Cigarettes *Muke* #Wattys2016

Chapter 4

Michael shuts the door with a soft click and lets off a sigh as he struts down the road. When he finds a tall, lanky blonde leaning against a streetlight post, cigarette dangling from nimble fingers, the ashy blonde can't help but smile. "Luke!" He calls, eyes now lively with excitement.

The taller boy turns toward his voice and upon noticing Michael, smiles wide. "Hey, Michael," He greets before exhaling toxins into the night air. "What're you doing out here?" Luke tries not to stare at the fading bruise still staining his porcelain skin and when the smaller boy notices him doing so, he pretends not to notice.

"Went for a walk. It's been so nice out and I was hoping I'd see you," His voice comes out in the same soft tone Luke had become accustomed to and the punk boy nods. The weather was far from nice; it was cold and Michael had to wrap his coat around him, hands tucked into delicate sweater paws in order to keep warm and even then he still shivered but it was the only excuse he seemed to come up with. "It that a new pack?" He whispers and Luke shakes his head with a small smirk.

"Why do you care so much?" He asks after taking another drag.

"I just... I don't like seeing people hurting," Michael murmurs and Luke frowns at this.

"You seem like you're hurting too," He replies and soon, the air between them is soon baptized in silence neither of them seem to know how to break.

***

"I'm sorry about yesterday, baby," Shawn murmurs, coming through the front door and kicking off his shoes.

Michael sat cross-legged on the couch with a book in his hand and when he looks up at his boyfriend, he forces a smile. "It's okay," He whispers although it wasn't and Shawn didn't seem to get that because Michael knew he would soon be doing it again. He hadn't bothered hiding the bruise from him, the two of them both knew it was Shawn who caused it so there was merely no point.

Shawn sits beside Michael and soon scoops him up in his strong arms. It takes everything in the smaller boy not to squirm away, whose stature ridged against his touch. Michael knew he should've ended his relationship with Shawn a long time ago but he had no place to go; he and Shawn had lived together for months now and he had no other place to live so he often stayed and dealt with all the problems his boyfriend caused.

As he stayed caged in his arms, he can't help but wonder what it'd be like if it were Luke holding him instead. He knew deep down that the blonde wasn't gay and that caused him to frown deeply. The blonde was such a great person and it pained Michael knowing he was killing himself slowly with those damned cigarettes.

After minutes of silence, Michael feels Shawn's soft, even breathing against his cheek, soft snores leaving his mouth and the smaller boy relaxes slightly; as long as he was asleep, there was no way he would be able to hurt Michael. His phone pings at his side and he picks it up after moments of difficulty. When he sees Luke's name flash across the screen, he smiles slightly and opens up the text he had sent. It was a simple message, simply asking him how his day had went yet it brightened up his whole world.

Shawn never sent Michael messages such as these so receiving them was a rare occurrence for the innocent boy. Shawn hadn't started off as such a terrible person, he was rather perfect when the two had first started dating. They had met through a family friend and hit it off almost instantly. The first few months of their relationship were cookie cutter and perfect; they cuddled and Shawn often showered him in affection and love yet the moment Michael had told him that he loved him, everything seemed to change. Shawn was more distant and snapped at Michael more often, insults were often thrown his way and he often took advantage of the smaller boy because he knew that he could. The abuse started a while later and it was soon something Michael had become used to. He always kept it a secret, knowing if he didn't the beatings would get worse so he usually kept it to himself unless Ashton was around.

Luke was different; he treated Michael with respect and care. His touches and words toward the smaller boy were soft and gentle, something the younger boy appreciated. He seemed to be the polar opposite of Shawn, much like a breath of fresh air and Michael was becoming obsessed with it. His eyes were like soft ocean tides that pulled Michael in, calloused fingertips grazing his cheekbones with a sly grin that sent tingles down his spine. Everything about Luke screamed perfect, even his lips which Michael often imagined would taste of stale cigarettes and peppermint gum.

Michael found himself thinking more about the blonde than he did about his own boyfriend. He was afraid to do so, somewhat paranoid that Shawn would find out which was ridiculous considering the circumstance but he was always worried he would make a wrong move and would get punished soon after. Shawn's words stuck in Michael's head ever since he had voiced them; that no one would love him if he were fat so he had been skipping meals, often left a shaky, chilled mess, anxious to shed the weight.

He slowly gets out of Shawn's grip and begins cleaning the house, knowing that the burly boy hated when it was dirty and continues to text Luke as he does. His grin widens with each text which soon falters as soon as Luke asks, "Hey Michael, what happened with those bruises?"

---

Shitty way to end the chapter but whatever. This is longer than usual, aye. I'm about to go to sleep bc school tomorrow. Two months until I'm officially a high school graduate! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

-Landen xx

Word count: 1034