Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Michael thought the other day was his worst day alive but he was proved wrong when this day couldn't get any worse. He got thrown with paper balls in the class, tripped in the hallway and somehow he ended up cornered in front of his own locker for goodness sake! Michael winced when a rough hand caress his face. Michael turned his face to avoid Jayson's hand. He gasped as Jayson roughly shoved his shoulder into the locker. HIS locker. Michael shut his eyes, anticipating the pain only to hear a very, very nice voice but the voice was laced with an annoyed tone,

"Do you guys really have to be jerks all the time?" Calum asked as he approached the football team with seemingly red locks peeking out in between them. Michael stood there frozen. "Fuck off Calum" Jayson said before turning back to face Michael. Calum rolled his eyes before threatening Jayson and his dumbass cliques as he reached out to take Michael's hand, pulling him from the bunch of jerk face. 

Jayson threw him a murderous glare when he surrendered unwillingly as his position in the football team was at stake. Calum was the football team captain although he didn't hang out with them that often. Who wants to hang out with such immoral kids anyways (not that Calum's any better but still)

Calum dragged Michael away from Jayson and his friends. As they trailed down the hallway, Michael tried to pull back his hand from Calum's firm grip. Calum turned to look at the red headed. He smiled sheepishly when he noticed their interlock fingers before reluctantly letting go of Michael hands.

It wasn't even long but Calum missed the warmth and the sparks throughout his body when Michael's hand touched his. Calum rubbed the back of his neck, offering Michael a handshake. "Hi, I'm Calum. Calum Hood. I'm sorry they're just.. never mind about them. Are you okay?"

Michael nodded his head timidly before muttering a small thanks and turned to dash to the main door. Michael stopped in his tracks when Calum's hand tugged at his. He looked back to look at Calum's face, raising one eyebrow in a manner to ask why. 

"You know; you never tell me your name." Calum asked with a small smile. Michael blushed in embarrassment. "Michael Clifford." Michael whispered. He then started to retrace his steps when Calum pulled him back again. Michael huffed in annoyance.

"Come on, babe you need to speak louder if you want me to hear you." Calum said. Michael turned a darker shade of red when Calum called him 'babe'. It's not like he had a crush on Calum or anything. Definitely not. When Calum found out who he is, Calum's going to leave him like everybody else did.

Michael said his name a little bit louder and tugged his wrist free. He immediately ran when he didn't feel the burning touch that sent tingles up his spine. Calum watched Michael's retreating figure. Guess Calum just needed to wait for tomorrow to see Michael again. Calum cursed in his head when he realized he just thought about seeing Michael again. Calum went back home, dismissing the thought for his nearly expired project in Mr. Bradley's class. He's so going to be dead if he didn't pass it up on time.

 Malum is goals..

Chapter Text

Calum was not a morning person. He rather be in his bed all day but school just had to be an annoying prick and force him out of his comfort. Calum trudged towards the school entrance. His eyes wandered off to find a certain red head unconsciously. He beamed when he saw Michael but Michael was gone in a second. Calum sighed. He had not stop thinking about how adorable Michael was when he saved him from Jayson. The school bell rang, everyone scurrying to their respective classroom.

♢♢♢♢

The cafeteria grew silence as the school ‘ice princess’ walked to the football team spot. Cora Lahey is the school ‘ice princess’ who nobody wants to fuck with or they find themselves in two pieces instead of one. Nobody had seen her expression change. It remained stoic at all times, as if she knew every single thing that’s going to happen the next second. She’s like a ball of enigma yet no one was brave enough to discover her.

“Hey, Jayson..”

Jayson smirked. He knew he could make the ice princess melts with his charm. The football team started to make wolf whistle, celebrating their supposed ‘leader’s’ victory. Cora even had a smirk on her pale face. There were gasp and whispers in the cafeteria at the discovery of the ice princess ability to crack a smile, though it’s just a smirk. Calum saw it then. There’s something wicked about her smile.

“Finally looking out for me, baby?”

Cora sent Jayson a very, very sweet smile. If Calum hadn’t realized his ‘new-found-crush’ on Michael, Calum could fall for Cora. She was pretty, really. Her violet locks complimented her nicely (in a way that didn’t attract Calum apparently). But then, the whole cafeteria gasped at the scene in front of them. Cora Lahey, the girl who didn’t give a shit about anyone, just grabbed Jayson by his hair and practically smashed his head into the table.

