c'est dur
Michael closed the door to his car, wrapping his jacket closer around his body. He could see Luke sitting by the shore line, bundled up as well.
"He's been here for four hours," Calum spoke once he saw the older boy, "I want to go home."
The freshly-blue-haired Michael laughed, "I'll deal with him, go home."
Cal stood up, kissing Mike's cheeks dramatically, "see you then."
He watched the dark haired boy drive off -literally- into the sunset. Michael kicked around some sand in his old black boots as he slowly made his way towards Luke. It's been a few days since Luke got rejected, and he hasn't taken it well. He hasn't left his room besides to go to the bathroom and eat once a day. Calum took care of Clémence the day he picked her up since Mike was at work. She asked about the lanky blonde, but Calum only shrugged his shoulders.
Michael hated being outside, he truly did. But he did it for Luke. His black skinny jeans had sand sticking to them, the dark blue flannel that was sticking out from under his jacket was filled with sand as well. Once again, Michael hates being outside.
Luke knew it was Michael. He heard Calum on the phone only an hour ago complaining how tired he was. He could smell the slight pizza and Indian food that the boy radiated everywhere he went.
Neither said anything, they simply sat in the sand listening to the mellow, frozen water slide into the dry sand, and the few teenage girls taking photos a few meters away.
"Are you here to scold me?" Luke asked, gripping the sand below his hands.
"No."
"Are you here to bring me home?"
"Nope."
"Why are you here?"
"Why are you?" Michael leaned back in the sand, resting his body on his hands.
"I asked first."
Mike chuckled, "and I asked second."
"I'm sad, Mikey," Luke felt around to his left, feeling Mike's thighs, he moved his hand up, realizing the boy was lying down. Luke followed, laying next to his boyfriend, "at least, I think I am."
"That's okay. You're allowed to be."
Luke leaned over on his side, so he was now pressed against the warm boy, His sand-covered hands gripping onto the soft flannel. "I feel like I had so much to prove. Success is the best revenge, and I don't even have that."
"I looked at the papers, Luke," Michael said softly, he removed his hands from his head, and placed it around the boy, "you can just apply again next year. You'll have your eyesight then, you'll be able to get your PhD, and it'll all be okay."
Luke sighed, "I might not get my eyesight back."
"I have a feeling," Mike smiled, rubbing the others back soothingly, "I really do. I'll be there right next to you, I promise."
"How do you know it'll be okay?"
"I've lived a long time, son," Michael laughed, trying to make his best father-voice impression.
"Don't act like my dad when I'm cuddling you."
"Luke, I am your father."
Both boys broke out into uncontrollable laughter, because Michael has been waiting to use that for so many months now.
"Okay, Daddy," he teased.
"I don't have a daddy kink!" Michael said loudly. The group of teenagers were looking at them, breaking into their own fit of laughter, "nice, you traumatized the youth."
The two laid in the sand for longer, a nice breeze covering their bodies. Michael explained what the sun setting looked like from their spot on Tilden beach. Luke could tell that Mike was a writer, at least at one point in his life. He could tell that by the way he described each scene.
He knows he's lucky, in this way, at least.
"Do you want to go home? It's getting quite cold." Michael tried sitting up, but the blonde was snoring lightly. "You've got to be kidding me. Dude," he poked the sides of the twenty-one year old, "you're like 6'4", I'm not carrying you."
Luke opened one eye, not that he could really see anything, but it still woke him up a bit. He stretched out his back like a cat, hitting Michael in the neck a total of three times. He rolled on top of Michael, placing his head back on Mike's beating heart.
"Don't you fucking dare go back to sleep."
"But babe, I'm tired."
Needless to say, Michael ended up carrying the blind boy to the car, then up eight sets of stairs. He got rewarded by his boyfriend's lips.