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Michael had always thought he had the worst magic ever.
Magic was a common thing, about fifty percent of the population had some sort of magic, usually inherited through the generations. Usually, children had either the same power as their parents, or something along the same vein as them. Michael’s mum could make things levitate, and his dad was among the small amount of the world’s population who could fly.
And Michael?
Well, Michael was supposed to be able to make things levitate, including himself. But he couldn’t really control it. In fact, he’d never managed to lift anything heavier than a pencil, and that was only for a couple of seconds.
The only time he had managed to do anything more impressive was when he was seven. Some kid had been picking on another boy at school, and Michael had accidentally pelted the kid with sand. Michael had been in a lot of trouble, but he and the boy, Calum, became fast friends after that, and had stuck by each other ever since.
“What’s up buttercup?” Came a voice, and the object of his musings slipped into the seat opposite him.
Calum’s family owned a bakery, and ever since they were kids, Calum’s mother Joy had allowed them to run around. Now Calum worked there, and he always let Michael hang around. Michael returned the favour by letting Calum test his experimental bakes on him.
Michael looked up, meeting Calum’s warm brown eyes, “Just thinkin’.”
Calum grinned cheekily, “Woah there, don’t strain any muscles.”
The bell above the door chimed, and Calum quickly moved to behind the counter, easily slipping into customer service mode, although his form flickered a little, making Michael curious about the customer.
Calum’s family powers were peculiar. His mother and sister both had fire-based powers, as was the trait with the females in his family. Calum’s father could phase through walls (often accidentally when he wasn’t paying attention), and Calum could turn invisible. Michael had noticed over the years that Calum often flickered or went invisible when he was nervous, which had made class presentations interesting in school.
The customer he was talking to was a boy, a little shorter than Michael, with honey coloured curls held back in a bandana. He wore ripped skinny jeans and a Green Day shirt, which Michael approved of. Nestled amongst his curls were a handful of daisies and dandelions, and it took him a moment to realise that the flowers were growing from the boy, and hadn’t just been placed in his hair.
Calum seemed to know the boy’s order, as they had barely exchanged a casual greeting before he had gotten to work. The boy seemed content to chatter away the whole time, and Calum’s form flickered constantly.
Soon enough, the boy had left, leaving a small pile of petals that seemed to just fall from nowhere as he moved.
Calum grabbed a broom and swept the petals to the side, before sitting back down opposite Michael, frowning a little at Michael’s expression.
“What?” Calum asked, his flickering completely stopped.
Michael leant back in his chair a little, taking a slow sip of his drink before saying, “You’re absolutely whipped for that boy. Tell me about him!”
Blushing, Calum ducked his head. “I am not whipped,” he mumbled, and Michael cackled.
“Oh you absolutely are. You were flickering the whole time!”
Calum grumbled, and Michael kicked him under the table, “C’mon, tell me about him.”
“Fine,” Calum sighed, although he was smiling a little, “His name’s Ashton. He can grow flowers and heal dead plants and small injured or dead animals, within reason. His mum works long shifts as a nurse because she’s got more powerful healing powers so sometimes I let him sit in here past closing hour when he’s looking after his younger siblings. His sister Lauren his twelve and I taught her how to make flowers out of icing and Ashton says she thinks I’m the coolest person in the world.”
Michael grinned, “He sounds awesome. When’s the wedding?”
Calum huffed, kicking him in the shins, “Dick.”
“You love me.”
Lunch time rolled around and Michael actually got up to help Calum with the small rush it brought, because who said he was a bad friend. It was just after the lunch time rush that the bell above the door rang, and Michael looked up. Thankfully, Calum was busy mopping up a spillage from a small child with wings who had knocked over some old lady’s coffee, and he didn’t notice Michael’s star struck look at the boy who had entered.
He was tall, taller than Michael (who was pretty damn tall) and he had blonde hair dusted with snow. He wore a red plaid shirt and black jeans, both of which were also dusted with snow, which greatly confused Michael because it was warm outside, clear blue skies and all, until he looked up and realised that the snow was coming from a small, pathetic looking cloud that was hovering above the boy’s head.
