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They end up in Fiji.
Luke’s not sure how, because the combination of him and Michael was unorganized at the best of times, but somehow they’d booked flights and a deluxe beachfront bure at an incredibly posh resort and were packing their bags again and sneaking out of the country without alerting their fans.
Luke’s mother had been disappointed, and he’d felt a little guilty because she’d assumed the reason they were fleeing the country was because she was fussing over him too much, but in reality he had to tell her that he kind of wanted to be able to have sex with his boyfriend without worrying about getting caught.
She’d understood perfectly from there, and had wished him a wonderful four-day getaway before they had to get back to work.
They’d spent the two hour flight in business class curled up together, whispering softly and trading kisses when the flight attendants weren’t looking. Luke felt almost giddy, the carefree feeling that he should’ve had on the way to Bali settling inside of him.
It felt so freeing, to be able to hold Michael’s hand on the plane, and even as they ascended the stairs onto the tarmac in Fiji. There was no reason to hide, no reason to pull a cap down over his face and keep his head bowed as they grabbed their bags.
They hopped aboard the transport bus that carried them two hours away from the airport, to a secluded little resort that seemed untouched by the western world. It was tropical and serene and Luke could hear a waterfall as they climbed off the bus and stretched their legs.
Michael’s hands were all over him, ghosting over his ass before their fingers laced together, and Luke didn’t feel the immediate panic he’d felt in Bali. The constant we’re going to get caught that made him feel a little nauseous.
It just didn’t matter anymore. No one knew who they were – or no one cared – and Luke was just happy. But they were flying so far under the radar that Luke was just a tiny bit annoyed that the concierge didn’t recognize him, so they could book into their room faster.
By the time they were in possession of the keys to their ocean bure, the travelling exhaustion was setting in, and Michael and Luke piled into a golf cart, driven by one of the hotel employees. They held hands and pointed out the sights in the late afternoon sunset, and Luke was torn between wanting to sleep, and wanting to eat.
He tripped over his feet as he hauled his suitcase from the golf cart and watched it disappear, leaving him and Michael alone with the ocean as a backdrop and a private bure waiting for them. It was kind of exciting, crossing the wooden bridge and looking down to see the ocean lapping at the bridge supports.
His key opened a room so opulent he was kind of shocked. The bedroom wasn’t really an actual room. There was just a bed that faced wide open doors that led out onto a balcony over the ocean. The breeze rippled in and made the gauzy curtains sway, and the privacy was addictive, and Luke never wanted to leave.
“Wow,” he breathed softly, abandoning his suitcase to take a look around the room.
There was a bathroom to the left – a bathroom like he’d never seen before – that had an outdoor shower and a massive bath, and Luke was tempted to run a bubble bath and pour the complimentary champagne he’d seen in a large welcome basket near the door.
“Luke!”
Luke turned his head in the direction of Michael’s voice, a fond smile settling on his face. “Bathroom!”
Michael found him a moment later, stepping up behind him and wrapped Luke up in his arms, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. “Let’s never leave,” he mumbled.
Luke laughed, covering the hands on his abdomen. “Okay,” he agreed. “We can just perform via skype while Cal and Ash tour.”
Michael kissed up his neck gently, nipping at his skin. “This was a brilliant idea.”
“Mhm,” Luke agreed, leaning back against Michael tiredly. “I want to spend the next four days with you, here in this room.”
Michael squeezed him before letting go, taking Luke’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “How about this,” He murmured, turning Luke carefully. “Bubble bath, champagne, and I think there’s a little cheese and fruit basket?”
Luke let out a soft breath of laughter. “You read my mind.”
Michael pecked his lips and gave his ass a gentle swat. “You go get the food, I’ll get started on the bath.”
**
Luke knew as he climbed into the tub that his six-foot-four frame wasn’t all that bath friendly. Despite the fact that the bath was indeed huge, with Michael already in it, it looked smaller than ever.
