i still dream for you

"I'm charming," Michael teased in response, grinning at her as they walked but he blinked when she pulled away, watching her, but nodded. Still, his grin didn't fade; as much as he wanted to be as close to Ruby as possible and listen to her talk about her life since then, he also wanted to give her the chance to just be herself and do as she pleased, it was all he ever wanted for her, anyways.

Kyrie's expression softened and she smiled slightly. "Thank you, Luke," she murmured, giving his hand a squeeze before she pulled away, though she saw Ruby pulling back from Michael, too, and she supposed her best friend had the same idea. Smiling, she motioned her over before she hopped off the stage to go to Holly. "Hey... I know there's a lot to explain," she told Holly quietly, "But, for now, we want you to meet the guys."

Holly blinked in surprise, but nodded. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She half joked, although she couldn't wipe the bitterness from her voice at the fact that two of her friends had known her favourite band and hadn't bothered to even tell her.

Ruby exhaled. "It's a long story, Holly." She smiled sympathetically, helping the girl onto the stage with Kyrie, leading her over to the boys. "Guys, this is Holly, our friend from college and dormmate." She smiled, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Hi there, Holly." Luke smiled. "I'm Luke, it's nice to meet you." And despite trying to keep himself as polite and approachable as possible, Luke couldn't shake the feeling of awkwardness he got from the girl. Looking back to Kyrie, he grinned. "Green room is right this way, ladies." He took Kyrie's hand within his own, squeezing gently in reassurance. Now he had her back, although not fully, he never wanted to lose her.

Michael watched Holly, a little wary of her. Something just felt off, but he smiled, trying to ignore it for Ruby's sake. "I'm Michael, it's always a pleasure to meet one of Ruby's friends," he said with a nod, though he hadn't had the chance to do so in years. Still, seeing the way Ruby tucked her hair behind her ear, he smiled, admiring her, but shifted, taking her hand gently in his own before he followed Luke. "If you need anything, make sure to let us know."

Kyrie offered a weak, nervous smile to Holly, but gave Luke a grateful look, glad he was trying. Feeling the familiar squeeze that always seemed to comfort her, she returned the feeling and followed after him quietly, glad to just be near him again after so long.

Ruby smiled at Michael as she squeezed his hand subtly. Even after so long, her hand still fit perfectly within his, and to say she loved it was an understatement. Nodding to Michael's words, Ruby smiled at Holly. "Did you enjoy the show?" She asked, wanting to make some conversation so Holly didn't feel excluded.

Luke smiled reassuringly at Kyrie, leading the group to the green room. "Make yourselves at home." Choosing a seat on the couch, Luke pulled Kyrie to sit beside him, just wanting to feel her close to him, her whole presence giving his existence meaning again. Of course, being in 5 Seconds of Summer was a dream come true, but Luke had never felt a love like Kyrie's.

Holly half smiled, nodding. "Sure did. You guys are great live." She commented. "So, how did you meet Ruby and Kyrie? It took me forever to get through to them in college." She smiled falsely, despite knowing it was a lie, wanting to make herself seem superior.

Michael smiled, seeing that there was still room on the couch and he sat down, gently tugging Ruby down with him, while Ashton and Calum sat on the arms. He blinked, though, looking to Holly. "Really? I can't imagine that being how Ruby was at all," he admitted with confusion before he offered a smile to Ruby, taking her in for a long moment. "We were together a few years ago. Everybody was pretty close back then, too. But, uh, things got... Hectic." He shifted, squeezing Ruby's hand gently before he looked back to Holly. "She still means the world to me, though."

Kyrie blinked with surprise when Luke pulled her down but she smiled, feeling her heart swell with the feeling of being so close to him again. After all this time, it almost felt like she was regaining a piece of herself that she'd lost when she'd broken up with him. Hearing Holly, though, her brows furrowed as she peered over. That hadn't been true at all - she and Ruby had never had problems making friends in school. She didn't say anything, but she felt the discomfort with the lie weighing her down, causing her to sink into the couch a bit.

"Even with all the time that's passed, it almost feels like not a day's gone by," Calum mentioned jokingly from where he was, "I honestly don't know where we'd be without the support this entire group got from these two." He motioned to Ruby and Kyrie.

Ashton nodded his agreement. "And they'll always be a part of all of us," he added, grinning to the girls.

Ruby smiled at Michael's words, feeling the familiar warmth of adoration rush through her - not wanting to say anything about her feelings for Michael in front of Holly, having seen the if looks could kill, you'd be dead by now gaze she had sent to herself and Kyrie, Ruby focused on Ashton's words and grinned back at him, shaking her head in amusement, although still holding onto Michael's hand, absent mindedly running her thumb across his knuckles. A simple gesture she used to do whenever Michael needed comfort, and for some reason, it always brought her comfort, too. "Calum and Ashton, such charmers." She joked to the boys she considered her brothers. "Always know what to say."