Michael took in the expression on the boy’s face, and decided that his magic was probably emotion based. The boy looked sad, crushed, heartbroken, and Michael’s own heart ached for him. Unfortunately, in the time the boy had been considering his options, Calum had finished mopping up and had appeared beside Michael.
“Hi there, how can I help you today?” Calum asked, voice bright and cheery. He sounded tired, but his happiness was genuine. Calum adored running his shop.
The miniature snow storm seemed to be calming down a little. “Uh- I’m not sure. What do you recommend?” Michael couldn’t help but be distracted by his lip ring as he spoke.
Calum absolutely beamed at that, and Michael watched, fascinated, as the clouds became a little less angry looking.
“Well, my most popular at the moment are the cinnamon rolls, they sell quicker than I can make them some days. But my personal favourite is the blueberry muffin. And Michael here always steals the caramel tarts when he thinks I’m not looking.”
Michael scowled a little at that, but he couldn’t really be angry when this caused the boy to utter a shy giggle. The snow had stopped completely, but the clouds were still there.
“Hmmm,” The boy continued to consider, now with a small smile on his face, “I’ll try a caramel tart then, if they’re good enough to steal.”
“Good man,” Calum grinned, ringing up his total and punching something else into the till, “Alright, that’ll be 50 cents.”
The boy frowned a little, “But it says-”
“I know what it says, I wrote the price cards. But you’re cute, and you looked like you were having a bad day, and I know if I’d left Michael to it he probably would’ve given it to you for free.”
The boy blushed a soft pink, and handed over the money as Michael put the tart in a paper bag and set it on the counter, saying, “He’s right, I would have.”
The boy left, and as soon as the door has swung shut, Calum turned to Michael, looking smug.
“Now who’s whipped?”
###
The next time Michael saw the blonde boy, strangely enough, was when Ashton came in with two younger kids hanging off of him, and the other boy was with him.
Calum lit up when Ashton entered, form flickering just a little, and the older of the two kids, a little girl, ran up and threw herself at Calum, who scooped her up and tossed her in the air a little, and it was so sickeningly domestic that Michael had to look away.
Instead, his eyes settled on the blonde boy, who was hanging back a little awkwardly as Ashton and Calum exchanged a flower filled greeting, both of them absolutely oblivious to how smitten the other was. There weren’t any clouds above his head that day, although a slight breeze seemed to be ruffling his hair even though they were inside.
Before Michael could introduce himself, the younger boy that had been clinging to Ashton made his way over, staring up at Michael with wide hazel eyes.
“Your hair-” The boy said, reaching up, and sometimes Michael forgot that his hair was dyed.
Michael lifted the boy up, “You can touch it if you want,” He glanced up to see the blonde boy watching him with soft eyes, and suddenly Michael was no longer holding the child in his arms, instead the boy was floating, a few inches above Michael’s hands, giggling.
“Sh- shoot-” Michael panicked a little, concentrating enough to be able to hold the little boy again without dropping him.
He blushed a little, hearing Calum snickering, but the little boy didn’t seem to care. He tugged Michael’s hair.
“Wow! You’re hair’s so pretty! And you made me fly! My name’s Harry, are you one of Ashton’s friends? Cuz you’re super cool and-”
“Harry mate, stop bothering Michael,” Ashton spoke up, and Michael didn’t even wonder how he knew his name.
Michael shifted his hold on Harry, “He’s not a bother,” He said, wincing a little at a slightly harsher tug on his hair.
Ashton rolled his eyes, taking Harry from Michael and shooing him over to a table, where the girl was sat, some school books spread out. Calum sat down with the kids, and Michael busied himself with closing up the shop, not really sure what to do with himself.
The sign had already been flipped over by Calum, so Michael just shut the blinds and did some general tidying up.
