BULLETPROOF

viii. explanation

My update took kind of long because I've been pitying myself on how horridly poor I write fanfictions and just how pathetic I am in general. Tell me if I should stop embarrassing myself. Thanks.
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Michael's breath was caught in his throat and he immediately pulls over the second Calum uttered those words. He can feel his heartbeat beating thrice as fast, ringing in his ears.

"Let me explain, Calum." He says, sounding absolutely nervous.

Calum scoffs upon hearing such a common line in return. Really, Michael? He takes a deep breath before looking back to the stranger Michael has now become. He thought the blonde was a university student, studying computer science, is nineteen, quite nerdy, an average teenage guy. He can't help but feel more disappointed when he sees the current look on the blonde's face, which displays pure guilt, and it also kind of gives away the fact that he's clearly not planning to reveal it to Calum any time soon. And let him explain? Really? All the more makes Michael suspicious and not worth of his trust.

Calum pinches the bridge of his nose and shuts his eyes, trying to calm the hurricane inside him, despite his conscience screaming at him to leave the car and go back to the building.

"Shoot." He murmurs, barely audible.

Michael almost cries in relief.

"I-okay, first, thank you for giving me a chance to explain calum, really, you have no idea how you just saved my ass from chief. So, uh, how do I start. I-i'm michael clifford. I'm an agent in a secret agency and I've been assigned to a case where I need to protect you from getting hurt together with five other agents. Two of which you already met!"

Whoa, whoa there. A certain phrase catches the raven haired guy's attention so he raise his hands up. "From getting hurt? Wait, protect me from what, exactly?" Then he crosses his arms and looks at him expectantly.

Michael chews on his bottom lip, trying to find a way to explain the truth and at the same time not scaring calum that he's got, hypothetically, less than a month to live if he fails this mission. "From someone that is plotting his revenge on your sister by- by hurting you?" He answers, quite not sure himself. Chief didn't enlighten me on that one! He groans and pulls his hair, shaking his head. "This is ridiculous. What did your sister do anyway? Why did she have to lea-"

"Are you really an agent? Shouldn't you know what she did by now?" Calum interrupts rudely and points at him, "You're just kidding me aren't you?!"

Michael slams the steering wheel in frustration. "NO, for fuck's sake! No, calum!" His tone rises. Calum flinches at the sound and scoots farther from Michael, as if he's gonna hurt him, breaking Michael's heart. "O-our chief didn't elaborate the issue with your sister because I should focus on making you safe, Calum Thomas Hood. You, alone. . . 'm sorry, princess. I didn't mean to raise my voice at you." He answers softly.

The raven haired boy takes several deep breaths, his confused brown eyes turning to a darker shade. It focuses on the other's green ones, trying to search for the truth in them as he lets his words sink in. They're both still, looking into each other's eyes, shoulders tensed.

Michael decides to cut the tension by sighing. "I'm telling you the truth, princess. I'm not planning on harming you at all." He says, voice cracking. "I'm here with the opposite intention you have in your mind about me."

Calum breaks their gaze and shifts in his seat. How is he going to find that out? What if all of Michael's actions are planned beforehand? "How will I know you're not lying?" He glares at him.