Pushing himself off the bed, he grabbed the small tablet of paper that laid on the stand next to the bed. Fishing a pen from the drawer, he was quick to write Ashton a small note. He didn’t want him to worry when he came back to see that Luke wasn’t there. Quickly writing ‘Ash, went to have drinks with Mikey, be back soon, xoxo Luke.’ He leaned over and laid the note on Ashton’s pillow before he moved to change his clothing. He moved almost as slow as a sloth, he’d barely slept the past few days and he was certainly afraid that it was going to start affecting his performances on stage. Maybe he should have taken Mikey up on his offer to talk a few days ago, but he didn’t. He would talk to him now though, open up to him as much as he possibly could in what little time they would probably have together.
When he dressed, he slipped his phone into his back pocket, making sure he had the volume on incase Ashton needed to get in touch with him. Slowly he made his way to the bad and slid into the first empty seat he could find. He was drained beyond belief and at this point he would do anything to get just a few minutes of sleep, it was better than nothing, but no matter how hard he tried it never came to him. He looked around for a moment before he laid his head down on the bar waiting for his friend.
Zoey’s fingers were entirely too excited to text back, her mind was buzzing too much to even do it with technomagic. But she wasn’t too excited to techno port straight into Michael’s living room. “Babe, please tell me that this doesn’t count as an official break up because I would never. I’m so sorry that I couldn’t love you back.” She hopped into his arms then. “I love you,” she said before her lips touched his. “I love you. I love you. I love you,” she said as if she were a broken record on repeat. Each confession of love followed by a kiss.
Notes: Zoey spends the last half of her summer with Michael and his family.
Zoey was excited to say the least. She’d spent part of her summer in Switzerland with Asher, but she was anxious to get back and spend the rest of it with Michael. The flight back had her practically bouncing in her seat from the eagerness to see the man she’d corresponded with through texts and phone calls, and now she’d finally get to see him in the flesh. Part of her was nervous, because she was going to be spending time with not only him, but his parents. Zoey had a million scenarios playing through her mind, most of them worst case scenarios where they didn’t like her, or she slipped up and they found out that she was a student, which would definitely be frowned upon. She’d even managed to keep this thing she had with Michael from her friend on their Switzerland trip, which was a feat in and of itself, so she definitely didn’t want to blow it now. All of her thoughts and worries slipped away when she stepped foot off the plane, making her way through the airport, and saw him. At first sight, Zoey went from walking to a run, straight for Michael, dropping her bags, and hopping into his arms. “Hi!” she said excitedly. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” Her smile was bright and her voice cheerful.
Michael paced around the baggage claim as he waited for Zoey's flight to get in. He'd missed her while she was in Switzerland, and was excited to see her again. So excited in fact that he'd arrived at the airport a full thirty minutes earlier than he needed to be if the arrivals board was anything to go by. His parents had offered to come with him to pick Zoey up, but he'd given them a polite yet firm no. He wanted a little bit of time alone with her before they went back to his childhood home. Michael knew that as soon as they walked through the door his mother would be fawning all over Zoey. Not only was she the first girl he'd brought home, but he'd been talking her up all summer. And she was most certainly worth all the hype. When he saw a large group of people making their way toward the baggage claim, Michael checked the board and grinned when he realized it was her flight. Craning his neck over the crowds in search of Zoey, his smile brightened when he spotted her coming toward him. He held his arms out, holding her tight when she jumped into them. "Oh I'm so excited to see you." He kissed her softly, knowing they'd be able to make up for lost time later when they weren't in public, and pulled back with a wide smile. "How was the flight?"
Zoey felt as if she’d waited forever to feel his lips pressing against hers. She wanted so much more of those, but she knew that this was definitely not the place to begin showing him much she’d missed him. “It was long, but good. It seemed like it took years, especially knowing that you would be here waiting for me. I brought you random souvenirs from Switzerland,” she told him, before placing a light kiss on his lips. “I missed you, texts and calls just don’t compare to this. How are things at home? I’m kind of nervous to be meeting your parents, I brought them souvenirs too. I hope they like them.”
