boulder → l.h ⋆ m.c

this is like a bad, homoerotic version of 'i love lucy'

:june 3, 2019

     "i'm almost done." luke speaks in a soft voice as he stitches up michael's cheek as gently as he can.

     "thank you." michael whispers. luke nods, and michael fights back a smile, knowing how painful it would be. "you gave that guy calum's location like it was nothing."

     "don't talk." luke mutters. "i did it because ashton was about to kill him anyway, so it didn't matter. the fact didn't get anywhere."

     "you still–"

     "be quiet, mike." luke chuckles. "god, i should stitch your mouth closed while i'm at it."

     michael stays silent from then on until luke finishes stitching his cheek.

     "you mentioned ashton killing that guy like it was nothing." michael looks over to luke.

     luke shrugs. "not the first time i've seen someone die."

     michael looks down. "that doesn't make it okay, you know."

     "i can't worry about that." luke replies. "people die, mike. it's life."

     "not like that!" michael scoffs. "they don't- most people don't die by getting shot point-blank, luke."

     "welcome to the mob, mike. we kill people." luke rolls his eyes.

     "do you not give a fuck that you guys are literally murdering people? you're taking human lives like it doesn't matter." michael stands up.

     "what the hell am i supposed to do, mike?" luke turns to michael. "sit them down and give them a fucking talk? that guy would've killed you, and if ashton hadn't shot him, i would've."

     "why?" michael looks to luke as he holds back tears. "you could've shut up. you didn't need to tell where calum was, and he wouldn't have- he didn't have to die."

     luke laughs dryly. "i wouldn't have hesitated. i would've killed him so fast, and i'd do it a hundred times over because again, he was going to kill you."

     "that's so fucked up, you know that, right?" michael calls out to luke as luke walks across the room to the kitchen. "you're telling me you'd murder people for me, luke. that's fucked."

     "i'm done having this conversation." luke states. "i'm not the same person i was before i left. things have changed. you don't know me anymore, mike."

     "what?"

     "you don't know me." luke says once more. "i'm a different person, and i know you still see the innocence you loved, when you look at me. but that innocence? it died. everything good about me got twisted and broken, and i've accepted it, but you can't treat me like i'm that person anymore, because i'm not."

     michael stays silent as luke retreats to the bedroom.

     "that went well." michael mutters under his breath as he drops back down to the couch.

     it mattered way too much. it mattered way, way too much to michael that fighting with luke bothered him as much as it does.

     they aren't together, what did it matter? they haven't been together in over two years. it doesn't matter, not anymore, but it did.

     it mattered because michael buried his feelings for luke, and they were coming back. michael was confused and scared and his heart was all over the place.

     "why the long face?" michael looks up as ashton walks in the room.

     "fuck you." michael rolls his eyes. "you're a dick."

     ashton chuckles. "i heard that fight. trouble in paradise?"

     michael sighs. "it's none of your business, ashton."

     michael stands up and pushes past ashton, walking into the kitchen.

     "my name was dropped, michael." ashton sasses back. "it's my business."

     "luke and i are just disagreeing on the way things happened." michael replies. "it's fine."

     ashton doesn't reply, for he never really cared about the conversation, anyway.

     calum walks into the room ten minutes later, immediately calling the three boys into the main room.

     luke and michael sit on either side of ashton on the couch, causing ashton to emit a loud groan as he realized that he was a human shield for michael and luke to use to deflect their feelings for one another.

     ashton briefly considered throwing himself through a window (he doesn't).

     "so that backfired." calum huffs as he plops down on the chair across from the couch.

     "you think?" michael raises an eyebrow at calum. things backfired magnificently, and michael has the stitches to prove it.

     calum rolls his eyes. "luke, did you find anything out while you were in there, at least?"

     luke sighs as he leans back into the couch. "yeah, sasha's men are fucking stupid."

     ashton rolls his eyes.

     "for real though, they're big and scary and i don't like them at all." luke looks down. "they kept touching me and shit and they made a joke out of it."

     calum gives luke a sad smile. "'m sorry. that's why you're in my mob."

     michael chuckles. "seriously?"

     "it's a joke, mike," luke mutters. "calm the fuck down."

     ashton rolls his eyes again as he stands up. "here's a thought," he sits down directly on calum's lap, and calum grunts. "did you figure out anything useful, luke?"

     "i found plans to an underground tunnel system that they're going to use to smuggle coke in with." luke runs a hand through his hair. "i don't know exactly what sasha's plans are, but i can tell they're big, and extremely dangerous."

     "any comments, peanut gallery?" ashton glances over to michael, who's still sitting with his arms crossed.

     "fuck you." michael snaps. "am i the only one that sees an issue with this entire thing?"

     "no, mike," luke says sarcastically. "we all have an issue with this, you're just being pissy about it. if you don't like it, then you can leave."

     michael stands up from the couch. "i can't leave, luke, you know that."

     luke follows suit, standing up to face michael. "then shut the fuck up, and let us do our jobs, okay?" he leans closer to michael, and michael briefly considered closing the distance.

he doesn't do that.

     michael swallows and eyes up and down luke's body, before plopping back down on the couch.

     "this is like a bad, homoerotic version of i love lucy, fuck." ashton mumbles, and calum laughs. "if you two are done having a domestic, what the fuck are we going to do?"

     "go back to new york, and get our shit together." calum sighs. "we can't do anything sitting in this room with our tails tucked."

     "you're right." luke nods. "we need to get back to your place, where we have more protection and information than we do here. none of us are safe here, especially you and me, cal."

     ashton rolls his eyes again, and michael furrows his brows at the visualization of ashton being extremely annoyed with the entire situation at hand.

     or, ashton being way too suspicious with the entire situation at hand.