Paris | muke

Seven

Michael's hand wrapped tightly around the strap of his satchel, the sound of his footsteps echoing around the empty corridor. He was breathing in deeply and breathing out in long puffs of air. He could almost feel the folded up piece of paper in his pocket, a friendly reminder of the phone call he had been avoiding all day. Busying himself with grading papers and giving out detentions for incorrect uniform had worked throughout most of the day. It was now, walking into an apartment where his fiancé and his daughter awaited him, that the phone call would become unavoidable. 

He fished his house keys out of the back pocket of his work trousers, letting the rattling echo around the slim corridor as he slid the key inside the slot and turned it twice. He pushed the door open, giving it a slight kick to assist when the hinges refused to budge. For the first time since he had moved into the apartment, Michael hated the fault on that door. He felt like letting out a sigh of frustration, but was stopped as his eyes flickered to the blond man standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hey." Luke said in a small voice before Michael could even step into the house. The black haired man could almost feel the sadness and confusion that radiated off his fiancé, making him frown as he slid inside the apartment and closed the door with his foot, tossing the keys onto the table right next to him.

"Hi." Michael replied softly, dumping his satchel on the ground and removing his shoes. He looked down at his socks, only now noticing they were mismatching. He shook his head, looking at the tall blond once more. "You okay?"

Everything about that moment felt peculiar to Luke. From the way Michael walked over to him almost hesitantly, pressing a rushed kiss to his cheek, to the way his glassy green eyes roamed around the room as if in search for something. He still didn't say anything, spinning around on the heels of his feet to see Michael walk towards the kitchen as he unbuttoned his work shirt. Luke knew Michael was grabbing a beer, but the familiarity of his actions only made Luke hate this moment even more.

"Where's Paris?" His fiancé spoke again even though Luke hadn't responded to the previous question. Luke crossed his arms tightly, pushing his lips into a thin line as his eyebrows pinched together for a split second.

"She went for a walk." The blond managed to say. He still hadn't moved from his position, right in the middle of the room, as his boyfriend walked past him to take a seat on the leather couch. The house was spotless, as it always seemed to be when Michael came home from work. This time, however, he couldn't deny the nagging feeling of a dirty atmosphere. He felt dirty. He didn't know why.

"Alone?" The black haired man frowned, taking a swig of the beer and swallowing it hard. The burning sensation of the ice cold liquid travelling down his throat soothed him, but he still couldn't ignore the cold, blank stare his partner was surely giving him.

"She took her phone." Luke stated monotonously. For the first time since Michael stepped foot in the house, Luke moved. Hesitantly, almost awkwardly, the blond made his way towards the armchair, slowly taking a seat and moving around to make himself comfortable. No position seemed comfortable enough to bring up the words he had been practicing in his head all day. "Have you called her mother?"

He could see Michael instantly freeze, letting the beer bottle sit between his lips for a second or two before he pulled it away, licking his lips slowly as his eyes met Luke's. He hadn't looked his boyfriend in the eyes for what felt like ages, and although he always loved the feeling of having Luke looking directly at him, something felt wrong this time. He looked down in defeat and let out a sigh.

"No." He cleared his throat. "Got pretty busy at work so I didn't have time."

"It's still half past four." The blond replied blankly.

"I know." He retorted in the same tone. "I'll call soon. Just need to cool down for a second."

Luke nodded, looking down at his hands as his fingers picked at the fabric of his jeans. At that moment, nothing seemed more interesting than how far Luke could pull his skinny jeans until they slipped from his fingertips. He hated how he could hear the ticking of the clock and the sound of the drink swaying back and forth in Michael's bottle as his boyfriend took slow swigs of his drink. Michael hated the silence too, but he knew there was nothing he could say to make it any better.

"I need answers." Luke finally spoke, causing his boyfriend to hold back a cough. He knew it was coming, but something about that moment actually coming made his blood run cold and his heart pound in his chest.

"What are your questions, darling?" He said softly, almost as an attempt to soothe his partner. Michael could almost notice the trembling in Luke's hands as he gripped the armrests like his life depended on it. "I'll answer all of them in the best way I can."

Luke breathed in deeply, letting his eyes flicker to the pain white ceiling for his apartment. He had lived in that same apartment for years, but never had he taken a day of his life to look up at the ceiling as he did now. Nothing seemed worse than looking Michael in the eye.

"Well," Luke choked out, swallowing the lump that formed in his throat. "Did you know?"

From the corner of his eye, Luke could see Michael's head fall in defeat, placing the bottle of beer on the coffee table as his fingers threaded through his hair almost frustratingly. Luke hated Michael's body language. The blond shifted yet again, pulling his legs up so that he could cross them in front of him on the not-so-spacious armchair. Michael looked up at his boyfriend, letting his eyes roam over Luke's delicate features. He took no rush in answering the question, opening his mouth a couple of times only to snap it shut again.

"Do you think I would ever desert a child, Luke?" He asked in a whisper, causing Luke to shrink slightly. If Luke thought hard about it, no, he didn't think Michael would ever desert a child. But at that moment, his thoughts were jumbled and his heart was confused. "No, I didn't know."

"Do you at least know for sure who her mother is?" The blond inquired. Past relationships was a topic that had already come up in Luke and Michael's talks. Of course, after years of being together and now planning to get married, they knew each other that much. Michael did, however, always steer away from talking about his experiences with girls. Not because he had something to hide, but Luke avoided the subject just as much as he did, for some reason.

"Mm." Michael nodded, pursing his lips into a thin line. Neither of them said anything after that, both men looking at anything but each other in hopes that all of it would simply go away. Michael wanted things to be okay. He wanted things to work out, Paris or no Paris. And deep down, he knew Luke did, too. "Everything will be fine, baby." Michael whispered, almost as if he could hear Luke's silent fears and insecurities. "It's a lot to take in for all of us, but we'll be okay."

"Do you promise?" Luke breathed out, eyes meeting Michael's. The black haired man smiled slightly, blinking slowly as he nodded his head.

"I promise, Princess."

~~~

do you guys still remember me lol