Michael chuckled and nodded at her comment that the flight felt like years. "Yeah it felt like it took forever from this end too. I am very excited about souvenirs though. Did you get that chocolate too?" His eyes twinkled as he grinned, his heart warming with the knowledge that she'd gotten gifts for his parents too. "Babe, you didn't have to do that. Thank you. I'm sure they'll love them though." He took her hand, glancing over at the baggage claim belt started to move and grinning playfully at her. "So how many oversized bags do you have?"
Zoey grinned when he asked about the chocolate. “Of course I did. It is amazing. I was not leaving without some for you.” She knew that she didn’t have to get his parents things too, but it was the polite thing to do. “I know, but besides, I couldn’t get you all the gifts and get them nothing. I wanted to show my appreciation for them letting me stay.” Zoey looked over at the slowly spinning bags with a sheepish smile. “Only two. I always sort of, over pack for things, and well I went to Switzerland with one and my carryons, and somehow, I came back with two. But I knew that you and those muscles could handle the job of helping me carry them.” She gave him a bright smile then.
Michael shook his head before kissing her temple. "You are very sweet. My mother is going to adore you." As he listened to her talk about her bags, he couldn't help but laugh. "Well I appreciate you looking out for my muscles." Giving her a wink, he grabbed her bags as she picked them out from the masses before leading her out to the car. "So are you ready to see Denver? Was this one of the places you and your parents lived in?"
Zoey talked as they walked to the car. Her smile widening at his question. "I'm very ready to see Denver. We've traveled to Colorado, but never Denver. For a while they helped out at the The Bird Conservancy in Fort Collins, but I was so young then I didn't really truly appreciate the place. I do remember though that I did love going on the birding trails. I think I always as a child envied and wished that I could fly, like them, they did it so gracefully and being one with nature I found it so surreal. Who knew later in life I really would be able to fly," she chuckled, getting caught up in the memory.
Michael smiled as she rambled. She was always so adorable when she just continued talking. Especially when it was something she was passionate about. "Look at you. Living just like the birds." Putting her bags in the trunk, he helped her in the car before jogging around to climb in the driver's side. As they pulled out onto the road, Michael grinned and gestured outside the window. "Welcome to the Rocky Mountains. There's a great view from the balcony just off the game room upstairs. You'll be able to get some amazing pictures."
Zoey took in the beautiful sights outside the window, and she found herself in awe. “It’s such a breathtaking view. You grew up with this beautiful backdrop. I can’t wait for the incredible shots I can get.” It was seeing sights like this that made her understand her parents wanting to conserve the beauty in the world. She could appreciate what they did most days. “What was it like growing up here?” she asked, taking her gaze from one amazing view to another - him.
Michael glanced over at her and grinned. "It was pretty amazing to grow up here. Constantly surrounded by the beauty of nature. I spent as much time outside as I could. Every winter we'd go down to Estes Park for a week and go skiing. During the summers we'd go camping every weekend. I loved it." He reached out to take her hand, lacing their fingers together. "Maybe we can go camping some time while you're here. Just the two of us."
Zoey smiled as she listened to him speak about growing up in this beautiful place. “That sounds like an absolute dream!” She smiled down at their twined fingers, before looking back up at him as he drove. “I’d love that actually. You could ask me to do almost anything and as long as you’re there, I’m definitely agreeing.” She truly enjoyed spending time with him, and getting to go camping with him would definitely be a highlight to her summer.
Michael nodded in agreement. "It really was. I am very lucky to have grown up in a place like this." He chuckled, raising an eyebrow and smirking. "Is that so? I'm sure there's something you'd say no to. You've now given me a challenge." With a wide grin, he pulled into the circle drive of his parents home and got out to help her out of the car. "Here you are, milady. Welcome to casa de Kingsley."
Zoey tried to think herself of something that she'd say no to, and all she was drawing were blanks. "You can try, but even I can't think of something that I'd say no to." When they pulled up her nervousness from before had hit her like a ton of bricks. They were there now and she was about to meet his parents. Though people that could raise such a charming and sweet guy like Michael must have been nice people themselves, she reasoned. Her hand slipped into his as she took in the view of his home from the outside. "Casa de Kingsley is incredibly nice! I just really hope to make as good an impression on the Kingsleys on the inside as I did with the one on the outside." She momentarily rested her head on his shoulder, trying to quell the nervousness that had overcome her.
