The only comfort Luke got from being at his dad's house at that moment was inhaling deeply and still being able to identify Michael's scent on his pillow case and sheets. If he closed his eyes hard enough, he could drown out the sound of his father's voice downstairs as his argument with Laura intensified. He could recap all the places Michael's fingers had touched and all the corners of his body Michael's lips had kissed. It was the only thing that seemed to keep him sane in times like those. He nuzzled his face further into the pillow, inhaling and exhaling ever so slowly just to be reminded that Michael had been there and that Michael was his.
"I've told you before, Laura, I have no money." He could hear the sound of his father's voice, sounding as frustrated as ever. Luke hated how easily annoyed his father could get. "What, with paying for Luke's schooling and the mortgage on the house, this is just not possible at the moment."
"Andy, I need my car!" Luke heard the shrilling voice of his step-mother, causing him to cringe slightly. He knew that when Laura's voice increased by an octave, his father's voice would increase by at least three. Luke knew he had two choices at the moment: to hide out in his room until he fell asleep to the yells of his father and stepmother, or he could play peacemaker and step outside. "I need to get around, I can't just use the bus for work."
The tiny blond pushed himself up off the bed, running one of his hands through his hair in an attempt to tame it down as his sock covered feet scrapped over the carpeted flooring of his bedroom. The door creaked open, and he could already hear Laura stop mid sentence. By this point, Luke wasn't even paying attention to what was being said, all he cared about was the fact that for the first time since both of them had walked into the house, there was complete silence.
He trudged down the slim corridor of the house, walking past the doors to Ben's and Jack's rooms, which were empty, and past the master bedroom. He could already smell the food that was being prepared in the kitchen. it was something Laura always did: cook dinner and sit everyone at the table in attempt to make it seem like the family was somehow functional. Luke knew that deep down she just wanted to make an effort for the sake of him and his brothers. Happy marriages weren't exactly something Luke had seen a lot of.
As the blond stepped out into the living room, he could see his stepmother's hazel eyes look directly at him, a sad smiling playing on her lips as she looked back over at Andy. The oldest Hemmings turned around to look at his youngest son, clearing his throat slightly before he took a step back from the kitchen counter, turning his back to his wife and opening the fridge. Neither of them said anything as Luke stood there, waiting for anything to be said. Maybe even an apology between the two.
"Is dinner ready?" He asked softly once he realised neither of them were going to be the bigger person. Luke hated the dynamics in the house, but he was desperately trying to save anything that there could be to save. Just the thought of his father divorcing again made Luke feel slightly sick. He had been through it once, he'd rather not go through it again. "I'm hungry."
"Yes darling." Laura cleared her throat, flicking her straightened black hair over her shoulder. Luke loved how every time he came over to his father's house, Laura's hair seemed to be different: either into braids that cascaded down her back, or flowing down her shoulders straightly like they did at that moment, or pinned up in an afro. Luke loved the afro the most. But he loved his stepmother in anything, really. "Grab a seat and I'll get your plate ready."
The blond nodded slightly, pacing over to the dinner table that was only half set and sliding into his usual spot. It didn't take long before his father cleared his throat, walking past Laura and reaching into the cabinet for three glasses and setting them down at the three seats at the table. Luke knew he was in for one of the most awkward family dinners he had had up to this day, but he didn't mind silence. As long as it was used to replace yelling. He waited patiently as Laura put some pasta and sauce onto his plate, placing it in front of him with a small smile.
She sat across from him at the table, where she usually sat, looking down at her own plate of Spaghetti Bolognese before reaching over for her fork. Andy did the same, the two for hem sharing a quick glance before they dug in. Luke took his time to watch the two of them, reaching over for the jug of orange juice that sat at the centre of the table before filling his cup. The blond wasn't particularly hungry, but he would do anything to get the yelling to stop. Even eating on a full stomach. He played around with his food for a while.
"So, Luke, how was your first day?" Laura spoke up, velvety voice filling the silence in the room as she smiled widely at him. The sight of her pearly white teeth contrasting with her dark skin made Luke relax slightly. Her smile made him relax.
"It was okay." He said softly, nodding slowly. "Not much different than any other first days, really."
"Are your teachers nice?" Laura insisted, hating it when silence made itself present at the dinner table.
"Yeah." Luke shrugged. "They're mostly the same teachers I had last year, though."
"Was it nice seeing your friends again? I didn't really see you go out with them much during the holidays."
"Oh, um," Luke cleared his throat, Michael's face instantly coming to mind. He took a sip of his juice, using it as an excuse to come up with time to think of something to say. He hated lying, but at times like these, he knew he had to. "Yeah, they were just away for the holidays. But it was nice catching up."
"What about sports?" That was the first time his father had spoken up, causing Luke to look up at him in surprise. It wasn't a secret that sport was never something present in Luke's life. It wasn't something he enjoyed and neither was it something he ever planned in partaking. But he knew from the way his father's eyes narrowed slightly that sport would now become a big part of Luke's final year.
"I, um-I-I'd rather not..."
"You can't just sit in your room all day, Luke." Andrew sighed. "I get that you work for your grades but this is not healthy." He ignored the pleading look Laura gave him, attention turning fully to his youngest son. "Luke, you need to get out and live. You're stuffing yourself into a bubble and by the time you graduate, that bubble's gone pop. Engage in something. Play a sport, get a job. Please just do something with your life before you get stuck somewhere you don't want to be."
The tiny blond gulped down, nodding slightly. He didn't know if he agreed with his father's words, but he definitely knew his fear of disagreeing was bigger than his lack of interest in anything that didn't include his boyfriend.
~~~
this is so bad, i'm so sorry.
got a lot going on.
not edited.
