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"I don't understand why Christmas music is always playing so early," Michael grumbled as he slumped in his seat in the back of Calum's car. "Thanksgiving hasn't even passed yet."
"Dude, you can never be too early for Christmas," Ashton said from the passenger's seat, his head turned to look back at Michael.
"You fuckin' love Christmas. You're wearing an ugly Christmas sweater, for fuck's sake!"
"This sweater is actually really warm, nice, and not ugly."
Michael rolled his eyes, his eyes on the many things that passed by the car as Calum was driving to wherever they were heading. "Where are we going, anyway?"
"It's a surprise," Calum said. "You'll find out eventually."
Crossing his arms over his chest, Michael hand forward so he saw Calum's eyes through the rear-view mirror. "I wanted to stay home. I already spent the majority of the day with you guys."
"It's your birthday. Don't you want to do anything super special?"
"I hate my birthday. Why can't I just sleep instead of doing anything?"
"Because," Ashton said, "you need to have some fun. You can't hate your birthday forever just because Luke had to leave—"
"Shut up. Don't talk about him to me."
"But—"
"I said shut the fuck up!" Michael snapped, abruptly leaning forward so quickly his seat belt held him back. "I don't want to hear his damn name."
Calum sighed. "Michael..."
The thing was, Luke was a well-known musician and Michael's childhood best friend. It had always been Luke's dream to sing and write songs and even have a world tour. That dream had finally come true about three years ago, when Luke was discovered and signed to a pretty famous music label called Hi or Hey Records. Since then, Luke had become nothing but famous and busy, but he never lost sight of himself. He never got cocky and let the fame get in his head, and he would always choose Michael over anyone else. He even was adamant about not getting a PR girlfriend despite management strongly suggesting he get one, because the last time he got a girlfriend she nearly split up their friendship due to her jealousy at how close they were.
Sometime last year, after a few months since releasing his debut album that had hit number one in multiple countries, Luke was told that he would be doing a world tour that would go from November to December of the following year. He wanted for Michael to go with him so badly, but his management said no (what a bunch of old ding dongs). He was set to leave for the United Kingdom on the super early morning of the twentieth of November, meaning he wouldn't be able to celebrate Michael's birthday. The night before Luke left, he wished Michael a happy early birthday and told him he would talk to him every single day while he was on tour.
Except, he didn't talk to him at all.
Naturally, Michael was upset that Luke broke his promise. Well, he didn't really promise per se, but he might as well have. They were best friends. They had to talk every day.
Michael didn't understand what Luke even did while on tour other than perform live in front of thousands of people almost every night. He wanted to give Luke the benefit of doubt that he was busy, time zones were conflicting, and he simply had no time for Michael at all. However, that only made Michael sad.
Because that basically meant Luke didn't need him at all.
Michael readjusted himself to get into a more comfortable position as the drive continued on, Calum and Ashton talking to each other while Michael ignored their every word. He didn't even want to talk to them. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He only wanted Luke to be with him right now and that was it.
But his stubbornness and pride would not allow him to admit that out loud.
-
Michael had fallen asleep somewhere along the way to their destination, and he woke up to what was a blindfold covering his face. He went to pull the thing off, but a hand grabbed both of his hands and pulled him out of the car.
"Just trust me," said Ashton as he led Michael.
"I don't like surprises," Michael said, "you should know that."
"Well, this time it has to be, and you're gonna love it."
From under the blindfold Michael rolled his eyes, saying nothing more to Ashton while the older boy and Calum were whispering to one another. Michael couldn't care less about what the two were even talking about. He didn't even care about anything. Why couldn't his stupid friends just leave him at home?
He wasn't sure whose hands were placed on his shoulders and guiding him forward, but judging from the voice that told him to take a few careful steps up he was pretty sure it was Ashton. Michael heard a door opening and he was getting a bit antsy about what's to come.
After a while of Ashton guiding Michael, the blindfold was removed and Michael found himself on a balcony and looking out into lights of the city. The view was excruciatingly beautiful.
Michael turned himself around and was taken aback at the sight of the house before him. It looked like a mansion fit for someone who had money. He didn't even know how Ashton and Calum even managed to get their hands on such a beautiful place. Did they rent this place out? All for him?
"Happy birthday, Michael," Calum said with a smile. "You like the view of the city?"
Michael nodded. "It's really amazing. Thanks, Calum. Thanks, Ashton."
Ashton grinned. "It gets better. Wait here while Calum and I go get your present."
Michael turned his attention back to the city lights as he heard his friends walk off. He let out a content breath, walking forward towards the balcony and leaning his arms against the railing. The cool breeze fanned over his skin and sent chills throughout his body.
The silence was peaceful. Michael could fall asleep out here and that would be the best birthday ever. If only he had something to keep him warm.
Hands were placed on Michael's waist and he gasped aloud, twisting himself around immediately to yell at either Ashton or Calum, but the person wasn't either of the two.
"Hey, Mikey," Luke said. "Happy birthday."
