Give Me Love (Muke)

Spend My Days Locked in a Haze

If Michael expected an easy transition back into the house, he was sorely misguided. It feels like Luke's around every corner, and when he catches a break, it's one of the other boys, who keep dropping not-so-subtle hints about his absence. And it's a nightmare to keep finding new ways to change the subject.

Breakfast/dinner/wafflesforeverymeal is the same thing. Michael's made the mistake of actually leaving his room while the other boys are all still awake, and now he suffers the consequences.

"The fucking syrup keeps disappearing," Ashton grumbles.

"Kind of like how some people keep disappearing," Calum adds, sending a significant look towards Michael, who makes a face.

"Syrup is to Michael as..." Luke begins, and then makes a face too, trying to figure out a good analogy for the moment.

"The syrup's in the living room," Michael says, bringing the conversation back around. Ashton pulls his head out of the fridge and scowls.

"Damnit, Michael! Why is it in the living room? We're gonna get syrup on something."

"The syrup's boysenberry," Calum starts, "which is kind of similar to blueberries, which is kind of blue, which is kind of like certain people I know who disappear for a week and then show up again with no explanation."

The rest of the band stares at Calum until he swivels his head to Michael.

"That was an unnecessarily convoluted simile," Ashton says offendedly as he goes to the living room for the syrup. "You're not very good with the whole subtlety thing, mate."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Calum says, scratching the back of his head.

Michael doesn't have the time or energy to stand around eating waffles and making small talk. He needs to shut this down. "Look, you can all stop targeting me, alright? It's not very hard to guess whom Calum's so discreetly referring to."

"I mean, what the hell, Michael, you just left," Calum points out, irritated. "Luke wouldn't stop crying, it was so annoying--"

"Hey! I was not--"

"Shut up, Luke, it was annoying. I emailed you about it and you never responded. And it's all well and good that you're in the loop, but forgive me for wanting to know what happened that sent Michael to the other end of the country and then back. And now his hair's a different color. I can't keep up."

Michael scuffs at the floor with his sock-covered toe. "Fuck off."

Calum doesn't seem to pick up on the quiet sobriety in Michael's voice. "Fuck you, too. Seriously, you could've given us at least a good excuse--"

"Maybe sent a letter or something," Ashton suggests distractedly from the living room.

"Or texted," Calum adds on. "It would have been a little nice to know where our lead guitarist disappeared to."

Michael's returned to his sullen floor-glaring. "It wasn't important."

"Mate, you went to the other side of the country, it must have been important. Doesn't your mum live in Perth or something?"

Michael abruptly lifts his head, going cold all over. Luke's biting at his lip, eyes fixed on Michael's face. Michael clenches his jaw and relaxes it again, trying to get the tension out before speaking. Calum looks like he's about to start again when Michael says, "Yeah, she lived in Perth."

"She move?"

"She died," Michael says flatly, focusing on the space above Calum's head with unblinking eyes. He almost misses the expression on Calum's face.