Michael wrapped his arm around her shoulders and chuckled. "I'm sure I'll be able to find something by the end of the summer." He rubbed her shoulder gently and turned to her with a smile. "Hey, don't worry. They are absolutely going to love you. Now let's get inside." Grabbing her bags, Michael led the way inside and called out for his parents as he closed the door behind Zoey. Just as he was setting her bags next to the staircase, his parents came around the corner from the kitchen. Michael took Zoey's hand and smiled at his parents. "Mom, Dad this is my girlfriend Zoey. Zoey, these are my parents Helen and Richard." Michael's dad nodded and grinned at Zoey telling her that it was nice to meet her, while his mother smiled and pulled Zoey into a hug.
Zoey felt herself relax just a bit when he rubbed her shoulder and assured her that she shouldn’t worry. “Okay,” she took a calming breath, and leaned up to kiss his cheek. “Thanks for the mini pep talk.” She definitely had needed his assurances once more that they’d love her. She followed him inside, and attempted to brace herself for first impressions. Those were important they were the ones that were remembered forever. That line of thought just made her more nervous. When Michael introduced her, she felt the swarming worry and thoughts easing, her smile bright at the word ‘girlfriend’, she’d never tire of hearing that word. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you as well, Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley,” she said almost timidly. It was a nice surprise to be pulled into a hug. Her smile then was natural and felt the tension easing out of her small frame. She thanked them for having her in their home, and even complimented them on what a beautiful home it was then, feeling more relaxed.
Michael smiled proudly as his mother wrapped Zoey up in a hug. The older woman pulled back with a small shake of her head. "Please call me Helen. Welcome to our home. I trust you had a nice flight in?" She turned to lead the way back into the kitchen, Michael taking Zoey's hand to follow his parents. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head before whispering in her ear. "I told you they'd love you."
Zoey smiled then, making a not to call his mom Helen. "I did, it was long and seemed almost torturous, but that was mostly because I was eager to see Michael and meet you two." There was certainly no lies in that. It already was a ten hour flight, but it felt like she'd been on it for days. Of course there were time differences of about eight hours. She felt any lingering nerves fall away when her hand fell easily into Michael's and his lips touched her forehead. Zoey gave his hand a gentle squeeze, looking up at him then. "I'm glad. Otherwise there might have been tears," she said in response.
Michael winked at her and shook his head. "It's a good thing I never had any doubts then." As they walked into the kitchen, Michael's mom offered them each a glass of water which Michael declined for himself. He glanced at Zoey with slightly raised eyebrows. "Do you want something to drink? Or would you prefer to get settled in and maybe relax a bit from the flight?" He didn't want to overwhelm her with his parents as soon as she'd gotten in.
Zoey shook her head. "No thank you," she said, declining the offer for water. But she did want to settle and rest just for a little bit. "Definitely get settled and relax, but only for a bit. If I relax too long I might sleep for days." She knew jetlag could happen, but right now she was fine. The last thing she'd want is to spend the first few days sleeping without getting to know Michael's parents.
Michael chuckled, pulling her close. "Not a problem. I'll show you to my room, so you can relax and freshen up before dinner." He waved to his parents before turning to lead Zoey upstairs to the room they'd be sharing while she was there. When he opened the door, he gestured around the room with his arm. "Welcome. I tried to hide all of the embarrassing things from when I was a teenager." He set her bags that he'd picked up on the way down at the end of the bed. "Also I told my mom about the no meat thing. She looked up a recipe for vegetable lasagna that she's going to try tonight. She's a pretty good cook, so I'm confident it will turn out well."
Zoey grinned. "I'm excited to see your room!" As he gestured around, she looked looked around, playfully pouting when he said he hid all the embarrassing things. "I like embarrassing teenage things." Her frown turned into a smile once more when he mentioned his mother making a vegetable lasagna. "That was very sweet of her and of you for thinking about me being a vegetarian. I bet it'll be perfect!" Zoey looked over at Michael, walking over to close the distance between them. "Thank you," she said, standing on the tips of her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a soft kiss. "For letting me come spend the rest of my summer with you."
