Chapter Text
Michael had been avoiding his two best friends’/ ex boyfriends like they were some kind of deadly disease. He made sure to stick close to Luke, who he had come to find very comforting to have around, unless Ashton was ever spotted coming over to talk to the blond haired boy.
It wasn’t until lunch that Michael was forced to face the two boys’ he had been avoiding. After a long debate with himself about just skipping lunch and hiding in the bathroom vs. going to lunch and having the bad luck of being forced to talk to Cashton (Yes, Michael gave them a couple name because it was too hard to say their individual names and not have his heart break over and over again,) it was Michael’s stomach that made the decision for him by growling loudly at the boy in protest of not being fed for so long. Also the fact that the cafeteria was serving pizza was also a great excuse to go eat.
In all honesty Michael didn’t know what to be more upset about; the fact that he had made it to lunch with high hopes of eating pizza and realizing that he had forgotten his wallet at home, or the fact that he was now sitting with Luke while Cashton made their way to the table with worried looks on their faces. Okay, he figured he was more upset about the second one, because A: He was still starving while this was going on, and B: What the hell was Calum still doing here?! The boy didn’t even go to this school. Michael realized this was one of the first time he didn’t want Calum near him.
“Mikey,” Calum’s voice snapped Michael out of his thoughts. The red haired boy looked up to see Calum looking down at him with worry filled eyes. Ashton had moved away from Calum and Michael could feel Luke’s heavy gaze on him, which he chose to ignore.
“I- “was all the read haired boy was able to get out before he looked away from Calum and down at the floor, his nails digging into the palms of his hands.
“Oh Mikey,” Calum whispered and then Michael felt himself being pulled up from his seat and into a familiar lap of the beautiful boy he had learned to love. Calum’s warm and familiar arms wrapped around Michael’s small body, and it wasn’t until Calum was hushing at him with fingers tangled into Michaels hair, and Michael’s face buried into Calums’ neck, did Michael realize that he was sobbing.
He felt Luke tense up next to the couple, and he was sure that Calum felt it too, but they both ignored it. Say what you might, though Calum had found his soulmate and though Michael and Calum weren’t a couple anymore, they were each other’s firsts for many things, and thus they shared a bond that was in a way unbreakable.
Michael gripped tighter onto Calum and began to shake in the boy’s arms and cry harder.
“Mikey, baby, shh, you need to calm down love. Can you breathe for me? Steady, follow my lead babe, in, okay good, and out. That’s it angel, come on again.” Calum cooed as he counseled the other boy to get his breathing back to normal, his lips pressing onto Michael’s temple, head, shoulder, cheeks (letting his lips brush away Michael’s tears), and anywhere he could reach between breaths.
Ashton and Luke shared a look between one another, a knowing look filled with both sadness and something close to heartbreak. But the two stayed quiet as they watched the other half of the group melt into one another in a way nether Ashton or Luke had never experienced. And at that moment, Ashton wondered if the whole system had gotten something wrong and his Calum, the boy he just got into his life really actually belonged to him. Ashton pushed back the tears in his eyes as he watched Calum kiss away Michael’s tears, while Luke just gave Ashton a sad smile.
It took Michael about a good 15 minutes to fully calm down, his head in Calum’s chest and legs around the boy’s waist as he sat on his lap, arms wrapped around Calum’s neck. Calum whispered softly to Michael, causing the boy to giggle and burry his face deeper into Calum’s chest.
Kissing the top of his head, Calum looked up, his eyes meeting the sad ones belonging to his soulmate. Guilt filled Calum and at the same time his soulmate tattoo began to sting as if there was electricity shooting through it. “Hey Mikey,” Calum said softly to the boy wrapped around him causing Michael to hum in response, “Is it okay if I talk to Ash for a bit, in private?” he asked hesitantly. Michael froze for a bit before nodding and slipping off of Calum’s lap and sat next to Luke, who was nibbling at his sandwich.
