greatamazingfeelingsboy

mid-Jan

Michael isn't doing too hot. Which, fuck, of course he isn't. He'd been literally abducted, cut into, cut open, studied, like some fucking science experiment straight out of any sci-fi movie. Of course he isn't doing well. But he's not even talking. Caleb's so worried about him that he's taken off from school for the rest of the week, and he visits whenever he can handle it.

Right now, he steps into the apartment with a wan smile at Alex, and he follows Michael's feelings into the bedroom. They're muffled — acetone, Caleb's pretty sure — but ever since that weird moment in the lab, when he'd felt Michael reach out, Caleb's had an even stronger connection with him. The acetone does nothing to really hide the feelings from him.

One of the dining room table chairs is by the bed, because Caleb sometimes stays for a long time. He wishes Dr. Bright were here. If anyone could be trusted with Michael's secret, it'd be her, and she'd be able to help him through this. Caleb isn't equipped for this beyond his ability, and he's not even sure he's actually helping.

He sits in the chair, draping his jacket against the back of it, and looks at Michael, allows himself to tune into his frequency.

'Fucked up' doesn't even really cover it.

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Caleb matches Michael's breathing, without even thinking about it. Each breath squeezes his chest tighter against Michael's back, and he echoes Michael's squeeze of his hand with one of his own.

"You're not alone," he murmurs. "Okay? I'm here. Alex is here. We've got you."

He's been alone for so many years of his life. Even when he had Max and Isobel, he felt alone, because they had a happy family, and he had the group homes and the loneliness. Now, he has Caleb and Alex, they have Luke, and he has friends.

He's not alone.

And it's the strangest thing to get used to it. He drags a word, barely whispered, but spoken. "Thanks."

That one syllable, a whole sentence, unties the knots that Caleb's insides had worked their way into. He lets out a shuddering breath and clings to him a little tighter.He wants to tell Michael to keep his gratitude, because of course they'd helped him. Of course they'd gotten him back. He wants to point out that Michael would've done the same for him, if it'd been Caleb on that fucked up table. He wants to tell him that he'll never let anything like this happen again, even if he has to learn how to shoot a gun, even if he has to ask Rowan to teach him how to kill. He'd do it, to keep Michael safe.

But he doesn't say any of that. He just holds him, not trusting himself to speak, and if tears prick at his eyes and slide down over the bridge of his nose, then maybe Michael won't notice them.

Now that he's spoken, it hasn't unleashed the rest of his words. They still feel caught up behind a dam that he's nervous to let loose, but he's so grateful for Caleb's relief, curling into his body. He feels awful that they did this for him, because it's just more death that's tied to him, but he wanted to be rescued.

When he turns a little, he sees the tears on Caleb's face, and he uses his rough, calloused thumb over them, giving him a look that basically pleads for him to not cry.

Because if he does, then Michael's going to -- again.

Caleb huffs a weak laugh and manages a smile. "Shut up, you weren't supposed to notice," he says. He sniffles and wipes his face on Michael's shoulder. "I'm just... so fucking relieved we got you out of there, and... and you're gonna be okay. I promise."

Michael makes a face, because now his shoulder is all soggy, but he doesn't care, not really, and he ruffles Caleb's hair off his forehead, gently touching and making sure he knows that Caleb is okay, too, because he willingly entered into a war zone for him.

His smile is still tired, like he doesn't have the energy, and he wishes that he could do anything else, but he feels like he can't. So instead, he rests his forehead against Caleb's and just breathes out slowly.

It's the same exhausted, sad fog that Adam feels. Well, not the same, but close enough that it makes Caleb's heart ache. He closes his eyes, forehead against Michael's.

"Just rest," he murmurs.

Michael doesn't want to rest. Closing his eyes brings nightmares, and that's the last thing he wants right now. He'd rather press up against Caleb and try and think of happier things. He reaches for the notepad and writes, talk to me? on it.

And then adds a little happy face with a question mark, like that'll get Caleb going in the right direction.

Caleb smiles small. He's not great at telling stories, but he gives it a try. He tells Michael about playing Quidditch with Alice and her friends. He tells him how the game works, in case he doesn't know, and about their positions, and the different things that happen during the game. While he talks, his fingers keep up a gentle, steady drag against Michael's arm, trying to soothe him with touch, hoping he'll drift off.

Michael doesn't actually accuse Caleb of nerdery, but he mouths the word when Quidditch comes up again. He's starting to feel a little better for the soothing voice, for his being there, and for the way he can just let Caleb's touch lull him.

It aches to think that his secret is out there, that people know he's an alien.

Fuck, what's he supposed to do? He doesn't sleep, mostly because he hasn't been, but he adjusts to press in tighter, tapping Caleb's hand to get his attention. He gestures to himself, then adds, "...how many know?"

His voice is small and rough and broken, and Caleb feels a fresh swell of protective rage at the people who did this to him. Then he registers the question in the words, and he swallows.

"No, I mean, no one," he lies, and tries not to wince at how obvious it sounds. "Alex took care of the, y'know, the people there, and. Yeah, no one knows."

Michael's a bad liar himself, but the thing is, he doesn't recognize it in other people. He trusts them, at least when they're close to him, so he trusts Caleb at his word, especially when he knows that Alex had done something about it.

He nods, trying to let that soothe him, and he breathes out raggedly, curling into Caleb's hold. He mouths 'okay' and closes his eyes, making a gesture with his fingers for Caleb to keep talking.

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