Sick love ☾ muke au

01. the beginning

a/n: my version of michael curses like a sailor i'm so sorry (where's the difference) 

- * - * - * - * -

It was a completely normal Monday evening, I just had gotten back home from school and was struggling with the pile of homework our teachers had thrown at us. I was sat in my room when my mom called for me downstairs. "Michael, honey, can you please come here for a moment?" I sighed, got up and walked down the stairs to see my parents sitting on the living room couch, holding hands and staring at me intently. "What's up?" I asked, sitting in the chair opposite the couch. My parents shared a weird look before my mom started to talk. "Honey, you know we love you very much and only want the best for you." My dad nodded frantically at my moms words. "Yeah? What are you trying to say, mom?" I asked, confused about the weird conversation-starter. "Lately we've become aware and really, really worried about your behaviour", my mom said then, making me even more confused than before. "Please just get to the point mom", I sighed and crossed my arms. My parents looked at each other again before my dad opens his mouth instead. "Michael we know about Calum and we think you need help", he blurted out and I gasped. "You? Me? What?" I tried to act surprised, even though I was really scared now that they knew my secret. "Don't play dumb, Michael", my dad said, his tone getting stricter. "You're sick and you need help." My mum bursted in tears, like it was really hard for her to listen to that. "Are you kidding me? Mom? Say something?" I screamed, knowing full well what they were trying to say. "Michael, honey, we're getting you admitted to St. Emiliano's. It's for your own good!" my mom said. "Well that's too bad because I'm not going!" I got up and started walking towards the stairs to get away from this ridiculous situation. However, as I reach the bottom of the stairs our front door opens and two men dressed in all white step in and grab me by my arms. "Mom?" I asked, panicking. "Don't let them take me!" I screamed, knowing they had called them there and she wasn't going to help me out. My parents watched from the door as the nurses took me to the car and forced me in. The other one got in to the back with me and the other one went to talk to my parents. I couldn't make out a word they're saying but I could see my mom crying. They waved me goodbye as we drove away.

"..and this is your room", the nurse ends the tour of the ward. it seems to have about twenty teenagers at the moment, all of them involuntary commitments like me. I guess that's why we're in the C-ward which has 24 hour surveillance. I heard the lunatics who voluntarily commit themselves go to A or B, where they have more freedom. We're not allowed to be behind closed doors with a member of the same gender without a nurse present, every inch of the place is under video surveillance and the nurses make their rounds every 30 minutes. The nurse told me that we're to shower one at a time even though the bathrooms are communal. I was rolling my eyes the whole tour. I found the place so ridiculous I couldn't even take it seriously.

"This is your roommate", the nurse says suddenly, pointing at the boy sat on the other bed. "Figured", I mumble, walking into the light blue room with posters of cars and girls on the walls. "Is this a joke?" I ask out loud, not really wanting an answer. "I wish", my roommate answers anyway. The nurse leaves us but reminds me that I have my first therapy session in the morning. "What happens if I don't go?" I ask Luke when she's left. "They come get you of course. And if you're really difficult or as they call it "not responding to treatment" they strap you to a bed and give you shocks. So I really recommend going and faking it", he tells me. "I'm Luke, by the way", he says. "Michael", I mumble. "So, you got caught?" he asks. "Obviously", I say, shrugging. "In the act?" he wonders, chuckling. "Oh God, no", I answer quickly. "I don't have a clue how they found out but obviously they did and now I'm here", I say, slowly getting mad at my parents for sending me away like this. "Yeah, well I guess that's better than my story", he says nonchalantly, turning his attention back to his book. "Okay you can't leave me hanging, dude", I say, finally sitting down on my bed. "My parent's friend is a teacher at my school and he caught me making out with my boyfriend one day after school. Of course that dickhead had to call my parents and also tell his daughter. So now the whole school knows I'm here", he explains. "Oh wow, shit I'm so sorry dude", I say. "That's so shitty", I continue, shaking my head. At least my parents wanted to keep this under wraps. "How long have you been here?" I ask him carefully, wanting to establish some sort of a timeline of how long I'd be stuck here.