counter in front of you, you were reaching into the spot you kept your inhaler, pulling it out and breathing in the medication. He watched you close your eyes and focus on breathing normally again, your chest gradually rising and falling more slowly than it had been in the middle of your attack. But it wasn't until you let your hands fall onto your lap and opened your eyes that he spoke again.

"Y/N..." Calum murmured, coming back to you and carefully putting his hands on your hips, "What was that...? Are you... Do you have asthma...?"

"Just a little," you pursed your lips together.

"That wasn't 'just a little', Y/N," he insisted, "Is that why you've been bugging me to quit smoking? Because you have asthma?" You took a deep breath in.

"Yeah..." you whispered, looking down at his arms as they rested on your thighs.

"I'm so sorry, baby girl," he swallowed thickly.

"S'okay, Cal," you promised him, "You didn't know."

"Why... Why didn't you tell me?"

"Didn't think you needed any other reason... Thought knowing it could kill you would've been enough..."

"I knew what I was getting into when I started, princess," he shook his head, "But knowing it could kill you would have pushed me to actually try."

"So you'll stop?" you looked back up at him hopefully, making him lean forward and kiss your forehead.

"I can't promise I'll never smoke again," he admitted, barely smiling when you laughed in response, "Just won't do it as much."

"I know," you assured him, "As long as you don't do it around me."