Michael coughed a little, groaning as he came to. His body was tired and his eyes were burning, as he felt himself being dragged. He couldn't bother to open his eyes, groaning quietly as his feet thumped off the stairs with each step they went down. A muffled 'hurry!'was heard, before a loud bang echoed through wherever they were.
Whoever had been holding him, pushed him up against a cold stone wall, holding his arms stretched to either side. A heavy, cold thing clanked itself around his wrist and then his other, before the same was felt around his ankles, stomach and lastly his neck.
Another soft groan escaped him as something punctured the soft skin of his wrist, just below the cold thing, that soon warmed up because of his body temperature. More talking was heard, but he couldn't bother to make sense of it all, his head pounding as tiny but sharp things got stuck in his wrists and legs. A buzzing sound started up, fading away slowly.
Michael tried to push the fog in his mind away to make sense of the situation, groaning quietly again as a burning started in his wrists and legs. It started out slow and more like a stinging-sensation, before it started getting worse, slowly feeling as if there was a fire starting.
He finally snapped his eyes open, his sight blurry. He blinked multiple times, looking around him as the burning in his wrists started moving. It spread, slowly, from his wrists to his fingertips. He groaned again, throwing his head back with his little bit of strength, breathing heavily. His eyes fell onto the dark, gross looking ceiling, his eyebrows furrowing together as he tried to think of what happened.
He remembered going out for a bunny, because he wanted to try and catch it. Prove himself worthy of a wolf and Calum. Because honestly, he knew the Beta deserved way better.
He remembered blanking out half, letting something take over as he had done the last two times, only managing to take full control the moment he was surrounded by... he shut his eyes tightly, trying to remember it clearer. He saw figures, two, maybe three around him. He wanted to cower away, but instead he decided to be brave. Brave for Calum and for his pack.
Michael's eyes shot open and a gasp escaped him as the figures became clear. Humans.
He had been surrounded by humans and they had shot him with something that had made him stagger, before turning back and eventually falling unconscious. That was the last that he remembered, before he woke up to being dragged somewhere and being locked up.
He suddenly cried out, feeling the burning worsen. His whole hands and feet felt like they were on fire, while the burning crept up his arms and legs slowly. Very slowly, but still very painfully.
He tried to struggle, he tried to stop it, but it kept moving and hurting and he was getting dizzy and nauseous and he felt like just giving up. The pain he felt right now, along with all the other things, was much worse than he had ever felt in his seventeen years of living. He had been bullied, beaten up, called names, left behind and so on, but nothing beat the burning feeling, the dizziness and nausea he was experiencing now. And that said something.
"Michael."
Michael was confused for a moment, because this was not how it went. He had been in this situations so many times now -every time he went to sleep, nap, it almost even came with just closing his eyes- but it always ended bad. He'd black out, nobody would come to rescue him and that would be the end. He'd die, right then and there, being eaten by the silver.
"Michael, hey, wake up."
The black haired boy felt himself wake up slowly, his eyes opening heavily as a groan escaped his lips. He blinked a few times, making sure he was awake enough, before looking right at a pair of worried brown eyes.
"Are you okay? What happened?" Calum asked worriedly, helping the younger boy sit up carefully. Michael quickly bit his lower lip, not wanting to answer that question. But with the way Calum was looking at him, he knew it would come out eventually. And to save himself the trouble of having to hide it any longer (as he had been doing it for five days now), he sighed. "I... I've been having nightmares."
Calum frowned immediately, taking the boy's hand in his own. "Why haven't you told me? I'd found a way to help you, or at least tried to. You're not alone, you know that, right?"
Michael nodded slowly, smiling slightly at how worried Calum was. "I know. I just didn't want you to worry, like now."
The Beta averted his eyes, still frowning slightly, before sitting up a little more and looking at the other boy with a more confident look. "Tell me what's been bothering you."
The black -or well, actually more black and white with the way his hair was going- haired boy almost rolled his eyes at Calum's attempt to be more indifferent, like he always had been before, but he kept himself in check. He then went over the words, gulping and grimacing as it was a nightmare for a reason. "It's um, it starts when I'm out, looking for that bunny. Suddenly I'm surrounded, by humans. They hit me with something, some kind of sedation dart or whatever and I black out. When I wake up again, they're dragging me somewhere and before I know it, I'm chained to a wall, having needles in my arms and legs."
