"There are no secrets that time does not reveal,"

~Jean Racine

Michael's phone went off at three AM for the second time and he groaned, but after seeing Calum's name flashing across the screen he grew more alert. Calum hated phone calls. he texted or talked to you in-person. He never answered his phone or called anyone.

"Yeah?" Michael grumbled rubbing his eyes.

"Hey Mikey!"

Michael could hear the beat of some terrible music playing in the background.

"Cal? Where are you?"

"I'm at a club!" Calum explained. Michael could have guessed that much on his own. "'S not fun, anymore,"

"Why are you at a club, Calum?"

"Wanted ta get drunk, Mikey!" Calum explained. "Can you come 'n' take me home? I wanna go home, Mikey,"

"Yeah. Yeah I'll come. What club are you at Cal?"

"I dunno. Somethin' day? Night 'n' day? I dunno, Mikey,"

"Alright, I'm coming,"

"Please hurry," Calum begged finally sobbing. "I wanna go home,"

"Just hang on a little while. I'm coming,"

"Don't bring, Luke. He'll be angry. And I'm sorry for being drunk. You know 'cause your dad," Calum was sobbing again and Michael winced.

"It's alright Cal. I'm coming, just me,"

"Thanks, Mikey,"

Calum hung up then and Michael stumbled out of bed and wriggled into black skinny jeans stuffing his phone into his back pocket and pulling Luke's sweater over his head. He placed Robert in Luke's arms in place of himself and shoved his socked feet into his beaten up converse. He trudged downstairs and headed out to the club he thought Calum was at.

He wondered why Calum had wanted to get wasted in the first place. Maybe he wanted to forget. But them he was thinking about his dad and it was eating away at him. He was tired and not in the mood to think about his dad. He didn't want to be thinking about anything. Not that early.

His shoes pounded the sidewalk and he walked on only his hair and pale skin visible to others. Pros of wearing all black, he thought bitterly. He didn't like wearing colour. It made him look approachable and normal. So he dressed in black to ward others off, but he loved dying his hair random colours.

Michael walked and walked and just as he was beginning to think he was lost he caught the vibrations coming from the music at the club.

"Oh Calum," he sighed, "What did you get yourself into?"

after a few more yards he could hear the music and at the street corner the place came into view. It was exotic to say the least. Coloured lights could be seen flashing through the windows and the door was continuously as people headed in looking for a good time or stumbled out drunk beyond belief sometimes attached to someone else at the lips. A few drunken girls made their way over to him and one attempted to kiss him, but Michael easily dodged them all, leaving them dazed and confused.

After minutes of pointless searching Michael was nearly ready to delve into the club himself when he saw the figure sitting against the wall a little ways down. He could tell the boy was crying from the way his shoulders shook and how his chest heaved. Michael had been there too many times to count.

"Cal! Calum!" Michael called out fighting through people to get to him.

The boy looked up in recognition of the word and that was all the confirmation Michael needed. He burst through the group of people and was at the drunken boy's side in seconds. Part of him was terrified. His experiences with drunk people were not exactly good. But this was Calum. Good, light-hearted, joy-filled Calum. So why was he crying?

"Cal? Look at me. What's going on?" Michael asked gripping the boy's shoulders gently but firmly.

Calum tried to choke out the words but they were hardly even letters, perhaps syllables. But Michael couldn't speak morse code. It was hard enough to understand Calum on the phone with his slurs, but this was something completely different.

"Calum, breathe. Just breathe. It's fine. Everything's just fine," Michael rambled.

They were things he had been told at times when he was breaking down. He couldn't remember if they had helped or not, but he said them anyways, because he didn't know what else to say.

"I like girls," Calum muttered.

Michael was beyond confused.

"Okay? You like girls. there's nothing wrong with that Calum. Nothing's wrong. It's okay,"

"I'm not into guys,"

"Alright. Girls all the way right? Yay girls and stuff," Michael wasn't really sure what was going on, but Calum gave a weak drunken laugh.

"You're gay as f*ck Mikey," he laughed.

"I know. I'm trying to empathize, but I don't know what's wrong,"

"How's that going?"

"Sh*tty. Now c'mon. What's wrong?"

"I swear I like girls," Calum said.

"Okay?"

"But, but Ashton..."

"What about Ashton?" Michael asked. "Did he do something? Say something? What about him Cal?"

"I like him!" the boy yelled. Michael furrowed his eyebrows as the Kiwi boy covered his mouth.

"Okay, and?" Michael pushed. There had to be more, this was Calum. He was too happy to cry over a crush.

"I have a crush. On Ashton Irwin," Calum muttered still crying.

"I don't see the problem,"

"I'm not f*cking gay Michael!"

Michael tried not to take offense. Calum was confused and upset. He wouldn't have said it if he weren't drunk. But then, aren't drunken words sober thoughts?

"It's, it's weird. Unnatural. Boys are supposed to like girls and vice versa. I can't like Ashton,"

That one hit home.

Unnatural.

Unnatural.

Unnatural.

The amount of times he'd used that one.

"Sh*t. Michael I didn't mean that you're not right. Or Luke. Because I'm fine with it. But my parents raised me to believe that I'd meet some girl get married and have kids. I'm not supposed to be gay,"

"Maybe you're Bi. Look I don't see why you're crying. You're too happy to cry over some crush anyway,"

That one earned a laugh.

"You're not mad?"

