bulletproof - calm ot4

14- the bulls are sedated and this fight's fixed

Wishes bounce me weightless, the infrared scope on pointlessness. The bulls are sedated and this fight's fixed.

-

It's almost two in the morning, and Michael isn't home yet. Calum--still upset from the day's events--is curled up on the couch, Luke's arms wrapped around him. Ashton paces in front of them, calling Michael over and over and over. No answer.

"I'm not leaving until he's home," Ashton insists for the umpteenth time.

"W-We can t-take care of ourselves," Luke says, but Ashton isn't having it.

"I know you can, love, but..." Ashton trails off, making Calum frown, wondering what it is that he was going to say. "I'm worried about Mike. If one of us called, he would've answered his phone no matter one. You know that."

Calum bites his lip, realizing that Ashton is correct. If Michael isn't answering, it's because he's in trouble. If he went after Aaron...

Oh, God.

Calum jumps off the couch, startling Luke and making Ashton frown in concern.

"Calum--?"

"We have to find him right now," Calum exclaims. "We have to go look, we have to go to the school or Aaron's house we have to find him--"

"Calm down, Cal," Ashton says, grabbing Calum's shoulders. The tan boy shakes him off.

"Don't you get it? Aaron's going to hurt him!"

"This is Michael we're talking about," Ashton frowns. "He's like...invincible."

"Except he's not," Calum glares. "He's human."

-

When Michael comes to, he's alone. He's cold. No longer numb. It's dark outside. His face is sticky. He's not wearing his shirt. Or his underwear. His jeans are pulled sloppily up his legs. His lower back hurts like a bitc h.

It doesn't take long for the realization to set in. Michael was rāped. By Aaron.

Hot tears spill down Michael's face, painful sobs racking his body. Still in tears, the broken boy with the tattoos pulls himself up off of the pavement, shakily pulling his shirt over his head. He buckles his jeans. He doesn't know where his underwear is.

Oh, God. If he doesn't have his underwear, does he have his keys?

Michael frantically pats his pockets, crying even harder in relief when he locates the keys to his car and his apartment. He stumbles over to his car, grimacing when he notices the...graffiti that Aaron left on it. It's a poor attempt at the letter A, made out of what Michael assumes is Aaron's blood. Or maybe it's his own blood. Either way, it's plastered across the hood of the truck.

A reminder. A threat.

On any other day, this would anger Michael. He would've punched his own car. He would've screamed. He would've smoked. But today? He feels broken. Empty. Used. He isn't angry. He's ashamed.

-

The sound of the front door opening startles Calum, causing him--as well as Ashton and Luke--to jump up off of the couch. There's only one person it could possibly be.

Michael limps into the room, his face bloodied and bruised. The three worried boyfriends gasp collectively, all rushing towards him, enveloping him in their arms.

"What happened?" Calum demands.

Luke whimpers Michael's name.

"Are you okay?" Ashton asks, gently placing a hand on Michael's face.