Which was apparent as Luke lowered himself into the bubbles, sitting between Michael’s spread legs and tried to stretch out, his foot instead hitting the tub sharply.
“Well, this was a great idea,” he muttered sarcastically, rubbing at his bruised toes under the surface of the water.
Michael laughed, his hands on Luke’s sides, giving him a gentle squeeze. “C’mon, give it a chance.”
Luke rolled his eyes, scooting down the tub just a little to rest his heels on the lip of the tub, and leant back against Michael’s chest. And that, he was sure, was the best feeling he’d had in a while.
The sound of the ocean, the warm water and fragrant bubble bath and not one single person to bother them.
“See,” Michael murmured, his fingers sliding up Luke’s body to his shoulders, squeezing the muscles gently. “This is perfect.”
Luke hummed his affirmation, and let his head fall back against Michael’s chest, letting out a sigh. He knew his legs would cramp up at some point, and the water would turn tepid – or they’d spill cheese and champagne in the water – but for right now, in that moment, Luke was in heaven.
His hands rested on Michael’s thighs, dragging his fingertips down to his knees and back up again, letting his eyes fall shut.
“So,” Michael said softly, pressing a kiss to Luke’s temple. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Mhm,” Luke murmured, feeling any anxieties he had slip away.
“Want some champagne?”
Luke’s eyes opened, and he let out a sigh. “Sure, why not.”
Michael shifted, the water splashing slightly and reached for the two glasses of champagne on the small tiled ledge of the tub, and handed one to Luke. “To alone time?”
Luke laughed softly, gripping his glass and gently knocked it against Michael’s. “To four days of just you and me and the ocean.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
Luke laughed and took a sip. He wasn’t a fan of champagne – never had been, really – but that glass was more than just a simple glass of champagne. It was their freedom, and their love for one another and the life they wanted to live together – in public.
“So,” Michael repeated again, sitting his glass down. “I wanted to ask you something.”
Luke was so completely relaxed, and he was only half-listening to Michael, which he’d feel bad about later.
“Luke,” he said softly, his hand resting on Luke’s chest. “I wanted to ask you something.”
Luke blinked heavily, shifting his head to the side to look up at Michael so see his somewhat apprehensive look, and Luke’s stomach clenched. “You’re not.”
“Not what?” Michael asked, confused.
“If you’re asking what I think you might be asking you should just not ask,” Luke said quickly. “Because I’m nineteen, and the idea is great, it really is. But we’re just…not ready.”
Michael’s brow furrowed and he looked utterly lost. “Um, what?”
Luke sat up, turning as much as he could to set his glass down, looking at Michael. “You know I love you,” he said, picking up the older man’s hand. “You do know that, right?”
“Uh, yeah?” Michael said.
“And I think this is totally romantic and I really appreciate it,” Luke said softly. “But we’re not ready. I’m not ready.”
“Okay,” Michael said slowly. “Just what is it that you’re not ready for?”
It was Luke’s turn to look confused. “You’re going to ask me to marry you, aren’t you?”
The confusion held on Michael’s face for a second longer before he burst out laughing. It was almost hysterical – almost giggling – and the older man pressed his hand to his chest as he sucked in desperate breaths between his laughter.
Luke pouted, feeling a little offended the longer Michael laughed. “Hey.”
Michael wheezed, his laughter tapering off somewhat as he looked at Luke’s affronted expression. “I’m sorry, babe, just…you thought I was proposing?”
Luke felt a little sick, unsure if he was disappointed that his assumption wasn’t correct. “Well, I mean…yeah.”
“Oh shit,” Michael chuckled, leaning forward to kiss the corner of Luke’s mouth. “You’re so gorgeous,” he teased softly. “Oh babe, I’m sorry.”
Luke’s shoulders slumped. “You don’t want to?”
“What?” Michael asked. “Marry you? Jesus, Luke. Like you said, you’re nineteen, and I’m only twenty. We’re only out to our parents and it’s just, it’s a nice idea.”
