*I recommend that you read this while listening to Talk Me Down by Troye Sivan because I listened to it while writing this and almost started crying*
"Can you sing for me?"
~~~~
"(Y/N), they're pulling the plug today," Calum croaked out weakly.
You were choking back the waterfall of tears that were threatening to spill over as you held your broken boyfriend's hand. He was lying weakly on a white hospital bed, he was all skin and bone, and his skin was very pale compared to his usual beautiful tan skin.
His hair was limp and lifeless, and his lips were cracked and even drained of all pink that was present a couple of days ago, before the accident, before Calum's fate was set in stone.
He was driving home on a particularly icy night when the tires of the car skidded and slammed him into a massive tree trunk.
Now, he was barely alive with his very life depending on a machine situated on his right. The boys are sitting outside in the waiting room having already heard the news that they would be taking him off of the machine today, effectively ending his life. All three of them left the room with swollen eyes and tear-stained cheeks and you knew that you were going to look just like how they did by the end of the hour.
"They can't do that, you'll die," you said with your voice barely above a whisper, tears beginning to stream down your face.
"Shh baby. Please don't cry. It's my time, I'm dying anyways, what's the point in keeping me alive for the extra couple of days? Everything hurts and I can barely move, the only thing that's keeping me above water is you and the guys. I need to go (Y/N). I need to go before I forget who I am and go delusional, I need to go before I don't know myself, I need to go before everything I am becomes invisible," he said as he lifted his hand and stroked your cheek, his touch as light as a feather.
You leaned into his touch and placed your hand over his, "I love you so much Calum."
"I love you too baby, remember that, but I want you to know that it's okay to move on. Don't keep yourself from loving for me, I want you to be happy," he confided with a worried frown on his lips.
"But I'm happy with you," you said weakly.
You knew there was no point, but you couldn't bear to think of a life without Calum. He knew everything about you and you knew everything about him, you couldn't just let him slip from your fingers, not like this.
Tears were slipping down Calum's hollow cheeks and he brought your head down and placed a long kiss on your lips.
"Can you sing for me?" Calum asked as you pulled away.
Nodding, you began to hum a simple tune before you started to sing one of your favorite songs, Talk Me Down by Troye Sivan.
With a small smile on his face, Calum sniffed then flinched from the pain it inflicted before wiping his cheeks.
Suddenly, the doctor that has been looking after Calum the past couple of days entered the room with a grim look on his face with the boys right behind him. Luke and Ashton had stopped crying, but Michael was still silently sobbing into his hands. It was at that moment that you realized that you weren't just losing your beloved boyfriend, the boys were losing their best friend, especially Michael, who had known Calum since they were little, Calum's family were losing a beautiful and an amazing brother, and everyone in the whole world was losing an extremely sweet and talented boy named Calum Thomas Hood.
"It's time," the doctor said.
You couldn't help but stand up and shield Calum and the machine protectively with heavy tears streaming down your face and blurring your vision.
"Don't touch him," you warned through sobs, glaring at the man in white.
You didn't see him as a man putting a poor boy out of his misery, you saw him as a murderer who was going to kill the most important person in your life.
"(Y/N) it has to be done," the doctor began.
"Shut up! You're not killing Calum! Not him! You can't!" you yelled with your voice rising louder and louder.
"Babe, please," Calum said hoarsely.
The doctor began to walk towards the machine when Calum's voice distracted you, but the moment he got a foot from the machine, you flew forward and shoved him violently away with your body wracking with sobs.
"Get the fuck away! You're going to kill him! You fucking murderer!" you shouted before lunging at the man.
Before you could touch the doctor, three pairs of arms were wrapped around you and pulling you away from him, shouting at you to calm down.
"What are you doing?! He's going to kill Calum! You should be helping me!" you said.
Suddenly, only one pair of arms were around you, and you were being turned around and pulled into a sobbing chest. Michael's chest.
"(Y/N) please, please stop. Calum's hurting can't you see? It's for the best," he said between sobs.
His words managed to knock some sense into you, and even though you were still very upset, you released your grip from Michael and walked back toward Calum's side and grabbed his hand, avoiding his gaze.
"Please don't leave me," you said pitifully before looking at the only thing that hasn't changed since the crash, Calum's eyes.
They were still bright and full of life despite his suffering, they still held a certain innocence they've always had, and they were still wide and dark brown like melted chocolate.
"I'll never leave you," he replied before kissing your knuckles and looking at the now red eyed doctor who was wiping away tears.
"Are you ready Mr. Hood?" he asked.
Biting your bottom lip with your eyes squeezed shut as you waited for his answer, you felt your stomach drop and your heart skip a beat when he said "Yes."
With that one syllable, you felt like you were going to throw up as the doctor placed a mask over Calum's face and gave him sleeping gas.
You took one last look at your boyfriend's eyes before he shot you a small smile, whispered 'I love you' and closed his eyes for the last time.
The moment the doctor walked over to the machine and turned it off, you let yourself completely lose control and fall onto your knees as you let your sobs overtake you, but you still didn't let go of his hand or take your eyes off of the love of your life.
A couple seconds later, his chest stopped moving, and a couple seconds after that, his heart stopped beating, and a couple seconds after that, you could physically feel the warmth escape his hand.
He was gone. Calum was gone, and there was nothing you could do to change it. You felt your knees give out and loud alarmed shouts echo around you before you collapsed onto the ground and began to shake violently, the world surrounding you going completely black.
