Dare || m.c.

➵ 4.2 - michael

i found this video and it's so sweet i love this fam so much

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Waking up with Jade beside him was probably the best thing to have happened to Michael. She slept on her back, her arms crossed over her head, hiding her eyes. When Michael had woken up, he had one arm over her stomach, his face pressed into her side and their legs tangled together. He'd shifted so that he could slip his arm under her and brought her to lay on top of him, her head resting on his chest. He was pleasantly surprised by how much lighter she was than she looked.

He'd woken up with a girl by his side before. Multiple times, actually. But this feeling wasn't something that he'd ever felt before. It was like his heart was swelling with happiness, like he if he didn't get a grip on himself, he would literally burst with joy. He wanted this everyday, to wake up and see her face before anything else.

And when she'd woken up that day, her voice all scratchy and her eyes puffy from sleep, Michael knew then and there he was a goner.

A week later and he was waiting outside Ashton's house at 7 a.m. waiting for her to walk out so he could wish her a happy birthday in person. He'd texted her at midnight and she had responded right then, saying she couldn't sleep. It bothered Michael, because this wasn't the first she'd mentioned not being able to sleep. But he had let it go last night, wanting to just talk to her instead.

The door of Ashton's house opened and out walked Ashton himself, jumping in surprise when he saw Michael standing there like a creep. Before Ashton could make a sound, Michael clamped his hand over Ashton's mouth and whispered, "Don't say anything, just go to the car."

Something clicked in Ashton's wide eyes and he walked away without a word. Well, at least he was smart. About thirty seconds later, the door opened again and Jade walked out, putting one earbud in her ear. With her back to him, Michael jumped out from behind the bush he was hiding at and wrapped his arms around Jade, making her let out a small shriek.

"Happy Birthday," Michael whispered in her ears, kissing the side of her face.

"I hate you, oh god," she said, but the smile in her voice and the way her hands came to rest on his forearms betrayed her words. "Fuck, don't do that again."

"Happy Birthday," Michael repeated. "I'm not going to do anything cheesy or sappy, but I hope you have an amazing day today and that you enjoy it with people you love." Jade stiffened in his arms and he knew why. The two people she loved the most were gone forever. He turned her around in his arms and was alarmed to see tears in her beautiful bright eyes. He wiped them away immediately without giving them the chance to fall. "You'll ruin your make up."

Jade bit her lip and then smiled at Michael, but he could see the effort behind it. It didn't reach her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered. Then she put her hands on either side of Michael's face and leaned up to kiss him for one, brief moment. Then she locked her arms around his neck and clung to him as though her life depended on it.

"I'll give you your present after school," Michael told her, already eager to see what her reaction would be. He knew she would love it, he just couldn't wait. He pulled away from her and kissed her forehead. "You're getting late. Go, I'll see you at school."

"Okay." And then she walked away from him and towards Ashton's car. Michael stood there and waited for her to reach the car. He wished she would go to school with him, but she said she wasn't going to just stop doing stuff with Ashton simply because she was dating Michael. Ashton was one of the few constants in her life and she didn't want that to change.

Michael watched as Jade got into the car and Ashton just sat there, not even bothering to drive away. Then he put his arms around Jade and pulled her to him. Michael furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't know what was going on, but he could see Jade's shoulders trembling even from here. He wanted to go and ask what was wrong, but he felt like he would be intruding on something. They stayed like that for a while before pulling away and Jade turned looked out the window to see Michael still standing there. Before Michael could take a step, Ashton was driving away, so he just texted Jade to make sure she was okay.