High Hopes || Mashton AU

Epilogue

Fast forward, three and a half years

"Michael!" A smiling Luke appeared from within the crowd, pushing himself through the people and stumbling away from them to catch up to Michael, who had just entered the house. It was huge, undoubtedly owned by someone whose parents owned like half the world, but with this many people inside, it seemed like it was just another small house somewhere. "Luke."

The blond chuckled at the boring greeting from his best friend, wrapping an arm around the bleached blond haired's shoulders. "Glad you could make it! Calum's been whining about you for an hour."

"Have not!" Said male protested from behind the two, coming up to them with a smile, his brown eyes twinkling in the flashing lights. Michael scrunched his nose at the obvious smell of smoke on his best friend, but he accepted the other's hug nonetheless. Just because he didn't like smoking, didn't mean he would judge his friends for it. He didn't encourage it, most definitely not, but he didn't judge. "Hey Mike."

"Hi Cal." Michael mumbled, but loud enough to be heard over the pounding music. There was a soft smile on his face now, the happiness of having his friends around doing that. Luke took a sip of his beer, patting Michael's shoulder. "Let's get you a drink!"

Michael nodded in agreement, letting the blond take the lead to the kitchen as he felt Calum's hands on his shoulders, pushing him lightly. As if he wouldn't walk there himself, which he would. He honestly liked beer too much to pass up the opportunity to enjoy free beer. Calum just hadn't seemed to figure that out yet.

A bottle soon got pressed into the bleached blond's hands, a soft grin on his face telling Luke he was thankful before he took a sip. Luke perched himself on top of the cooking isle, after having pushed away a few bowls with food and having deposited a few empty bottles and cups into the sink further. Michael leaned on the counter as well, looking around the kitchen and rolling his eyes as he noticed Calum leaning against the fridge a little further, obviously chatting up another guy.

The dark haired one didn't seem to have any luck though, the guy walking off and leaving Calum to turn to a girl instead. He was so shamelessly bi, Michael admired it. He wasn't ashamed of anything himself, but he just didn't like to put a label on it. He was all over the place with his interests and he didn't find it obligatory to make it clearer. He liked who he liked.

"Mikey, how's Gabe?" The blond on the cooking isle asked, nudging his foot into Michael's thigh. The older looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "Why don't you ever ask her yourself? You having a crush on her is making you a chicken."

Luke whined, pressing his foot further into the other's thigh as if to try and push him away now. His blue eyes were still focused on Michael though, a pout on his lips as he tried to glare at him. But it was just impossible to deny. Luke had a huge crush on Gabriella Sterling, who had grown to be a close friend of Michael here in college. "Just answer the question."

With a roll of his eyes, Michael ignored the blond's words and looked around the kitchen, smirking as his eyes fell on the shorter form of just that girl. He glanced at Luke shortly, before looking in Gabriella's direction again, waving his arm as he yelled for her. She looked up and towards Michael, her brown eyes meeting his across the room and a soft smile on her pink lips as she moved closer to him. "Mike!"

"Gabe, hey." Michael greeted her, wrapping one arm around her to hug her, smiling at how short she was compared to him. She pulled back to look at Luke, a soft smile adorning her lips as she adjusted her black rimmed glasses lightly. "Hi Luke."

The blond smiled his infamous, awkward smile, giving her this lame wave that he seemed to curse himself for right after. The girl giggled at his wave though, pushing some of her shoulder-length, dark turquoise hair from her face and letting her eyes travel over Luke.