RESOLVE

Luke

Luke wasn't sure who he hated more.

He hated himself, because he couldn't stop thinking about Michael and he was starting to confuse himself. He wasn't even sure how he felt anymore.

He hated Michael, because even though Michael could be sweet, he was also an asshole.

He hated Calum, because Michael had started hanging out with Calum a lot more after he started ignoring Luke again.

The one person he couldn't hate was Clover. She'd kept him from making some bad decisions.

He was sitting in her room at the moment, sitting on the empty bed against the wall, scribbling in his notebook.

"What do you write in there?" Clover asked, and Luke looked up to find her looking at him with interest.

He shrugged, rubbing his nose subconsciously. "Stuff."

"Very focused stuff," she commented. "Like what?"

"Like, uh, song lyrics?"

"Shut up, that's so cool. Do I get to see?"

"No!" Luke yelped, slamming the notebook shut and nestling it between the mattress and wall, even though she was across the room. "Never."

"Damn, okay, I was just asking," Clover said, sitting next to him on the bed, subtly trying to check his wrists.

Sighing, Luke pushed his bracelets out of the way. "Nothing, I promise," he said.

She looked up at him with sad eyes. "Please don't."

"I haven't yet," he said uneasily, trying to avoid a promise.

Clover didn't let it slide past her. "Please, Luke, don't do it," she begged in a whisper. "It's not worth it. It's not a one time thing. Once you start, it's hard to stop. Don't get into it."

"I won't."

She looked incredibly relieved. "Have you talked to him at all?"

"Ha," Luke scoffed. "If I could make eye contact with him for more than half a second, maybe."

She sighed, and then continued, "I was wondering if you'd do me a favor?"

Luke raised an eyebrow. "A favor?"

She nodded. "Just... you write songs, right?"

Luke leaned away from her. "I told you I'm not going to-"

"I don't want you to show me, at least, not right now. I was wondering if you'd write a song for me."

Luke's mouth dropped open. "For you?"

"Well, not for me, exactly. For Ashton. Hazelle said we all had a visitation date coming up, and I think it'd be really cool if you could write him a song, and maybe perform it?"

"Write one? Maybe. Sing it? Definitely not," Luke said firmly, shaking his head.

"Oh come on, Luke, you're a good singer!"

Luke stiffened. "Says who?"

Clover dropped her eyes guiltily. "Michael," she mumbled, fiddling with her fingers.

Luke gnawed on his lip, his tongue messing with his lip ring. "Right."

"Please?" Clover asked.

Luke sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Maybe. I'll think about it."

"Thank you so much," she said, giving him a big smile before jumping off the bed. "Want to go to the rec room and play a game of Mario Kart? I convinced them to get the game for us."

Luke jumped up. "You're kidding!"

"Nope! Let's go!" Clover said, and excited, Luke ran out with her.

A few minutes later, Michael wandered in. "Clover?" he asked, walking in and looking around the empty room. "Damn it," he muttered, shaking his head and walking in, looking around a bit.

And that's when he spotted the black corner of a notebook peeking out from the bed that used to be Perrie's.

Michael froze, fixated on the little book. His breath hitched, and he stared at the notebook.

Involuntarily, he took a step towards it.

He had to stop himself and shake his head slightly to clear it. What was he doing? It was Luke's personal privacy.

Since when did he ever care about Luke's privacy?

Never. And maybe that was a part of reason there was a divide between them now.

Michael bit his lip, staring at the book, longing to open it and flip through and reveal its secrets.

But he couldn't.

He turned and walked out quickly, trying not to turn back and snatch it. He forced himself to walk to Calum's room, walking in without walking.

"Holyshitgetthefuckoutofhere!" Zayn yelled when he walked in.

"It's just me," Michael said, and Zayn glared at him, buttoning his pants.

"Ugh, you," Zayn muttered, pulling on a shirt.

"Ugh, me," Michael agreed. "Is Calum here?"

"No, he's in the rec room. A couple of blondes came over here earlier and dragged him away. Which sucks, cos I kinda need him right now. You don't tell stories, do you?" Zayn asked, sounding mildly hopeful.

Michael shook his head, and Zayn sighed. "Damn. Useless. Get out of my room."

"Right. Thanks," Michael mumbled, turning and walking out.

Michael walked into the rec room to see Luke, Calum, Hazelle and Clover sitting on the floor, playing Mario Kart.

He stood in the doorway, silently watching as they played, shrieking and pushing each other and yelling at one another.

Michael was dying to join, but he had a feeling that if he made himself known, Luke wouldn't be smiling.

And he hadn't seen Luke smile like that in ages.

So he watched silently, and right before he was about to leave, Clover turned and looked right at him.

