zero || muke

chapter three

"I want to talk." Luke spoke confidently, fumbling with his sleeves and looking Michael in the eyes.

"About you." He added.

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Michael glared at Luke, and slammed the door in his face.

Luke stared at the door (that was standing a good centimeter from touching his nose), in shock. Tears sprung in his eyes, and Luke began to run. So much for befriending someone, Luke thought as he sprinted down the street.

Michael, however, wasn't sad in the slightest. He was, in fact, quite happy with himself, for he wasn't going to let himself get hurt by Luke. Michael sat with his back touching the door and looked back at his cramped apartment. His place only really had a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room; nothing really special. Hell, the white paint throughout the house was beginning to peel in some places. It was definitely his home, though. It was all he had. And maybe it wasn't a mansion, but it had a comfy ass couch, a nice bed in his room, a TV, and a PS4. What more did Michael need?

Luke didn't have that luxury. He was homeless. Of course, he had a house and all (he was still with his kind mum, Liz), but it was nothing to him. He didn't belong there. He belonged with Michael, Luke thought, frowning. Luke panted, out of breath from running, and sat down on his porch. Sure enough, the tears (that were previously threatening his light blue eyes) tumbled down his cheeks.

Michael became more and more restless. He almost hoped Luke was still standing there, expecting Michael to open the door again; because, well, Luke was that kind of person. Or, Luke would be long gone, trying to forget about everything. Michael shouldn't have treated Luke so rudely, for he was sure that Luke didn't have any other friends. 

Michael opened the door, and frowned. Of course he wasn't there. Although, when he went to go back inside, a small piece of paper caught his eye. Did Luke drop something? He picked up the paper, and smiled. It was his phone number. Luke must have left it behind when he went back to... wherever he had gone. Michael immediately felt even more shitty. He should've been trying to figure out how Luke was still alive, instead of leaving him alone and letting him die alone. Luke probably wasn't trying to simply mess with his emotions. Of course he wasn't, Michael realized, I'm the only one who sees the numbers, duh. 

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Luke picked up his phone that had been buzzing on the bed, seeing that an unknown number was calling him. Was it Michael? Luke sighed, staring at his poster-covered wall, and accepted the call.

"Hello?" Luke asked simply.

"Fuck Luke, I'm sorry. I've just been... in a shitty mood. Do you... want to come back? To my apartment? I really did want to talk, and I didn't really want to say it over the phone."  Michael said nervously, nearly slurring his words together.

Luke thought for a moment. Should he? Michael sounded desperate, almost; and Luke really wanted to go back to Michael's place.

"Okay, yeah. Sure. Whatever." Luke mumbled, ending the conversation.

Luke sat on his bed, processing everything for a moment. He already said yes to Michael, but should he really go? Luke completely lost his previous surge of confidence.

To feel better, Luke piled nearly all of his bracelets onto his wrist. All Time Low, Green Day... Luke loved music, and it showed. He took deep breaths, convincing himself that everything would work out.

Luke was, once again, ready to talk to Michael.

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Michael let Luke in, and proceeded to sit on his couch, almost melting into the comfort it provided. Luke sat next to him, cross-legged. Neither of the boys spoke for a few moments.

"You're saving me, Michael Clifford." Luke stated bluntly.

Well, fuck. Michael wasn't quite expecting that. He turned to face Luke, who seemed completely serious.

Michael ran his hand through his light green hair, frowning a bit. How does one respond to such a powerful statement?

"What do you mean?" Michael managed to get out, his voice slightly cracking. 

Luke's eyes flickered back to his own writsts, and his face crumbled slightly. He felt the tears coming back. No Luke, he thought, not now. Don't do this in front of Michael.

"Last night was going to be my second attempt at suicide. It didn't really matter to me, for there was nobody in my life that would be affected. Nobody knew me, treated me like I meant something. I didn't have anything to bring to this world..." Luke paused, swallowing, "... and then you came along. In just hours I felt like the best person in the world. You gave me everything I needed. A reason. To stay, to hope for the better. And I can't thank you enough." Luke finished quietly, getting ready to leave. He started to feel really uncomfortable, almost not wanting to see Michael's reaction to his small speech. Luke looked at the ceiling, breathing slowly.

Michael needed a minute to take everything in. He felt quite lightheaded, looking back at the small flickering number above Luke's head.

Then the unthinkable happened.

Luke begain to smile slightly, and the number. It changed. The number switched between zero and one, until it finally settled. At one.

Michael gasped, and nearly passed out. What the fuck was this boy doing to him, Michael thought helplessly.

"I think you're saving me too, Luke Hemmings." Michael said back to Luke, trying to keep his confidence. Luke smiled, a full smile (Michael had never seen that before, and damn, it was amazing) and attacked Michael with a warm hug. They began to cuddle on the small brown couch, letting the silence take over.

"Thank you, Michael." Luke mumbled, before falling asleep on Michael's chest.

"Anything for you, Luke." Michael whispered, smiling at the fact that Luke's number had stayed at one. And, of course, that Michael had a beautiful blonde boy asleep on top of him. Who would've thought, the outcast and the suicidal boy would make the best team?

It was hard to have much better than what the two had in that moment, and Michael knew it.

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sorry for the wait guys, I know y'all made the goal happen a couple days ago, but I've been really busy. dance performances. yeah. 

goal: 10 comments, 30 votes ((wow)) ((i hope this works))