LA, California (Wednesday, August 14th, 2019)
Everyone was partying, drinking, getting high. But, Michael wasn't.
It was the last day of tour, they finished many long months of sweat, tears, and a lot of blood. They finished with three loud nights in LA, their home.
Mike forgot how good it felt to be home again. He forgot what his house felt like.
It was around two in the morning when Michael finally pulled into their garage. The night sky was long set, and there were no stars, once again. It was weird, he saw the northern lights, he saw four trillion stars, he saw city lights, he saw no stars. He's seen it all, Michael swore he has seen it all.
He walks into their laundry room, locking the door connecting to the garage, just in case. He was never willing to take many risks around Luke. Especially now six-week and counting pregnant Luke.
He turned off the lights, ready to get to sleep with his loving husband.
Mike caught sounds of snoring from upstairs. Such a skinny boy could emit such loud noises in his sleep, it often alarmed Michael. Was he choking? Could he breathe? Was he uncomfortable?
He started heading up the twisting staircase, taking his time to make sure he didn't make a single sound. He learned his lesson from waking up Luke one too many times: don't wake up a pregnant man.
He got to the top, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of the second floor. He started turning to the right, ready to creak open their master bedroom door.
But, he stopped.
His pale head turned, looking at the opposite side of the house. Michael turned the other way, walking away from the loud snores.
His hands reached out, opening the nursery door.
It was empty, nothing lining the walls. The walls weren't painted, they were the same white walls they've been for four years. Michael's home studio was across the hall, an office next door. They had two guest rooms in the same hall.
Mike closed his eyes, silence filling his mind. He pictured the room, scattered with toys and bright, happy colors. The curtains would be open, letting in the California light. Luke would be on the ground, his hands in the toy chest as he helped the little ones clean up their mess.
They'd all turn around, maybe the kids running to hug their other father as he came home from work. They'd all have smiles on their faces, glad to be a full family.
Michael would reach down, running his own hands through their hair and leaning down to give them a kiss on the forehead. He'd look up, his eyes shining every time they met Luke's.
Back in reality, Michael opened his eyes. He stood in the dark room, a stupid smile lining his face.
He knew he made the right decision. Mike has never been happier than he is standing in their future kid's room.