Stratford Academy-muke

6

TW: mentions of abuse

Luke burst into seventh period 30 minutes late. He mumbled a quick 'sorry' to the teacher, Mrs. Riendou. Mrs. Riendou gave him a quick nod and pointed at the open seat next to Michael.

Luke held his head down as he shuffled towards Michael. He sat down and laid his head on his desk. He let out a large sigh and lifted his head, turning to Michael. His eyes were a raw red, as if he was crying. His cheek was red with a hand mark and minor scratches.

Michael's face fell. He placed his hand on Luke's arm. "Dude, are you okay?" He pushed his sketches aside as Luke scooted his chair closer to Michaels. Michael ran his fingers up and down Luke's arm in an attempt to comfort him.

Luke sniffed and rubbed his eye. He breathed in sharply and rested his head on Michael's chest. Michael's eyes widened, and his body froze.

"I- uhm." Luke let out a soft sob. Michael's eyes softened as he slowly wrapped his arms around Luke. He looked around; no one was watching them luckily. Besides Mrs. Riendou.

She gave him a sad smile. She subtly lifted her finger towards the door. Michael nodded his head and looked down at Luke. "Let's head to the bathroom, alright?"

Luke sniffed in response. Michael and Luke stood up, Michael's arm still wrapped around the shoulders of the blonde. Michael grabbed both of their bags and led him outside, giving Mrs. Riendou a small 'thank you' nod on the way out.

Once outside, Luke let out a sofy sob that he had been holding in. Michael sighed and hugged Luke, rubbing his hand up and down his back.

"Where's the nearest bathroom?" Michael hesitantly asked which caused Luke to let out a choked laugh. He raised a shaking finger and pointed to a door across the hall.

Michael quickly led Luke to the bathroom. Once inside, Luke let out another sniff and fell to the floor, his back against the wall. "Fuck dude..." he mumbled. He ran a hand through his hair. Michael frowned and bent down in front of the blonde.

"What happened?" He asked. Luke brought his knees up to his chest and sniffed. Michael's eyes flicked back to the red handprint on Lukes cheek.

"Did- did she hit you?" Michael asked. Luke took another sharp breath, and that's when he broke down. He let out a loud sob. His body shook as his sobs got louder and louder. He buried his face into his knees and covered his head with his hands.

Michael gasped at the outburst. He engulfed Luke in a comforting hug. He slowly rocked him back and forth. Luke raised his head and rested it in the crook of Michael's neck. Michael fondly smiled at the action.

After twenty minutes of sobs and quiet curses, Luke had calmed down enough to explain what happened. "After I chased after Arzaylea, she just...screamed. I've never seen her so upset. Especially over something so small and stupid." He mumbled. He avoided eye contact with Michael and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"I forget exactly what I said, but I said something that really pissed her off." He said. "And she just- she hit me." He mumbled. He raised a hand to the handprint on his cheek. He softly touched it and hissed.

"Her stupid nails scratched me in the process." He said with a soft laugh. Michael didn't laugh. He stared at Luke with a concerned expression.

"You need to break up with her." He said. Luke sighed and shook his head.

"I can't! She's just too controlling!" He softly yelled. Michael sighed and placed a hand on Luke's knee.

"Luke...this is abuse." He softly mumbled. Luke sighed and rubbed his eyes.

The moment was interrupted by the bell ringing. "Do you wanna go back to your dorm? We can talk more there." Michael said as he patted Luke's knee. Luke nodded and stumbled up to his feet.

——

The walk back to Luke's dorm consisted of silence, along with the occasional sniffle coming from Luke.

Luke led Michael to his dorm room. The door was covered in random band posters, which made Michael smile. "I love Pierce the Veil." He said as Luke pulled out his keycard and unlocked the door.

The door opened, revealing Ashton sitting on his bed. He gave a small wave, his eyes softening when he saw the teary eyed Luke.

Michael didn't have enough time to question why Ashton was in Luke's room when Luke embraced Michael in a hug. He laid his head on Michael's shoulder and sobbed.

Ashton jumped off his bed and rushed over to the duo. He wrapped the two into a comforting hug. He rubbed Luke's back and mumbled soft words to him.

"Mike, could I talk to Luke in private?" Ashton asked as he broke the hug. Michael nodded. His eyes flicked up to Luke's blue ones. Luke gave him a soft smile and nodded.

Michael waved and shuffled out of the room, softly closing the door behind himself. He looked down at his hands, tears falling out of his own eyes.

Luke doesn't deserve this. He desveres someone who truly loves him.

And Michael was gonna show him that love.

In a friend way, of course.