Michael had his hands over his mouth, wide green eyes staring at Luke. Luke's hair was longer and more disheveled than Michael remembered and a stubble was forming on his face, like Luke hadn't shaved in a while. The dirty blond had a sheepish grin on his face as well as another expression like he was waiting for Michael to say something.
However, Michael didn't know what to say; he was shocked, to say the least. So, he instead let his arms drop from his face before throwing them around Luke's neck to bring him in for a big hug.
He felt Luke hug back, a few seconds later his hold on Michael growing tighter as he buried his face in Michael's light hair. Michael couldn't believe what was happening right now. Luke, his best friend who had been gone for a year to pursue his dream, was here with him right now.
"You fucking idiot, I hate you so much," Michael mumbled, nuzzling his face into Luke's neck as he tried to hold back his tears, albeit failing miserably. It didn't matter though. He was overwhelmingly happy, he had to let it out somehow.
Luke rubbed his back soothingly, repeating quietly in his ear, "I'm here, I'm here. It's okay."
Michael sniffled. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too, Mikey."
The little moment between him and Luke was ruined when a loud party horn sounded, making Michael flinch. Then two voices exclaimed, "Happy birthday, Michael!" before cheering wildly.
Michael pulled away from the hug and glared at his friends, wanting to kill them. Luke, his hands still on Michael, was laughing a little at Ashton and Calum's dorkiness as they bounced towards him and Michael. They then wrapped their arms around Luke and Michael, happily singing the birthday song.
When Ashton and Calum let go to step away, Michael immediately hugged Luke again, the latter boy doing the same to Michael.
"Aren't you still touring until next month?" Michael asked as he slightly pulled away to look at Luke. "Why are you here?"
"Well, if you knew the concert dates like Ashton and Calum, you'd know that I'll be in Australia for a while," Luke said in a sassy tone. "Plus, your birthday just so happened to be one of those days where I can take a break, and--" He gestured towards their friends "--they arranged for me to come surprise you for your birthday since they kept telling me about how much you missed me and that seeing me would be the best birthday gift you'll ever get."
Michael narrowed his eyes. "If you were here in Australia, then why didn't you tell me? Actually, better question: why didn't you text me at all? You told me you would, but you never did."
"Why didn't you text me first? If you missed me so much, you could have said something."
"Answer the damn question, Hemmings."
"Believe me, I wanted to talk to you. Even for a second, but most of the time I was getting ready for the shows, and preparing along with the concerts themselves take almost the entire day for me and I end up getting super tired at the end of the day. And days when I'm not performing or preparing, I try to catch up on sleep."
Michael rolled his eye. "You do love to sleep a lot."
"Yeah, you should feel lucky. I could be sleeping right now, but I chose to surprise you and wish you happy birthday. But me being busy and lazy isn't a good enough reason. I could have still messaged you. There were days where I was so close to messaging you, but..."
"But?"
"Hold on a second, love." Luke looked over at Ashton and Calum who were listening in on the conversation. "Can you two leave for a bit? I need some alone time with Michael."
"That's not fair," Calum said with a frown before taking Ashton's hand and leading him towards the door.
Luke turned back to Michael and continued on with what he wanted to say. "I didn't talk to you, because I missed you too much. Way more than I thought I would. It sounds weird, but hear me out. I was all over the world living my dream, but all I wanted to do was go back to you. If I talked to you, I felt like I would drop everything that I ever achieved in a heartbeat and go straight to you."
"Luke..." Michael brought one hands of his to lace his fingers with Luke's.
"I know you don't like when I put you above absolutely everything, and I thought that by coming back to you I'd disappoint not only my fans, but you most of all. But I should've talked to you anyway. I should've just did what I said I'd do, because all I did was upset you by not talking to you at all."
Michael shook his head. "You're an idiot for thinking all of this, and I don't really understand you." He placed his free hand on Luke's shoulder. "Why would you drop everything for me? I'm just your best friend."
"You're more than that to me. You're my sunshine, my rock, my inspiration, my everything." Luke rested his forehead against Michael's. "You're my number one."
"Aww."
"Oh, my God." Luke glared at the door. "Ashton, go away!"
"But this is so cute! This is better than the lame rom com Calum wanted to watch." Ashton leaned against the door frame. "Keep going, just pretend I'm not here."
"Why pretend when we can actually make it happen?" Calum said from behind Ashton as he pinched the older boy's ear and dragged him away, Ashton complaining about how he wanted to stay and that his ear was going to be ripped off.
Michael made a small giggly sound as Luke sighed, looking back at the shorter boy. Michael stopped his little laughter as he asked, "Why did you think I would be upset if you came back to me?"
"Because you told me that you want me to put myself before you. Remember? When Erin Jamison asked me to one of those school events and I said no to her because you didn't want to go and I wanted to hang out with you instead?"
"You had a crush on her!" Michael retorted, shoving Luke away lightly. "Why would you turn down your crush?"
"How many times do I have to tell you? I didn't like her! I was staring at her that one time, because she had something in her front teeth. And when you had me go talk to her, I only told her that she had a piece of gunk in her teeth."
Michael didn't seem to believe Luke, but didn't say anything more about it. Luke always said that and wouldn't admit it, but one day he'll get him to do that.