Michael laughed and shook his head. "No way. I'm not ready for you to see them yet. Maybe by the end of the summer." Wrapping his arms around her waist, he deepened the kiss briefly before pulling away with a smile. "Thank you for agreeing to spend the rest of your summer with me. And my parents. I'm sure your friends were doing a lot of fun traveling and cool things. You easily could have gone with them, but I'm glad you chose to come stay with me instead."
Zoey chuckled. "Okay, I can wait, I'll even share embarrassing stories about my childhood so we can share in the embarrassment." Her body always felt as if it were the most relaxed when he wrapped his arms around her. She felt as if all those meditations and searches for that truly zen feeling at times couldn't compare to just how relaxed and at peace she was in his arms. "I wouldn't miss this for the world. We get to just be us here. As soon as the summer's over, I'll be getting inventive about reasons to see as much of you as I can, so part of the summer with you without inventive reasons sounds amazing to me." Sure his parents didn't know about her being a student at RIAP, but they still could just be them. "Besides, I missed you. Fun traveling or not, this is my version of fun."
Michael grinned. "Okay, that sounds like a plan. We'll swap embarrassing stories at a later date." Sitting on the end of the bed, he kissed her jaw before pulling her onto his lap. "That is one of the best things about being away from school. We don't have to hide our relationship. We can even go out on dates and hold hands in public without worrying that someone from school will see us. I really missed you too. Though I am glad you had fun over there."
Zoey smiled as his lips touched her jaw. Once she was in his lap, rested her head on his shoulder then as she listened to him talk. “Exactly, imagine had I not seen you all summer and the first time I see you is on campus. I would have pounced on you without even thinking about it.” She chuckled just thinking about it. “It’s hard though not gushing about how amazing my boyfriend is, because you know, he is the most incredible guy in the universe. Not just the world, the universe.” She lifted her head, looking at him seriously before kissing him again.
Michael held her tight and laughed. "Yeah that definitely would not have gone over well with the chancellor. I know what you mean though. Not being able to tell my friends about the amazingly gorgeous girl that I'm dating really sucks." Kissing her back, he ran one hand up and down her side while brushing the fingers of the other through her hair. He pulled back and smiled. "But it doesn't matter right now. We have all the freedom to do whatever we want, whenever we want."
Zoey laughed, knowing that that exact predicament definitely wouldn’t have gone well at all. Her smile brightened when his fingers brushed through her hair. When she was away on her snowboarding adventure, she thought a lot about this moment and was so glad that it had indeed arrived. “I love the sounds of doing whatever, whenever.” Zoey’s hands moved to either side of his face, her thumbs brushing over his skin, looking at him seriously, she said, “Even when we’re there, it maybe not be this freedom, but as long as I get to be with you, I’m a happy camper.” She wanted to make sure he knew that with the freedom or the secrecy, she was happy.
Michael kissed her softly before resting his forehead against hers. "I am sorry that we have to hide our relationship. I would never keep you a secret if I didn't absolutely have to. But I am very glad that you're happy. You being happy makes me happy." His fingers stroked her back as he smiled. "So do you want to nap a little bit before dinner? I can go downstairs and get out of your hair."
Zoey shook her head when he apologized. "You don't have to apologize for that. I'm absolutely okay with it, because you need to continue being the incredible Psionics professor that you are and doing what you love, and I get to be the incredibly awkward and lucky girl that gets to see you outside the classroom." She definitely would love a bit of a nap, but part of her didn't want to leave his arms just yet. "I would, but would you lay with me until a fall asleep? I kind of selfishly want to spend as much time as I can in your arms."
Michael nodded, smiling softly. "You are so incredible. And I would love to lay with you until you fall asleep." He shifted her off of his lap before moving to lay back on the bed. Opening his arms, he grinned and gestured for her to join him. He was glad she didn't want him to leave just yet. They hadn't seen each other since just after the semester ended, and he really wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. At least right off the bat. They'd have plenty of time for individual alone time while they were with his parents. Although Michael knew they probably wouldn't want it. Their relationship was still new and in the honeymoon stage. They wanted to spend as much time together as possible.
