A/N: Heads up this is the last chapter. Please read the next update though!
Words For Luke: Day 2
You're such a fucking idiot. Why do I love you again?
All the love in existence,
Mikey
"Excuse me?" Jack asked.
"I said let's run away," Luke repeated. "Michael needs a break, I need a break, fuck, we all need a break. Let's take a break guys,"
"Luke, Ben and I have to go home soon,"
"You don't have to come. Just help us out," Luke pushed.
"Who's us?" Ashton asked.
"Michael, me, you and Cal if you want, and Tat if she wants," Luke explained.
"Why would we run away Luke?" Calum asked.
"Michael and I are going whether you come or not. He needs to get out of here. How can he get better when he's surrounded by memories of his past? And of course I'm going with him," Luke paused to collect his thoughts. "Cal, Ash, you know how judgemental this town is towards gay relationships. Do you want to have to deal with that already? And Tat, everywhere you go you're reminded of Mercy. Don't you want to get away from that? Come on guys, this is our chance,"
Ben rubbed his neck. "If you're running away, I'll help you get Michael out of the hospital but that's it,"
Luke nodded eagerly.
"My place is always open if you need it," Jack offered.
Luke grinned.
"Well..." Ashton thought it over. "I didn't really want to go to university so I have a few thousand saved that we can use for food and hotels and gas,"
"How much?" Luke asked.
"At least thirteen thousand. Mum's been pretty helpful,"
Calum chewed his bottom lip. "My mum always leaves her card in the same place. I could snatch it before we leave and withdraw as much as I could into cash before she deactivates it," he reasoned.
"Perfect,"
"I'll come, but I can't go home to get anything. Sorry," Tatiana added.
"I fucking love all of you," Luke thanked.
"You have to let Alice come too,"
Luke shrugged. "We could steal my mum's van?"
"She'll kill you for that," Jack commented. "But it works,"
"This is insane," Ashton muttered. "So fucking insane. Luke you fucking idiot how do you even come up with this shit?"
Luke shrugged. "Michael needs it, so I'll do it,"
"You love sick moron," Ben laughed. "Michael's one lucky kid, Luke,"
None of them had noticed Michael in his doorway clinging to the wall for dear life. "I am pretty lucky," he mused.
Luke's eyes lit up as they widened and he spun around to see Michael, struggling to hold himself up. He grinned widely before rushing to help the boy. "What are you doing? You're not supposed to get up yet, your muscles are weak baby," Luke scolded as he picked up the small boy, whose legs reflexively wrapped around Luke's waist as his chin rested on Luke's shoulder and his arms slipped around his upper back.
"You were gone and I got scared," Michael admitted.
"I told you I wasn't leaving and I meant it kitten,"
Michael shrugged, "Been lied to before," he hummed.
Luke sighed. "I know,"
"Mike?" Ashton asked hesitantly.
"My name hasn't changed Ash," Michael muttered sarcastically.
"Just the face that you're one step closer to death right?" Ashton asked.
"Well obviously,"
Ashton smiled and Michael twisted his lips into some sort of sloppy grin back.
"Mikey!" Calum cheered. "You're actually alive!"
Michael scoffed. "Surprize,"
"Don't do that again," Calum instructed.
Michael actually looked disappointed before he masked it. "Who are they?" Michael asked Luke's shoulder.
"The girl is Tatiana. She found you and all remember? You wanted to tell her a few things?"
Michael flushed. "I was half asleep, I didn't mean any of it," Michael insisted.
"Alright, baby," Luke chuckled.
Tatiana practically melted as she watched them interact lovingly. They hardly needed words at all. "He's so precious!" she squealed grinning wildly.
Luke laughed and Michael tucked his head into Luke's neck and stayed there, hidden away. "The two fucking men are my brothers Ben and Jack," Luke finished what he was saying.
"Oh my goodness Luke, you're so lucky!" Tatiana continued fussing over Michael. "Where on earth did you find him? He's so adorable! I'm keeping him, give him here,"
Luke laughed it off, but his arms tightened around Michael and the boy remembered Luke's terrified letters about Michael wanting to be with Tatiana instead.
"Want to stay with Luke," Michael muttered into Luke's neck, squeezing the boy tighter.
"I wasn't planning on letting you go, kitten," Luke responded unable to wipe the grin off his face.