"About?"

"The whole unnatural thing?"

Michael shrugged, "It's fine. Nothing I haven't heard before. Besides, you didn't mean it. You're drunk out of your mind. Now about Ashton..." Michael wriggled his eyebrows and Calum laughed hitting him gently on the shoulder.

"I've never found guys attractive before though,"

"Maybe you're like, Ashton-sexual," Michael suggested.

"Maybe,"

Michael almost sent Calum to a mental institute for that because Ashton-sexual was definitely not a sexuality, but he remembered last minute that the boy had consumed far too much alcohol.

"Let's just get you home for now, yeah?"

Calum nodded and Michael helped him up.

Michael had originally thought Calum was sitting out of laziness, but he was practically carrying the boy as they started walking. Michael wondered faintly how much Calum had drunk, but he pushed the thought away and headed to Luke's. Calum could stay on the couch, Michael was too tired to walk the boy to his own house and then head back to Luke's.

"Are we going to Luke's?"

Michael was surprized Calum knew where they were, but he nodded in agreement.

"Like a sleepover?"

"Yeah Cal. Sleepover. You'll take the couch right?"

Calum nodded frantically. "Ashton can share if he wants. I don't mind,"

Michael lied. "Ash's on the floor. Don't worry,"

"'M'kay," he agreed softly.

Michael simply banged on the door when he got to the house, to busy holding up Calum to open it. He kicked it a few times until it flung open resulting in him nailing Luke in the shins.

"What the f*ck?" Luke hissed.

"Sorry!"

Luke looked up to see Michael and relief flooded his face.

"Michael! Thank God. I woke up and you were gone, and I was so worried and then there was this banging and then you kicked me and, and. You're safe. And... why's Cal here?"

"Really long story. I'll tell once he's passed out," Michael dragged Calum into the house and discarded him on the couch. Luke closing the door and trailing after the two.

They waited for Calum to fall asleep before heading back upstairs and Michael discarded his clothes before joining Luke who was only in his boxers. Michael snuggled into Luke's arms and hugged both he and Robert tighter to himself.

"So... Calum?"

"He called me and asked me to go get him,"

"Why's he drunk?"

Unnatural.

Michael shrugged keeping Calum's crush on Ashton a secret. "I didn't ask," he lied.

"Alright," Luke kissed Michael's forehead and within minutes they were both asleep. But Calum's words lingered in Michael's brain even after he was asleep.

Michael woke up before Luke and headed downstairs to see Calum still passed out on the couch and Liz flicking through channels on the TV.

"Morning," Michael greeted her.

"Morning Michael," Liz smiled looking over at him. "Coffee?" Michael shook his head and sat on the love-seat.

He watched as Liz flipped through channels before settling on some gossip show.

"'S bad luck to sit on a love-seat alone isn't it?" Calum asked waking up nearly an hour later.

Michael shrugged and Liz rolled her eyes. "Stupid wives tales," she muttered. "I'll start something for breakfast, yeah?"

Calum nodded eagerly but then groaned clutching at his head and Michael simply smiled. He didn't want food, but he was glad she made the gesture at least. Liz laughed and shook her head at Calum. "I don't even want to know what you got up to last night young man," she teased before disappearing into the kitchen.

Calum looked at Michael, "I'm sorry. For everything I said last night. I really didn't mean most of it. The exception being the whole Ashton thing,"

Michael smiled. "It's alright,"

"What's alright?" Luke asked coming down the stairs and nearly tripping before flopping down next to Michael in matching sweatpants.

"Him calling me to go and get him last night," Michael said. It wasn't completely untrue, but it also wasn't completely honest.

Calum had the right of mind to not say anything or react to Michael's words. Luke nodded and kissed Michael's forehead pulling the boy into his arms.

"You guys are sickening," Calum muttered.

"I'm sorry. You can always leave," Luke joked.

Calum laughed. "And miss the free breakfast? By all means, continue kissing,"

Luke laughed and Michael rolled his eyes, but they tuned into what the reporter on the TV was saying about the celebrities soon enough.

Liz called them in for breakfast within minutes and they all filed into the kitchen sitting at the table. By Calum's plate was a coffee and two Advil's for the boy to take. He smiled at Liz and down them before, like Luke, digging right in. Michael however, was not nearly as enthusiastic. He noticed how Liz had very kindly put much less food on his plate in comparison to the others and was grateful, but either way, it was a lot for him.

He cut it into small pieces to star and began slowly forcing himself to eat each piece. Not even a quarter in Michael wanted desperately to go and puke it all up because he felt fat and disgusting. He felt like a pig and he hated it. He hated himself.

Calum left after cleaning his plate and thanking Liz for not kicking him off the couch. And Liz disappeared to do whatever she does in her spare time. But Luke stayed next to Michael while the smaller boy ate, even though his own plate was long since empty. He whispered sweet nothings and words of encouragement and rewarded Michael with kisses every so often.

"I want to spend today with you," Michael told Luke when he finally finished. "I want to take you some places. Their special to me, and hopefully you too," Luke nodded and Michael led him upstairs to get dressed. "Hurry," he instructed.

Luke rolled his eyes but obeyed, and Michael dragged him to the car his mind swimming with thoughts and his heart pounding with emotions. Drunken secrets and untold truths played in his mind, but they dulled to nothing when Luke shut the door and Michael began directing him towards the lake where Luke had once taken him.