Zoey smiled, glad that he didn't think that she was being a bit clingy, but not seeing him since the semester ended, she definitely was overdue for being in his arms. She joined him as he laid back in bed. Her head resting on his chest above his heart, listening to the soothing sound of it beating. She could already feel herself starting to drift. Just before she did, she leaned up kissing his jaw. "You don't let me sleep too long, okay?" She didn't want to miss too much of her first day here by sleeping, but her nap came quickly and she hoped wasn't so tired that she started snoring, that just wasn't cute.
Michael kissed the top of her head, whispering against her hair. "I promise. Sleep well, beautiful." He wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her as close as possible. Tracing his fingers up and down her spine, he closed his eyes listening to the rhythmic sounds of her breathing. The adrenaline of her arrival was finally starting to wear off and he found his eyelids growing heavier and heavier. It wasn't long before he was asleep too, his soft snores mixing with hers.
Zoey found herself in the most restful sleep that she'd had in a very long time. It had only been when the phone in her back pocket vibrated that she was startled awake. She smiled then, realizing that Michael had fallen asleep too. Reaching back to grab her phone, she saw that it was letting her know that it was about to die. Zoey, tossed it aside in favor of placing a light kiss on Michael's cheek. "Pssst," she said placing another kiss on his lips. Nuzzled her nose against his cheek hoping to wake him. "You were supposed to wake me, but apparently we both fell asleep." She giggled then.
Michael groaned softly and shifted in his sleep. He could just barely make out the sensation of Zoey nuzzling his cheek, and the realization that she was in bed with him again woke him up further. As he continued to wake, he tightened his hold briefly before slowly opening his eyes and smiling apologetically at her. "Sorry. I guess I was more tired than I originally thought. What time is it?"
Zoey loved that sleepy him had tightened his hold on her before he opened his eyes. "Hey there, handsome. It's okay, I'm not complaining. That was the most rested I've been in a while." At the question of the time she grabbed her phone, not remembering to look at the time before, but it hadn't lit up this time. "My phone died," she said shrugging lightly tossing the phone aside, once more. "I hope we didn't miss dinner though. My tummy is going to start sounding angry if we have."
Michael closed his eyes again and grinned. "I am inclined to agree. I haven't been sleeping as well as I normally do, and I think it's because I knew I couldn't see you until now." When she mentioned that her phone was dead, he shifted to pull his out of his pocket and glanced at it. "We were only asleep for about an hour. We're good. Besides mom would have come and woken us up if we were still asleep by dinner time."
Zoey reached up, cupping his cheek, thumb brushing over his cheek. "I think that was my problem too. Being that far away, knowing I can't see you. It was a lot of restlessness for the duration of the trip." She sighed in relief then. "Good, as crazy as it sounds I don't want to sleep away this part of my vacation. I plan to battle jet lag, so that I'm on the right sleeping schedule." Sleeping while everyone was awake and vice versa would be odd. "And you might think I was creepy if I was always awake while you were asleep and I just watched you sleep."
Michael kissed her cheek softly. "It doesn't sound crazy at all. I'm sure you want to go do fun things and just hang out. It's difficult to do all of that when you're asleep while everyone else is awake." He laughed loudly and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe if I had woken up to you staring at me and didn't know that you'd been watching me. That would be pretty creepy."
Zoey laughed then. "That would be both funny and terrifying. Waking up to someone just staring and you weren't aware. I promise I'll let you know I'm staring if I do." She grinned, knowing that she liked sleep too much to watch others partaking in it. "When I stare and you're awake I have the major case of the heart eyes."
Michael laughed again. "Wouldn't it? You're still half asleep and you wake up and roll over and your partner is just staring at you silently. That's some American Psycho shit right there." Rolling his eyes, she rubbed her back lightly. "I don't know why. I'm not that special."
