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"you still have this?" michael asks, letting out a small laugh, holding the stuffed bear on his hands.
"yeah, why?" luke says as he moves his clothes from the closet to one of the boxes.
"you're twelve, almost thirteen. aren't you getting a little too old to have stuffed animals?"
"shut up," the blond grabs the bear from michael's hands and looks at it with a smile. "you're never too old for them."
michael laughs. "shut up."
michael looks at the bear lying between his friend's hands and smiles. an aunt gave it to luke in his seventh birthday.
it's strange, but michael remembers that day. he remembers how the entire ride from his grandma's house he spent it asking if they'd soon arrive, he remembers feeling bad for attending so late, he remembers he didn't bring a present. and he remembers kissing luke.
he remembers how things after that day were a little bit different, how luke started kissing michael's cheek more frequently and how they used to share kisses when they were alone.
and then, when they were ten, things were a lot different. they stopped holding hands because it started to feel weird (but to michael it had never felt so nice), and they stopped kissing because it just didn't seem like the right thing to do anymore.
sometimes, michael wants to kiss luke. truly kiss him, or just hold his hand like they used to do. but he can't, he can't because things have changed so much. they aren't kids anymore.
"i'm gonna miss you," luke confesses, tossing the bear inside a box.
"i will miss you, too." michael bitterly smiles. "i don't want you to leave, luke."
"i don't want to leave either but i have to. it will be just a year, i promise."
"how do you know?"
"my dad told me. he just thinks melbourne seems like a good place to live, it'll be like a holidays. don't be sad, we'll see each other twice a month and we'll text every day and i will call you."
"it's not the same, luke." he says. and it really isn't. luke knows this too.
the blond sighs and looks at the bear inside the box, he reaches it then holds it, and lays down next to michael in the bed.
"keep it," he says, offering it to him. the green-eyed chuckles, but receives it. "it might be stupid but... keep it, so you'll think about me when i'm away."
michael smiles and turns his head to look at him. "i'm always thinking about you anyway." he puts his eyes on the teddy and says "i'll sleep with it and pretend it's you, i'll kiss it every night and cuddle it and everything."
"shut up," luke laughs and stands up. "come on, help me pack the rest of my clothes."
michael looks at luke, sadly smiling and returns his gaze to the bear. he will miss him and he knows for sure that that stuffed animal won't help at all.