sunshine ☀ m.c.

4 ☀ in which cindy and michael get deep.

soon, night falls, and michael is left with the inevitable question of what they're going to do for the night.

everyone else in the bus is asleep. so michael decides to stop at a mcdonald's connected to a gas station. once he's parked, he wakes everyone up. they all go inside and order, then cindy goes to wait for the food while the rest find seats.

"you seem pretty tired," calum notes as michael lays his head on the gross table.

"i've been driving all day," he says softly.

"you want me to drive tomorrow?" cal asks.

michael shakes his head and sighs. "i don't think about it when i'm driving. anyway," he says, abruptly changing the subject. "i'm not sure about cindy."

"i don't have a problem with her," calum shrugs. "sequoia trusts her enough. plus she paid for the food."

"yeah, but it's still another person. i'm fine with you and your girlfriend's only here because you wanted her to. i didn't sign up for cindy. who even is she?"

sequoia, who's been partially asleep during the conversation, reawakens. "she's like the coolest person on the planet. she's a drummer but she also plays the guitar, which is why she has it with her, and she's canadian. she was dating the bassist of her band but a week ago they broke up. and yesterday, she-"

cindy comes back with the food, and sits down beside michael. "so you seem to be a huge fan."

sequoia blushes. "maybe. you're just so cool."

cindy smiles. "thank you. you're so sweet. so tell me about you guys, since you know the basics about me apparently."

"well, for starters you probably shouldn't say the word c-o-l-l-e-g-e around michael, he found out that they didn't accept his financial aid today," calum whispers to her. michael groans in emotional agony.

"oh, that sucks," cindy says sympathetically. "is this like a runaway trip?"

michael nods and picks up a fry with a sad expression.

they eat. as soon as calum takes the last fry, sequoia asks, "so what's the plan for the night?"

michael shrugs. "i don't know if i have enough for a hotel." michael worked at a toy store that had a terrible salary but gave him something to do. and michael usually spends his paycheck in two parts - college and CDs/mcdonald's.

"i do," cindy jumps in quickly. "i can pay for it."

"you're a show off," michael says under his breath.

"i'm just trying to help," cindy says irritably. "i don't wanna be too much of a burden."

"well, where do you suggest we go? i think i saw a motel up the road," michael says, yawning. "jesus. i don't even know where we are."

"i'll go ask the guy at the counter," cindy says. she gets up and goes to the counter, where some guy that looks around their age with quiffed blond hair is on his phone. he's probably the only employee there right now.

michael runs his hand through his hair and sighs. "i'm glad she's at least doing everything."

"and paying," calum adds. "i'm glad we're taking advantage of this."

cindy comes back and confirms that a motel is up the road, and says that they're actually in a small town in nevada. so they go to the motel. calum and sequoia get their own room. michael and cindy decide that they are three things: cheap, not murderers, and mature enough to be mature about it. at least, those are michael's conclusions. calum warns cindy about his possible breakdowns to come.

the room smells smoky and spoiled, with stained sheets on the bed and a crack in the mirror. cindy drops her purse and guitar on the bed and goes straight into the bathroom. michael hears the shower turn on, and then throws himself onto the couch and screams into the cushion.

now's when he actually has to think about everything. he had no other plans for the future, other than graduating and then probably living as a starving artist, because whatever he'd have majored in wouldn't have helped him in the real world anyway.

"michael?" cindy says, standing in the doorway of the bathroom. smoke or steam seeps in and she holds a cigarette. she looks cautious. "need a smoke?"

"i don't smoke," he says.

"i'm not leaving you alone, not when you're at suicide risk. come in with me."

michael sighs and follows her in there. the steam is warming up the place already. cindy's leaning on the ground against the tub, smoke escaping her lips. she stares straight on with a blank expression.

"how long have you smoked?"

"huh?"

he points to the cigarette. "how long?"

"oh. for a long time. they're my only vice."

"why'd you have to leave your band?" he asks.

"didn't you hear? it's been all over the news," she says with a chuckle at the end. michael shakes his head. "oh. okay. well, you know we're doing the tour, right? and it's really big. but yesterday, i uh..." she takes a deep breath and says slowly, "uh... i officially came out as a lesbian and that caused a lot. and today my manager called me and was like, what the hell cindy, and so you know... i left."

michael nods in sympathy. " that really sucks. i'm sorry everyone's freaking out about it."

"and you're not freaked out about it, right?"

he shakes his head. "it's cool."

cindy exhales and giggles in exhilaration. "okay. good. i'd stop paying for all your shit otherwise since you're an asshole."

michael chuckles. "that'd be really bad. i'm broke as fuck."

she nods and then points towards him with her cancer stick. "you're pretty cool. i think i can stand doing this thing with you."

"that's good." he yawns and stretches. "you can take the bed. good night." and that's the first day.

☀

ok i've been so busy lately but ay update told u michael wasnt ending up with her lmao #weneeddiversefanfiction