Zoey couldn't fight her fit of giggles. "It's worse if it's like pitch black and all you see are the whites of someone's eyes shining down on you. That's the start of horror movies right there." She laughed so hard imagining it that her vision started to blur. Once she controlled her chuckles, she shook her head. "Not that special? You Michael Kingsley are sweet, charming, and caring. I get nervous when I talk to people and I stutter and ramble, but with you, you just have this way about you that makes me comfortable. I don't ever feel silly even if I say the silliest things. You have this amazing smile that just exudes comfort and this way that's inviting. You're smart, from what I hear of the Psionics majors, you're a great professor, and then you're all those things and on top of that handsome too. You have eyes that I could get lost in. I could take pictures of you that would just be a work of art and all you're doing is standing there. You're just so sexy that it's beyond words. You're all these things wrapped into one insanely hot package, and most days I'm just in awe that you'd want to be with me, but I'm happy you do," she explained.
Michael shuddered before laughing with her. "That sounds absolutely terrifying! I'm going to have nightmares now. You'll have to protect me tonight." He smirked and winked at her. As Zoey went on and on about his apparently good qualities, Michael couldn't help the blush that spread across his cheeks. He tried to hold in a shy smile, but failed miserably. Holding her tight around the waist, he kissed her passionately before pulling away. "You are absolutely incredible. I am so lucky to have you in my life."
Zoey grinned. "With these muscles," she said, flexing her very small, nearly nonexistent muscle in her arm, "of course I can protect you. If you really do have nightmares I'll sing to you and maybe sing the nightmares away." Zoey reached up to caress his cheek. It was definitely a nice change of pace to not be the one blushing, and it was absolutely adorable to see the flush coloring his cheeks and the shy smile he wore. Before she could say anything she was swept into a passionate kiss, falling headlong into it. "I may very well be a cheerleader for the school, but now I'm your personal cheerleader. Any time you need me to tell you how amazing you are, I'm here. You're just lucky I didn't make you a Powerpoint presentation."
Michael laughed and shook his head. This was insane. He knew he was falling for her already. This wasn't something he'd ever expected to happen, much less with a student. But Michael found that he didn't really care. All that mattered was that he had her and she made him incredibly happy. Pulling her into another deep, passionate kiss. He pulled back and chuckled at the thought of her making a Powerpoint presentation. "There really won't be any need for that. Thank you though. Maybe just a reminder here and there."
Zoey melted into the kiss. She'd grown so used to his touch, his lips against hers that it was a necessity. When she was away, she felt as if she'd lost a necessary part of herself. She knew that it probably was way too soon to feel that way, but she definitely did feel it. Michael often took her breath away. As their lips parted, she smiled. "I can definitely do that." Her lips pressed lightly against his once more. "I don't know how I survived part of the summer without you, to be honest. I feel like all is right in my world right now." Zoey rested her head on his chest once more. She felt her lids drooping once more. “Just a little bit more of a nap before dinner?” she asked, looking up for his nod before she fell asleep once more, no longer nervous to meet his parents, and truly feeling like her world had been righted.
Zoey was having the absolute best dream of her life. She felt as if she were on cloud nine had been feeling as if she were on cloud nine for the past few days. In her dream, she’d been in bed with the hottest professor on this campus, Michael Kingsley. The dream was one that she hadn’t wanted to awake from. She felt as though if she’d kept her eyes closed, she could feel him next to her, his arm slung across her small frame. Her back pressed against his front. She’d had some vivid dreams before, but this one was different. It felt real. As she snuggled in closer, her eyes slowly crept open.
She blinked away the lingering sleep that called out to her, only to find that she was definitely not dreaming that there was someone in bed with her. Her heart started to race, and for a moment her thoughts were so jumbled she couldn’t remember the night before, but she definitely remembered in a rush all of the other horrible choices she’d made this weekend. Her head hurt and her memory fuzzy. Zoey tried to calm herself so that she could think clearly. Very slowly she turned, trying not to wake whomever she shared a bed with. When she did so, she shut her eyes still too nervous to look. Breathe, Zoey, you can do this, just look. She pried one eye and then the other open. Sleeping soundly there was Michael. She froze, believing that her blissful dream was not in fact a dream at all. She lifted the covers slung over them, somehow hoping that she was still wearing clothes. Peeking under them, she found that she was not. Zoey quickly pulled the sheet up around her, trying to think of what to do now, trying to piece together what exactly had happened.
