cherry wine [cashton]

chasing pain with an excuse

warnings: strong language blood, violence

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(directly continued from chapter 15)

"So, you're the one that has been fucking my boyfriend behind my back?" Jim finally said.

"So what if I have?" Calum asked. "I treat him better than you ever could."

Calum was only adding fuel to the fire that was burning in Jim's eyes and Ashton was shaking in fear.

Calum realized this and put himself between him and Jim. "Go wait in the car," he whispered in his ear, repeating his words from earlier.

But Ashton knew he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if something happened to the other boy. This was his fight to take, so why was he standing there cowering?

"Was this your plan along? I didn't trust you for a reason," Jim spat back. His fists were clenched by his side, and every panic alarm in Ashton's system was ringing right now.

"Of course, it wasn't. But the minute you laid your finger on him, you became my problem. "

The stare down between the two men was intense and for a minute Ashton felt like Bella in those bad Twilight movies he had watched with Calum, Luke and Michael when they were 13. Except Ashton was done being the victim and he didn't want anyone to decide for him anymore. He had found Edward creepy and manipulating anyways.

"Jim," he finally opened his mouth, trying to get the blonde's attention, whilst looking over Calum's shoulder. "I think we both knew that this wasn't going to last. "His voice was shaking from fear.

"What are you talking about?" Jim asked, looking genuinely confused.

Ashton gathered up all of his courage as he finally voiced his frustrations. "I don't want to be your punching bag anymore. And if you can't see that, that's your problem. Not mine."

"You don't get to just leave me like that, like I'm nothing. "Jim started walking closer to them but Calum cut him off half-way and pushed him back.

"Don't go anywhere near him ever again," Calum threatened.

And that's when Jim lunged at Calum and tried to get a punch in. But Calum had already expected it and ducked.

Ashton wanted to step in. He really did. But the fear was paralyzing. He didn't want Calum to pick his fights for him and he really wished the Maori boy hadn't shown up. For his own sake. But for selfish reasons Ashton was glad he had arrived. Glad that he still had his best friend on his side after the last five months of his short-lived relationship with an older man he never should have dated in the first place. Jim had tried to push Calum and his other friends out of his life, but luckily, they had resisted.

A sickening crack was heard from the fight and Ashton's eyes snapped up, dreadful thoughts already filling his head. What he saw was blood. A lot of it. But this time he didn't find that it looked sweet as the cherry wine that had spilled from his bruised skin all those times in the bathroom mirror. Instead it looked gruesome.

It was pouring from Jim's nose and Ashton realized that Calum had gotten a good punch in and consequently broken the other man's nose.

Ashton suddenly ran forward and grabbed Calum's hand, mindful of his bruised knuckles.

"Please, let's just drive," he pleaded in a whisper.

Calum was panting and still stood loomingly above Jim who had crumbled to the ground in pain. But when he felt Ashton's hand in his, he squeezed back and sent him a comforting smile.

And for once Ashton wasn't so afraid. Because he knew Calum would never turn his anger towards him in the way that Jim had done. And maybe, just maybe, if he could just figure his mess of feelings out, they might stand a change. 

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i kind of want to end this here and just make an epilogue, but idk, what do you guys think? even though i did have more planned out argh

songs added to the playlist
stay - post malone
i don't wanna love you anymore - lany
you're somebody else - flora cash
i can't see you in the dark - rei brown