Calum is frowning again by then, his whole being sad. Michael gulped, chewing on the inside of his cheek before continuing. "It starts to burn and it keeps spreading and it worsens and just... It isn't like anything I've felt before. And I slowly black out again, losing hope and- and sometimes they come back and hit me or cut into my skin. But it always ends the same."
The Beta scooted closer to the boy, pulling him against himself and running a hand through his hair, trying not to frown at the fact a quarter of it was white by then. "Do you want to tell me?"
Michael wrapped his arms around the Beta, sighing as he buried his face in the other's neck. "No one comes for me and I die."
Calum felt his heart break, holding the other boy tighter and holding him until they were both getting tired again from being awake in the middle of the night. They went to lie down and cuddled close to one another, the Beta keeping the younger boy warm with his body and embrace.
Michael still had the nightmare, but this time it ended differently. It wasn't necessarily better, but at least someone came for him. Calum came to save him, but it was too late. He was dying and did so right in the other's arms. Much like Calum had expected when the boy had been so pale and lifeless after they had taken him home.
The morning went slow, both awake early and going for some breakfast, before ending up in Calum's room, where Michael looked at a picture he had found while Calum was in the shower. He hadn't meant to look around the room, but he hadn't ever done so before and he found the need to get to know Calum even better. And while looking around, he noticed a small corner of something sticking from the upper drawer of the nightstand.
It was really just the curiosity that got the best of him as he opened the drawer and plucked the thing out, letting his eyes move over the clearly old picture. It was a cute one, that for sure.
Calum was maybe a year of six or seven when the picture was taken. His sister not much older, as she got hugged by him. Their parents were behind them, arms around one another and smiling at the camera, just like the two kids. A happy family.
Michael smiled as he took in the smaller version of Calum. How he seemed so tiny and cute, unlike now, where he looked tall and tough, like he could break any of your bones without any effort. Which may be true, but that'd be the perks of being a werewolf.
"What's that?"
Michael squeaked (yes, he did) and pressed the picture to his chest as he looked to his left, seeing Calum enter the bedroom from his adjoining bathroom. He was in only a pair of jeans, a towel in his hand and ruffling through his still wet hair. And yeah, this Calum was so different from the Calum in the picture. "N-nothing."
The Beta raised an eyebrow, throwing his towel to the bathroom and approaching the younger boy. "Really?"
Michael gulped, trying to hide the picture behind his back, while scooting further onto the bed. Calum grinned, jumping at the boy and tickling his sides, making the boy shriek in surprise, before squirming as he tried to get away from the other's hands. But Calum didn't stop until he had the picture in hands, sitting up triumphantly. "Ah-hah! You were looking at... a picture of... my family?"
The younger boy looked away guiltily as Calum's happy face fell down. He frowned at the picture, his thumb rubbing over it almost subconsciously. He then looked back at the boy beneath him. "Where did you get this?"
Michael wordlessly pointed at the nightstand, biting his lower lip. He wasn't sure whether Calum was okay with this or not and if not, what he would do. Sure, he was pretty sure the Beta genuinely cared for him and liked him, but family was a sensitive topic when it came to him and Michael knew that. Which was why he was unsure.
Calum closed his eyes for a second, before opening them again and looking at the picture with a sad smile. It made Michael frown this time, his hands going up to take Calum's, pulling them down so Calum was forced to look elsewhere. Michael's eyes, this time. "Why don't we visit them?"
The Beta's eyes widened, his mind spinning. He then shook his head, going to protest, but Michael was faster, cutting him off. "Don't say no that quick. Think about it. You have been here for how long now? And you've mastered your wolf-self. You can control it. There's no way you could hurt them. And as for that stupid wolf, I bet he moved on long ago. After all, why would he stick around? He surely has better things to do."
Calum huffed out a small laugh at Michael's last words, pursing his lips before biting the lower one as he gave the younger one hopeful eyes. "You really think so?"