Not knowing what else to do, she awkwardly poked him on the shoulder that was the safest place to touch right now. What was she going to say? She didn’t even know how this man would react to finding her in bed with him. Let alone all the other variables that complicated matters. The more her thoughts swam the more her head hurt. “Um…Michael…” she poked him again as she spoke. “W-we have a…situation…”
After an hour of tossing and turning and not being able to fall asleep, the young man sat up and rubbed his hands down his sweaty face. Despite the fact that his window was wide open and his duvet tossed to the floor, he had still sweated right through his t-shirt. With a loud frustrated groan, Callum tossed himself back on the bed for a moment before rolling off it to go wash away the heat in a cold shower. He knew the cold would wake him up further but he had no other choice, it was either that, lay on his bed and sweat more, or drink coffee and bounce off the ceiling and wake up the rest of his family, and he didn't want to do that. He never once let his family see how much he was struggling and he wasn't about to start now.
As he tugged on an overly large sweatshirt over his newly dried torso, Callum crossed his bedroom floor and looked out of the window. He saw nothing but rain and darkness. Funny, he thought, it was like the weather was trying to imitate him - that or it was just the universe mocking him - but that was a far-fetched thought so he shrugged it off. With a tap of his thumb, he unlocked his phone and saw that it was almost two in the morning. He knew he had an appointment with the therapist in less that ten hours but the dark haired male couldn't wait. He tossed on his purple hooded jacket and quietly snuck out. He then made his way swiftly to the door that belonged to Michael Loughlin. Callum just hoped that he wouldn't be berated for knocking on his door so late at night, but he had no one else to turn to.
He knocked three times then waited as the rain trickled down the back of his neck and drenched his hair. He was toying with the sleeve hems of his jacket as a light flickered on. A moment later and the older man appeared at the door. "I can't do this."
The fight with Seb was nothing too out of the ordinary for Lucifer. The usual threats against friends and punching were what he expected when confronting others. He supposed that he'd underestimated Moran despite everything that he knew about Jim's assassin. He should have known the lengths he'd go to hurt him and Michael. But even being prepared for Seb's threats would not have given him room to suspect that he'd bring up their mother. Not many people knew about her, due to the family's reluctance to talk about her. Lucifer himself barely remembered anything about Lucille. What he remembered was his father talking to the two of them and telling them that she was dead. He'd probably cried.
Naturally, Moran's talk of her death disturbed him. It had been an accident, that's what he'd understood from everything. That's what his father had said when guests asked about his wife. Lucifer didn't know if he could trust Seb, but Moran's words bothered him. He had no one to turn to but Michael for an answer. Michael should know. Michael had to know. If Lucifer wrote to their father to ask, he could only imagine the elder's wrath. So he went to his brother.
Lucifer found him in one of the courtyards, studying outside. He approached purposefully and sat next to him. "Do you think Seb was lying? About our mother?" He asked quietly.
Isobel had been at the New Years Eve party pretty much by herself. Though, she'd promised Michael to show up and be there. Little did she know that he wasn't going to show up... He'd 'owed' her something now, he'd said, which was the reason she was now walking towards the main entrance of the large school. Isobel never really went out for food that often, usually just the things in the cafeteria and other stuff that was easy. Isobel ran her hand through her long wavy hair and pulled her coat closer to her body. It was cold outside and even though Isobel was used to snow, she still wasn't adjusted to the cold.
The brunette stopped at a little bench, wiped some snow off of it and sat down. Since she didn't see Michael yet, she was just going to sit down and wait for him to show up. The little restaurant wasn't very well known around the school, it was something she'd just ran into on a cold winter day in her sophomore year. It had been freezing like crazy and as she stumbled in, she already knew this was going to be her new favorite place. The food was amazing and it was extremely cheap, which was something that only made the little pub-like restaurant more interesting to her.
