Give Me Love (Muke)

Cradle Your Head In Your Hands And Just Breathe

It’s easy, surprisingly easy, to fall into habits, Michael finds. It’s easy to wake up in the mornings and eat breakfast with at least two other members of the band. It’s easy to practice with all of them through the day and laugh when they rotate instruments. It’s easy to fall asleep to the sound of Luke’s soft singing in the living room. It’s a little less easy to tune out the sound of Chris Brown through his walls, but you know, you win some and you lose some.

Michael knows that if he ever has to leave, he’ll miss their unspoken routines, the fights over the bathroom every morning, band practice, messing around instead of playing, FIFA battles, Luke’s irritating(ly good) All Time Low covers, but he wants this to work, he wants it to be perfect forever. Michael can definitely tell you all about how nothing good lasts forever, but he wants to be proven wrong this time.

It takes Luke a couple of days to adjust to the electric. For one, it’s heavier than Luke’s acoustic, so his shoulders tend to get sore the way Michael’s would when he first started. When Luke’s tired, he almost falls over, weighed down by the mass of the guitar. He also has a tendency to adjust the volume knob the wrong way (well, it wasn’t Michael’s idea to buy the guitar with no numbers) and immediately shove his hands over his ears until Michael turns it down for him. Michael finds it at least a little bit funny, because Luke’s usually breathing hard from the pure fright of it, and then he’ll look sheepish and embarrassed.

Despite mishaps here and there, Luke gets the hang of it pretty fast, mostly because it’s almost the same as an acoustic, and even learns to control the amp on his own, too. They need another one, because they have Calum’s bass amp and Michael’s amp, but that means somebody’s always on acoustic. Still, Michael can tell Luke likes playing on the electric. Which means that it’s now usually Michael on acoustic.

Also, the boys might have a terrible addiction to Netflix. Which means that a) Ashton’s been watching a bit too much of Dance Moms and b) they’ve all been watching a few too many girly movies. Which is totally not punk rock.

When looking back, all four of them would regret deviating from their normal type of movie, but it seems like a good idea after dinner one night. Especially since it’s raining (again, Michael wants to scream) and it sounds fun. Thrilling. A heart-racer. Horror movies during a storm. Well, Calum was never known for his great ideas.

“Let’s watch Insidious,” Calum suggests, a gleam in his eye. “It’s supposed to be really good. I’m tired of chick flicks.”

“I don’t think we’re cut out for Insidious,” Ashton says. “The truth is we’re all girls inside. That’s why we watch chick flicks.”

“Objection,” Michael says. “I’m definitely up for proving my manliness.”

“No, absolutely not,” Ashton protests. “I’m not afraid to admit that I am probably going to chicken out of this movie.”

“Then we have to watch it,” Calum begs. “Come on. Let’s do it.”

“I hate you,” Ashton grumbles. “Fine, but only if we all agree on it. That’s the rule.”

“I’m a man, and I’m going to watch this movie,” Michael confirms.

They all turn to look at Luke, whose fingers are itching at the hole in his jeans. He looks up at them almost guiltily.

“Well, it’s up to you, Lukey baby,” Calum says. “Please say yes. Please. Please please please.”

Luke lifts his eyebrows worriedly. “Do we have to?”

“Not if you say no,” Ashton says quickly, just as Calum and Michael both say “Yes” with conviction.

Luke sighs. “I guess.”