I'm Supposed To Hate You ||Malum AU||

Chapter 31

"Calum?" Michael asked later that night, as both of them lay in the dark.

"Michael."

"I've been thinking."

"Well done, I'm so proud that after 17 years on this planet, you've finally been thinking." Calum replied sarcastically. "Do you want a sticker?"

"I'm being serious Calum."

"Are you saying I'm not?" Calum asked, feigning offence. Michael rolled his eyes, and sat up on the air mattress.

"I've been thinking about what you told me." Calum immediately sat up, staring at Michael through the darkness.

"What about it?" Calum asked defensively, panic surfacing in his brain. This was exactly what he was nervous about earlier.

"Well, um...I don't know how to put this. I-this sounds so insensitive- I was wondering, if..well, maybe you could tell me more about it." Michael's voice got quieter until it trailed off completely.

"More..about it?" Calum repeated gently. He could just see Michael's outline nod in the darkness. Calum swallowed nervously, playing absentmindedly with his fingers.

"You don't have to..I mean. I completely understand if you don't want to tell me. I just.. I'm curious again."

"What do you want to know?"

"I unders-wait, you're actually going to tell me?" Michael exclaimed loudly, causing Calum to shush him. "You're seriously going to tell me?"

"Why not? You already know about him, you might as well get details. Besides, talking about might help get it off my chest. It's been weighing me down for 5 years now." Calum shrugged, crossing his legs. He patted the bed beside him, inviting Michael to sit there.

"So, you know that he was arrested when I was 12, right?" Calum began, keeping his voice low so his mum wouldn't wake up. It wasn't late enough of her to be in a deep sleep yet. He didn't think she'd be very happy to be woken up by Calum and Michael's midnight chat.

"Yeah, and I figured that you must have moved here not long afterwards." Michael added, settling himself next to Calum, their knees just touching as they sat cross legged.

"We weren't going to move." Calum explained. " Mum was quite happy in New Zealand, it was her homeland. Her family has lived in New Zealand right back to the tribes. Mali, Mum and I are all part Maori. She didn't want to move, but then the rumours started."

Michael didn't say anything, he just let Calum pause, completely focused on what he was telling him.

"It started with judgemental looks from neighbours, shifty glanced and odd comments here and there. I guess when the local newspaper has your husband or father's name splattered across the front page with the headline murderer, it's to be expected. But then kids at school started teasing me and Mali. Typical playground nonsense. People thought I was dangerous, because of what my dad did. There was no denying that he was my dad, everyone knew. I was pretty lonely, no one wanted to be friends with the murderer's son."

Calum paused, letting out a heavy sigh.

"He killed three people. Each one of them had been in a disagreement with my father. One had owed him money and refused to pay. I'm not sure why he killed the other two, I wasn't really paying attention at the trial. I didn't want to."

"That's understandable." Michael mumbled in the pause that followed. He could hear Calum's voice cracking slightly, but he didn't want to over step the boundaries. Their relationship was fragile, and he didn't want to ruin that.

"The three people he murdered. He didn't just kill them. He mutilated them, but he never moved the bodies. He left them for the families to find. He was so careful, not a single piece of evidence was left behind. They were perfectly carried out brutal murders. I feel so bad for the families. Imagine waking up on morning and finding...finding your d-dad or h-husband lying on the g-ground..."

Michael no longer cared about their fragile relationship or overstepping boundaries. He grabbed Calum's hand and squeezed gently. Calum let out a violent sob, and buried his face into Michael's shoulder, unable to hold it in anymore.

"I'm so sorry Calum."

"What for, you didn't tell him to do it?"

"I asked. I asked you to tell me more and now you're crying. I'm really sorry."

Calum let out another sob, trying to stay quiet as it was getting late. Michael continued squeezing his hand gently, stroking the brunet's hair in a weak attempt to calm him down.

"I s-still have n-nightmares about him. He's l-locked up in New Zealand and I'm over here b-but what he did, it t-terrifies me."

"Is that why you looked dead at school today?" Calum nodded, pulling away from Michael.

"Thank you." He whispered, wiping the remaining tears from his cheeks. Michael just smiled at him.

"You better get to sleep, you must be exhausted."

"I didn't sleep at all last night, he just kept surfacing when I closed my eyes. He tried to stab me in my dream and.." Calum's words were all jumbled together in one long sentence without drawing a breath, which trailed off when Michael placed his hand in Calum's and shushed him.

"You really need to sleep Cal."

"I like it when you call me Cal," Calum mumbled sleepily, crawling into his bed and cuddling up under the duvets, pulling them up to his chin.

"Go to sleep Cal." Michael told him, lying down on the air mattress again.

"Can you sleep with me tonight?" Calum asked quietly a few minutes later. Michael almost laughed at his word choice, but he had asked so innocently and he was so sad that he couldn't make it sexual.

"You sure?" Michael asked gently. "You pushed me out last time and I don't want broken ribs."

"I promise I won't push you. You make me feel safe and that stops the ...n-nightmares." Calum yawned.

"Alright." Michael agreed and climbed into the bed beside Calum, staying on the other side in case he was invading Calum's space. He wasn't sure how comfortable Calum was with him.

"Goodnight Michael." Calum mumbled sleepily.

"Goodnight Cal."

Awww.

I love sleepy Calum. He says the most adorable things.

I hope this update makes you feel better Laurie