Breathe Me(Lashton)

T w ę n t y s i x

Written by Cliffordcondoms

Michael was sitting on the arm chair as he held Calum's hand and waited patiently for the boy to flutter his eyes for the first time since the accident. He no longer displayed the full oxygen mask but now only sported a small pair of nubs up his nose; which, Michael thought, insinuated his cheek bones.

"The doctors said you might be waking up after looking at the swelling in your head from the collision, " Michael smiled as he pressed his lips onto the boy's cold skin. "I really hope they're right, Cal. I just want you here with me so I can hold you close, to carrass your skin once again," he brought his free hand up to Calum's cheek and gently stroked it with the back of his hand before pecking his lips.

But he got no response. Calum continued to lay on his back, eyes closed in a comatose state that doctors predicted he would come out of soon. And Michael could only hope and sigh as he pulled out The Great Gatsby.

"Do you remember where we left off?" He asked, turning to Calum as he crossed his legs and paged through the old pages without the slightest clue of where they left off. "Fuck it," he chuckled. "It's not like I pay attention to anything I read anyway. How about I flip to a random page and we start from there, yeah?"

The only response he got was the monotonous beeping from Calum's oxygen machine. "Okay, I'll take that as a yes."

Flipping through the pages with his eyes closed, he finally landed on a page and pressed his finger to the middle to read what was there. "Okay, here we go," he clears his throat. "The loneliest moment in someone's life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly. . ."

Michael sucked his lips in as he stared at the words he inconspicuously chose, his heart dropping at the sad truth in front of him; almost as if the book itself was laughing at him.

He shakes his head and drops the book as he stared down at Calum with sad eyes once again; but this time, they had the urge to water until the stream of emotion trailed down his cheeks. "Wake up!" He sobbed and fell to the bed, his arms resting over Calum's unmoving body as he sobbed into his chest. "It's been days, baby. Have you forgotten about me? Do you think about me still? Can you hear me? Do you care? Do you want me here?"

Michael wiped his tears with the back of his hand before grabbing a hold of Calum's and pressing it to his rapidly beating heart. "You feel this?" He asks as he takes Calum's other hand and placing it beside the other. "It's beating for you; only you. Without you by my side, it's bound to stop and collapse." Michael explains with ease before drawing out a shaky breath. "Even when you're not responsive, my heart flutters and screams for your affection. But I can't help but wonder, do you feel this way too?"

He takes his shaky own hand and places it over Calum's heart, only to feel it beating at a steady pace.

"You know," Michael begins, changing the subject as he brings his fingers to mess with Calum's oxygen nubs. "You look really cute with these on. They make you seem, I don't know, fragile? It gives me an excuse to be with you and care for you."

The room stayed silent afterwards, the only noise to be heard was the beeping from the machines Calum was hooked on and for the first time in forever, Michael wished Luke and Ashton would make their way here faster. He didn't want to seem pathetic or clingy. Nevertheless pushy for Calum's forgiviness.

"Cal, I'm going to grab your hand again but I want to try something okay buddy?" Michael suddenly grew anxious as he gently took his hand in Calum's once again. "I want you to please try to squeeze my hand. It doesn't have to be hard or anything, just a small movement."