Exchange | Malum

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Michael -- he was just an innocent lad, with his hands over his heart, with his life practically in the palm of his hands as the clouds washed away everything he had and left him with a poisonous feeling to linger inside of his body. He was exhausted. The pale boy was given six excessively long assignments to complete by the end of the week, and that was approaching sooner than he could have imagined. Michael wasn't the best when it came to majoring at mathematics, or psychology. He was good at English, and in some ways, he wanted to be a journalist but didn't believe he had the full potential to do something that extreme. Like publishing a book one day? That didn't seem like him at all.

He was trying to find a way to squeeze school in with his busy schedule of selling crappy homemade cookies and lemonade that he had to make in his neighbors apartment because he couldn't afford to keep the oven running. Nobody wanted his cookies. They were stale, poorly made, but at least they were stitched with his love. That's what he tried to tell himself, anyway. The lemonade -- it wasn't organic, it was just really lemony and not all that delicious in his opinion. Maybe that's why business was so slow.

Michael went through another school day without being bothered by Calum, and while expecting the brunette to show up with bruised knuckles and a busted lip again was something he had waited for, it didn't happen. Calum didn't show his face at all, and it was starting to worry the lad more than he could imagine, more than he could issue that feeling that he desperately wanted to go away.

It wasn't until half an hour into his slow selling business when he finally showed up. He looked completely cleaned up, his lip not at all infected and his knuckles were quite obviously bandaged up by gauze or ace bandage. Michael wasn't sure, but it bothered him. "Have you made any money?"

"Unfortunately, no," Michael frowned, picking at the dirt underneath his fingernails, not paying attention to the way the Maori was looking at him. Calum was really concerned. "I'm ready to give up."

"You can't give up," Calum chuckled, placing his butt on top of the table that Michael set up for the goodies, which annoyed him even more because that wouldn't attract customers at all, "I mean, you've been working so hard just to give up? That makes you sound like a quitter, and you're a fighter."

"How would you know?"

"I'm fighting for you, aren't I?"

"No, you're fighting for my body," Michael answered bluntly, placing his hands on top of his thighs as he sat beside Calum on the table that was starting to wobble. Maybe they were too heavy, but he didn't care.

"Same thing," Calum reiterated, before brushing off a piece of fuzz off of his jeans and hopping down, jolting his hand out for Michael to take. The pale boy was hesitant at first, but he figured that holding Calum's hand wouldn't do that much harm, even if the thought of it was making his heart race.

"Are we going somewhere?"

"You'll see," Calum grinned, a sly smile peeking at the corners of his lips as he tugged Michael along with him. The green eyed boy wasn't sure what to expect, but he was really hoping that it didn't involve having sex -- because he wasn't ready for that, even if it is part of the exchange.

-

"Why did you bring me to a carnival?" Michael whined, wondering why the brunette thought this was a good idea in the first place. They weren't on a date, and they weren't really friends, either, so this was weird to the pale boy. Calum certainly was full of surprises.

"It's the third annual school carnival, Michael," Calum sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose, because Michael wasn't even aware that this was a thing, due to having such a hard life, "I talked to the principal about setting up a booth, and he was fine with it."

"Oh, I've never been to a carnival before," Michael shrugged, before pursing out a large smile that made the brunettes stomach churn for some reason, "I've never participated in a booth, either."

"It's a good way to make money." Well, Michael wouldn't argue with that.

But he certainly wasn't happy when realizing that the booth they were fundraising was for kissing, and it made him uncomfortable. He wasn't prepared under any circumstances to kiss people. "Uh Calum -- this is a joke, right?"

"No, why would it be?"

"I just, kissing strangers is weird, will I really profit off of that?" Michael asked with a curious smile, though deep down inside, he was growing more and more anxious by the minute. "I don't think anybody wants to kiss me."

"You'd be surprised."

"Well alright," Michael answered again with a lip bite, sitting down on one of the metal sliding chairs, watching as the Maori joined him by doing the exact same, and it took a while for students to roll around, but once they did, it never stopped. Michael was surprised that he was making money off of kissing random students -- both genders -- he didn't think anybody noticed him. He was invisible for the most part. Except Calum saw him, he saw everything.

"Can I pay an extra couple of dollars to kiss you again?" One girl grinned, the daylight in her eyes shining as she stood underneath the golden hue, and while Michael was getting tired of kissing people, he needed the money, so he was willing to do anything. "Sure."

Calum wasn't sure why seeing Michael kiss all of these strangers made him angry. He was positive that he wasn't jealous -- because he's only into having a one night stand with the boy and nothing else. So what was it? Why did Michael kissing strangers affect him so much?

"You can kiss me for more money too, if you'd like," Calum chimed in to the female who had her lips locked on Michaels, but she ignored him, and it made the boy fume. He wanted the attention. "Well, alright. . ."

After a while, Michael decided that he was done with it and that he'd have to scrub his lips with water and soap for hours, and Calum was kind of bitter towards the boy. He wasn't answering his concerned questions, and he wasn't telling Michael what he did yesterday that made him look so damaged. It was dangerous in the brunettes mind -- that's for sure.

"Can I at least have a hint at what you did?"

"Hm. . ," Calum muttered as he tapped his chin with his tan fingers, "fire."

"Ah, so you were hired as an assistant for the fire department, right?" Michael asked with squinted eyes, assuming that it's what happened, but that wouldn't really make any sense. That wasn't really that dangerous. "No, Michael, but good guess."

"Please tell me."

"I'll tell you when it's over," Calum agreed, practically making another exchange between them as he leaned into the chair and closed his eyes to rest them.

"You - you mean it's still happening?"

"Course," Calum giggled, just before opening his eyes and yawning, "I'm tired. What do you say we tear this booth down and go grab a bite to eat? My treat."

Like a date? is what Michael wanted to ask, but he couldn't do that, because it was weird -- and as far as he was concerned, Calum was only in it for the sex. After they fuck, he'll be nothing but another face in the photograph.

"I am hungry," Michael reiterated before placing his hand in Calum's, since the tanned boy was offering to help him up, "thanks."

"Anytime."

-

A/N;

Thoughts?

Okay, I gave a hint about what Calum is doing. Any guesses? 😅

~ Also go see Suicide Squad, it's the best.