"Please don't," Michael whispered.
Luke pressed a kiss to Michael's shoulder and hummed softly "I'm not going to,"
"I'm in love with your relationship," Tatiana stated.
"That's wonderful, Tat, but my Mikey's off limits," Luke made himself clear. "To everyone,"
Michael may have been smiling.
"But I want him," Tatiana complained, reaching towards Michael who literally cowered away clinging tighter to Luke. Her face fell at the same moment that Michael's tears did.
Luke tightened his arms around him and lifted him a tiny bit higher, beginning to whisper in his ear, praying his whispers of love and admiration would over power the screaming voice in Michael's head.
"C'mon baby," Luke cooed. "Listen to my voice," he pressed a soft kiss to Michael's matted hair. "Forever, ever right? I'll love you forever and ever kitten because you're perfect. You're a fighter Michael, a survivor, if anyone can do this it's you," Luke was trying not to cry at the soft sounds escaping Michael. "You've been fighting a war alone Mikey, let me help you,"
Michael clawed at Luke's shirt and refused to ever let go though no one was asking him to. The voice in his mind had never screamed louder and Michael wanted to rip his hair out and claw his skin open so he could finally escape himself. DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE! TO BREATHE! YOU DON'T DESERVE LUKE'S ARMS AROUND YOU! YOU'RE WORTHLESS! WORTHLESS! YOU SHOULD BE DEAD! Michael felt as if he was listening to the voice through a million speakers in a five foot space. But Luke's soft whisper, so full of love, penetrated through and soothed Michael, giving him something to keep him sane. But God that voice.
"DEAD!" the scream ripped its way from Michael's own throat this time and Luke nearly broke at the sound, the sound of Michael caving to his mind.
"Come on Michael," he pleaded his voice abandoning the whisper and turning to a pained plead that everyone else could hear clearly. "Get out of there, kitten," Luke begged. "Get out of your fucking head," Luke brought them to a position on the ground and slowly pulled Michael's hands from his shirt. Michael's eyes were squeezed tightly shut and Luke used that to his advantage. He wove their fingers together and let Michael squeeze the life out of his hands. "Mikey?" Luke tried one last time.
There was no response, but harsh words choked their way past Michael's soft lips as tears stained his ghostly cheeks.
"I'd look away," Luke recommended to the others as he leaned forwards. His lips attached to Michael's neck and sucked gently where he knew Michael's sweet spot was. Michael gasped his eyes flying open and Luke pulled away that concerned look still lingering in his eyes. "Mikey?"
Michael bottom lip trembled again as the tears continued to stream down his face, his breaths coming jagged and uneven, leaving his soft lips as soon as he got them. "I can't – dead – Lukey help,"
Luke chewed his bottom lip as he stared helplessly into Michael's terrified eyes. "Can you hear me?" Michael nodded quickly. "Alright. It's alright baby. I know you're scared, I'm scared too, but whatever that voice is saying, it's not true. I promise it's not true,"
"Said he'd never lie to me," Michael muttered.
"You think I'd lie to you?" Michael shook his head. "Good. I'm not lying kitten, you're perfect,"
"'M not-"
"Yes you are," Luke interrupted. "I know you don't see that, but you are. You are so perfect to me Michael and I don't care what that voice says because it's wrong! The voice is wrong Michael. It preys on your insecurities to make you feel like this, it's not telling you the truth and I know that it told you it was, but it's not. I'm telling you the truth Michael, and I fucking love you so much it hurts,"
Michael's eyes showed no signs of hesitation as he fisted Luke's shirt and kissed the boy desperately pouring every ounce of himself into the kiss, because this was what he wanted. Kissing Luke felt like coming home after thousands of years away and he had never wanted to be home more. He didn't want to die, not anymore. Michael wanted to live and to love, but only with Luke.
Luke's eyes closed and he kissed back passionately soaking up Michael's love and throwing his own love back at the boy. Luke's arms snaked around Michael, one on his lower back and the other between his shoulder blades pulling him closer until their chests were pressed together.
Michael's left hand abandoned the front of Luke's shirt and twisted into his messy hair, his fingers tangling with the greasy locks. "Missed this," he muttered against Luke's lips.
