Exchange | Malum

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"Would you like to buy some fresh lemonade today, or homemade oatmeal raisin cookies, sir?"

Michael wasn't having any luck today, with his sales, with his happiness, with anything. He felt like a drop of water in a deserted island, or a crack in the sidewalk that everybody purposely stepped on to break their mothers back. And with him, it kind of made him wish he was in his mum's position instead, because she didn't deserve to be in that sort of condition with relatively disastrous health problems. There were also points in Michael's life where he just wanted to give up, take a couple extra pills hindering inside of his cabinet and let it all go; the pain, the sadness, the bitter truths and confusion, the heartbreak, everything. But he couldn't do that, because he promised Karen that he wouldn't give up, and he needed to live up to that promise. For her life. For her breaths. For her laughs. For her everything.

Every figure passing by seemed like a shadow to the boy, or a ghost, because they sped by so quickly and made him wonder if it was something that had to do with him, or the way he looked, or the way he approached people, or for charging a dollar for some organic lemonade and cookies that he spent hours baking because he burnt the first couple of batches. And it was starting to make him feel sad, starting to make him want to run and just crash into the waves of the sea, but he had to keep holding on tightly to those invisible strings on his shoulders that kept him sane, despite what others told him.

Nothing was going well for the depressed boy, and everything managed to get worse for him as the brunette showed up to Michael's miniature fundraiser booth with a grin plastered over his lips and a couple of dollars in his hand.

"Hey," Calum smirked, hands roaming towards Michael's hips, but the boy only groaned and pushed the Maori away from him. He wasn't having this, not now, not when he needed to be serious and keep his walls up from breaking down. Calum can't see him as a boy with a bad mental state, but as somebody he wants to hit on. And while he's not in the mood to hear effortless flirting, he'd rather experience that than crying in front of random strangers that would probably mock him and haunt his dreams.

"What do you want now, Hood?"

"You, of course," Calum reiterated, lips sticking together like glue, eyes dark and full of lust, want, and need. Michael just wanted to run away again, or tell him to leave him the fuck alone, but he couldn't. Because he needed the money, and he was willing to do whatever to help his mother out.

"You know, there's a lot of people out there who like hooking up. Why don't you go to a bar or something and find somebody that isn't me?"

"Isn't it obvious by now?" Calum questioned, eyebrows crossing as he moved towards Michael, close enough to feel his breath on his neck, "I want you, Michael, not some random dude with a three inch dick."

"Well I hate to break it to you, but I'm busy."

"You won't be busy after this though, right?" Calum grinned again, really pushing Michael's limits and trying to get some sort of emotion out of the boy, but he wasn't getting anything, and it was so unbelievably irritating for him to witness.

"Wrong. I have to visit someone."

"Fine, I guess you don't need this money, then," Calum replied, shoving the dollar bills back into his pocket and getting ready to spin on his heel. Michael bit his lip anxiously, because he really needed the money, and in this case, he was desperate to get it, even if it meant doing the unthinkable.

"Wait-" Michael squeaked, not being surprised by the brunette spinning back around with his lips hanging between his teeth. "Knew you'd come around."

"I-I'll - you know what," Michael finally stated, knocking some sense into himself, "I can get money some other way, so actually, you can go now." He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he didn't feel like being used. Not today, not ever. Michael was just tired of walking in denial, or screaming and crying, or wondering why the hell the world works the way it does, but not doing anything about it because he's too afraid. It's just how it goes.

"Seriously?"

"Yup," Michael replied, making sure to pop the 'P' as Calum groaned and actually did walk away, and after a while, the pale boy was starting to regret it, because he did need the money. He was shorter in cash than he should have been, but he couldn't admit that to Calum or himself. He'd just have to find another way to make money, even if it wasn't a lot.

And it was killing him inside that nothing was working out, because all he wanted to do was help out the one person he truly cared for.

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A/N;

Thoughts?