Two Idiots and a Cape

Chapter 24: Love Hurts (Like, A Lot)

Edward didn't remember walking home, not really, but he looked up, and suddenly he was standing in front of his house, windows dark and the street deserted. He walked up the steps numbly, stopping when he noticed something in front of his door. He picked it up, breath catching in his throat. Folded neatly, clearly having been freshly washed, was the blue cape he'd given NightHa— No, Micheal, so long ago. Why... Why was it here? Hah, wasn't it obvious? It was over. He sucked in a ragged breath, feeling his eyes well with tears as he rubbed the fabric between his fingers. It was stupid, really, it was just a cape. He had countless more just like it. Except that he didn't, and it wasn't, because it had been Hawks (Mikes), and now Mike was giving it back, and it felt like the end, even more than him walking away. He'd had hope even when Micheal was leaving, even when he'd said he didn't want to see Ed. But now? Now he'd given the cape back, and it felt like it was all too real. A sob bubbled up from his throat, surprising him even as he crouched down to cover his head, hand pulling his hair roughly. He laughed bitterly. He messed up. He messed up so bad, and now Mike was gone, and Edward had no idea what to do. He was so stupid. He should have been honest with Mike. He shouldn't have hidden so much from him, especially after hearing about his ex-girlfriend Lindsey's betrayal. He barely registered the sound of a car pulling up by the sidewalk, only realizing someone was there when they ran up the steps towards him.

"Edward! Gods, what the hell were you thinking?! I heard on the news that the club had been attacked, and then I show up and you're not there, and I can't get ahold of you– Where in the hell is your phone?" Pam yelled, sounding angry and slightly terrified. His phone? He hadn't even heard it ring. He pulled it from his back pocket, staring at its badly cracked screen blankly. Oh, it was broken. That was probably why.

"–istening to me? Ed, c'mon, you're freaking me out. Are... Are you ok? You're pretty banged up. Where is Mike, anyway? Oh my– Was he hurt? Oh Gods, is he ok?" Pam asked frantically, crouching closer to him. He looked up at her finally, eyes stinging, his voice feeling stuck in his throat like a rock. She frowned, brown eyes wide and open, hand gripping his arm comfortingly. 

"He's gone." He croaked. Pam's eyes widened in horror.

"Wha–" He shook his head, fisting the blue fabric in his hands tighter.

"N-not like that. He left. He... He found out, Pam. He found out who I was and he... He was so a-angry. I messed up, and now he's gone." Tear's finally fell, slipping down his face one after the other, and Pam stared at him wide-eyed, pulling him in suddenly for a tight hug. He wound his arms around her, holding tight, burying his dirty and bruised face in her shoulder.

"He's gone... He's gone..." She shushed him, rubbing his back, and the tears only came faster and harder, sobs wracking through him. It hurt, he moaned, it hurt like his heart had actually been torn out of his chest. He'd heard people talk about this feeling but always figured they were overdramatic. People did that, sometimes, but no, they were right.

Love hurts.

"Did he tell you who he is?" Pam asked once his sobs quieted down. He nodded against her, and her grip on him tightened.

"How can– He has no right to act like this when he hid just as much! Who the hell–!" She broke on with a growl, teeth grinding. 

"C'mon, Ed, let's get you inside. Come on, up." She stood and pulled him to his feet, his legs like jelly, and helped him stumble his way to the couch. He felt oddly numb, maybe more so than before, and he just couldn't muster up the energy to care about that right now. He felt almost stupid, feeling this distraught, but he'd truly loved Mike, and it hurt to feel that it was over.