delicate • a collection of the music freaks oneshots

i swear that i would pull you from the tide.

💗: Lander
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It started small.

Luke bumped into Hailey in the hallway, accidentally making her drop her morning coffee.

She gasped as some of it fell on Luke's shoes, "Luke—"

"I'm sorry," he said immediately, "oh my God, I'm so sorry Hailey, I- I'll buy you another one—"

"It's not that," Hailey said, looking in her pocket for a handkerchief, "your shoes are dirty now."

She handed her handkerchief to Luke, smiling lightly. Luke, however, was on a completely different track.

"I promise to buy you another."

"You don't have to," Hailey said soothingly, patting his back. "It's alright, mistakes happen. Now, clean your shoes, I'm a bit late for class. See you!"

She left, and Luke's guilt worsened noticing that he didn't have enough money to buy her a new coffee.

Later that week, he spilled water on Jake's lyrics.

Jake gasped, pulling his notebook back to himself. He had used a gel pen to write them, so the ink was flowing everywhere, messing up the words to the point they didn't make sense anymore.

Luke wished Jake would yell at him, because his distraught and disappointed expression might be a hundred times worse consequence.

"I'm sorry, I—"

"It's okay," Jake smiled, obviously fake, "I um- need to use the washroom."

Luke didn't mention his glassy eyes, because he had learned the hard way that pushing it will only make it worse.

Still. "I'm sorry."

Jake didn't respond, only smiling at him before making his way out of the club room.

He broke a string of Milly's guitar. He broke Sean's mouse. He ruined everything this week.

And so, you can't blame Luke for hesitating to go to Zander's house. On Fridays, they always have a movie night together. It's their thing. But now, Luke is hesitating to go, because screwing up things with Zander is his nightmare. He can lose anything, anyone, but him.

He lays in his bed, picking up his phone and texting Zander some lame excuse of being sick. He didn't bother checking if Zander read it, placing it on his bedside table. He finally let the tears lose, not afraid of his mom walking in on it. Not that she would care.

He hates himself so much.

♡

Honestly, he was a fool for believing that Zander, one of the most stubborn people he knows, would simply give up.

It had to have been barely ten minutes since he stopped crying when he heard a knock on his door. The person seemed to be leaning against it desperately, despite the door already being unlocked.

"Luke," came a soft voice from outside, "can I come in?"

Luke froze. Oh no, Zander is here. Of course he is, his worst nightmare.

"If you want me to leave I can," Zander said, as if reading his mind. "But something tells me I shouldn't."

Maybe there was a small part of him that needed Zander beside him, a part that wanted to hear his sweet voice whispering reassurances.

"Come in," he croaked out, cringing at how his voice broke.

Zander unlocked it, and when Luke saw him, it felt like a relief.

"Hey," Zander smiled.

"Hi."

Zander seated himself on Luke's bed, his hand reaching for Luke's and holding it gently, like he was afraid of hurting him. Maybe he really was. Had Luke been that much of a mess?

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

Zander kissed his forehead. "Okay. Wanna take your mind off it?"

Luke gulped, his hand unconsciously tightening around Zander's. "Yeah."

♡

"Zander?"

Zander was startled out of his almost slumber an hour later, looking up at Luke questioningly.

"Do you... do you think I'm a bother?"

Luke knew he wasn't. Luke knew exactly what Zander would say. But after the week he's had, he will beg to hear it out loud.

"No, baby, you're not. Mistakes happen. I know sometimes they're... hard to get over, especially after seeing someone get disappointed in you, but it isn't something unforgivable. It's just inconvenience."

How does he manage to know exactly what to say, every time?

Zander sat up from his half-laying half-sitting position and kissed Luke's forehead. Luke has always loved forehead kisses. They make him feel safe. Zander makes him feel safe.

"I really needed to hear that," Luke admitted, letting Zander kiss him all over his face.

"I will do anything for you, Luke. I love you."

When Luke falls asleep that night, his heart feels lighter.

"I love you too, baby."