room // malum au [in progress]

march 1st, 2021

"tuck?" calum mumbled sleepily rolling over in bed. the five year old wasn't there. "tucker?"

the twenty five year old kicked off the covers and climbed out of bed. he padded his way across the floor and made his way downstairs to find the little boy.

"you're finally awake!" joy chirped as calum walked into the kitchen.

calum blinked a couple times in response, still being half asleep then nodded. "where's tucker?"

"he's on the couch." she said waving towards the living room. "do you want coffee?"

"yes please." calum replied before venturing into the next room over to see tucker sitting on the couch, next to david, playing on a phone.

"well good morning." david exclaimed.

"who's phone is that?" calum asked.

"your mother's."

"tuck give me the phone."

"daddy nooooo!" tucker whined finally looking up at his father. "i'm playing a game."

"and you have plenty of toys in this house. you don't need to be playing on a phone."

"calum he's fine let him play the game." david said interjecting.

"no he doesn't need to be on the phone." calum retorted walking over to them.

despite tucker's protests, calum pulled the phone out of his hands and walked back into the kitchen.

"oh i was right about to bring you your coffee." joy said turning around hearing calum walk back into the kitchen. "what's wrong?"

"don't give him your phone." calum snapped placing the cellphone down on the counter. "i don't give him mine for a reason so don't go giving him yours."

"he's just playing a couple of harmless games cal."

"he was loads of toys to play with!" calum exclaimed. "he doesn't need to play on a stupid app."

before joy had the chance to respond, their mini argument was interrupted by someone entering the house.

"good morning family!" calum and joy looked up to see mali standing in the door way to the kitchen. "what did i miss?"

"nothing." calum muttered before grabbing the mug of coffee and heading back upstairs.

"cal wait!" mali called after him.

she followed him into his room and closed the door behind him.

"please leave me alone."

"tell me what happened."

"mom keeps letting tucker play on her goddamn cell phone no matter how many times i tell her not to!" calum huffed. "it's getting frustrating."

"why is it such a big deal that he's on her phone?" mali asked pulling out the chair at calum's desk and sitting down.

"because i don't want him thinking technology is the only entertainment he has access to!" calum exclaimed. "i want him to play with toys and play outside like a normal kid and not get addicted to the phone!"

"it's pretty normal for kids to play with technology nowadays calum. it's not that big of a problem."

"well i don't want him on the phone and he's my son. so all i'm asking is for everyone to respect my decision! is that so hard?" calum retorted.

"alright alright." mali sighed. "i'm going back downstairs are you coming?"

"no." calum mumbled.

"okay." mali replied before leaving him alone in his room.

calum placed his coffee on the bedside table and curled back under the covers. he quickly fell back asleep and soon enough he was waking up again, this time because of a person and not  the feeling of being alone in bed.

"hi sleepy head." the brunette whispered sitting down on the bed next to the sleepy boy.

"come cuddle." calum yawns making grabby hands.

"you've been in bed all day babe. it's time to get up." michael cooed.

"noooo." calum whined.

"cal all you do it stay all cooped up in this room all day. you need to get up." michael sighed. "anyways isn't that psychiatrist doctor guy coming today to talk to you guys again?"

"i'm not talking to him." calum snapped sitting up in bed. "i'm fine."

"calum please." michael begged. "you've avoided him the past three times he's came. just talk to him."

"no."

"why are you being so difficult about this?" michael exclaimed. "you barely spend anytime with anyone and you haven't talked about anything that happened. you can't just hold it all in!"

"michael. i'm fine."

"but you aren't!" michael cried. "you're not the same calum!"

"well what do you expect?!" calum shouted. he climbed off the bed and turned to face michael. "i was kidnapped for almost seven years michael! did you honestly think i was going to be the same person?!"

"calum. i didn't mean it like that."

"then what did you mean?!" calum sneered.

"you rarely spend time with people, you're always sleeping, barely eating! i'm worried about you! that's why i just want you to talk to the doctor!"

"i'm not talking to him!" calum yelled. "and if you're going to try and force me to then you can just leave."

"wait what? you want me to leave?"

"if you're continuously going to try and get me to go talk to that doctor then i don't want to be around you right now." calum huffed. "i don't want to be around anyone right now."

"you shouldn't be alone right now. you're upset." michael sighed getting up and taking two steps to calum. the brunette lifted his hand to caress calum's face.

"well i want to be alone." he mumbled turning his head away from michael. "i'm used to it. it's the only thing i know anymore."

the raven haired boy shrugged halfheartedly before walking past michael and climbing back into the bed.

"well i don't want it to be the only thing you know anymore." michael breathed. "if you don't want to talk to the doctor. fine. then talk to me."

calum didn't respond as he laid in the bed and stared at the ceiling. michael sighed before getting into the bed and curling himself around calum. he pulled the twenty five year old as close to his body as possible and tucked his head in the crook of his neck.

"calum please don't shut me out." michael whimpered. "promise me you won't shut me out."

at first calum didn't make a noise. he just nuzzled his head into michael's body and wrapped his arms around his body.

"cal baby? please promise me that you'll come to talk to me. that you won't shut me out." michael begged softly as he felt his neck began to get wet from tears coming from his boyfriend.

"i promise."