8 Seconds // Mashton [DISCONTINUED]

Never Alone Always Alone

~ I don't have anything to say really, so yeah ~ 

Ashton’s P.O.V

“I have to go back now.”

“No, what are you talking about Michael you can’t go back!”

“I have to Chloe, just leave it.”

“No Michael I will not “just leave it”, he hurt you for fucks sake! Why would you even want to go back there?”

“I don’t want to, I have to.”

“You don’t have to do anything except lay down and get some sleep. Why would you have to go back there?”

“Because he wants me to pay him for what I used.”

“what do you...oh. Do you need any money?”

“I doubt he’ll want money.”

“You can’t be serious…”

“believe me, I wouldn’t joke about this.”

“So don’t go back.”

“I have to.”

“Why?!”

“Because I don’t want him finding out where I live alright! I don’t want him to find me and find the boys and you, I don’t want him to know there’s people out there I actually care about, that I fucking love!”

“Michael…”

“Just...forget I even told you about him okay, I have to do this.”

“We’ll work it out, I’ll help you. I swear I’ll help you.”

“you can’t, I have to pay him back. Don’t wait up for me.”

~

I didn’t mean to listen to them, I really didn’t, but I was in the kitchen and the door to the basement were open and they weren’t exactly being quiet, so I couldn’t help overhearing the conversation. Luckily for me, when Michael came upstairs thirty seconds later he walked right past me, through the kitchen and out the front door without as much as a glance back. I wanted to stop him, I wanted to ask him what they were talking about, what he meant with this guy not wanting money, I wanted to make him stay home, wanted to make sure he stayed in and stayed safe, but I couldn’t do anything. he’d only been home for a couple hours and he was already leaving to go god knows where.

Chloe came upstairs not too long after Michael left, but for some reason I didn’t ask her about it either, I just pretended like I’d just came there, started opening cupboards and rummaging through them, looking for something.  

~

And now here I am, sitting alone in the livingroom waiting for him to come back home . The others has gone to bed and Chloe went home four hours ago, but I just couldn’t bring myself to go to bed knowing, or not knowing, he’s out there doing something that’s bad for him, something Chloe doesn’t want him to do.

The front door opens and closes and I immediately turn the telly off, standing up and turning around. I’m just about to walk over to the kitchen when Michael enters the livingroom. He stops after taking two steps into the room though, and as he’s standing there it’s easy to see that he’s struggling to stand straight. I’m not sure what I expected but seeing him like this breaks my heart, it’s almost like I for the first time really notice just how messed up he is on the inside, like all the walls he’s normally keeping up has fell and all that’s left is Michael. Michael who’s standing in front of me with messy hair and dirty clothes, Michael who finally seems to notice me.

“Ashy.” he mumbles before hesitantly holding his arms out for me. This is rare, ever since we got to england he’s been distancing himself from us, even more over the past couple of months, and has been avoiding any actual body contact, Chloe being an exception. I walk over to him and as soon as I’m close enough he wraps his arms around my neck, hiding his face in my shirt.

“come on Mikey, let’s get you to bed.” I whisper as I run a hand through his hair and he nods, making no attempt to actually move. I then carefully pick him up and walk through the kitchen down to the basement. When we get to his room I place him on the bed. “you wanna change into something warmer?” I ask him and he nods, but when I turn back to the bed after finding him some clean clothes he’s still sitting just where I left him. “come on Michael.” he raises his arms like a small child and I’m left with no choice but to pull the shirt off his body. What I then see, what comes into sight when I throw the dirty fabric on the floor, makes me want to burst into tears. Bruises, big, dark purple bruises scattered over his pale chest and stomach, a few still forming on his upper arms. Michael’s always been one to easily get bruises, but this is different, this is someone wanting to hurt him. “stand up.” my voice is thick with tears when I speak but he doesn’t seem to notice, he just does as he’s told and I pull his jeans down, revealing even more bruises on his hips, these in the shape of two hands, hands that must’ve held him so hard to leave marks like that.

“Ash?” Michael’s voice makes me stand up again and I pick up the sweater I picked out for him, helping him put it on.

“Okay, go to bed now Mikey.” I say and he nods, pushing the covers to the side and laying down in bed. I pick up the blankets he’s kicked to the end of the bed and place them over him as well, wanting to make sure he’s warm. “sleep now okay?”

“it hurts Ashy.” he wraps his arms around one of the pillows and looks up at me with sad green eyes. “it really hurts.”

“what does?” I want to hug him, I want to climb into bed with him and hold him and make sure he’s safe from everything that might hurt him, but I can’t.

“it just hurts.” he repeats.”goodnight Ashy.” he then jawns and pull the blankets up over his head. I stay there for a while, until I can hear the soft snores coming from the mountain of blankets, and then I leave, wishing I could do something but knowing I can’t, no one can.