Luke hummed softly. "Missed you baby," he muttered before kissing the boy again briefly. "I love you,"
Michael shook his head softly. "I love you,"
Luke couldn't help but grin wildly at Michael, "Is it gone?"
Michael smiled shyly. "Long gone,"
"Jesus that was hot," Tatiana muttered.
"Not as hot as Ashton," Calum commented.
"I just watched my little brother make-out with his first boyfriend," Jack muttered.
"Me too," Ben added.
Ashton shrugged, "Honestly you get used to it,"
"I don't want to talk about it!" Jack covered his ears and Ben nodded rapidly.
"I don't even want to think about my little brother getting it on with someone,"
"Why was that so hot?" Tatiana asked nobody.
"Well now that we have that sorted we all need to have a very serious conversation about a very stupid plan a very idiotic blonde came up with," Calum began.
"In that blonde's defense the stupid plan is our only real chance," Luke piped in, "You know, since none of the blonde's genius friends had any ideas,"
"What plan?" Michael asked.
"Let's everyone take a seat," Jack offered.
Almost at once everyone was sitting except Luke and Michael. Luke was standing in front of his friends and Michael was huddled into his side.
"So," Luke began awkwardly, clearing his throat before continuing. "The plan is to run away," Michael coughed.
"Excuse me?"
"They want to send you away to get help, but I know it won't help you. So we're going to run away,"
"Jack and I are going to get you out of the hospital," Ben explained.
"And our houses are always open if you need anywhere to stay at any time. We won't tell mum anything,"
"I've got over thirteen thousand saved for a University I don't want to go to," Ashton said, "So I've got gas and hotels covered,"
"My mum's withdrawal limit on the card is like two thousand a day and she won't shut it down, but we'll have to be in the area when we use it or they can track us,"
"Me and Alice are wonderful sources of entertainment," Tatiana offered with a cocky smile placed on her lips.
"I'm designated driver of mum's stolen car and I've got quite a bit saved," Luke put in.
"I've got like five thousand," Michael muttered.
Luke's grin was contagious and soon enough even Michael was smiling slightly. "This is happening?"
"This is happening," was echoed back to Luke who smiled wider.
"You're a fucking idiot," Michael muttered to Luke, "But I fucking love you,"
*****
"I'm trusting you two," Luke told his brothers.
"Luke, we'll be back with Michael in thirty-seven minutes with the van. All you have to worry about is picking up Alice with her stuff and making sure Ash and Cal get back here with theirs in that amount of time and that you pack you and Michael's things," Jack said.
"We can't do anything if you don't get Michael back here," Luke chastised.
"We'll get him back Luke. DO your part and we'll do ours," Ben said before he and Jack drove off, leaving Luke standing in his driveway at midnight with a kitten half asleep in his arms.
"Alright Cooper," Luke said. "Let's do this,"
It took ten minutes for Luke to finish packing him and Michael's things into two backpacks and get the small litter box ready to go. He carried them and the cat carrier out onto the driveway and cradled Cooper to his chest as he got into Jack's car.
Alice only lived five minutes away thankfully and she hopped into the back with her small suitcase as Cooper now occupied the passenger seat. Another five minutes and they were back in Luke's driveway, Alice holding Cooper as Luke place her stuff next to his and Michael's.
Another ten minutes and Ashton and Calum walked up Luke's driveway depositing their things along with the others. Tatiana finally emerged from Luke's house with a small backpack filled with the few belongings of hers that had already been at Luke's and another bag with non-perishable foods, mainly containing of sweets.
The next seven minutes passed agonizingly slow until finally Jack and Ben pulled up and got out of the van.
"Michael's in the passenger seat," Jack said passing his brother the keys. He held onto Luke's hand as Ben walked up beside him. "Be safe, Luke,"
"Call us if you need anything alright?" Ben added.
Luke nodded and pulled his brothers in for a quick hug. "I love you guys,"
"We love you too little brother. Now go make that boy happy again,"
Luke nodded and got into the car as Ashton and Calum loaded the back. He handed Cooper to Michael who smiled at the small kitten cooing softly.
"Hey Coop. Hi kitty,"
Luke smiled at the love of his life and started the car.
Michael was getting what he wanted at last, not death. No; something much, much better. Michael was getting his life, and any life with the people around him was one he wanted to be a part of.