"Yeah, of course." Michael nodded quickly, smiling encouragingly at the other. "And I could come with you, if you want. Just so you're not alone. Or you can take Ashton, I mean, he'd probably be a better choice-"
"What are you talking about?" Calum interrupted the boy, an eyebrow raised. He then leaned down, his nose brushing the other's as he spoke. "I like you. Not Ashton. If there's anyone I should take to my family, it's you."
Michael gulped, feeling his whole body warm up at Calum's words. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely, one hundred percent, positive." Calum whispered the last word, before leaning down the last few inches and kissing the younger boy softly. Michael gasped lightly at the action, moving his arms up and hooking them around the Beta's neck, pulling him down even more and kissing him back. Calum laughed lightly into the kiss at Michael's eagerness, making the younger boy whine lightly.
And that was how they ended up in front of quite the normal house. Michael wasn't sure what he had to expect when it came to Calum and his family, but he was kind of jealous at the moment. Calum's house looked nice from the outside and that must mean his family was so too. So different from his own family.
"Are you ready?"
Michael snorted at the question, raising an eyebrow at the Beta. "I should be asking you that question. It's your family."
Calum bit his lower lip, shuffling with his feet a little. "I know. I'm just... nervous."
The youngest smiled comfortingly, wrapping his arms around the Beta and holding him tightly. "You'll do fine. They've loved you your whole life, so they can't suddenly stop."
The dark haired male smiled, nuzzling his nose in the other's soft hair, happily holding him close. "Thanks, Mikey."
"It's nothing. Now, let's get that finger on that doorbell and make your night the best one ever."
Calum chuckled as he let go of the other, his hand moving to the doorbell, soon making it ring throughout the house. He smiled at the familiar sound, his arm wrapped around the other's shoulder again as he kept his eyes on the door. He was still nervous, undoubtedly, but with Michael by his side, he felt as if he could take on anything.
The door opened slowly, a woman poking her head out to look at who was visiting this late in the afternoon. Calum watched her eyes widen as she took him in, his lower lip between his teeth. The woman threw the door open and launched herself at Calum, hugging him close. Michael stepped aside as he watched with a smile how the woman -who he assumed to be his sister, judging from their similar looks and the fact the woman wasn't looking old enough to be his mum- hugged him tightly and happily.
"Is this real? Are you really here?" She questioned, the moment she pulled back to look at Calum, her hands on his cheeks. Michael was a little surprised to see tears in Calum's eyes, but he should've expected it, with the way Calum has always loved his family. Whether he meant his real one or the pack. Calum was a family-man.
The Beta nodded, not able to form any words as he put his bigger hands over the hands on his cheeks, tangling their fingers together. The woman let out a choked sob, wrapping her arms back around Calum, while he closed his eyes tightly, hugging her back. "I- I'm so happy right now. Oh my- I just- you gotta come in. Mum and dad will be so happy!"
Calum chuckled, wiping at his eyes before nodding. He then looked at Michael, smiling so wide that the younger boy could've sworn it made the sun appear again. He took the younger boy's hand, squeezing it lightly. Michael simply smiled back, watching the woman take him in with curious eyes. He immediately felt self-conscious, but he kept up a strong-front. The woman then smiled just as bright, looking at Calum again and nudging him, wiggling her eyebrows. "Who's that, huh?"
The dark haired male shook his head, but his smile didn't disappear. If anything, it grew. "This is Michael. We're... He's my soon to be boyfriend."
Michael felt his eyes widen and his cheeks flush at those words, which he definitely had not expected to come from the other's mouth. The woman grinned, pushing Calum lightly. "Seems like your soon to be boyfriend wasn't informed on that."
Calum chuckled, pulling Michael closer to himself and kissing his temple. "He is now."
"Mali! What is taking you so long?"
Michael watched Calum freeze, his eyes now focused on the hallway that the opened door revealed. The Beta then bit his lower lip again, while Michael felt his grip tighten lightly. He nudged his elbow into the other's side carefully, making Calum look at him. He subtly moved his head to the door. "Go."
The woman -who Michael now knew as Mali- smiled once again, gesturing to the door. "Do you want to, little brother?"
Calum took one last look at the boy in his arms, before nodding at his sister, entering the house with his heart beating out of his chest and his love on his arm. But he wouldn't want it any other way.