Chapter Text
Being back home after such a long time on the road was weird. Of course, Luke was beyond happy to finally be with his family again - but somehow, his heart still felt heavy. Because while he may be reunited with his parents, his second family was now missing. It was dumb, really, but after spending so much time with his three best friends, being without them just felt wrong.
As he laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling, a certain emptiness settled in his stomach. He missed Ashton's stupid jokes, Calum's giggles - but most of all, he missed Michael. Because what do you expect after so many nights of sharing beds to feel less lonely and homesick? What do you expect after all those featherlight kisses in the dark of the room when nobody could see what the hell they were doing? And well, what do you expect from teenage boys that jump from flight to flight, meeting hundreds of people but never staying long enough to actually get to know them?
Luke turned over in his bed, pushing his face in the pillow to stifle his defeated groan. Michael and him had agreed those cuddles, kisses and experimental touches were solemnly for the purpose of feeling less lonely. They had agreed that they would only do that kind of stuff on tour, when nobody was watching. They had agreed that this was purely to get rid of that homesick feeling, to let off some steam, to get rid of those annoying hormones.
But now, 5 days back at home, and Luke felt more homesick than ever before. Because while he was in the house he grew up in, it wasn't his home anymore. Michael was.
Luke turned again, grabbing his phone from the charger. 02:17 am. Without a second thought he opened Michael's contact and called him. Fucking hell, what was he doing? Michael was probably sleeping or gaming or-
"Hello? Luke? Are you alright?" Michael's voice was like honey, so sweet and loving it instantly soothed Luke's racing thoughts. And because he really didn't think this through, Luke just laid there, staring at Michael's contact for a moment. "Luke? Are you there? Is everything okay?" There was an urgency in Michael's voice, as if he was worried something might have happened.
"Yeah, right, sorry... I- uh... I'm fine?" Luke stammered, cringing at his own awkwardness.
"So... I'm guessing you can't sleep either?" Michael chuckled lowly, amusement evident.
Luke let out a soft sigh in defeat. „Yeah. It's like, I don't know, you know?"
"How poetic, you should put that line in a song."
"Fuck off, Mikey."
"You're the one calling me, I can hang up if you insi-"
"No!" Luke bit his lip. He sounded awfully desperate. "I mean, no, please don't hang up," he murmured, slightly embarrassed. Then, it was silent. Luke was afraid he'd messed up, but before he could say more, Michael's voice met his ear again.
"Can you come over? I kinda really miss you." Luke blushed at the question. Was Michael feeling the same urge as him? The urge to be together in the dark of the night?
"Sure, give me 15 minutes and I'll be there."
"Good. I might be stuck in a game when you arrive so just climb through the window, it's open."
"Okay, you nerd."
"Yeah, whatever, see you in 15, bye."
Luke put on a hoodie and sweats before quietly leaving the house. He took his old bike that was way too small by now, but he really didn't want to walk all the way. His knees ached when he finally arrived at Michaels parents' house, but he ignored it and put his bike against the wall of the house. Then, he walked to the window to Michael's room. Inside, he saw Michael in front of his PC, headset covering his ears and eyes trained to the screen. If Luke had to guess he would say it was League Of Legends. A smile tugged at his lips and his heart was racing as he climbed into Michaels bedroom. He closed the window behind him and walked up behind his best friend, watching him play for a moment.
"What a shame," Luke sighed and wrapped his arms around Michael from behind as he died in the game.
"Fucking hell, Luke, don't scare me like that." Despite his protest, the older put his arms on top of Luke's, pulling him further into the awkward hug.
"You can finish your game, I'll just watch," Luke mumbled after a moment, nuzzling his nose against Michael's neck before standing back up and taking a seat on the bed.
"I can just quit, it's okay. I don't care about a penalty for leaving." Luke knew the weight of that offer. Michael had missed his PC so much during the last months, complaining on a daily basis how he craved to play League of Legends again. He really wanted to let Michael finish his game.
"No, it's okay, don't rush. I don't care how long it takes as long as you're kicking ass," the blonde chuckled and let himself fall into the soft sheets that carried one of his favorite smells in the whole world. Michael chuckled at Luke's comment and focused back on the game, winning after about 3 more minutes.
As he turned around, his heart skipped a beat. Luke, laying in his bed, cuddling with the pillow with his eyes closed. "Fuck," he whispered breathlessly, unable to stop the noise from escaping his lips.
Luke's eyes opened at that, watching him with worry. "You okay?"
Michael stood up and sat down next to the younger in response. His hand found those blonde strands he loved so dearly, playing with them for a moment. "I know I sound insane but I just realized how much I missed you. I guess all the time I spent with you and the others just made my brain redefine the word home or some shit. I don't know, I'm not good with words."
Luke smiled at Michael. "I think you're quite good with your words, because you just described my feelings perfectly."
The silence that followed was charged with so many questions neither dared to ask. But when Luke's eyes met Michael's, any question dissolved into thin air. Luke tugged the older boy into a laying position before curling into his side. And Michael just let him, because it was Luke and he could probably do anything and everything and Michael would not complain.
"I missed this. Missed you." In response to Luke's confession, Michael leaned over and connected their lips with a soft kiss. It was shy yet so damn familiar and Luke couldn't hold back the little noise that escaped from the back of his throat. All the emotions he had tried to shake off over the past few days seemed to flood back, stronger than ever before.
"Fuck, I don't think this is about being homesick and lonely anymore," Michael admitted when they separated to catch their breaths. Luke wasn't sure if he had heard Michael right from the way his pulse seemed to almost bust his eardrums.
"You mean..." Luke trailed off, his voice hopeful yet careful because fuck, he really hadn't planned to confess his feelings for his best friend tonight. But there they were, laying on Michael's bed, doing what they had sworn they would only ever do on tour.
"I mean, I don't just enjoy the cuddles because I am homesick but because I get to cuddle you. And uh- same goes for the kisses and the other stuff, I mean sure we were experimenting at first, but... I really like kissing you. And not just because you keep me company but because, well, yeah."
Luke nodded carefully, knowing that this was serious. Nothing like the shit they had done in the past. This was about real feelings, about real connection - and not just for fun and distraction.
"I... would like that. Like, a lot," Luke admitted softly, raising his hand to play with Michael's hair.
"Yeah?" Michael asked quietly.
"Yeah...," Luke breathed.
"So... Would you like to take it slow and go out on a date, or can I ask you to be my boyfriend right now?" There was a playful glint in those eyes Luke loved so much, but he knew Michael was serious about that question.
"I would love to be your boyfriend."
"But I haven't asked you yet!"
"Well?"
"Luke, do you want to be my boyfriend?"
"No. Just kidding, yes."
"Fuck you."
"I mean, that's your job now, isn't it?"