Vide (Cake/Mashton)[DISCONTINUED]

25

Please don't make any sudden moves.

- - - - - - - - - -

Luke gaped. Calum had just walked out. What the hell? Why was he following Ashton? And he'd just blown Luke off like that. Did he care at all? Luke had thought Calum was getting better—changing, at least. But now he didn't know. He took a deep breath and tried not to think about it. He looked over at Michael when the other two were out of sight. Michael's face was even paler than usual—drained of all color; even his lips weren't as red—and he'd lost all signs of emotion. Luke watched tears start to drop from his eyes.

"Michael?"

He said nothing.

Luke went over to him, sitting next to him on the log. "Michael."

"Mm."

"I'm sorry."

Michael shifted a little. "Yeah. Me too."

Luke decided to hug him. At first, Michael stayed still, numb. But then he turned a little and hugged Luke back. Luke rubbed his shoulder, and as he pulled back from the hug he drew his hand down Michael's arm, and he felt the scar there.

"What happened?" he asked.

Michael's eyes closed and his face contorted and he started to cry harder.

"Oh, I—I'm sorry." Luke shook his head. "You don't have to tell me. I shouldn't have asked."

"The first day I met him," Michael said shakily, "I fell of my bike and hurt myself—scraped my arm really bad. He found me and he took me back in his house and took care of me for a week and...that was it. We...we were together."

Luke looked at his feet. "Wow. And now it's been these couple months? Just you two?"

Michael nodded. "We fell in love so fast. I mean...I thought we did."

"You did. I can see it."

Michael glanced at him, then at his hands. "We did. And of course I still love him and I think he still loves me. But he's got this thing where he can't go outside? And...he didn't want to meet you guys. No offense."

"None taken."

Michael sniffed. "He just...he says he gets scared and I don't know why. I don't know how to help him. I said maybe we needed space because he was holding me inside that house with him. And that sounds bad because it sounds like I didn't want to be there but I did. I just wanted to go outside and see you, too. I want to have friends and a life. He didn't want that. He just wanted me to stay. So...yes, I know he loves me. I know. I love him. But it's getting out of hand and...so I said we needed space. Well...I didn't say that. I sort of said it and he said he understood. I guess he thought I meant something else."

Luke listened patiently, waiting as Michael's tears slowed as he spoke. When Michael paused for a while, Luke said, "I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say.

"And now—" Michael leaned forward more and his throat tightened again and he sobbed once. "Fuck."

Luke put a hand on his back.

"You should have heard him." Michael shook his head. "Should have seen his face all those times when he couldn't let go of me and we made love and he cried and told me that he never wanted me to leave him. Me. Now look."