Souvenir [Complete]

Twenty. Specials

On one of Luke's particularly bad days, Brian took him to the diner.

Of course Luke didn't wanna talk about why he didn't wanna go to the diner, much less why he looked lost and aimless as he scanned the menu. A waffle would just stick in his throat.

He ordered the french omelet instead. It was a special again. It looked too pale to be right, he didn't mind though. He only nibbled at it cause he wasn't really hungry. It was kind of cold, and rubbery, too.

Pitiful, just like him.

"I figured it out," Brian spoke up, drawing Luke's attention from the void.

"What?" Luke asked stabbing at his food with his fork instead of eating it.

"I'm gonna double major! Music and teaching, just like you. I think this is just what we need. Someone to help you out."

Luke sighed. Not this again. He'd need to quell this before it got ugly. "That's a six year stint, and you've already been in for a year."

"Then it's a good thing I'm changing right as you're going in." Brian cooed.

He almost looked smug. How could he look smug when he was saying shit like this? When he's changing like this. This was insane. It had to be some type of loony to someone other than him. Right?

"I don't understand why you're so bent on this. You don't think you wanna do something else? I can't your only reason for wanting this right?" Luke asked. He wasn't as gentle as he would have been in the past. But he felt differently now. Other people's problems were important, but not so much to him. Not in the moment at least.

"Well, yeah. We wanna be together right? I thought that's what you wanted," Brian furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Yes, but not joined at the hip," Luke snapped. The look on Brian's face made him immediately regret it. "I don't mean that," he offered in his normal voice. It sounded fake. "I'm going through a lot."

"What is it that's been going on? Why won't you tell me about it? You've been different since you went to New York. Did something really bad happen?"

"No," Luke shook his head. Lying to stop the questions.

"Is this because you left with him the night we fought?"

"No."

"Then what?"

People were looking around at them. They were making a scene. At the distraction, Luke's anger turned to tears that welled up in his eyes. He hated when he did this. He hated being so weak, especially now. "Stop trying to force anything out of me. I didn't do anything wrong." He whimpered. "So stop yelling at me..."

"I'm sorry," Brian huffed. He didn't sound it. Or maybe he did, but Luke didn't care. He just didn't want to fight.

Luke wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his off-white hoodie. It was too hot to wear, but it was the only thing besides his bed and Ashton's jacket that made him feel safe. "Me, too." Luke hadn't meant it either.

They sat there and the silence stretched on. Luke was unable to eat his food, and was unable to think in the quiet. "Can you say something?" Luke whimpered.

"I don't know what I can say anymore that ends better than that," Brian shrugged softly.

Ouch. That cut Luke to the bone. "Are you saying it's all my fault?"

"No," Brian huffed. "I just don't know what to say anymore in general. I'm sick of this."

"Well if you're so sick of it, why don't you just leave me?" Luke glowered at him.