“Michael stop pretending you’re actually helpful and come sit,” Calum said, and Michael did so.
Michael couldn’t help his awkwardness, although Ashton didn’t seem to notice and the blonde boy seemed just as, if not more, awkward.
Calum and Ashton seemed to be wrapped up in their own bubble, helping Ashton’s siblings with their school work, easy conversation flowing between them.
Michael looked away, rolling his eyes at how in love the pair were as Ashton brushed some petals off the table.
He was surprised then, at the snicker that came from beside him. Looking over, he saw the other boy, who seemed just as fondly irritated as Michael felt.
“Sickening, isn’t it?” He said, and the boy smiled.
“Yeah. Disgusting. You’re Michael, right? I’m Luke.”
Michael grinned, “Yeah, that’s me. It’s nice to finally get your name. Did you enjoy your caramel tart?”
A soft blush blossomed across Luke’s cheeks, not unlike the flowers Ashton was constantly sprouting, “Yeah, it was great. I see why you steal them.”
Ashton giggled from the other side of the table, and Michael rolled his eyes, “Who do you thinks gonna ask first?”
“What?”
“Ashton and Calum,” Michael explained, lowering his voice a little, “who’s gonna ask who out first?”
Luke laughed softly, “I dunno. Ash is oblivious as hell when it comes to love.”
Michael nodded in agreement, “Yeah, Cal is an idiot too.”
“I guess we’ll just have to wait to find out.”
###
Michael and Luke had exchanged numbers at the end of that evening, and had been texting back and forth every since. They tried to hang out as much as possible, the four of them or just the two of them, but everyone’s different jobs made that difficult.
Still, they had a weekly get together, usually on Fridays, and they met up whenever they could. Michael had to forcibly shoo Calum out of their apartment at one point to go out on what was definitely not a date with Ashton. Calum felt guilty for leaving Michael alone. Michael had spent most of the night texting Luke, who was working the night shift at the place he worked.
A few more definitely not dates had taken place between Calum and Ashton since then, and Michael was cautiously optimistic.
He was hiding out in his room playing Pokémon one night, when he heard the door slam shut. Assuming it was just Calum coming home, he ignored it, until a blue pansy grew out of the carpet, right next to the wall that attached to Calum’s room.
Michael rolled his eyes, and decided to text Luke.
to: luke<3
cal and ash came back here
flowers r growing from my carpet
from: luke<3
lmao suffer
to: luke<3
>:(
thats mean
but i think theyve finally realised that all this time, theyve actually been going on dates
from: luke<3
:O
the big day!!!!!
Michael couldn’t help but laugh at that, before he got distracted by a few more pansies blooming next to the wall.
to: luke<3
more gd flowers
wtf r they doin in there
from: luke<3
at least your man cave will look nice
to: luke<3
oh
oh no
i know what’s happening
from: luke<3
what????
to: luke<3
can i come over?
i don’t wanna listen to my best friends fucking
Michael turned the volume up on his game while he waited for Luke to respond.
from: luke<3
O.O
ksjdldkj
alright as long as you bring a movie
to: luke<3
will do
youre a lifesaver
Ten minutes later, Michael was at Luke’s front door, an old copy of Grease in hand. Luke opened the door, a sleepy smile on his face, and stepped aside to let him in. Michael tried not to gawk at Luke’s shirtless body, and probably failed miserably.
Luckily, Luke wasn’t paying attention to him, instead he was leading the way into the living room, where it seemed his whole bed had been merged with the couch.
“Did you set up for a proper sleep over? Aw, Lukey,” Michael teased, and Luke rolled his eyes.
“I just wanted to be comfy,” He said, taking the DVD from Michael and kneeling in front of the player to set it up. Michael kicked off his shoes and made himself comfy under the layers of blankets.
