: Tainted Holiness : [Muke] ON HOLD

[30.]

I parked in front of the lake house after a few hours of trying to remember the directions. Although I had only been away from the house for about five days (that was how long it took to the police to hunt me down at my house) it seemed different. It was overcast giving the lake a grey-tint rather than its usual bright blue. Seemed fitting for my mood after all that happened.
Michael's canvas top Jeep was parked in front of the house when I got there, telling me that he was probably hiding somewhere close when he made the phone call to the police station. I lugged my bags up the wooden steps of the porch pushing open the door Michael never locked.

I found my boyfriend sitting on the couch flicking through and album on his phone (presumably one with pictures of his dead best friend), his hair was now dyed a fiery red colour. Michael looked paler than usual, his eyes red-rimmed and the dark circles under his eyes only standing out more.

"You look like shit." I spoke into the silence finally getting the older boy to look at me.

His eyes raked over me, probably taking in my bloodied clothes, before his eyes paused on my cheek focusing on the bruise that had only gotten worse the past few hours.

He chuckled lightly, "I'd say the same about you Princess."

I shrugged it off, my father was behind me. He meant nothing to me anymore. The whole ordeal was like a bad nightmare and I'd get over it with time.

I sat beside Michael as I assumed he was looking at pictures of Ashton.

I looked up at the man, "You're a fugitive now."

"I didn't kill him, Luke you know that." He breathed going to inspect the bruise on my face but I quickly slapped his hand away.

"You have explaining to do Michael."

Michael sighed placing his phone aside, "Ashton had problems, lots of them. He was like me, he got kicked out and ended up hanging out with the wrong people. I was able to say no to most things but Ash wasn't that strong. He was broken when I met him, he just wanted to fit in."

"What do you mean?" I pressed.

Michael chuckled sadly, "Ashton has been on ever drug imaginable, and of course with drugs comes debts. Luckily for Ashton he found people that were willing to help him out with his addiction and pay some people off for the cunt. Then he started dating all four of them."

I thought back go the polygamous relationship and the people I'd had the chance to meet. They seemed to have really loved him.

"Sometimes Ash would relapse. Fall back to one, or six of the drugs he was on." Michael explained, "Niall would usually take it the hardest, since he was the one that fell for Ashton's dumb ass first. If Ashton needed a fix he'd take money from the blonde first, as much as Niall would yell he would always try to help him out."

I tried to understand, "So how did you get involved?"

"The boys apparently had enough and cut Ashton off from their money for his own good after a really bad cocaine binge. That's why he came crawling to me."

Michael sighed looking at his fingers, "I couldn't help him destroy himself, so I didn't give it to him. Word must of got that we had an argument about it and now the police are after my ass."

"Babe..."

"I would never hurt Ashton." He sobbed, "He like my stupid kid-brother I'd never..."

"Michael I believe you." I squeezed his thigh.

"Good." He pulled me into his arms. I could hear the vulnerability seeping through the his words as he hid his face in my neck. "Because no one believes me right now."

~•°•*•°•~

I laid in my bed with Michael's head on my should, stroking his bright mane as I watched a movie he had downloaded on his laptop as he slept. He'd obviously had a long few days.

I scolded myself for wanting to blame him for what happened to Ashton. I was just upset that I got dragged to the police station and I took out my frustration on him. I knew Michael wouldn't kill anyone, he had a rough exterior but I knew he was harmless.

"Do you regret meeting me Princess?" Michael questioned groggily turning over so his face was hidden in my stomach, "Do you wish you could forget about the damn day I walked into that church?"

"Mike..." I looked down seeing the hurt.

He touched the bruise gently, "I ruined you're life."

"You helped me."

"You got hurt."

"So did you."

"But I cause it..."

"And I caused all of your pain too." I brushed the hair out of his eyes, "You got forced out of the closet because of me. Your parents hated you because of me. You left your home because of me."

Michael sat up from my lap, cupping my unbruised cheek. "Does that sound familiar Princess?"

I thought about it for a second. The bad boy shows up at the church for a second and I run away with him, only to return to the hatred of my father and then run back to him.

"But I'm happy here." I whispered against his lips, "You helped me get away from a place I didn't want to be. I'd rather have you than that life you think was so great Mikey."

He smiled slightly before our lips met softly before I was pulled into his arms.

"I think I'm in love with you Luke Hemmings." He placed a kiss to my hair.

I hummed contently, curling further into his side.