thirty eight
Most people working in the dead center of New York City didn't drive. There was no parking, traffic was atrocious. There wasn't a reason to drive.
Every now and then, though, Luke would be feeling good and take out his car and drive to work (only to walk 12 blocks from parking to his building). Michael rode with him, almost losing his life and breakfast a few times due to Luke's driving.
They headed home for their long lunch. Michael liked everything happening at the moment, he liked being able to ask 'hey, are we going home today?'
It's the things like saying 'our' house or 'our' ride home. Michael believes that love is more than those three words. It's 'you can have the last fry', or 'I'll do what you want'. Michael knows for a fact that he is hopelessly in love with this blonde boy.
They parked underneath their apartment building, heading through the lobby and to the elevator. "How were your appointments today?" Luke asked as the doors closed and they relaxed into the small space.
"Normal. Some sad, some not," he answered with a shrug. "What about yours?"
"I only had, like, two. I think Ashton is trying to get me to retire."
Michael laughed, "I think he is trying to get himself to retire. What is he now, 50?"
Luke shook his head, a laugh on his lips. "Mike, he's only 46, we were at his party in July."
"That's pretty much 50."
The elevator reached to their floor as Michael let Luke walk out first. His father taught him that that was curtsy decades ago—always let women and children go first, always let your date and family go first.
"You're a special kid," Luke said, slowing down his walk to match up with Mike's.
Mike bumped his own hip into his boyfriend's, "I'm a special kid that you fuck."
"I knew that was coming." Luke brought their swipe card up to their lock, unlocking it always took Luke a few times.
"I can get something else coming, too," he responded, his mouth close to Luke's ear. He wrapped his arms around Luke's waist, leaving a quick peck on his neck.
He opened the door, automatically dropping their takeout lunch on the ground before turning around and wrapping his arms around Michael's shoulders.
Mike had his hands tight on Luke's back as they took unsteady steps into their building. He paused, though, when he heard the city louder than normal. Michael stood up to his full height at the same time Luke did.
Both sets of eyes looked out to the open window of their living room area. Sitting on the fire escape was Jack, mindlessly eating lunch with the neighbor.
If it were a weekend day, Michael wouldn't be upset. He'd be confused as to why he doesn't just invite the boy in, he'd be confused as to why the fire escape was so appealing,yet he would still be angry at the fact that Jack was passing back a blunt.
But, it was Thursday morning at 11:30. Jack was supposed to be in school, somewhere between third and fourth period.
Luke rested his arm on Michael's bicep as he could see the boy fuming more and more with anger. "Maybe I should go talk to—."
"He gives me a constant fucking headache," Michael says, taking steps forward.
Jack turned around, his eyes locking with his older brother. He got up, saying something short to Calum before jumping back into the apartment. "Don't start yelling, don't start yelling, don't—!"
"Are you kidding me?!" Michael yelled. He stopped in his tracks, his breathing rapid with a hand on his hip. "I don't know where the fuck to start with you!" Michael had a short temper.
Jack looked at Luke, begging for some type of hope. Luke shook his head, taking a step back. "Michael, let's talk, okay? I don't want to be yelled at right—."
Mike took a step forward, reaching out his finger and tilting Jack's chin up. He looked at his dilated eyes, the waterline looking red and irritated. He let go, taking a step back and beginning to pace. "First of all, you're high. Second, you're supposed to be at school! What the hell are you thinking, Jack?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" Michael kept turning to look at Jack, pointing his finger or fist in anger as he dragged on his verbal thoughts.
Luke sat down at their kitchen island, starting his lunch. He wasn't going to get involved so he might as well doing something good—eat.
Jack sighed, taking the long way around the living room and sitting on their couch as Michael continued to pace. "I'm sorry, Mike, I didn't want to go to school."
He let out a laugh, a pissed off kind of passive aggressive laugh. "That's a fucking joke, Jack! No one wants to go to school, there are a lot of things in life you're gonna do that you don't want—."
Jack interrupted him with an elongated groan. "I'm sick of this lecture." He leant his head back, closing his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest.
Michael was getting more and more angry as the seconds ticked on. "I'm gonna send you to fucking military school, Jack. I'm gonna find some other boarding school that'll fix you until you learn to fucking respect me." Mike was pacing around their television now, going from one side of the foyer to the other side of their living room.
"You're not my dad, I'm not gonna respect you," Jack spit out.
"I'm the closest thing you're every gonna have to a parent, why don't you realize that?!"
Jack did know that. He knew he was pretty much an orphan stuck with a confused, stressed out, overworked 29 year old. He looked up at his hurt brother and he regretted a lot of things.
Michael did that, his emotions were so out on his sleeve that it was obvious when he was hurt. Any compassionate human being wouldn't want to purposely hurt a sweet cinnamon roll like Michael.
Jack sighed a shaky breath, "Whatever, Michael."
Michael was on the verge of tears. He did everything he could for Jack. He took him when there was no one else to. The then-4-year-old ruined a solid decade of Michael's life. It was fine, though, because Mike wanted to be there for his brother. He wanted to be able to love his brother as much as both of his parents would have.
He took the boy to his college classes when the neighbor couldn't babysit him. He walked him around the campus, he brought him to work. He helped him learn, helped him grow. He coddled the boy so tight, making sure that he would never be able to doubt Mike's love for him.
He did terrible things to make ends meet for he and Jack. He worked his ass off to make everything work out in the end. This was supposed to be the was part—the nice apartment, the successful job, his other half sitting behind him.
None of this was supposed to happen, life just likes to screw Michael over.
Luke was watching all of this while silently eating his tuna salad. He looked at Michael then at Jack, both of them angrily fuming at each other.
He didn't like when Michael was screaming, he didn't like when he was angry. He did, though, like the protective side of Michael. He was able to see the care and worry that he held for his little brother.
Even though this was a terrible moment in life, Luke remained utterly in love with Michael. All he could think about was Michael being a father, he couldn't wait to start their own family.
He'd never leave out Jack. Luke understood that Jack is Michael's number one priority. Everything that Michael will ever do in life will effect Jack, Michael makes sure that everything in beneficial for his little brother.
Luke knows that Jack is the tear in Michael's heart.