Soon enough, Luke joined him, ignoring all the free space in favour of cuddling right into Michael’s side. Michael missed the first ten minutes of the film as his brain short circuited from the feeling of Luke’s scruff scratching against his collarbone (Luke’s scruff was a fairly new development which caused Michael a lot of strife. Luke had come back from a week with his family, scruffy beard making an appearance, and Michael could barely form words for the next half an hour. Calum had bullied him for it afterwards).
Michael was just beginning to think he could survive to the end of them film, even if the popcorn Luke had so carefully prepared was starting to hover just above the bowl, but then Luke’s weight shifted, his breath evening out. Luke had fallen asleep.
The film passed in a blur, Michael only became aware that it had finished when Luke snuffled softly and lifted his head.
“Oh- did I sleep through the film? I’m so sorry-”
“It’s fine,” Michael cut him off, “You’re cute when you’re all sleepy.”
Luke blushed, stammering a little before shaking his head, “We should go to bed, it’s late.”
Michael laughed, “I’m just teasing. Do you want help getting the contents of your bed back onto your bed?”
“Yes please,” Luke got to his feet, bundling his blankets into his arms and heading to his room. Michael grabbed all the pillows and followed.
It wasn’t uncommon for them to share a bed, but Michael always felt a bit awkward doing so. Particularly now that Luke was looking so damn attractive, all sleep worn and soft looking. Michael was going to spontaneously combust.
The pair shuffled about, getting ready for bed. Luke leant Michael a shirt to sleep in, and Michael got changed in the bathroom, maybe more than a little self-conscious. When he came out, Luke was already in bed, fiddling with his phone charger.
“Can you get the light on your way,” Luke asked, stifling a yawn.
“Sure,” Michael flicked the switch, making his way over slowly so as not to trip in the dark.
The pair got comfortable in bed, well, Luke got comfortable. Michael tried not to suffocate on how much he was suddenly in love with him.
“You okay Mikey?” Luke asked, voice soft. Michael felt Luke’s arm wrap around his waist as Luke pulled him into his chest. Michael couldn’t even complain about being the little spoon.
Michael hummed softly, “Yeah. ‘m good.”
I’minlovewithyouI’velovedyousincewefirstmet.
“If you say so,” Luke mumbled, pressing a kiss to the back of Michael’s head, “Sweet dreams.”
###
Michael woke up to an empty bed and the smell of something burning.
He sighed and swung his legs out of bed, finding his jeans on the floor and tugging them on, before making his way into the kitchen.
As predicted, Luke was there, scraping some burnt remains out of a pan and into the bin.
“Don’t tell me you tried to cook breakfast,” Michael said, startling Luke who spun around to face him. This time, Michael was almost prepared for his shirtless body. Almost.
Luke pouted, “I just wanted to do something nice for you, um. Cuz I realised something last night.”
A small white cloud was steadily growing above Luke’s head, turning grey, until eventually small snowflakes started falling, drifting down gently. It was different to his usual snow storm, and Michael didn’t know what it meant.
“What did you realise?” He asked, walking over.
Luke blushed, looking at the floor, “I uh. I realised that I’m kinda, sorta...” he trailed off.
“Speak up Lukey.”
“I’m in love with you.”
Michael fell silent, stunned. Luke seemed to take this as rejection, as the snow became a little more fierce as he scrambled for words.
“It’s okay if you don’t love me back or anything, it’s fine. I just didn’t wanna keep a secret from you. Don’t feel guilty about not feeling the same way-”
Michael cut him off with a kiss, pulling away quickly.
“Luke, you are by far the biggest idiot I know. I’ve had a crush on you since the day you wandered into Calum’s bakery looking all heartbroken.”
Luke’s eyes widened, “Really?”
“Yeah,” Michael laughed, and Luke pulled him into another kiss.
“Oh my god,” Luke mumbled, barely pulling away, “Does this mean we’re just as stupid as Ashton and Calum?”
Michael snorted, kissing Luke’s nose, "No one is as stupid as them. They were pining for months.”
Luke giggled softly, “That’s true. Also, has our new found love got anything to do with the microwave floating?”
“Fuck-”