fearless - muke

9; pride

"I'm gonna close my eyes."

"No!" Michael laughed nervously. "I once led my friend through an obstacle course blindfolded, and he fell face first into the mud. If you fall, there's a multiple storey drop."

Luke gulped. "Right, so eyes stay open."

Michael stopped for Luke to pull himself together for a moment, and took the time to observe the blond. It was scarily similar to their first encounter - his hands were shaking, eyes unfocused.

Yet this time, Luke was doing everything he could to push one foot in front of the other, and Michael couldn't have been more pleased. Luke was the only person that seemed to genuinely care for him that he'd met in months, even his own brother was oblivious. So to be helping him in this way made him feel a sense of pride at his own achievement.

He owed it to Luke, that was for sure.

For years, Michael had been learning to live with his situation and accept that even though he had his troubles, he was lucky.

Luke's life was so different to his own, but there were clear similarities - they both felt the pressure of growing up too quickly, only Michael knew how to deal with it. He was young and immature, and with no clear guidance had become lost and uncertain about what the future might hold. What did he have that no one else did?

And sure, maybe Michael still couldn't answer that question, and maybe he hadn't yet found himself and his place in the world, but he was happier than he'd ever been.

All he wanted was for Luke to feel that, too. 

Luke held himself upright despite the urge to double over, allowing the wind to sweep his hair from his face and run over his skin. It was foggy, but he could make out the outline of the city, and see the lights that kept it alive.

People were below, going about their everyday lives. Going to work or school or for a walk like it was any ordinary day - they would never know Luke's story, never cross paths with him, never know of his pain. But they were connected, they would always be connected.

He'd seen beauty before, but not like this. It was the definition of the word.

"This is probably going to sound crazy, but... I don't feel very scared anymore."

Michael smiled, sitting down on the ledge and swinging his feet over the edge. He patted the space beside him, and after several seconds of hesitation, Luke carefully joined him. "That's not crazy at all. Once you see it, feel it, you realise there's nothing to be scared of."

"But I've always had a fear of heights," Luke frowned, "for as long as I can remember. Why would I just get over it like that?"

"Fear is whatever we make it, I guess."

Luke lips flickered into a small smile and he nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on the skyline as he didn't yet possess the confidence to look down.

Michael glanced over at him, then he too gave the time to appreciating their view. "It's the smallest things that mean the most. Every person down there feels insignificant - just one of thousands - so why do they matter? But they change the lives of everyone they meet, sometimes without even knowing it, and that does mean something."

"You're right," Luke paused, "I want to try something, okay? Don't freak out."

Before Michael could blink, Luke's lips were against his own, and in a brief moment of panic he pulled away.

Luke ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have - I just -"

Michael couldn't breathe, let alone respond. His throat seemed to have contracted, preventing the air from reaching his lungs. All he could do was stare at Luke, who had diverted his gaze in embarrassment.

Get it together, he thought, forcing himself to think about anything but the blond sat beside him.

Michael took a sharp intake of breath. "You don't - don't need to apologise. I..."

He couldn't have explained what was racing through his mind at that particular moment in time, and he suspected it would be something to look back on with curiosity in the years to come, but he refused to finish the sentence.

Instead, Michael grabbed Luke by the shirt and brought their lips together once more, the feeling overwhelming both boys' shivering body's with a warmth that could only ever be dreamt of.

"That was amazing."

Michael laughed and rested his head on Luke's shoulder, a small smile gracing his lips. "Yeah, I suppose it was."

Luke was unsure on what to say after that, and Michael understood because he felt it too. He wanted to say it was a surprise, that he hadn't expected Luke to kiss him, but a part of him knew that all of that was false. There had been something there for a while, building.

Now, Michael realised just how much he'd underestimated Luke. He had been afraid of heights, afraid of letting down those around him and still was the latter, but that didn't make him afraid of everything. Kissing Michael with the hopes it wouldn't ruin their friendship? That took guts.

Michael could only ever imagine having that level of courage.

Luke didn't see it quite like that, yet was still immensely proud of himself. Part of the thrill of it was knowing what his parents might say - Michael was younger, reckless, a school dropout. Certainly not what his parents had in mind.

But he liked those things about Michael, among others. He saw something in him that he'd never found in himself, no matter how hard he tried. And since meeting Michael, Luke felt a little bit more whole than before, like he completed him.

Each of them had their own unique qualities, but they didn't always work on their own. Michael lacked ambition, and Luke was drowning in it - both knew they couldn't go on much longer as they were.

So somehow, just meeting each other was a turning point. Nothing needed to come of it, but of course, that was a huge added bonus.

~~~~~~~

A/n: happy (very very late) new year everybody!!

Pretty much all of my stories go waaay too fast so I'm sorry about that, but bOOM MUKE IS HAPPENING I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS I HOPE IT WASN'T AS AWFUL AS I THINK

Thanks for reading x