the artist → muke

f o u r

the sun rose and set, but michael couldn't sleep, and he didn't know why he was so anxious about this whole situation. he understood that obviously he had fit whatever requirements that luke had been looking for, so there was no reason to worry that how he looked wouldn't be satisfactory for his piece. that and luke had totally kissed his cheek, which his mind would say is an artist thing, but his heart was praying that it was personal. additionally, michael was anxious because after this, everyone would be able to see his face in paintings. everyone would know about him through a piece of artwork, and that scared him.

along with the factors like college and growing up, michael moved from california to new york city for a reason: he hated his parents. they never paid attention to him, and when they did all they would do was yell at him and lecture him about how awful he is. and that made michael afriad that his parents would actually reach out to him. he didn't want their sympathy. the only person he even talked to besides luke now was his roommate, calum, who was never in anyway since he joined a fraternity.

by the time it was seven, michael decided to drag himself out of his bed. he couldn't sleep anyway, and he needed to look somewhat presentable. probably wearing just what he normally wears, since that's what luke saw him in and never said anything different. he decided on wearing his harley davidson muscle tank, along with a pair of black skinny jeans and black combat boots. simple, and along the lines of what he worn every day. he spritzed his hair with some dry shampoo (though he'd never admit to anyone about his laziness in the hygiene aspect of life) and he shoved his wallet and phone into his pockets before grabbing one of his walking dead comic books and making his way out of his dorm.

the trip to the coffee shop was short, and the streets seemed less crowded than usual. a dismal grey sky hung overhead and a slight drizzle of rain began to fall as he reached the cafe's shelter. he ordered a large iced macchiato and one of those weird breakfast sandwiches and sat down in his usual chair. luke had never given him his number, so michael just supposed that eventually he would show up.

but luke didn't show up like he usually did around nine in the morning (michael always noticed when the tall blond had walked in).

luke didn't rush in half an hour late and apologize for his lateness.

luke didn't even burst through the cafe doors at one in the afternoon. and so michael got up, ordered another coffee and sat down. he decided that he wasn't going to leave until luke arrived, and that maybe luke just hadn't shown up yet because he works best at night anyway.

finally, after michael had read through his comic book a grand total of four times, and the sun was setting over the new york skyline, luke walked through the cafe doors. he looked tired, but at the same time so awake.

"sorry i'm late, michael, i was up all night planning for this and then i woke up and it was three in the afternoon, and then i had to wake up and it takes like an hour to get here in this weather." luke sighed running a hand through his flat hair.

"it's fine," michael shrugged as he stood up, closed his comic book, and took a final sip of his watered down coffee.

"wow," luke smiled, looking michael up and down. "you look great. oh my god, i can see the color scheme already this is amazing."

michael blushed, and spoke a quiet 'thanks' under his breath before meeting luke in the eyes again, saying nothing.

"we'd better get going," luke said, and he reached for the comic book to hold it for michael, taking it out of his right hand and taking michael's hand in his own. michael jumped at the contact, and luke just looked at him oddly. "what? you know you want to."

michael opened his mouth to shoot back some smart comment, but shut it when he realized that luke was right. michael currently was receiving the most attention he had in the past ten years of his life. this was all that michael seemed to have, and it was just a business deal that started yesterday. yeah, michael felt pathetic when he realized that, but it was the truth.

the trip back to luke's home didn't feel as long as luke said it would be, and luke held michael's hand the whole way there. when they were inside luke's house, luke raised up michael's arm with a pout on his lips.

"what happened to you?" luke asked, his voice an odd blend of sympathy and complete confusion.

"rough family life. they're far away now, but you know what they say: old scars never heal." michael sighed and responded after taking a deep breath. after all these years, he would've thought the bruises on his wrists would've faded a bit, but they were still noticeable if the lighting was right, and it was.

"abusive parents?"

"on occasion my dad was but the incidents were few, and spread apart. the impact was more long lasting though." michael decided that he should just look anywhere else in the room. he'd never actually talked about this with anyone.

but luke just pulled him into a hug, and planted a soft kiss after on his lips.

"old scars never heal," he whispered under his breath as he pulled away, as if to himself.

and then michael felt the force of a fist against his jaw, and everything went black.