#soft muke

Michael couldn’t help but admire the undeniable joy that was radiating off of Luke as he was dragged along into room after room of their unfinished dream home. Each one seemed to excite Luke more than the last, though to Michael they all looked the same: wooden beams and plastic sheets.

Today was the day they had finally be granted permission to enter the constitution site, and to Michael’s disappointment (moreover Luke’s enjoyment), they had to wear construction hats while exploring the property. Michael felt ridiculous in his hard hat, jealous that Luke could still unsurprisingly pull it off. The two of them had been there for over an hour exploring every room in the house in excruciating detail, and as the rooms began to blur together, the only thing keeping him going was the constant smile on Luke’s face.

As the two of them entered the final room in the house, Luke let go of Michael’s hand and gestured to the open space.

“And this! You’re going to love this room, Mike. I was thinking we could put the bed here, and the ensuite will be right here,” Luke was giddy, running around the empty room, “and of course the balcony will be here!” He says, trotting over to a larger opening in one of the walls.

“You know… that all sounds great. But why are we putting a bed in my gaming room?” Michael asked, worried he may already know the answer.

He watched as Luke quickly spun around and stared at him in dismay.

Raising his eyebrows in anticipation, Michael waited for Luke’s reply.

“I uh- You said you didn’t care about the upstairs floor. I planned for this to be another guest bedroom.” He finally replied sheepishly, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

Michael cocked his head to the side and scoffed. He couldn’t believe that in a house with this many rooms, Luke had neglected to leave one aside for Michael to set up his computer and desk in.

“Seriously Luke? Another guest bedroom? Why do we need three guest bedrooms?” He folded his arms and stared at the curly haired boy.

“What if we have a party? Or if Calum and Ashton come over and need a place for their stuff? Or if-” He rambled off softly before turning around and heading back over to the gap in the wall. “You really want to waste this view on a gaming room?”

He watched as Luke leaned against a wooden beam, staring out into the distant skyline of the city and shook his head before joining him, accepting his defeat.

“So, how high up do you think we are?” Michael asks nonchalantly as he taps his toes against the exposed wooden beams of the unfinished balcony.

“Maybe like fifteen feet?” Luke replies, looking down at the ground.

“So if I were to fall, I’d probably break something?” He continues, adding pressure onto the wooden beam. “Dare me to walk on this? I bet it’ll hold me.”

“Michael! No! Don’t you dare. They said not to enter the unfinished areas. I don’t want to get kicked out of our own house.” Luke barked quietly, hoping to not attract any attention while grabbing onto Michael’s bicep.

“If you won’t dare me, I’ll dare myself.”

With his free arm, Michael took hold of the beam next to him and applied his full weight to the board below his foot.

“Michael.” Luke warned.

“Luke.” He teased back as he lifted his other foot and set it next to the one on the board.

Feeling more confident, his gaze slowly left his feet and he flashed his boyfriend a cocky smile over the shoulder.

“Are you insane? Get back here!” Luke warned, tightening his grip on Michael’s arm.

“I’m fine.” He then removed his hand from the beam and steadied himself before taking a step forward. “See?”

He chuckled to himself before slowly beginning to make his way back, figuring he’d scared Luke enough for the day. As his weight shifted a loud crack echoed from below his feet. His eyes widened as Luke’s grip tightened and yanked him backward to the secure floor. Michael’s heart raced and his chest felt tight as he buried his face into the crook of Luke’s neck whispering an array of feared curses against him, his hard hat falling to the floor, bouncing loudly. He felt like all the air had escaped the room as he hyperventilated against the taller man’s collarbone, gripping tightly to the fabric of his shirt.

“Whoa. Easy, easy. I’ve got you.” Luke whispered softly against the top of Michael’s head, rubbing his back. “You’re safe. It was just the wood settling. Nothing is broken, everything is okay, I’ve got you Michael.”

Luke’s soft words echoed again and again until Michael was able to breathe properly. His grip loosened and his arms wrapped around Luke, holding his boyfriend until he felt safe again.

After a few minutes he finally released his hold on Luke and stepped back, avoiding eye contact and embarrassed by his own stupid actions. Bending down, he reached for the hardhat and placed it back onto his head, no longer caring about how foolish he may look. He would rather be safe.

“Can we go now?” He asked quietly, beginning to walk out of the room.

Michael felt a hand grab onto his wrist pulling him back slightly. He turned around to see Luke’s face was a soft pale, as if the colour had been drained from it and was only just returning.

“Yeah we can go… but first promise me one thing?”

He nodded in agreement, waiting for Luke to continue.

“Please don’t scare me like that ever again.” His thumb rubbed softly against the pale skin of Michael’s wrist as his eyes met the older boy’s.