Edicius {5SOS;CASHTON&CAKE&MALUM}✔️

Eighteen: "Take It Over."

Harry walked down the hall to where Calum was, knowing the man hadn't moved from his spot in the office since five days ago. He was worried, to say the least, always trying to figure out how to get Calum to speak but all the man had been doing is waisting away over miscellaneous things to keep himself busy.

He knew the news he was carrying with a heavy heart would only add to Calum's wall, like the words he would pass onto the man was the same as equipping the builders inside of Calum's mind with more bricks to corner than man to himself even more so. It wasn't like he could hide it, not like he hide his other secret. The olive skinned man would eventually notice and it would break the small pathway Harry did have to get to him.

He knocked loud enough for Calum to hear through the door and entered without confirmation, knowing Calum wouldn't have responded either way. The door clicked shut behind him quietly, Harry smiling a little at the sight of Calum laying sleep on the desk from his stride of sleepless nights.

He was silent as he walked over to the desk and fixing up the clutter around the wood top he was laying on top of. The papers were filed back where they originally were, dried up pens thrown away from Calum's unintelligible writings and mindless scribbles in his sleep deprived state. Mumbled words came from the brunet's lips as he slowly woke up from his no doubt too short sleep, eyes a bit droopy until he pushed his palms into them to wake himself up quicker.

"Hey, Cal. You okay?" He asked hesitantly, tone soft in fear of making the man set off.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine," Calum snapped out, sharp tone and the sarcasm dripping from his tongue letting Harry know that he was still rightfully mad at him, and could only sigh as he took a seat before the desk and messed with his fingers, "Are you okay?"

His tone was softer, obviously seeing that something was bothering Harry as the boy took his time and puffed out some air, shaking his head slowly. He waited for the green eyed male to collect himself, Harry looking up at him as he licked his lips and scratched at the name of his neck.

"China didn't make it. She, um, a bullet tore through her pancreas and kidney, somewhere in the small gap and another got stuck near her apex. She died last night and Miri called me this morning."

He stared at Calum's face closely, trying to gauge his reaction but the brunet just looked away for a second, covering his mouth for a moment as he nodded, giving Harry another moment to speak.

"She needs someone to take over the gang. I-I feel like it should be you, not me." Harry explained further, Calum still not meeting his eye line in favor of looking at the ring on his finger slowly, "I feel like you'd be better for the job than me because I'm not equipped, I guess."

They sat in silence for a while, Harry waiting patiently for Calum to speak up and say something about what he just told him. He didn't, keeping quiet as he played with the halo that wrapped around his finger and could feel his guilt scratching at the back of his skull.

It was his fault. He got distracted while they were out in the line of fire. He let China be vulnerable because he saw a past staring back at him and was more concerned about Michael, who put him in hell with Ashton, instead of China, his savior who gave him a safe place. It was Calum's fault that he had lost another person, or didn't lose another person.

He shook his head. He lost China, that was the point, not other things he did and didn't lose. Right now it was about China and he could feel a lump clogging up his airway and his chest starting to tighten up as he cleared his throat and attempted to talk past his lump.

"Is it-Is it okay if I cry?"

Harry nodded, getting up and moving around the desk for Calum to turn his face into his stomach as he cried softly, wetting the fabric of his shirt but Harry didn't seem to mind as he ran his fingers through Calum's wavy, charcoal hair gently.

He knew Calum was blaming himself, that Calum would always blame himself over what happened because it used to always be his fault. The past was the same as now, blame supposed to be on Ashton's shoulders but Calum took it upon himself to claim the fault and the consequences as his own burden on his shoulders.

He let Calum cry for as long as he needed, phone buzzing in his pocket but he ignored it in favor of comforting the man as his tears eventually stopped. He pulled away after a moment, wiping under his eyes as he nodded, nose tipped red and eyes rimmed the same color. Harry didn't move, only waiting for Calum to speak once more and hear what he had to say as he rubbed his palms onto his legs.

"I'll do it, if you stay with me and be my second."

"Of course, you can't get rid of me just because your kingpin now. I'd have to sabotage all your accounts if you did," He teased lightly, Calum chuckling brokenly as he looked at his ring and nodded again at Harry's question of it was okay.

Harry smiled, dragging his hands down his face in relief that Calum actually did seem to be okay, rather than lying for his sake, but seeming to be okay wasn't always the same as actually being okay because Calum could feel something shift inside of his soul.

He looked ahead of him as Harry got on his phone and maybe he learned it from Luke secretly but his irises shifted darkly, like a black hole sucking in the light of his life and holding it hostage, the little angel he once was locked away in the darkness with only a whisper of his screams left behind.

{~~~~}

Hiiiiii, nice to see you all again.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Forget what i said last chapter, you guys can keep to stop hating me and threatening to take my toe/finger nails because of what I did. I'm not that good of a person, 😂 Sorry!

So, Take care of yourselves and drink some water or some tea, whatever you drink.

And, that's all. Au revoir....