Guardian Angel - Cake AU

Chapter 16

Hehe I think this is one of my favorite chapters.

May be a slight trigger warning. I'm not sure, but I cried while writing this if that helps. I've been in pain, you guys. Skip to the three asterisks (***) and it's all over.

Remember that I love you. No matter what.

Okay enjoy :)

- j x

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Luke bangs his head on his rickety desk and groans. Thank God his father isn't home or his head would have been through the desk by now.

All he's trying to do is work on a stupid science project.

Okay, not stupid, just... really boring and unnecessary. The only reason he's doing it is because he promised Calum from now on he'd try his best to pass school to ensure he would graduate smoothly.

They've barely been able to talk since their trip ended and Calum seems distant. It's not at all awkward seeing him in the hallway and during their classes together. It's sad more than anything, and Luke wants nothing more than to be back in that cabin with Calum.

Calum's eyes are glossy every time Luke meets them with his own. His eyebrows seem two have to positions: furrowed and raised. Luke wishes he knew what those meant to Calum.

And if Luke looks close enough, he swears he can see the gears in his head turning and never stopping. If anything, Calum's gears are wind turbines (because Calum loves natural energy) and Luke wishes he wasn't just another passerby.

Luke walks with his head down to his locker, his own wind turbines finally, after years and years of darkness, cranking to life, rusty but still as good as ever.

"Calum!" Luke yells just as the boy walks past and he finishes shoving his books into his bag. Calum turns on his heel, spinning around and almost being swept away by the crowd before he finds Luke.

His eyebrows switch from first gear to second as soon as he does.

He doesn't move and neither does Luke. The blonde boy's heart yearns for Calum from where he stands, but he doesn't know why. Something is so off.

Luke is sprinting. Luke is fucking running for Calum's life and his bag is forgotten when he throws it in front of his open locker so he can run without restrictions.

Calum's eyes grow wide, eyebrows still in second gear as he runs backwards into a drinking fountain. Kids shove past him and Luke almost loses him when he sinks to the ground.

Finally, finally, Luke reaches Calum who's already shoved himself into a corner where the tiny hallway to the bathroom is.

Luke slides down next to him, watching his only love break down and crumble right in front of him.

Calum's eyes are squeezed shut, and if he wasn't afraid of the dark, he wouldn't have opened them. But he opens them anyway, clenching his hands at his sides and then at his heart, his head pounding and his tears falling without his consent.

He needs to cry. It's his way of letting stress go. He isn't ashamed of it and he isn't ashamed of why he's crying. He's just never been very good at asking for help. And he certainly never wants to be a burden. Especially to Luke.

Luke quickly places himself behind Calum, wrapping his arms and legs around him and letting him curl into a ball in his lap. Calum's sobs shake his body and Luke starts to shed his own tears. Whatever could possibly have Calum in this much pain, Luke doesn't know. But he knows Calum needs to be held. He can do that much.