Michael Afton x Reader ~ The Boy on The Bus

Chapter Seventeen - Cold

(Sorry for short chapter!! Not feeling the best)

Michael was still on the couch staring at the wall when you woke up. He had barely moved all night. Your brows furrowed as you walked out of your room just to see him on the couch. You were relieved of course, but also angry.

"You couldn't even call to say you would be home late?" You crossed your arms, studying him. Michael looked paler than usual, and there were very heavy dark circles underneath his eyes.

He just looked up at you, but it felt more like he was staring past you. "Oh, yeah." He replied, "Sorry. I um, had a work accident. I accidentally got cut by some piece of metal. One of the guys took me to urgent care, I got it bandaged up."

Your anger turned to worry, "What? Oh no, Michael, are you okay?" You rushed over to him, hoping that he wasn't in too much pain and that the medical bill was not too much.

"Yeah, yeah. Nothing too bad. Don't worry about it. I think the place I work will cover all the medical costs or something. They said I could take off for a few days."

"Oh god, okay. How bad was it? Did you need stitches? What happened exactly?"

Michael sighed, "It wasn't too bad," He lied, "I mean, I needed a few stitches. And I don't really remember what happened too much. All I know is that a piece of metal was sticking out of somewhere and it got caught on me and ripped me open!" He saw flashes of the scooping room as he made up these fake events. He already felt bad enough as it was, but he felt even worse lying to you.

"Oh no, honey, that's horrible! Do you need anything for the pain? Ibuprofen or something?" You asked.

Michael considered this for a moment but was unsure if he would even be able to digest any medication he took. He decided against it, just to be on the safer side, "Oh, no, I'm fine, thank you though, love."

You gave him a soft smile, putting your hand on his, which was almost unnaturally cold. You decided to ignore it, shaking off the feeling of unease. The paleness, the unfocused eyes, and the coldness that he radiated all seemed suspicious, but it's not like Michael was dead or anything, right? That would be crazy! He was sitting in your living room right now having a full conversation with you.

Michael returned the smile, looking at you. That was when you noticed another strange thing. You could have sworn that Michael had blue eyes before, and even if he didn't, you were pretty sure that he never had purple eyes either.

"Michael?" You started, "What's up with your eyes? Trying out colored contacts?"

Michael slowly nodded, "Yeah, yeah. Just thought I'd try a new look, y'know?"

"Yeah, yeah totally. It fits you. Purple is definitely your color."

Michael nodded, "Yup. Thanks."

There was a moment of silence now, and tension was building.

"So..." You started, "Breakfast?"

Michael didn't feel hungry in the slightest, "No thanks, (Y/N). Do you want me to make you something?"

"No!" You refused, "You need to go lay down and rest. If you had to go to urgent care then that accident was probably at least a little bit bad. I'll bring you some water, okay?"

Michael nodded, "Alright, thank you." he said, still looking at you. His recent brush with death had really brought things into perspective. Seeing you so worried about this supposed work accident made him feel worse. What if he really had died down there? You wouldn't even get any closure. He decided he would not be doing anything like that for the rest of the time you and he were together. He couldn't risk something like that again. Michael slowly got up, his wound still aching, and limped over to the bedroom.

Lying down on his back, Michael did not feel like sleeping. Yes, of course, the bed was amazingly warm and comfortable, but he was still too cold, almost shivering. Even he had noticed that he was too pale, observing his hand in the dim lighting. His attention turned to the door when you walked in with a nice cold-looking glass of water, setting it down on the bedside table.

"I have to go soon, okay? If there's anything you need, do not be afraid to call me, okay? I'll be home as soon as I can." You looked at Michael and smiled. You were glad he was safe again, and even more glad that he wouldn't return to that job for a while.

"Alright," He said, sitting up and looking at you.

"Ill see you later, okay?" You patted his still-cold hand.

"Yup." He nodded.

You were about to walk out the door when you heard him speak behind you, "Hey, (Y/N)?"

You turned, looking at him sweetly, "Yes?"

"I love you." He smiled.

You smiled back, heat rushing to your face, "Oh, I love you, Michael. I'll be back soon. Bye." You gave him one last good look before walking out, only leaving the bedroom door open by a crack.

Michael closed his eyes and tried to sleep. Sleep never came.