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Luca entered the room and could immediately tell that Michel wasn’t in his usual spirits.
He hadn’t been since the party if he had to be honest with himself, so maybe it wasn’t a huge leap to figure out that today was just like the others.
The heat of summer was starting to creep in, and yet, instead of being outside, soaking up the rays, Michel was lying on top of the blankets, staring up at the ceiling.
“No.” Luca sighed, starting Michel into sitting up a little bit, hair all mussed from lying around.
“No?” He frowned in confusion, “No what?” He blinked tiredly, despite not having been asleep when Luca walked in, rubbing his eyes and checking the clock, “I- didn’t you have a meeting today?”
“That was hours ago.” Luca pulled his shirt off, “And as for the no…well, I’m not going to let you stay sad today. I want to see that smile today.” He took the seat next to him, lying next to him, seeing those unshed tears in Michel’s eyes. A moment passed, before Michel was turning and curling up into him, practically melting into Luca’s arms, letting out a deep sigh as he pressed his face into Luca’s throat.
“Do you want to talk to me about it?” Luca gently moved his fingers through the dark locks of slightly sweaty hair, “You know I’m a good listener.”
“…Maybe tomorrow?” Michel’s voice was soft and sad, the tone breaking Luca’s heart a little, “I-I think I just want to be held right now, if that’s okay?”
“Just say the words, and I’ll never let you go.”
Michel chuckled, and Luca felt a little lighter.
“First.” He stated, “Let’s go and get something to eat.”
…..
“HEY!”
Michel squirmed, trying to get the ice out of the back of his shirt, cursing in Korean as Luca chuckled at him.
“I thought you were meant to be cheering me up!”
“You’re laughing, aren’t you?”
That, Michel did have to accept.
“I’m going to get you for that.” He filled a cup full of ice for himself, giving chase to Luca, who cackled as he ran away. Pieces of ice hit him on the back, narrowly flying past his ear and hitting the wall. He turned, receiving another ice to the centre of his forehead as Michel cackled in delight.
He gave chase.
…..
Vincenzo felt a little better when he walked into the home to hear nothing but laughter. Seconds after the door closed, Luca rounded the corner, a pleased flush on his face.
“I assume your day went well then?” Vincenzo chuckled.
“Better than I expected.” Luca beamed, “I think he just needed…a bit of a laugh and fun. It’s all been a bit serious recently, and this seems to be exactly what he needs.”
“…Do you think he’ll be alright?”
“I think he’s going to improve.”
“That’s all we can ask for sometimes.”
…….
“If you could do anything.” Luca asked, as he and Michel went for a walk outside, “What would do you do?”
Michel looked over at him, like he’d recently just grown two heads, before looking away, “What do you mean?”
Affectionately, Luca took Michel’s hand into his own, “If you could be anything or anyone in your life, what or who would you be?”
For a moment, there was silence as Michel thought about it, shrugging after a few moments of silence. “I-I never really thought about it.” He admitted, “For the longest time, I was just Han Seo…a kid of a single mom. Then I was the son of the famous Jang billionaire…then the head of the company, and now I’m here.”
“So, what did you want to be when you were a kid then?”
“…A farmer.”
“Huh.”
“Not what you expected to hear?”
Luca shook his head, “Not in the slightest.”
Chuckling, Michel shook his head, “It was just the idea of waking up to the sound of birds, not cars, and just... spending time out in the sun.”
“It’s a lot of work.”
“I know... but it wasn’t like all the paperwork that I had to do as the CEO of Babel. It was good and honest work. No brains required.”
“You’re speaking as though you’re dumb.”
“I know I'm not, it’s just...that kind of work feels different, you know? More fulfilling.” Michel shrugged, “And nobody would know who I was, or who my father was…the ideal life.”
Luca couldn’t help but stare at him as Michel told him about his childhood, marveling at how he stayed so calm and was a good person, despite everything that happened to him.
He loved this man.
He loved how he looked early in the morning, hair a mess, sleep still clinging to the corners of his eyes.
He loved how he looked after a long day of work, pale and tired, but with a smile still so gentle.
He loved the fire in his eyes when he was angry, even when it didn’t happen very often. When it did happen, it reminded him that Michel wasn’t broken…that he never would be.
He loved this man so much.
He wanted him to be his…forever.
He needed a ring.