She grabbed his head again, facing Jayson towards her.

“You listen here carefully, honeybun. I don’t give a shit what you want to do with your life but if you touch him again I swear you won’t see the sun, you understand? Get it through your thick head, you’re not going to touch Michael Clifford ever. And baby, you don’t deserve me.”

Shocked was probably an understatement as no one expected that. Calum craned his neck around to search for the red mob of hair. Michael was at the other side of cafeteria, sitting alone and looking shocked as ever. Jayson looked mad, like he could pounce on Cora but he sat there holding his bleeding nose. Cora’s face returned to her expressionless face before walking towards Michael’s table.

Michael looked freaked out when Cora got closer to him. He looked up to look at Cora with a questioning gaze as Cora placed her hand on his left shoulder. “Where does it hurt?” Cora half-whispered, her eyes shone with something like fond and pity. Michael hesitantly shook his head in response and shifted away from her touch. The shove Jayson did yesterday was a little bit too harsh which contributed to his bruised shoulder.

Cora’s eyes turned into slit, face scrunched in an expression other than her signature look. Her hand pressing a little too hard on Michael’s shoulder. Michael winced in pain. “Stop whining and hold on a bit, okay.” Cora said absentmindedly while focusing on Michael’s shoulder.

“Arghh!!”

The whole cafeteria’s attention was back to Michael and Cora’s back. Michael’s scream resonated throughout the cafeteria as Cora’s orbs turned from hazel to light yellow. Michael felt his shoulder tensed up from the pain inflicted at his shoulder. Michael's eyes widened when he saw Cora's eyes. Michael felt no pain in his left shoulder anymore. Cora's eyes rolled back to her normal hazel colour. She gave Michael a genuine smile, adding another story for the students to gossip about.

“Let’s start over. Cora Lahey. Sophomore. Your hair’s nice but mine’s nicer. I don’t care what you think, we’re going to be great friends! And if that jerk came to you again, tell me.” She said with a cheery voice. Cora Lahey was just full of surprises.

 Michael blinked slowly before nodding his head. “Don’t keep it to yourself, Mikey.” Cora whispered in Michael’s right ear. She righted herself before talking with a bored tone. “You don’t have to be scared, Mikey because I’m more terrifying than what you’re scared of.” She gave Michael’s red locks a good ruffle and stalked off to exit the cafeteria with her expressionless mask back on her flawless face.

All of the students in the cafeteria was exhilarated by the new discovery (and Jayson too apparently with his, thankfully the blood stopped nose.) The annoying school bell rang again to everyone annoyance as they went to their next class. Michael followed the flow of the pupils in the hallway in the direction of his chemistry class. His body was in the class but his mind couldn’t decipher the words spewing out of Mr. Henry’s mouth when Cora’s words kept on replaying in his mind.

Malum is so cute, I kennottttt >w<

Chapter Text

 “Michael! Hey, Michael!”

Calum tried to pass the sea of people trying to reach home as soon as possible with difficulty. He shouted Michael’s name to grab his attention but to no avail. He pushed through a little bit harder to reach Michael’s shoulder. He tapped lightly and smiled when Michael turned around, noticing his presence.

Michael started to think the possibility of Calum’s appearance that involved himself. He waited for Calum to get out of the crowd and stood in front of him for his cue to talk. Calum looked all flustered when his beautiful brown orbs met with Michael’s mesmerizing emerald ones.

“Um.. Do you want to get some milkshake later? I mean after this. Or anytime you’re free but it’s okay if you don’t want to. I’ll just...” Calum rambled non stop until an eerily familiar voice cut him off.

“Of course he would love to, Cal. Just take him after this.” Michael gapped at Cora. His mind was still racing about when Calum had asked the question. He didn’t want to risk of getting attached to anyone. He didn’t want to get hurt later on, if Calum abandoned him after he was fond of being around the male.

Cora smiled. “It’s okay, Mikey. I’ll tell Karen later. And stop with those thoughts really. It’s okay to feel that way but come on, if Cal did that just tell me. I’ll kill him in the most agonizing way for you.” She added cheekily, her eyes turned into crescent when her smile widened.

“How do you know my mom?” Michael asked with a raised eyebrow. Cora just brushed him off without actually answering his question. Michael sighed. He looked at Calum’s hopeful face before nodding dejectedly. He had no choice, anyways.

