We Were Young

Suddenly

   Calum sat awkwardly on the couch in his friend's destroyed living room, watching as he paced the room, running his hand through his tangled hair over and over again.
"Ashton," he whispered softly, snapping the boy out of his state. He looked over with droopy sleep deprived eyes, and plopped down on the couch next to the Kiwi boy.
"I cant go on like this anymore, Calum. I'm going insane. They have me locked up like some animal, I'm never allowed to do anything, they search through everything every other day... I, I can't prove it yet... but I'm pretty sure they're stealing from me..."
"Ash, they're not stealing from you," Calum said, brushing a piece of hair out of the boy's eyes. "They're trying to protect you."
"Oh yeah, they're doing such a fine job," he said sarcastically crossing his arms. Calum noticed a small red bump just above the crook of his elbow from a needle.
"Ashton, what is that?" He asked, grabbing his arm and running his finger over it.
"It's nothing... it's just a bump..."
"Right... and is this 'bump' going to affect your drug test later?" He asked, his voice raising.
"Oh shit, is that today?" Ashton let out a giggle. "That's nice."
"Where did you even get heroin? You've been under 24 hour surveillance. When did you even have time to do it?"
"Oh come on Calum, it's not a big deal."
"Of course it's a big deal!" He said, standing up. "It's a very big deal! This drug has taken over your life, it's changed you. Ashton, do you not even care that I love you? Do you not even care about anything?" Ashton refused to make eye contact with him. He stared at the floor before bursting into tears and shivering slightly. Calum quickly sat down and pulled the boy into a hug. Ashton was radiating heat, yet his hands were as cold as ice. Sweat broke out on his forehead and he had a nasty fever. He shook as he sat there sobbing. "Ash... I'm sorry... I-I know you care." He shook his head.
"That's just it. I don't. I don't care about anything anymore... I-I just want to die... Calum, why can't I just die instead?"
"Don't say that. Please. Come on, let's get you cleaned up and showered... you'll feel better..." he pulled his friend up and helped him walk to the bathroom, Ashton walked as if his limbs were a million pounds each, dragging his legs slowly. Calum sat him on the edge of the tub and began helping him undress. He noticed a necklace hanging around his neck, holding the charm he gave him when they were in highschool. When he was in only boxers, he finally looked Calum in the eyes, clinging to the necklace.
"J-just like the old days, huh?" He whispered. Calum sighed and kneeled infront of him, brushing the hair that stuck to the boy's forehead out of his face. He leaned up and connected their lips together, feeling Ashton's tense muscles relax under his touch. He pulled away and Ashton held onto his arm so he wouldn't fall backwards into the empty bathtub.
"Wash up, okay? I'll still be here when you come out..." Ashton stared him in the eyes, searching for the lie, but only nodded when he couldn't find it. Calum pressed a soft kiss on his jaw before turning and walking out. Tears formed in his eyes as he looked around the trashed living room. It was the only room in the house that Ashton ever spent time in. Everywhere else was spotless due to the lack of his presence. Calum began cleaning the room and straightening things up. When he finished he heard the running water from the shower inside the bathroom. He grabbed a towel from the linen closet and went into the bathroom again, met by a large cloud of steam. He placed the towel on the closed toilet, hearing Ashton humming softly. A soft smiled spread over his lips as he walked back out and went into the boy's bedroom. The dresser sat open and shirt or two sat crumpled on the floor. He quickly pulled out clean clothes for his friend to wear and walked back into the living room, seeing him sitting on the couch with the towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was slicked back as it dripped water down his back. Calum sat next to him and handed him the neatly folded clothes. He looked up and smiled sadly, reaching up and grabbing hold of the necklace.
"You kept it?" Calum asked quietly. He nodded and looked back at his lap.
"It's the only thing that helped remind me of who I used to be... who we used to be..." Calum smiled sadly and looked down, missing the old days.
"We used to be something pretty great, huh?" Ashton let put a soft laugh, mixed with a sob and looked back at his best friend.
"Yeah... sorry I-I ruined it..."
"You're not the one who ruined it... I was. When we started college, I just turned into such a dick... sleeping around, stringing you along..." he sighed and looked down. "I never wanted to hurt you." Ashton made him look up at him.
"Hey... none of this is your fault, you know that? It was my choice... all of it." Calum opened his mouth to argue, but Ashton quickly connected their lips again, shutting him up. Calum grabbed the stack of clothes he gave him and pushed them onto the coffee table, moving closer and closing the gap between the two boys. Ashton pushed Calum's jacket off and let it fall to the floor. All other thoughts were forced out of their minds in the moment as Calum stood up and stripped down before Ashton threw his towel to the side. "Don't worry... I'll talk you through it," Ashton smirked before connecting their lips. They intertwined their bodies, falling to the couch together... just like old times.
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