Calum stood up and held out a hand to Ashton, “Come with me?” He said softly, watching the boy hesitate before taking Calum’s hand and standing up. He quietly followed Calum out of the cafeteria and into the hallway. They walked until they reached the doors leading to the outdoor patio.
Ashton bit his lip, his eyes gazed down to the ground, his teeth nibbling on his bottom lip, “You wanted to talk?” he softly whispered, his gaze still down. Which is why he didn’t realize Calum walking up to him until he felt arms wrap around his waist and feel himself being pulled against a strong body. Ashton tensed up for a few seconds before he let himself relax into Calum’s arms and burry his face into his chest. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled into the other boy’s chest.
“Why are you sorry sweetheart?” Calum softly whispered, letting his lips press against the other boy’s curls.
Ashton let out a soft whine at the “sweetheart” before placing his hands flat on Calum’s chest, letting himself be engulfed in Calum’s, “I didn’t mean to take you away from Michael,” he whispered.
“Sweetheart, Michael is my best friend, and yes also my ex, but I’m not with him anymore. I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t love him, because I do. But Ashton, you’re my soulmate and I care about you so much, I wouldn’t want you to feel hurt for any reason. I’m sorry you felt hurt when you saw Mikey and I like that, and I can’t promise you that you won’t ever see us like that, because you will. But what I can promise you is that you’re the only one that I will hold close and want to kiss every inch of. You’re my baby boy, and will be from now on, I promise you that,” he said softly as he pulled back from Ashton a little and used his fingers to lift his chin up. He leaned down letting his lips brush against Ashton’s soft ones.
Ashton’s face was flushed red, his wide eyes staring into Calum’s loving ones, “Cal…” he whispered, shocked at the other’s words. Instead of responding, he stepped up onto his toes and let his lips press against Calum’s into their first kiss.
“Here,” Luke said softly as he slid his sandwich towards Michael, who looks up at Luke with raised eyebrows, “you look hungry, plus your stomach has been growling this entire time,” he explained, a smile on his face.
“Uh, thanks,” Michael said softly, looking down at the sandwich, biting his lip.
“You don’t like egg salad?” Luke asked with his head tilted.
“It’s not that, I was just craving pizza, that’s all,” he replied shrugging it off.
Luke watched Michael fondly at the red haired boy picked at the sandwich, almost glaring at it as if it was an insult to the amazing smell of pizza that filled the room, “I’ll be right back,” Luke chuckled.
Michael hummed and continued to pick at the sandwich, slowly putting a piece into his mouth chewing slowly with a confused look on his face as if to say ‘What is this abomination inside of my mouth?’ Michael went to take another bite (because even though he didn’t like it he was still hungry) when suddenly a plate with two slices of beautifully smelling pizza was placed in front of him. Looking up in shock, Michaels’ eyes met Luke’s beautiful blue ones causing him to blush, “What’s this?” he asked softly as Luke sat back down next to Michael.
“Pizza,” Luke answered simply, “you said you wanted pizza, did you not?”
Michael looked at Luke as if he had grown another head, “Yeah, but I didn’t mean for you to go buy me one!” he replied, shaking his head.
“Well, I wanted to, so eat,” Luke smirked causing Michael to blush but pick up a slice and take a bite, letting out a moan at the taste and blushing again when Luke raised an eyebrow. “That good huh?” Luke teased, “maybe I should buy you pizza more often,” he finished with a wink.
“Shut up,” Michael answered looking down at the table, “want some?” he asked after a bit of silence and held up the slice of pizza towards Luke, who leaned over and took a bite, never breaking eye contact with the other boy. Michael gulped and looked away quickly taking another bite and avoiding Luke’s eyes. They spent the rest of lunch with Luke teasing Michael and Michael blushing while feeding Luke every other bite until the bell rang just as Calum and Ashton returned to the cafeteria with flushed faces and red swollen lips.