Priorities | Malum

〰 2 〰

Michael woke up the next morning to the sound of his laptop beeping and he grew annoyed because he forgot to plug it into the charger. He sighed contently to himself when pulling it off of his lap and standing up, even though there was a crick in his back that he was too lazy to fix.

He decided to freshen up this morning, because he had a class meeting to attend around ten thirty and he didn't want to look like crap. Though he knew he did once he saw his reflection in the mirror. His eye bags were puffy and his actual eyes were still red from all of his crying. Had he really been that upset over Calum?

He cringed after staring at himself and just decided to ignore the way he looked by hopping into the shower, then putting on black jeans and Calum's sweater that he gave to Michael before he left. It's Michaels favorite now. It being grey and smelling like Calum's cologne. He still hasn't washed it.

Michael knew he looked nice now and figured it was okay for him to skip breakfast again since he assumed he needed to lose a little weight. And when he dialed Calum on skype, he felt worried that the brunette wouldn't answer.

But he was wrong when he saw Calum's sleepy expression pull up on the screen and he felt a smile tugging at his lips because finally. He missed seeing his tired Calum.

"Hi babe."

"Hi kitten," Calum said sleepily with a yawn following after. He was really cute when he was tired and Michael felt the need to boop his nose, which he did, through the screen, even if it didn't have the same effect.

"How are you today?" Michael asked Calum as he watched the boy sit himself up and adjust the pillow behind him. It had to be incredibly early there.

"I should be asking you that," Calum chuckled lightly and Michael felt himself blush out of embarrassment because he was overreacting, but for a legitimate reason. People don't take the military seriously.

"I'm okay," Michael admitted sheepishly, wishing that wasn't his answer, "I'd be better if you were here, though."

"I know baby, but I'm here for a reason. You know that."

"I know," Michael said frowning as he rubbed his tired eyes, "I just wish you chose me over that."

Calum frowned, whispering for Michael not to be like that though the colorful haired boy couldn't help it. He just wanted Calum to stay and he chose to leave. And now Michael is stuck here in a long distance relationship that he never asked for.

"I see you're wearing my sweater," Calum said, attempting to change the subject and thankfully it worked, because Michael smiled and looked down at the polyester material.

"Yeah it's soft and it still smells like you. I miss the scent of you and how my pillows and blankets always smelt like your cologne. And how you'd smile whenever you'd smell like apples because I always wanted to shampoo your hair before you had to go to work at the ice cream shop."

Calum felt himself chuckling at the memories before he brought one up himself. "Or the time I gave you ice cream for free even when I wasn't allowed to and you chose all of the toppings you liked and I thought it was adorable because you always loved your ice cream."

"And then you put some of it on my nose because you wanted to be cliché," Michael said fondly as he thought about how he had to lick some of the vanilla off but then Calum finished it by using a napkin delicately.

"I miss those moments," Michael continued softly as he played with the paws of Calum's sweater.

"I know kitten. I do too."

"Do you still have my leather jacket?"

"Of course," Calum said without hesitation before picking up his iPad and moving it around the room, "it's hanging right over there."

"Do you ever wear it?" Michael asked.

"Everyday. I usually cuddle with it before I go to sleep, because it's hard to sleep knowing that you aren't next to me; that I'm not holding you," Calum mumbled and now he was the one who was getting emotional.

"Baby, don't cry."

"I'm not, I just- it's so hard. It's so hard being away from you. I mean it's been four years and I'm surprised we've gone this long without you know - breaking up."

"Did you want to break up?" Michael asked sadly, assuming that it had to do with how clingy he's become.

"God no."

Okay, he was wrong.

"Good, because I never want to lose you."

"And I never want to lose you," Calum repeated. And Michael felt sad when realizing that it was almost ten and he had to get down to his meeting because everyone knows Michael likes being early for things.

"As bad as I want to stay here and talk to you, I have a dumb meeting for my mathematics class with my professor. Call you later?"

"Of course kitten, I'll be here."

And his response left Michael with a smile on his face as he stood up with the laptop still in his hands.

"I love you, Calum."

"Love you too, Michael."

And Michael finished the call off by puckering his lips towards the camera with Calum doing the same so they could mentally feel like they're kissing, even if they aren't physically. And hanging up was the last thing Michael wanted to do but it had to be done.

Because he had priorities, even if Calum was always his first.