Secretary | muke [c]

Twelve

Luke had a tendency of feeling lonely. It didn't matter that he woke up with Michael's arms wrapped around his slim figure, holding him closely. It didn't matter that he could feel Michael's nose gently brushing the nape of his neck in a caring way. None of it mattered: he still felt alone. It had been that way since he could remember; as a child and as a teenager it was exactly the same. His parents cared, his brothers cared and Calum cared, but to Luke it was as if no one gave a single fuck about him. Those were the moments Luke always remembered from his childhood: being around people and feeling completely alone.

"Good morning." Michael's raspy voice pulled Luke back from his sad thoughts, Luke turning around so he could look at the faux blond. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah." Luke frowned. "Why?"

"You seemed pretty upset in your sleep. I was wondering if you were having a nightmare or something." Michael shrugged, offering the blond a small smile that he mirrored. "I might've snuck a few more kisses while you slept, hope you don't mind." 

"Thank you for not leaving me last night." Luke whispered, hoping Michael wouldn't ask much about it. He knew that when he felt that weight in his chest, he couldn't mask the sadness in his voice even if he tried. When Michael's arms tightened around the blond and his lips connected to Luke's ever so softly, he felt slightly better.

"Of course, any time." Michael smiled widely, feeling a bit off about the way Luke was acting, but opting against asking him directly. He knew after last night that if Luke wanted to talk to him about something, he would. He knew he wouldn't need to push Luke into saying anything and he only hoped Luke knew Michael cared and that he could go to him for anything. Except for a raise, maybe. "Are you doing anything today? I thought maybe we could drive down to Freo."

"Fremantle?" Luke raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Do you know how the traffic's going to be on a Saturday afternoon to get to Fremantle? Hell."

"We can take my bike." Michael smirked, knowing all too well that the glint in Luke's eyes came from the thought of Michael on a motorbike. "So, what do you say?"

"Is this, like, going to be a date sort of thing?" Luke was unsure. He wanted to spent time with Michael, he liked his company and he liked the feeling of Michael's lips against his. They hadn't gone far with their kissing the night before; they shared a couple of pecks on the lips and small trails of kisses down jawlines and necks, but at that point, neither of them felt the need to deepen anything. The feeling of lips and fingertips on skin was enough for them. 

"Only if you want it to be." Michael pushed his lips into a thin line, hoping that Luke would say yes. He wanted to take Luke out, to treat him well. Luke looked glum and Michael wanted to do his best to make his secretary feel better. He missed the angelic smile on Luke's face.

"We'll see about that." Luke murmured, pressing his body further against Michael's and slipping his legs between his boss's. He could feel the soft material of Michael's sweatpants rubbing against the smoothness of his shaved legs, making him hum in satisfaction. "But for now, let's cuddle a little longer."

"Anything you want, Princess."

-

Michael drove back home to get dressed as Luke did the same. Once Michael had left the apartment, Luke allowed himself to start freaking out. It was rather cold outside, and knowing Michael was going to bring his bike only made Luke stress more because he'd have to wear clothes that allowed him to sit comfortably on the back of the bike. After taking a long warm shower and trying his best not to be pulled back into his sad thoughts, Luke slid on a pair of tight black jeans and a baby blue sweater. He liked the way it complimented his eyes and how that outfit wouldn't call so much attention to himself. Although Luke felt good in the clothes he wore, it sometimes got very tiring trying to ignore the looks he got.

Michael was back in about half an hour; from Luke's apartment he could hear the roaring of the engine. Luke's stomach was doing flips as he headed out of the door, making sure he had his phone, wallet and keys in his pocket. He had been on a bike before, but that had not ended well. He swallowed down his fears as he shook his head, taking a look at his reflection in the mirror in the elevator as he fixed his hair. He was make up free, and that bothered him slightly. He hated the acne he still had even though he was a twenty five year old man and he hated the chicken pox scars scattered around his face. He clicked his tongue as he thought back to that time, and the words his mother always repeated: try not to scratch your face, it'll leave a mark. If only Luke had listened.

He walked out of his building, smiling shyly as he saw Michael standing there in a leather jacket and his helmet sitting between his legs. He slid off the backpack on his shoulders, outstretching it to Luke. The blond frowned questioningly as he took the bag, curiously looking down at it. "It's your gear." Michael explained, smiling softly. "Helmet, jacket and gloves."

Luke didn't want to put the helmet on. He didn't want to ruin his hair he had spent most of his time styling. It was vain of him, but he really didn't want to ruin his hair. Sensing Luke's hesitation, Michael chuckled, getting off his bike and standing in front of Luke. He zipped the bag open, taking the jacket from inside and helping Luke into it before zipping it up. Luke was pouting, looking down at Michael's shoes as he took the helmet from the bag too. 

"It'll ruin my hair." Luke said softly, looking up at Michael with pleading eyes.

"No, it won't." Michael chuckled, bringing his free hand to Luke's cheek and rubbing it softly. "You'll look beautiful, now come on, this is safety." 

Luke nodded slowly, taking the helmet from Michael's hand and putting it on to hide the blush on his cheeks. Michael said he'd look beautiful. He waited patiently as Michael secured his helmet, handing Luke the gloves before slinging the empty backpack over his shoulders again. He turned around to see Luke staring at his Harley Davidson, his hands smoothly gliding over the leather seat.

"Have you ever been on one before?" Michael questioned, putting his own helmet on.

"Uh..." Luke cleared his throat, not wanting to talk about the accident from years ago. It wasn't a serious one, just a scare that got Luke uneasy around bikes. But he wanted to get on it, he wanted to feel more carefree. "Sort of, not really."

"Okay then." The faux blond nodded. "Just hold onto me, and if I'm going too fast, let me know, okay?"

Luke nodded quickly, jumping slightly as the bike roared back into life, Michael gesturing for Luke to get in the back. He reluctantly did, instantly wrapping his arms tightly around Michael. The drive was long, but it wasn't as bad as Luke expected to be. He felt uneasy when Michael whooshed between cars in the traffic and when he took rather sharp turns, but he was constantly turning back and asking Luke if he was okay, if he felt safe and if he wanted him to slow down. Luke assured he was fine and that he was okay with the speed. He felt safe with Michael. And he looked hot as hell on a bike.

Arriving in Fremantle and finding a parking spot wasn't as stressful as Luke assumed it would be, and within a couple of minutes, he was handing Michael the helmet to be put in the backpack and rushing to fix his hair. Michael grinned, stuffing all of Luke's gear into the bag as he watched the blond run his fingers through his now flat hair. The faux blond kept a tight grip on his own helmet, stepping closer to Luke before holding his chin between his thumb and index finger.

"See?" He murmured as he looked into Luke's eyes so he could see how genuine Michael was being. He meant every single world. "You're beautiful."

"Stop." Luke laughed shyly, turning away from Michael so he couldn't see the blush in his cheeks. Luke was usually confident, but in that moment, Michael had turned him into a shy blushing mess. Michael loved it.

"You are." Michael chuckled, pressing his lips to Luke's forehead before using his free hand to lace his fingers with Luke's. "Now come on, let's get some food, I'm starving."