How To Play The Game.

twenty nine - michael

Michael really needed to stop spoiling Lily. He really did, especially because he knew that their whole relationship was going to come crumbling down at practically any second.

Lily was still mad at Michael for the way he was acting the other day. Well, she wasn't mad at how he was acting, she was mad at the fact that he wouldn't tell her why he was so upset, which made sense.

Honestly, Michael was just stressed out about the book. He was feeling guilty about what he'd done and was scared because he knew that Lily would absolutely, 100 percent, without a doubt hate him when she found out what Michael had written about her.

But instead of trying to just talk to Lily and apologize for the way he'd acted a few days before, Michael was trying to make things up to Lily by getting her yet another present. That's why Michael was currently walking down the hallway to Lily's apartment with a puppy squirming around in his arms. A pug, if you want to get specific.

Michael knocked on the front door, hoping that Lily was actually awake and he wasn't coming by too early. He wanted the whole thing to be a surprise so he didn't call or text Lily or let her know that he'd be stopping by at all.

Luke answered the door, rubbing his eyes. He was only wearing a pair of boxers and his hair was all disheveled, but this time Michael knew that Luke looked that way because he had been sleeping a few minutes before, not because he was with Calum. 

"Hey Mich- Oh God, you got her a dog?" Luke stopped mid sentence, letting out a big groan.

"Yeah, it's an apology." Michael nodded, petting the puppy on the top of its head. "Can I come in?"

"Lil's asleep still." Luke said, pulling the door open more so Michael could step inside.

"That's alright." Michael said.

"So where'd you get that?" Luke asked, pointing to the puppy in Michael's arms.

"It's a he," Michael corrected him, hugging the dog a little closer to himself. He'd taken quite a liking to him in the hour that they'd known each other. "and I got him at this place downtown."

"Oh, cool." Luke said slowly, cocking his head to the side to get a better look at the puppy. He was good, much more well behaved than what Michael was expecting. "Is it going to stay here?"

"I'm assuming that he will stay with your sister, yes." Michael nodded. He wished that Luke would stop calling the puppy an It.

"God dammit." Luke sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before pushing past Michael and walking into the kitchen.

"Oh, okay." Michael said quietly. "I'm just gonna - Yeah, I'm gonna go find Lily."

Michael walked down the hall and into Lily's room, not bothering to knock because he figured that she was asleep. And she was, so Michael kicked off his shoes and pulled the covers back so he could get into bed with Lily. Puppy included.

He didn't want to sound creepy, but Michael honestly loved watching Lily sleep. It was rare that he actually saw her while she was sleeping because Michael was usually the first to fall asleep and the last to wake up, but when he happened to be awake when Lily wasn't he couldn't help but stare. She just looked so cute and peaceful, like she was completely content.

It only took a few seconds for the puppy (Michael didn't have a name for him yet and he felt a little bad) wiggled away from him and started licking Lily's face, and Michael was kind of thankful because now he didn't have to be the one to wake Lily up.

"Michael, I swear to God." Lily groaned, her eyes still closed. She reached out and found Michael's shoulder, slapping him hard.

"It's not me, babe." Michael chuckled, just waiting for Lily to open her eyes and see what he'd gotten her.