Lashton/Malum One Shots

Bruises - Malum

Mikey remembers when Calum was usually full of confidence. Girls fell at his feet and swooned over him as he walked past.

Mikey remembers how that changed one morning when Calum walked into school, limping with a bruise on his jaw and a black left eye.

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"Hey Mikey." Calum greeted, just as confidently as usual, but the spark was gone from his eyes.

"Jesus, Cal! What happened?" Mikey questioned.

Calum shrugged. "Got in a fight over a girl." He grinned. "The usual."

Mikey just laughed in reply, because he thought it was the truth.

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Over the next few months Michael was away from school on a French exchange, but when he got back, everything had changed.

Calum barely spoke anymore, and was always limping and often had bruises or cuts on his face.

Mikey walked through the school gates and saw Calum waiting for him.

But the Kiwi didn't smile.

"Cal?!" Mikey cried out and Calum burst into tears, rushing into Mikey, whose arms wrapped straight around him.

"Hi." Cal whimpered.

"Who's doing this to you, cutie?" Mikey asked softly.

"Nobody, I promise. I'm just getting in a lot of fights recently with this guy because I really like his girl, that's all." Calum explained quietly.

"Cal, you don't cry over girls." Michael whispered, more to himself than to Cal, but Calum just insisted.

Mikey let it slide, but he probably shouldn't have done.

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It was Thursday, and Mikey walked through the school gates an hour earlier, as he wanted to go and search the school for his lost music book.

He was just passing the bathrooms when he heard quiet sniffing and the occasional hiss.

He pushed the bathroom door open and was shocked.

It wasn't the person that shocked him, he knew it was Cal by the sound, but the state he was in. He had a huge cut on his jaw and bruises on his wrists that Mikey could see as Cal tried to clean the cut.

"Cal, what's going on?" Mikey pleaded with the younger boy.

"I-I really f-fucking like this person, Mikey. And I told him, and he beat the shit out of me. He said it wasn't allowed, and that it was wrong. And I know that, but I can't help who I love." Cal muttered.

"You obviously do like her if you keep getting beaten up by her boyfriend! Maybe space yourself away from her for a bit?" Mikey suggested, ignoring how his heart broke as he realised Calum was really in love with this girl, and that he didn't feel anything towards guys, or more specifically, Michael.

"I can't. I love them too much." Calum admitted and Mikey sighed, placing his bags down and taking the wet tissue from Calum's fingers.

"Wait here." Mikey murmured, getting out his mini first aid kit that his mother made him carry around at all times. He pulled out a disinfectant wipe and pressed it to Calum's jaw.

Calum hissed and placed his hand on top of Michael's to make Mikey stop.

"Sorry." Calum stuttered, embarrassed.

"You're allowed to hurt, Cal. Remember that." Mikey murmured, holding the other side and jaw of Calum's face as he cleaned the other.

"Not like this." Calum whispered, averting his gaze to the floor.