Fireflies // Muke

Fireflies

It was late on a Sunday night, when Luke Hemmings heard a faint yet firm thud against his window. Startled, he lifted himself out of bed and treaded over in the direction of the source of the noise. This, he discovered, was a boy stood in the grass below, with streaks of red in his dark hair and a vibrant smile painted across his face. In his hand were two pebbles. The boy's smile was reflected in Luke's face as he sprung back into his room, threw on some shoes and almost grabbed his phone, before leaving it disconnected on his bed.

In the adrenaline of the moment, the beating of Luke's heart and the faint snoring originating from his parents' bedroom was all that could be heard as he crept downstairs, his back to the wall, like an agent in a spy movie. Luke grinned to himself at this, in despite of himself. It was eleven o'clock at night and he really was sneaking out. He arrived at his destination of the front door, opening it to reveal Michael Clifford standing proudly against his parents' car, smirking in Luke's direction.

"Took you long enough!" Michael said, as Luke jogged over to reach him.

"My parents are asleep, I had to sneak out," Luke replied, awkwardly reaching his hands into his pockets to have something to do with them. He looked past Michael at this point to the vehicle behind him. "Your parents gonna mind that you took their car?"

"Not if I don't tell them. Are your parents gonna mind the epic drug heist we're about to embark on?!" Michael opened the car door behind him at this, stepping aside and motioning for Luke to enter. "Get in, I'll let you go shotgun."

Luke laughed at him. "Shut up," he chuckled, before bending down to step into the car. "You've literally never seen a drug in your life. And I get shotgun by default, there is no one else in the car."

"I'm offended by that, Luke Hemmings. What if this is my drug van I've been hiding my whole life, I could be a meth cook, you could be in a car with a psychopathic CONVICT." Michael, at this point, had climbed in the other side of the car and was setting up the controls to start.

"You watch too much Breaking Bad." Luke stated, facing the road ahead out of his street.

"You clearly don't watch enough." Michael replied, his right hand on the steering wheel. "Lets do something cool tonight, something we'll remember."

To the soundtrack of the CD playing in the car around them, they left the constriction of the town behind.

-

"Do you actually have any idea where we're going?" Luke voiced finally, after the final beats of the song playing had faded out.

Michael smirked. "You're so boring. I want to just drive for a while, see where we end up. I needed to do something spontaneous, you know?"

Luke nodded at this, staring straight at the road ahead as Michael was. He felt there was a lot Michael was not voicing to him, a lot that was left unsaid in the air. However he didn't mind this. In fact, he enjoyed that the boys had this connection in which things didn't need to be spoken, but were mutually understood. Life needed a spark for them both.

They drove to the sound of music and the backdrop of nightfall until they reached a deserted car park on the edge of a park, overlooking a beach. It was here that Michael stopped the car, yet turned to Luke with a hand still rested over the steering wheel, his expression suddenly sombre.

"I have alcohol in the back seat. Do you have any proof that you're of age to -" Michael's voice was cut off by a prompt shove on Luke's part, causing both boys to erupt into giggles before exiting the car.

-

The most beautiful thing about the beach at night was how wildly different it was during the day. The cool atmosphere crafted of the sea a wild and daunting monster, creeping forward before ceasing and crawling back, waiting for another opportunity to strike. The only sources of illumination came from the moon, and the lights from a nearby town that scattered bright dots along the shore. Michael and Luke stepped onto a grassy ledge, and sat themselves down, their elbows resting on their knees. Michael handed Luke a bottle with a smirk.