"Plus, it was a good thing I stayed with you that night," Luke said. "You came down with a really bad flu."
"Oh, jeez, Luke" Michael groaned with a chuckle. "It wasn't that bad."
"You were so pale looking, I thought you were going to die," Luke said, laughing a bit. "I didn't even know you could get any paler than you already were."
"Oh, shut up, you," Michael said, rolling his eyes. "We were like seventeen. There were a lot of things you didn't know. Plus, you were probably the dumbest person ever."
Luke gaped. "I was not. I just didn't think like most people."
"Sure, whatever makes you feel better."
"I'm serious! I'm practically the most unique person alive."
"Uh huh."
"I get the feeling you don't believe me. For that and Erin."
"Because your words are complete shit." Michael laughed loudly and Luke just shook his head while smiling at him.
But it wasn't like his usual dorky smile. This one seemed more fond, like he was admiring Michael.
"What?" Michael asked once his laughter died down. "Why are you smiling at me like that?"
Luke merely shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it's just—your laugh. It's so nice to hear after being away from you for so long. Well, your voice is nice to hear in general, but your laugh is just so calming and beautiful."
"You always say such weird things sometimes."
"It's true. But I'm also very grateful that I get to see your beautiful face again. I can just look at you forever."
"Stop it." Michael looked down towards the ground before he hid his face in his hands, embarrassed that Luke was staring. He peeked a bit from behind his fingers and saw that Luke was leaned forward so he was now looking up at him.
"Hey, beautiful," Luke said, "please show me your face?"
"Go away," Michael muttered, turning himself around so he was facing out towards the city and away from Luke.
However, the taller of the two placed his hands on Michael's hips, rubbing small circles against him with his thumbs. He hooked his chin over Michael's shoulder and pulled the shorter boy closer, slowly bringing his arms around his waist.
"You know, sometimes I wonder why you still want to hang out with me when you're one of the biggest artists in the world," Michael suddenly said. "You could be friends with people who are more like you, yet you still would rather be with me."
"You shouldn't be wondering that at all, Mikey," Luke said. "It's pretty obvious."
Michael leaned his head against Luke's, closing his eyes. "Tell me, anyway."
Luke's hold on Michael tightened. He turned his face a little more towards Michael so his lips were nearly pressed against Michael's skin. "I don't care about the status of other people. The only person I ever want to be with is you, because you are my best friend and I love you very much. Please don't ever think I will leave you, because I promise that I will always be there for you."
"I--" Michael gulped. He took a deep breath before speaking again. "You never talked to me at all when you were gone and I was scared you would forget about me, because you're, well, Luke Hemmings, and I'm just... me."
"You are more than what you think of yourself as. You're amazing, beautiful, and the only one I would rather be with. I may be number one in the world, but you'll always be my number one."
Michael smiled and blushed at Luke's words. He went to face Luke, wrapping his arms around his best friend's neck as Luke hugged back. He wanted to hug him forever and never let go. He never wanted this moment to pass. This was his Luke in front of him. The real Luke that only he was fortunate enough to see, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
"I love you, Michael," Luke whispered. "More than you can imagine."
"I love you, Luke," Michael whispered back. "And thank you for today. You really did make my birthday a million times better just by coming to see me." He paused for a moment. "You're not going to cancel your tour for me, right? You're almost done with it, and you did say something about wanting to stop everything to come back to me."
Luke shook his head. "I can and will finish the tour, because I feel refueled after spending even a little bit of time with you. Just one more month and I will be able to be with you as much as possible."
"Okay, good."
"... And I want you to stay with me for the rest of the tour."
Michael's eyes grew wide. He drew himself away and stared at Luke. "Your managers said no though, didn't they?"
"Yeah, but I don't care. Tomorrow morning I have to go, and I want you to come with me for the remainder of the tour. Please?"
"Luke, I don't know."
"Please, Mikey? For me?"
Michael placed his hands on either side of Luke's face, his thumbs brushing his cheeks. "When you finish tour, I'll be at my place waiting for you. Okay? So, you better not waste a single second coming back to me, or else."
"Promise." Luke quickly rubbed the tip of his nose against Michael's, making the shorter boy giggle. Luke grabbed a hold of Michael's hand and led him towards the house. "Do you want to go inside and watch a movie with Cal and Ash?"
Michael shook his head. "Not really. I hung out with them too much today. I just want to catch up with you instead. I'm sure they'll understand."
Luke shrugged. "I guess you're right. Do you want to go up to my room to cuddle and talk?"
"Your room?" Michael raised an eyebrow. "Wait, this is the house you impulsively bought last year?"
"Hey, I wanted a nice house with a beautiful view of the city, and this one was perfect and open to the market." Luke tugged Michael closer to him until he had one arm around his waist. He lightly bit his bottom lip. "Now, about that cuddle."
A smile formed on Michael's lips. "I would like that a lot."
Then the two went up to Luke's room where they lay in bed together to cuddle and talk, their bodies pressed close to one another as their legs tangled together and arms wrapped around each other.
And maybe they did other things, but they weren't one to kiss and tell.