Cigarettes *Muke* #Wattys2016

Chapter 21

"Sweetheart, you've got to wake up," Luke murmurs as he peppers Michael's face with kisses.

Michael groans softly, pulling the pillow over his head to block out the harsh rays of sunlight. "Why?" He whines, wanting nothing more than to stay in bed and sleep for a few more hours.

"It's your first day at work. Your shift starts in 45 minutes,"

Michael's eyes shoot open, surprised and he says, "Crap. Crapcrapcrap. How could I forget?" as he gets up and runs a hand through his hair. "Is it alright if I borrow some clothes? The rest of mine are at Ash's and I'm not sure if I have time--"

"Of course, darling," Luke replies before he could finish.

The smaller boy's cheeks turn a light shade of pink before he says, "Can I use your shower too?"

Luke chuckles, nodding and has half a mind to ask if Michael would let him join but decided against it, not sure if the fragile boy was ready for that. He gives Michael a kiss on the forehead before he exits the room. Luke lays on his bed, heaving a sigh with a light smile. Michael had stayed over at his for the night, something that hadn't happened since Michael was still with Shawn but this time the air was peaceful and Michael didn't have bruises and tears painting his skin.

The two of them enjoyed this much more.

***

"Do you know how to work a cash register?" Calum asks once Michael had gotten settled behind the checkout counter. 

The small boy blushes and shakes his head, embarrassed. "N-No," He mumbles and Calum shoots him a light smile.

"That's alright. Your first week is all about settling in and it's my job to show you the ropes so don't sweat it," 

Michael tries not to make it obvious how nervous he is but anyone would be able to tell just by looking his way for a split second. His fingers never stilled; always fiddling and his stature was stiff like a statue. Calum does him the favor of pretending not to notice. By the end of the day however, Michael had warmed up to the caramel skinned boy. "I saw you didn't come in a car, is someone picking you up?" Calum asks and Michael nods with another blush. 

"Luke's picking me up," He whispers, not meeting his gaze. 

"You two are close, yeah?" Michael nods, a smile subconsciously making it's way onto his features. 

"He's helped me with a lot," He replies simply. "He's a really nice guy. I'm glad I met him. He makes me happy," The last part comes out a whisper but Calum still manages to catch it. 

"Yeah, he talks about you quite a bit," Calum's words cause Michael to flush a deep red and before Michael could ask what had all been said, Luke pulls up into one of the parking spaces. He's smiling wide when he sees Michael and his best friend standing side by side, hoping Michael was enjoying his new job.

"You ready to go, Mikey?" Luke asks and Michael nods. 

"Yeah," He whispers, smiling softly. He gives Calum a swift wave before the two leave the gas station. "Calum's really nice," Luke chuckles softly before starting the car and when he looks over at the small boy once more, he is met with a soft kiss. "He says you talk about me," Michael murmurs between kisses.

"All good things, sweetie," Luke replies, blush never present on his pale cheeks.

"I like your stubble," The innocent boy says with a small grin once they pull away.

"Just imagine how it'll feel between your thighs," Luke replies, voice rugged and Michael lets off a squeal of surprise.

"Luke!" He giggles, hiding his face in his hands.

Luke grins, kissing Michael's temple before backing out of the gas station. "Anywhere special you want to go, love?" He asks once they were finally on the road.

"Can we just go to yours?" Michael asks. He wasn't very shy about asking to come over, having known the blonde's answer every time. Luke takes the familiar route to his house without a word and Michael turns to face Luke, bringing a small hand up to run through the driver's thick locks of hair, humming a tune Luke doesn't recognize under his breath.

"You're so beautiful,"

"N-No," Michael disagrees, cheeks tainted a familiar shade of pink.

"Yes," Luke counters before he cups Michael's face in his hands and presses his lips firmly against Michael's. "You're so extraordinary, Michael Clifford and I'm making it my duty to have you realize that someday,"

---

This chapter was shitty and short and I have mixed feelings about it. I hope you all enjoyed it more than I did. Thanks for 4k reads as well. That really means a lot to me. It's nearly 5am and I haven't proofread this so sorry if there are any mistakes. Much love.

-Shianne xx

Word count: 832