All The Stars We See // muke

chapter twenty-four

"There! Follow It!" Someone shouted and Luke watched as the bike sped off in the opposite direction of the school. "Call Mr. Hemmings, tell him we got eyes on the target."

"He'll be here shortly. Don't let it get away!" Another called and soon cars were speeding after the man dressed in silk and gems.

"You alright?" Luke whispered behind him and he saw Michael playing with the leather on his fingers. "You ready?"

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble." He apologized and Luke grabbed his smaller fist before holding his hand. "I didn't mean to stay so long, or so unnecessarily."

"You were on a mission."

"I didn't know how hard it was to acquire what I needed. If I had knew, I wouldn't have came. It was a waste of time to be here." Michael's voice broke. "And-And haven't told you the truth."

"What?" Luke asked as he turned around. "What truth?"

"My King's men found an abandoned sanctuary full of sapphire stones. I could have left before you... before we got so attached to each other." He told him and Luke looked down at their interlaced hands.

"Hey," Luke tilted his gaze to meet his. "- it's okay."

"I know it's not. You're lying to me." Michael shook his head and Luke sighed. "Don't lie to me. Be honest

He's right.

It's not okay that he's in love with him, and it's not alright that Michael has to leave right when everything was just about to begin. But if he's being honest, it ended before it even started. They were doomed from the start, and it's their own fault.

"I'm not lying to you, I'm lying to myself." Luke forced a smile as he handed him a helmet. "But I promised that I was going to get you back home, so that's what I'm going to do."

"You risked so much for me -"

"- Without you I never would have known the truth, or remembered what it's like to feel like myself. I'd risk it all again for you." Luke held his face before kissing his forehead.

Michael shook his head. "I could never repay you."

"That's the thing, you don't have to." Luke told him. "You've done more than enough."

"It's not enough." He stressed and the blond hung his head low before looking at the street that had lost all officers on it.

"Ashton's gone far enough." He changed the subject. "Come on. It has to be today, or else they'll keep your shuttle locked up too tight for anyone else to get in. He knows too much to leave it unattended and open like it is."

"How can you be so sure?" Michael asked him and Luke took a deep breathz

"I know my father. He wouldn't pass up a chance to see an, excuse my language, alien in the flesh. He'll want to be the first at the school, so he's already started chasing after him using the freeway — the fastest way. All we have to get through, Ashton, is the engineers. Your pod is still intact, and if I open the skylight then you should be able to blast out of there before he gets back." He explained and Michael nodded as he let go of Luke's hand.

"But surely there are people protecting it?" He said and Luke shrugged.

"I guess I'll have to make a distraction or learn how to throw a punch in the next twenty minutes." Luke brushed it off as he held his own helmet.

"And I keep my helmet on?"

"Please. The cameras can't catch your face." Luke told him and he nodded as he pulled it over his head. "And for the love of God, please don't turn around when we get in there."