Loose Lips Have Sunk This Ship {muke}

Chapter 14

a/n: it's like 1:45am and i'm exhausted but here's an update, short but i'm working on it.
enjoy

They don't fuck in the shower, and Luke's not all that upset about it. Well, maybe a little, not that Luke's actually willing to admit that aloud, or quietly, or to anyone other than himself. Michael's still a sour grape, all moans and pouts and flicks of water droplets from his hair. It's whatever, seriously.

"Calum got stung by a bee." Ashton says, throwing Luke a dish towel. He scrubs at a frying pan, bits of burnt, unidentifiable food scrubbing off.

Luke raises his eyebrows. He's fairly certain Calum's not allergic, which would explain the casual way Ashton broached the subject. "Did you get the stinger out?"

"No," Ashton sighs, and shuts the water off. "He asked me to pee on him."

"What?"

"I thought that's what you did for bee stings!" Calum argues. He limps into the kitchen, pouting. "It hurts."

Ashton sighs, this big, overdramatic breath of air, like he's one-hundred percent over Calum's need to be babied. "I told you to wear flip flops."

Luke dries a spatula and leaves it on a dry counter. They're arguing, bickering like a married couple. It's cute, sort of. Weird, too.

Calum whines. He eyes Luke up, "Where's Mike?" He waggles his eyebrows and Luke wants nothing more than to push him back. He can't though, Calum's injured and he'll sic Ashton on Luke without a second thought.

"Um, getting dressed."

Ashton and Calum share a look. "He's quite fond of you," Ashton says. "Under all that..."

"Michael," Calum intercepts.

Ashton nods. "Under all that Michael, he likes you, probably a lot more than he wants to admit."

It's a nice thought, in a way. Sort of.

"Oh," Is all Luke says. It's definitely an acceptable answer too. After the years of torment from Michael, Luke shouldn't be blushing and giddy, Rome wasn't built in a day, neither should a friendship. Or more.

Whatever.

Luke's pretty sure kissing Michael has been a highlight of senior week. And the alcohol, lest we forget the alcohol.

"So, I've been thinking of telling my parents I'm taking a year off to go backpacking through Europe." Calum says, sitting down on a stool at the island. "Maybe not even a year, but definitely more than a semester."

Ashton hums, "Instead of going to California for college?"

"I'm not even sure I got into Berkeley. They put me on a waiting list and when I got the letter I was too afraid to open it."

"I'm pretty sure they have a time limit," Luke laughs. He can hear Michael moving around upstairs, probably stomping his feet into a pair of boots. "Like if you don't respond they'll pass your spot onto another student."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Luke's right." Ashton turns off the water and dries his hands.

Calum shrugs. "I'm sorta over school, yanno? I just wanna sleep in all day, and order pizza at two-am, and live it up."

"So basically, you want to be Michael." Ashton shakes his head, amused.

"Who wants to be me? Luke?" Michael's hair, wild as ever, still drips from his shower. Their shower, whatever. Whatever.

Luke huffs, indignant. "No, I don't want to be you. Calum does, bumming around and all."

"I wouldn't call it bumming," Ashton defends, grinning. He's moved to lean on the island, forearms resting on the granite surface. "Maybe I would, who am I kidding?"

"I totally don't bum!" Michael disagrees.

"Yeah, and backpacking through Europe is definitely under his category!" Calum butts in, rolling his eyes. "A bee stung me."

"Poor baby," Michael pouts, blowing a kiss at Calum. "I would definitely never backpack through Europe, plus, I got into Uni, so it's not like I'm doing too shabby."

"Shabby," Ashton laughs, rolling his eyes.

Luke shakes his head. "This sounds like a conversation I'm going to need a drink for."

"Now that's what I like to hear, Hemmings!" Michael cheers, already moving towards the liquor cabinet they'd stockpiled. "What's your poison?"

"Give him whiskey, no ice, let him suffer." Calum grins, wiggling his eyebrows when Luke shoots him a look.

This, the whole acting normal with Michael, like, an actual human being, is nice. Strange, but nice. Until Michael slides over a juice glass of straight whiskey.

"No water either?" Luke asks, already knowing the answer.

"Nope," Calum laughs. "Bottoms up, lover boy!"

~~~

Michael's chewing on a piece of grass, lips as far as possible from the green blade. The sun is hot and Luke almost wishes they'd gone to the beach. The cement is like a blacktop and the pool is only so refreshing. Michael's definitely going to be burnt, and Luke will definitely have a couple dozen new freckles scattered over his skin by the end of the two weeks.

"Did you see that chick last night? Brown hair, big tits, the one on the couch-"

Luke bites his lip, thinking back. "Sure."

Michael nods, "She was into you, yanno. Had to break it to her you were gay, and taken."

"I'm not taken." It's not like Luke would've gotten with her or anything, the latter being reason enough, exception enough? Whatever. He's too gone for tits to bring him back now.

"Yeah, but your boy would get jealous if he saw a babe like her all over you."

"Mike," Luke rolls his eyes. "I don't have a boy, I'm just doing me as it goes." Which is true, kind of. He is going himself, and Michael, or at least he's trying to, except he's all virginal and Michael's still a hard ass.

"'Doing me as it goes',  you sound like a tool." Michael snorts.

"No, I sound like you." It's a pointed, relatively safe response, even though Michael's eyes narrow a bit, like he's offended. He probably is, and should be, it's a low blow even though he totally is a tool.

Michael huffs, crossing his arms and flicks his shades up. There are already lines from where the sunburn has set in on his cheeks. "Call me a tool one more time."

"I've only called you a tool once, you can't get all offended yet." Luke points out. His own face feels hot, he's probably burning through the SPF 30 sunblock knowing his luck.

"One more time, Hemmings." Michael warns.

There's a moment of silence between them. Calum's music is playing loud in the house as he and Ashton look into backpacking trips.

"Or what, Clifford?" So, Luke's gotten a little braver since kissing Michael, which is totally understandable. There's a level of comfort now, something akin to friendship, except friends don't kiss friends, unless they're trying to fuck everything up, and then they do, but this definitely isn't that.

Michael looks at him, looks away, and looks back. He shrugs. "You want a blowjob, later I think you'll be nicer to me, sweets." He rolls over into his stomach, burn lines visible as his pale back - sunscreenless, of course - makes an appearance.

And, oh, a tool? There's a tool staying at this house? Must be Ashton.