“Hemmo!” Cora shouted before waving off the two off them while shouting ‘have fun!’ and a shockingly beautiful wink to top it off and running towards the said ‘Hemmo’. It was such a weird day with the ice princess being all mercurial.

Calum turned to Michael, awkwardly smiling but nevertheless Michael found it cute. Okay no, he did not just say that. He totally did not think that Calum’s cute. Totally. He nodded to Calum and walked alongside him. A comfortable silence fell upon them on their walk to Calum’s white Aston Martin. Such a rich dude.

Calum drove the car to his favourite shop ‘Destino De Espresso’ that’s located about 10 minutes away from the school. He turned on the radio to avoid any awkward situation between Michael and him. He smiled lightly when he heard Michael occasionally hummed and sang to the random songs on the radio. Michael had a nice voice.

Calum shook his head to dismiss the thought before pulling up in front of the café. They both got out from Calum’s ride and Calum held the café door open, waiting for Michael to enter the café. Michael hold his silence when they walked up to the counter to order their milkshakes.

Calum ordered a caramel milkshake while Michael went for his favourite blue coral milkshake. They occupied the table at the corner of the café, next to the big glass window. Michael gazed out of the window, minds wandering off to Cora. He turned his head to Calum when Calum’s voice disturbed him from his reverie.

“Do you know Cora? You guys seems close.” He said. Michael shook his head. He just met the girl today yet she seemed to know Michael more than himself. One thing that kept on bothering Michael was the fact that she knew his mother and she seemed to know every single thing that pass through Michael’s mind.

Michael hand automatically reached out for his once bruised shoulder. He looked up to meet Calum’s brown, worried ones. “Are you okay?” he asked, worry evident in his voice. “Yeah I guess. It’s just that. It’s been a long day for me and I didn’t even.” Michael’s little cute rant was cut short by the waitress delivering their order. Calum smiled as a way of saying thanks.

“I’m sorry what was that?” Michael shook his head as he quickly realising his self-attempt to reveal his secrets. “Nothing. It’s just.. nothing really.” Michael muttered. Calum just figured Michael was the shy type. He didn’t touch on the topic, instead trying to spark a conversation on Green Day which gained him a bit more of Michael’s attention.

They kept talking from Green Day to YouTube to hobbies and practically everything that didn’t send Michael in his safety zone. Calum was content. Michael’s phone rang and they took that as their cue to leave when it was Michael’s mother ringing him. Calum stood up and excuse himself to the washroom.

Michael said a goodbye before ending the call. He sat there waiting for Calum to reappear from the washroom. Michael bit his lower lip to contain his smile. Calum was smiling at him too. But then Michael’s beautiful smile was wiped off his face and replaced with a terrified look.

The sudden change was too abrupt to give Calum any information. He whirled round to see a man with his left hand holding a knife standing a little too close to him. Calum heard Michael shouted his name when the man swung his knife. His body was frozen. Not even a second pass Calum felt his blood trickled out of his punctured skin. Calum dropped to his knees when the man pulled back the knife coated in Calum’s blood.

Michael immediately pulled Calum into his arms. His gaze to the man was sharp. Suddenly the knife was moving not to the man’s accord. Michael’s eyes turned a deep shade of grey as the lights flickered and chairs screeching against the floor. The knife slipped from the man’s grasp, cutting the man in the process.

Everyone was in the state of panic including Michael, despite the rage that blinded his vision for a moment. The waitress was frantically calling an ambulance. Calum managed to croak out Michael’s name to grab his attention. Michael looked down when he heard Calum’s squeak of his name.

Calum eyebrows furrowed. “Mikey, your eyes…” Calum said weakly as Michael’s eyes widened. Calum looked like he was going to continue talking but instead settle with rolling his eyes to the back of his head and wincing, trying to withstand the pain. His forehead was drenched in cold sweats. Michael shook Calum’s body, beckoning him to stay awake. Calum couldn't hold it any longer and let the darkness consume him.

Everything around Michael was blurry, too fast for him to absorb when the paramedics took Calum from his arms. Michael looked at his blood-drenched palms with normal emerald orbs, feeling no energy left to actually just think. He was just following the flow and drag until he felt himself giving permission to the fatigue to pull him into the dark abyss next to the unconscious Calum.

Thank God Calum was fine.

 I didn't know why the story ended up that way...