Cigarettes *Muke* #Wattys2016

Chapter 19

Luke could tell by the way that Michael was fiddling that he was nervous. The blonde had given the small boy a good word to the gas station manager, having told him all his favorite things about the boy and molded them into strengths and the manager had informed him that Michael was almost guaranteed the job. Luke places his hand over Michael's, shooting him a warm smile and says, "You can do this, love," Michael nods slowly yet doesn't believe him as he continues to shake in the car seat. Luke picks leftover pieces of lint from his friend's dress pants before he continues. "You'll do great," 

"You really think so?" Michael murmurs and Luke nods instantly. 

"I know so," He replies before doing something that surprises the both of them; he pecks the ashy blonde on the lips. "For good luck," He says as soon as a blush covers his friend's cheeks. "Call me when it's over and I'll pick you up," 

Michael tries to ignore the tingly feeling on his lips, wanting nothing more than to feel Luke's on his own again and nods. "Okay," He says with a soft smile. He almost asks for another kiss, wanting another dose of good luck but goes against it, leaving the car and waving at Luke before he drives away and Michael walks inside. 

Luke calls his mom at the first stoplight he gets to and she picks up on the fourth ring. "Mom, I did a bad thing," Luke whispers, voice strained.

"What happened, sweetheart? Are you hurt?" Liz asks from her hospital bed, worry etching her features although Luke couldn't see. 

"No," He says before the light turns green and he continues down the road. "I uh, I kissed Michael," His voice comes out small as if he was a child getting scolded. "I fucked up," 

His mother is quiet for a moment before saying, "Michael's a better fit for you," A smile subconsciously flutters onto Luke's face and before he could reply his mother continues. "I never liked Sasha. Michael is much better than her. Caring and sweet. I don't condone cheating so if you really like Michael you should break up with Sasha. Although I'm not her biggest fan, it's still not fair to her," 

Luke hums in response, knowing she was right before sighing a running a hand though his hair. "I'll call her once I get home. Does this make me a bad person?" As soon as Liz disagrees, Luke feels as if a weight is lifted from his shoulders. "Okay," He pulls into the driveway and parks before he says, "I'm gonna let you go though, I really need to call Sasha. I'll tell you what happens though, okay? I love you," 

"Love you two, Lu," His mom replies before the two hang up and Luke walks into the house. 

Once he sits down on his couch, nerves running through his veins like water, he takes his phone back out and calls his girlfriend. She picks up on the second ring, the cheeriness of her voice causing him to wince. "Hey Sash. I think we should talk. Do you want to meet at the coffee shop downtown? This can't really wait,"  

"Sure," Sasha says after a beat of concerned silence. "I'll see you in a few minutes, yeah?" 

Luke nods in response and when Sasha says that she loves him, he doesn't say it back.

***

Luke grabs his and Sasha's drinks from the barista before finding a both. His girlfriend wasn't there yet and Luke took it upon himself to order her favorite drink for her, knowing it wouldn't make up for what he was about to do yet it was a nice gesture. She walks into the coffee shop a few minutes later and Luke's anxiety skyrockets as soon as he sees her. She nears closer to him before sitting down, the blonde pushing her drink in front of her. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Luke takes a deep breath, tapping his fingers nervously on the table before saying, "I don't think we're working anymore. I think it'd be best if we broke up," He watches hurt wash over her face and he looks away, knowing he would take the words back if he held her gaze. "I'm sorry, Sash," 

"What made you decide this?" She questions, voice softer than he had ever heard it. 

"You're just so possessive and don't trust me. You're obviously more invested into the relationship than I am and I just don't think it's fair to you to stay in this relationship if I can't give you my all," 

"But you're willing to give your all to someone else?" Sasha questions, playing with the straw in her drink. 

"I never meant to hurt you," Luke promises, avoiding the question. "I just know that you can find someone who loves you even more. Someone you deserve," When he looks up at her again, he finds tears sparkling in her chocolate brown eyes. "I'm so sorry," 

"It's Michael, isn't it? He's the one who helped you change your mind," Luke nods slowly and watches as anger replaces the hurt on her delicate features yet it wasn't pointed toward Michael, rather at Luke himself. "I knew dating you was a mistake. Dating a bisexual is never a good idea," She hisses and Luke flinches at her words.

"My sexuality has little to nothing to do with it," Luke murmurs, looking down at the table between them. "We just weren't a good fit. I'm sorry that things had to end this way," He murmurs, the sting of her previous words still present. "But I really should be going. I'm sure you'll find someone better than me, Sash. Bye," The blonde then gets up and leaves the coffee shop, frowning when he sees Sasha staring heartbroken into her coffee cup. He knew what he had done was for the best yet it still hurt to see her like that.

Luke sighs before going back to his car and driving home once again. He flops down on his bed before calling his mother back, relieved when she picks up almost instantly. "What happened?" She asks as Luke blows floppy fringe from his eyes. 

"She insulted my sexuality," He murmurs, frowning as he stared up at the ceiling. "She said my being bi was the whole problem," Luke feels frustrated tears pool in his eyes and he sniffles in defeat which breaks Liz's heart. "Why does everyone say that, mom?"

Mrs. Hemmings thinks this over for a moment before saying, "I'm not sure, sweetie. I know at least one person who doesn't, however and I know you do too," 

"Michael?" Luke whispers.

Liz hums on the other line before saying, "You better snatch him up quick. Boys like him don't come along often."

---

More on Luke and his life this chapter. I think I enjoyed how it turned out. Basically a double update. I'm on a roll. I love bi!5sos soso much bc it's not really represented very well in most of the fanfics I've read. Sasha can literally suck my ass though. We all secretly hated her. Not as much as we hate Shawn but she's still not a very loved character I feel like. There was finally the first Muke kiss after a million chapters. I think this story is the longest I've waited for the ship to kiss tbh. Character development is very important in this story however so I had to focus on that first. I hope you all enjoyed. Much love. 

-Shianne xx

Word count: 1272