Arms||Cake AU||

Chapter 29

Breakfast the next morning was, put lightly, incredibly dramatic. Calum and Luke shuffled into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from their eyes and yawning.

"Morning Cal," Joy said, looking up from the newspaper. She did a double take when she spotted Luke standing beside her son. "Who's this?"

"This is Luke Hemmings. He - erm - crashed in my room last night," Calum explained, shooting his mother the brightest smile he could muster.

"Is this the Luke that let you stay over when you stormed out?" Calum's dad asked, glancing between Luke and Calum.

"Yeah, and he-" Calum was interrupted by Mali appearing behind them, casting both of them a snide look.

"I see your boyfriend is still here," She sneered, pushing past them. "Did you two have fun last night?" Calum glared at his sister, his fist clenched by his side.

"Mali be nice," Joy hissed, swatting her with a napkin. "We have a guest."

"She didn't seem to care last night," Calum exclaimed bitterly, continuing to glare at her. Luke shifted awkwardly, gazing down at his feet.

"Cut it out you two, you're making the poor kid uncomfortable," David said sternly. Mali shot her father a dark look before busying herself with spreading some toast. Luke and Calum sat down next to each other without saying a word.

"Toast Luke?" Joy asked politely, offering the toast rack towards him. Luke smiled and nodded. He felt very out of place, sitting amongst the quiet family. Calum and Mali were casting murderous looks at each other across the table every few minutes and David was watching them carefully, ready to scold them if they said made a scathing remark.

"Did you sleep well?" Joy asked Luke in a desperate attempt to matter a conversation and ease the tension. Mali snorted, muttering something that sounded like "I don't think they were doing much sleeping Mum." Calum kicked her under the table as Luke's face flushed red.

"It's not like that," he growled, slamming his hand down on the table.

"And I'm supposed to believe you am I? You're not exactly the most trustworthy person," Mali retorted, staring him in the eye, searching for a reaction. Calum kept his face calm and maintained the eye contact.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked coolly. Mali glanced over at Luke and chuckled, grinning maliciously.

"What happened the last time you were trusted Calum?" Calum's eyes narrowed and he pushed his chair back, jumping to his feet. He glared at Mali, fury coursing through his veins. David reacted quickly and grabbed his son's arms, holding him back so he couldn't harm her.

"That was an accident," Calum shouted, fighting his father's grip. "You fucking know that was an accident."

"Calum, calm down," Joy said exasperatedly, smiling apologetically at Luke, who was watching the fight with wide eyes.

"Calum down! She's stirring shit yet again and you want me to calm down!"

"You have a guest Calum," Joy said sternly. Calum looked over to Luke. Fear was evident in his eyes as he stared at Calum. A quickly as it had risen, his anger melted away only to be replaced by the bitter sting of guilt. He stood limply in his father's arms, staring blankly at the blond.

"I think it would be best if you go upstairs," David said to Mali, who scoffed but did as she was told. He glanced over at Joy, who was on the verge of tears and told her to go through to the living room and put her feet up.

"I'm really sorry you had to see that," Joy whispered to Luke as she walked out, clutching a mug of coffee. Calum was sitting down again with his head in his hands, cursing under his breath. Luke's fear evaporated as he watched him, frowning deeply.

"Are you okay Luke?" David asked, drawing Luke's attention away from Calum.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Luke hated the shakiness of his voice as he spoke. He also the hated the guilt that flashed through Calum's eyes when he looked up. David sighed, patting Calum's shoulder comfortingly before walking out of the room.

"I shouldn't have done that," Calum said after a few moments of silence. "I shouldn't have risen to her bait like that."

"It's alright Calum," Luke told him in what he hoped was a soothing voice.

"No it's not Luke," Calum snapped, running his hand through his tousled hair. "You were scared. You were scared...of me."

Luke wanted to say something that would stop Calum from swearing under his breath or take away the pain in his voice but he couldn't find the right ones. He just sat, watching Calum tear himself apart.

"This. This is why I pushed you away," Calum muttered, more to himself than Luke. "I'll only hurt you, like everyone else around me."

"You won't hurt me Cal." Luke said desperately as tears formed in his eyes.

"You don't understand. I hurt everyone." Calum's voice was strained and cracking as he spoke. "Everyone I've ever cared about has been hurt at some point and I - I can't let that happen to you."

"You can't push me away again," Luke choked, reaching out to grab his hand but Calum flinched away. "Not now. You're not thinking straight."

"B-but if you get hurt, I'll never ever forgive myself. You're too pure and innocent. You deserve better than me."

"In case you forgot, nobody else at school likes me. You're the only one who's given me a chance," Luke said through tears, grabbing Calum's hand and holding it tight. "You are the kindest person I know and if anyone deserves better, it's you Cal."

He squeezed Calum's hand. Calum glanced over to him with tear filled eyes and a quivering lip. Unbeknownst to Luke, Mali was screaming in his head, hurling insults and rude remarks. Luke watched as a single fat tear rolled down Calum's tanned cheeks and splashed onto the table before he dried his eyes on his shirt sleeve and shot Luke a small but genuine smile.

Luke didn't know half of it, and he didn't need to know.