twenty seven
trigger warning // slight gore
Luke came into their bedroom with Nolan in his arms, he practically tripped over the many brown boxes laying flat on the ground. The family of three bought a property outside of New York City, one where they had ten acres to themselves. They were picking out blueprints and adding their own special touch to each room.
By the time the trio were back from tour, their house would be almost done. Luke never thought that he would be able to live in the lap of luxury. When he first saw Matty's gig, he was good—they all were. He never imagined Matty becoming what he is today, he never imagined being known.
They're both just boys from a small town in the Midwest, Luke didn't know any of this could be reality.
Matty looked up from his laptop, smiling at their sleeping son in his beautiful husband's arms. "I thought he had my nose, but he definitely has yours," Matty said, looking down at the toddler as Luke laid next to him.
Luke tilted Nolan towards Matty, making it so they could both look at their son. "Maybe. These curls didn't come from me, though." His lean finger brushed the black hair, watching it boing back.
"Look at his cheekbones—those are yours," Matty pointed out. Luke smiled, looking in between the two boys he loves dearly. Matty had a strong bone structure while Luke's features were more soft. Matty had a jawline that could cut diamonds, his cheekbones carved out his faces and his nose pointed like Luke's but flared higher in the nostrils.
"I think the main reason I wanted kids is so I could do stuff like that: Just name out what they have of yours and mine." Luke looked at Nolan closer, his fingers still tracing the sleep baby's features. "He has my mom's jaw, I know that for sure. It's curved and wide."
"Do you think we should stop by good ol' Missouri to see her?" Matty switched screens on his laptop to a shared calendar his crew used. He found the dates they were in the Midwest, opening them up wider and showing it to Luke.
"I don't know, she emailed me back and we're talking again, but I don't know if she wants to see me. Michael said that it seemed like she missed me."
"You're talking to Michael?" Matty asked, turning his head.
Matty knew Luke was weak, especially when it came to Michael. Michael could ask Luke to jump off a building and Luke would do it twice. Matt wasn't jealous nor envious, but there was something that stretched his heart hearing Luke's past lover fall from Luke's mouth.
"Yeah, we email back and forth. Just to update each other on our lives. He has a family now, he's about to get married, I told you that." Luke curled up closer to Matty, still coddling Nolan close to his chest.
"Oh, right," Matt responded, "I'm glad he's doing well. I haven't seen him in forever." Matty can still remember the days after Michael and Luke lost their child, he can easily feel the pain that was transferred to him even all these years later.
Matty did indeed fall in love with Luke somewhere in those days. He hated himself for it, it was wrong to fall in love with a mourning man. A taken man. A man whom was already in love.
After Michael and Luke broke up, Matty still felt wrong. He couldn't imagine Luke without Michael, he felt like he was taking Michael's man. Sometimes, Matty still feels that way.
He knows he loves Luke and he knows Luke loves him, he knows they're meant to be together for the rest of their lives, he's sure of it.
"Anyways, what part should Nolan and I come out for?" Luke asked. He reached over Matty, scrolling up the calendar to see the full dates.
"All of it," Matty responded. He rested a hand on top of Nolan's head, running his fingers through the curls.
"That's not going to happen," the blonde responded.
"Why not April-ish? We'll be at your parents around May."
Luke nodded his head, agreeing. "I like that."
Michael, Calum, and Joey stood in their kitchen Saturday morning. The three boys looked at each other as Calum held the first shot of androgen in his shaky hands. "I can't stab you."
"You don't need to stab me," Joey said, lifting up the legs of his shorts the tiniest bit, "Just put it right there." He pointed to the layer of skin in the middle of his thighs.
"Michael, do it," Calum said, handing the needle over to his lover.
Joey jumped up on the kitchen cabinet, trying to stay as steady as he could.
Mike made sure the syringe was ready before he lowered his hand slowly. "Okay, I don't know if this is going to hurt, but don't move too much."
"Do it already, it's been like an hour, Dude."
Michael swore he was about to throw up as he lowered the shot to Joey's skin, watching it break the skin and release into him. He pulled it back at slowly, taking a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"There," the eldest said, "We did it."
"Heck yeah," Joey said, a smile on his face, "Only 82 more years of this now."
"What if you live past 95?" Calum asked, getting rid of the shot the way their doctor told them to.
"Then 80+ years of this," he responded. Joey jumped down, only soreness filling his lower body. He gave Michael a hug, squeezing him tight. "Thank you for stabbing me."
"Thanks for not screaming," Michael responded, a laugh leaving his lips.
Calum joined in on the hug, squeezing Joey between he and Michael. "Who knew needles could bring a fam together?"
"Shut up, Dad."
"Yeah, Dad, shut up," Michael responded, smiling at his almost-husband. They were a family, they finally had their family.
Do you think Luke/Matty are going to see the Hemmings parents?
Thoughts on Joey's transition?
Do you think Calum has grown? As a parent and as a person?