“Wow,” Luke breathed. “So you don’t want to marry me?”
“I never said that,” Michael said quickly. “Just, not right now.”
Luke knew it was stupid to be disappointed. Because he didn’t want to get married, or even engaged at that point in time. But he wanted Michael to want to marry him.
“Luke, I do, okay? I want to be with you for the rest of my life. But we’re still so young and we have so much living to do, and I was going to ask you to move in with me.”
Luke frowned, still disappointed and his feelings were bruised, but he was hung up on the end of Michael’s sentence. “Move in?”
“Yeah,” Michael said softly, cupping his cheek and pressed a kiss to his mouth. “Like, a place in Sydney or in LA, like Cal and Ash.”
Luke was still getting his head around it, trying to shelve emotions he wasn’t prepared to deal with, to focus on what Michael was actually talking about.
“Say something,” Michael said softly against his lips.
“I,” Luke began, letting out a sigh. “You want to live with me?”
“Well, we practically live together already,” Michael pointed out. “But yeah, I want to have a place. Somewhere we come home to where our stuff is, and plates that we pick out. I want to get a really big bed and have a bookshelf full of comics and maybe a cat.”
“A cat isn’t realistic,” Luke smiled, Michael’s words painting a vivid picture in his head. “I like plates, though.”
Michael laughed softly, kissing him again. “I’m sorry it’s not a proposal.”
“No,” Luke said quickly, wrapping his fingers around Michael’s wrist. “I’m sorry for saying anything,” he admitted. “I just thought…”
“That we’re in this romantic place in a fucking bubble bath,” Michael filled in, smiling. “I’m still sorry.”
Luke kissed him before pulling away so he could lay back against Michael again. “Is it on the table?”
Michael kissed over his neck gently. “Marriage?”
Luke swallowed, feeling slightly nervous. “Well, yeah,” he practically whispered. “Do you want to marry me?”
“Oh Luke,” Michael mumbled against his neck. “I want to spend forever with you, and when it’s legal, I want to marry you in Sydney with our family there to support us.”
“Yeah?” Luke whispered softly, feeling a part of himself settle into place. He’d not once thought of marriage over the four years he’d been with Michael. It had seemed too crazy – he was nineteen – and he didn’t want to get ahead of himself.
But when he thought Michael was proposing, Luke was realizing how much he wanted to get engaged, someday. He wanted to marry Michael and have a cat with him and a beautiful house in their hometown.
“I love you so much,” Michael whispered softly. “And when the time is right, I’ll ask. Or you’ll ask.”
Luke laughed, letting his head fall back onto Michael’s shoulder. “So you want to live with me, instead?”
“Yeah,” Michael smiled. “An apartment or something.”
“It would make sense to get a place in LA,” Luke commented. “But the idea of it makes me sick.”
He’d been far too exposed to the LA lifestyle with her, his eyes opened to just how fake it was. He’d made himself a silent promise to never fall into that trap, and the idea of voluntarily living there, didn’t sit right with him.
“What about Sydney?” Luke asked. “I know we’re only home for a few weeks a year, but wouldn’t it be nice to have our own place?”
“Our mum’s will hate that,” Michael murmured.
Luke laughed softly. “True. But if we’re still close to home, I don’t think it’ll be too bad. As much as I love being home, my bedroom from when I was sixteen isn’t really it, you know?”
“Mhm,” Michael murmured softly. “I do know what you mean.”
“And maybe, when we’re not home, Jack and Celeste can keep an eye on it, or spend a few nights in the spare room. Hell, even Lauren might like a place to get away from Anne and Harry.”
“Oh Ashton would love that,” Michael muttered sarcastically.
Luke laughed. “It just feels right to have a place at home.”
Michael nodded, his lips dragging their way up to Luke’s ear. “Then let’s do it, okay? When we get back from Fiji we’ll look.”
Luke grinned, letting his eyes fall shut as his mind conjured up thoughts of coffee mugs, carpet choices and brand new sheets.