To Eternity |Luka x reader|

Chapter 5: Viperion

|Y/N| was more than happy to carry on pretending like they hated Luka, but settled for this because they hated XY more, unfortunately for them, Alec wasn't. They could feel his eyes on them nearly everywhere they went on the boat, his gaze bordering on oppressive. They resented it, even after so many years it still felt like he knew exactly what was going on with them as easily as a trained ear could pick out a mistake in a chord. A mistake, that's what this is. 

Putting any more thought into Luka than absolutely necessary was a mistake. The longer they let themselves think about it, the more trapped they felt. They could either confess and deal with the embarrassment that ensued from rejection or continue to ignore him. Ignoring him sounded fine, but they'd missed him. |Y/N| looked helplessly at Eden, who was in the middle of talking with pretty much everyone. The only person not involved in the conversion was Luka, and |Y/N| had no clue where he disappeared to. They backed up against the wall of the boat, arms against the edge before turning around to enjoy the view of the city light reflecting off the water. If you looked hard enough, they could almost pretend the ocean looked like a night sky unobstructed by light pollution. 

"Going for a swim?" a voice asked, startling |Y/N| out of their temporary peace. It took one quick glance at Luka's blue hair from their peripherals for them to refuse to turn their head. Luka looked at them, but they weren't looking at him. His gaze softened, and he leaned against the railing with his back facing the water, hearing it but not seeing the view. Luka could feel how tense |Y/N| was without even touching them. The sun had long since set, and he could hear their teeth chattering slightly and feel their body shake from the cold breeze settling onto the city. He sighed, wordlessly shrugging his jacket off his shoulders and draping the fabric over |Y/N| like a blanket before walking away.

 |Y/N| was suddenly thankful for the dark cloak of the evening, they don't know what they would do if anyone- especially Luka- saw the furious blush and unrestrained smile quickly spreading across their face. They felt frozen in place, unable to move as they processed what just happened and what it might mean. |Y/N| hated how such a small action had them so elated and unrealistically hopeful. After a moment of consideration, their fingers brushed against the fabric and pulled it closer. He never did bother to change his cologne, did he? |Y/N| laughed a little, allowing fondness to overtake their hurt and pain if for just a moment. The jacket was just as soft as his old one, likely needing to be replaced because Luka got older and grew out of it. 

"Think he grew out of me?" |Y/N| whispered, the question more directed at the ocean below them than anyone around them. Even with the bitter thoughts and even bitter questions, their fingers still dug into the fabric and they savored the scent. They felt the most at peace they'd been in years while simultaneously feeling disgusted with themselves. Getting involved with Luka again wouldn't just be a small mistake, it would ruin every bit of emotional stability they'd built after he left. It would end in nothing but disaster. "Figures," |Y/N| sighed, leaning into the fabric anyway. They didn't have to get involved, but they didn't have to waste this moment either. A moment just for them. |Y/N| settled back to staring at the water, happy to know that nobody was watching them and they could have this moment to themselves. 

***

Luka felt like a stalker staring at |Y/N| from the captain's quarters. He knew Alec said to watch, he thought he saw a chance, but giving them his jacket and just walking away? What the fuck was he doing? He wanted to say hi and ask to talk, not give them his jacket and chicken out like he'd been doing all night. He felt like he was eavesdropping on a personal conversation, but it was just |Y/N|. Who was he kidding, it was never just |Y/N|. Luka fought to deny the hope in his chest and the pounding of his heart when he watched |Y/N| pull the jacket just a little bit closer. Any attempt he made proved futile when he saw the smile on their face.