Exchange | Malum

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"Michael, you're late, again." Ever since the pale boy started hanging out with Calum, things started changing. His grades began to drop, because his main focus was making enough money to pay off his mother's hospital bills, and he wasn't even aware of it, which made him feel like more than a failure than he already was. The tanned boy seemed to consume all of him -- his eyes, his plump lips -- how Michael actually wanted to kiss them, not knowing that would cause him to catch feelings. That was the last thing he wanted.

The school was awfully quieter than usual, his head practically banging against every wall he ran into on his way to class, to lunch, to the library, where his thoughts were concealed with nothing other than Calum. Something was up. The brunette wasn't at school making his typical sex comment about Michael. That felt. . . strange.

Michael was starting to feel slightly desperate for that kind of attention, so he sent Calum a couple snapchats of him frowning, but they weren't opened, and they weren't replied to. He was really starting to worry. All that ran through his mind was how he was afraid that something happened to the Maori, or that maybe he did something wrong and scared him off. He didn't even care about making money today, because he knew he wouldn't.

But then something made his breath hitch in his throat, the sight of a figure stumbling through the library doors -- shredded clothes with stains of purple and red covering them, a busted lip, a couple of wounds on his cheeks, and the comforting tan skin shaking as he made eye contact with Michael. Something really bad had to have happened, sending Michael straight over to see if he was okay or not.

"Did somebody hurt you?"

"No," Calum laughed, "I'm fine, this is nothing, really. I just wanted to bring you this." Three hundred and seven dollars. What. The. Fuck. "Please don't tell me you fought somebody for this money, please."

"Since when were you concerned about what I do with my life?" Calum retorted angrily, his lip splitting further as he bit down on it. "I'm only interested in having sex with you, remember? That's the reason I'm helping you pay off your mothers hospital bills -- and I don't even know what they're for, either!"

"O-Oh, right," Michael said flatly, almost completely forgetting that this was about getting laid, rather than being a genuine person and helping out. It didn't add up. He couldn't have been that desperate. "I don't feel comfortable about talking about why she's in the hospital, Calum."

"Whatever," Calum pressed his lips into a tight line, hands shaking, knuckles bruised, them being a darker color than usual. Who was he fighting? "I just want the truth. . . nothing but the truth."

"The truth is that I can't tell you what I'm doing okay? It's dangerous." That's what Michael was hoping wasn't the case, but he was wrong.

"How is it dangerous?"

"Stop asking questions," Calum replied, "I'm going home, this should be enough to help you for today. I-I'll see you tomorrow at school, maybe." Maybe? Michael was only growing more and more curious by the minute. "I'm sorry that I can't tell you."

"I don't understand why you can't."

"Dammit Michael!" Calum yelled, letting his guard down completely, suddenly spilling droplets from his eyes, as if it's never happened before. He was so precious. "I'm trying to protect you, okay? And yeah, I want you more than anything, but your safety is more important than a quick fuck, alright?"

"Your safety is important too," Michael frowned, suddenly wanting to call the deal off, but then he began pondering about what the brunette just said. I want you more than anything. What did he mean by that?

"When you say you want me more than anything, do you mean in like. . . a relationship type of way?"

"No," Calum laughed bitterly, biting down on his tongue as he shook his head and tore his jeans further apart, "I don't date, I fuck. You seem fuckable, that's why I'm doing this."

He didn't seem all that convincing.

"Please don't leave," Michael begged once again, feeling all happiness drain out of him. He needed comfort -- he needed a friend.

"I'm not in the mood to talk anymore," Calum sighed while rubbing his temples, "I promise I'll see you tomorrow, and I'll give you more money."

Why did he want to have sex with Michael so bad? He was taking this way too far.

-

"How are you doing, mom?"

"I'm alright," Karen shuffled under her blankets, blotches of pink tackling her arms, it signaling that she was losing time. It made Michael sad, because he didn't want to watch his mother slowly die in front of him. But that's exactly what was happening. He didn't have a lot of time left to help her, and the doctors weren't doing anything but giving him sympathy. Being rich at a time like this would be helpful.

"How are you doing, Michael?"

"Not so good," Michael frowned, deciding that he wanted to tell her about what was happening with the Maori, "I think I'm starting to like Calum, but he's only interested in having sex with me."

"Mike-"

"And, I made this dumb deal with him that if he could help me make enough money for your surgery, we could have sex. And it was so stupid, because today he showed up at school all beaten up, with money in his pockets, and I'm so scared."

"Tell him the deal is off," Karen said, sternly, "I don't want him getting involved in this, and I don't want you worrying about keeping me alive. I'm old, anyway." She tried to laugh, but Michael could tell she was going to cry, instead.

"I know I need to, but I just -- I can't, because I'm so close to having enough, yet I'm so far from my goal as well." Michael didn't know what to do anymore. He didn't want to do anything but die with her. That'd make matters so much easier. "I'm sorry I'm letting you and everyone else down."

"You're not, Michael, and I love and appreciate you for everything you're doing," Karen smiled, rubbing her thumb against her sons hand, "I promise things will end up okay, and if they don't, you'll find a way to make them okay, because that's just what you do."

She wasn't wrong.

"I love you, mommy," Michael squeaked, a small tear falling from his eyes.

"I love you too, Michael."

-

A/N;

Thoughts?

What do you think Calum is doing? 😅