Shocked, he rounded the corner so that he was leaning against the wall outside the rec room. His heart was pounding.

"Hang on, guys, I'll be right back, I have to use the bathroom. Hopefully Luke won't get last this time," he heard Clover teased.

"Shit," Michael breathed.

Clover walked out and looked up at Michael. "Having fun out here alone?" she asked.

Michael sighed. "Not really," he admitted. "Not at all."

"Then come in."

Michael pressed his lips in a tight line. "I don't think it's that easy."

"It is," she whispered. "Just walk in."

"I don't think Luke-"

"Do you like Luke?"

"What?"

"I asked you, do you like Luke? Can we hurry this up? I can't be peeing for this long," she said.

"I, no, I don't like him like that," Michael said.

Clover nodded to herself. "He doesn't like you like that either, you know."

"He doesn't?"

Clover shook her head. "He doesn't. He just... he admires you, I guess. You know his condition. You know how he is. He doesn't know how to deal with them. They're new to him. You have to cut him a break. He just really wants to be friends with you, but he doesn't like you in that way. He thought you were his best friend, and now... now you're giving him the cold shoulder."

Michael swallowed. "You do know how to put me in my place," he said weakly, and Clover gave him a small smile.

"But there is someone who likes you in that way," Clover whispered, looking at the floor before looking up at him.

Preoccupied, Michael asked, "Who?"

"Me, idiot."

Michael's mouth fell open. "You?"

She sighed. "Yes, me."

Michael stared at her. "You."

"Yeah, we've covered that."

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"So?"

"Huh?"

"This is the part where you reject me," she said sarcastically, but he could hear the worry in her voice.

Michael didn't want to hurt her, but he couldn't lie to her.

So he was honest.

"I don't know yet," he admitted. "I haven't thought about it, really. I just-"

"I get it, Michael," she said, pulling away from him. "I should go back-"

Michael grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "I wish I could tell you yes right now," he whispered into her hair. "I don't want to hurt you. I like you a lot, I just don't know if I like you like that. I'm sorry, so sorry, just... wait for me to think about it?"

Clover nodded against his chest. "Okay."

He let her go, and she looked up at him, smiling slightly. "Come play Mario Kart with us, and let me dominate your pale ass."

"Damn it, I'm not that pale!"

She laughed and he followed her into the room.

"Look who I found on my way back from the bathroom, guys!"

Everyone turned to look at him, but the only one who mattered was Luke's piercing, blue-eyed gaze.

Michael awkwardly sat next to him. "Hi," he said.

Luke glanced at him. "Hey."

"Loser of this round has to give their controller up to Michael," Hazelle said, starting a round.

"DON'T PICK RAINBOW ROAD! Shit, you picked Rainbow Road. I might as well hand my controller over now," Luke groaned, and Hazelle laughed.

"Don't worry, Lukey, it'll be okay," she said in a mockingly sweet voice, patting the top of his head for good measure.

"Gross," Luke said, wrinkling his nose before grinning at her. "You're going down."

"Dude, focus on the game. You're already in last place," Calum said, eyes glued to the TV screen.

"Fuck!" Luke shouted, turning to the TV just as his character was speeding off of the edge. "This is like trying to bowl without the gutter rails. I HATE RAINBOW ROAD."

Michael laughed once, and then sobered instantly when Luke looked at him. "Er, wanna play?" Luke asked, holding out the game controller.

"I'm sorry."

Michael knew this was the wrong place to apologize. They were in the middle of a damn Mario Kart game with their friends sitting around them.

But he needed to say it.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for treating you like a jerk and ignoring you because I couldn't understand. It's my fault, and I'm sorry," he said, holding Luke's gaze.

Luke shrugged. "You're forgiven."

Michael stared at him. "Just like that?"

"I wasn't ever mad at you," Luke whispered, and Michael realized that all the other chatter had disappeared. They were all listening.

"Could've fooled me," he answered.

"I wasn't mad at you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

Luke grinned. "I missed you, asshole."

Michael grinned back. "Look who's started swearing!"

Luke shrugged sheepishly. "Bad habit I picked up hanging around you," he said. "I didn't used to- FUCK, CALUM, WAS THAT REALLY NECESSARY?" Luke yelled as Calum ran into Luke's kart, pushing him off the edge as he passed.

"You snooze, you lose, motherfucker," Calum snickered.

Luke sighed and handed Michael the remote controller. "Here. Kick their asses for me, please."

Michael smiled widely, taking the remote. "Don't worry, I will."

And he did.

-

[A/N MUKE BROMANCE IS SO CUTE.

What do you think's going on with Ashton?

What about Harry?]