Luke frowned with Holly's words. "I can't imagine Kyrie being difficult to get through to." He raised an eyebrow to Holly, sensing that something was off about her - the whole girl just screamed odd, and seeing the look Kyrie gave Holly, that all but confirmed his theories. Feeling Kyrie sink down into the couch, Luke tightened his grip on Kyrie's hand, still gentle, but protective. "We were together, too." He hinted to himself and Kyrie. "Best years of my life." He admitted. "Then 5 Seconds of Summer made it big and well, we just drifted apart." Although he was sure that Holly didn't deserve to know anything.

Holly looked stunned with the information that Kyrie and Ruby had dated Michael and Luke. The fact that they knew she was a long time fan, and didn't bother to tell her their history, or provide her with an opportunity to meet the boys before today, was a bit of a kick in the teeth. "Oh." Was all that could come out of her mouth, and she shifted her gaze awkwardly. "Right well, you guys must be really loyal to wait that long." She commented, her jealousy burning through her.

Michael watched Holly for a long moment, not quite sure what to make of her. Her presence made him uneasy and he felt like she was nothing but bad news, but he didn't want to say anything aloud about that feeling when he could just be misunderstanding the girl. Regardless, feeling the all-too-familiar sense of Ruby's thumb running over his knuckles, he looked to her, smiling gently as he just enjoyed having this familiarity with her; it gave him hope that things could work out for them. Still, he nodded to Holly's words, not taking his eyes off of Ruby. "She's the best thing that ever happened to me," he said easily, "I just want her back in my life, more than anything."

Kyrie peered up at Luke when she felt the tightened grip, watching him for a long time, because she'd never felt safer than she did when she was near him. While she was sure Holly meant no harm - she was their friend, after all, surely she was just upset and she'd adjust eventually, - it was nice to just have Luke as her safety net. Her expression softened as he spoke and she shifted to lean against him, hoping more than anything that he interpreted the action as an agreement, that being with him had been the best years of her life, too. But she didn't want to admit that out loud, not yet; she wanted to admit that to Luke one-on-one first. "It's a bit of a relief that we can all still interact like this, though," she admitted, smiling to Ruby about her comment on Ashton and Calum.

"Oh, come now, we're just telling the truth here," Ashton teased lightly, grinning as he watched the girls, "Besides, we've all missed you both."

"And, honestly, at least with you two here right now, it means we don't have to listen to these two," Calum started, motioning to Michael and Luke, "Go on and on about you. Trust me, once they start, it's nearly impossible to get them to stop." He grinned teasingly to the others before he looked to Holly. "So, yeah, it's like they've always just been in the forefront of all of our minds. They're a part of our family here."

Ruby felt her cheeks heat up slightly at Michael's comments, knowing just how much she wanted him back in her life, too. Smiling to herself, Ruby tried to push her bashful nature to the back of her mind. Michael had always brought out the troublemaker within her, wherever the pair seemed to venture to, fun would follow, and Ruby had missed that, but more than anything, she had missed waking up next to Michael with ridiculous bed hair; the way he would sing to her during quiet evenings, the way he would sing along to the radio as she drove, she just missed his whole presence, and she wanted to fill that absence back up again, and she nearly couldn't believe that the opportunity had arrived. Smiling back at Kyrie, Ruby cleared her throat. "I guess we've missed you boys as well." She chuckled.

Luke felt Kyrie lean against him, and his instinctive need to protect her flooded through him. Of course, Kyrie was more than able to handle herself, but the happiness she brought to him was something so rare, Luke felt like he had to preserve it. Letting go of Kyrie's hand to put his arm around her shoulders, Luke smiled as a rush of comfort flooded through him, just enjoying the embrace. They'd shared so many like it, and yet, this was the one that mattered most. All Luke could hope for was that Kyrie understood that he wanted her back in his life, especially now that things would quieten down for a while. "Hey," he protested at his bandmates with a grin that gave himself away. "We didn't talk that much." He pointed an accusing finger at Calum. "Just, you know, twenty two hours every day. I think that's a fair amount of time."

Holly nodded, having to stop herself from making a snide comment. "I think I should head home." She smiled falsely at the girls. "Thanks for the great night boys." She nodded, shooting Kyrie and Ruby a bit of a glare. "See you soon, girls."

Michael grinned when he heard Ruby's words and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, running his own thumb over her knuckles gently, just taking her in for a long while. "I'm glad you were here," he admitted to her quietly, having leaned in a little to whisper the words to her because he wanted her to know that, more than anything, she'd always been on his mind. "I really have missed you, Ruby." He gave her hand another squeeze and, though he was sure there was still plenty for them to talk about and they hadn't even scratched the surface, he pressed a kiss to her temple gently before he looked to the others, grinning at his friends' playfulness. It was nice to have them all together like this again; everything always felt more comfortable with Ruby by his side and the whole gang together. "It's not our fault we talked about them so much. You would have, too."

"I'm pretty sure you've both slept-talked," Calum hummed out easily in response, grinning to Luke before looking to Ashton. "Right? They've definitely slept-talked?"

"We might even have it on video," Ashton chimed with a small, amused smirk, "So, that makes it all twenty-four hours every day." He grinned teasingly to Michael and Luke.

Kyrie smiled as she relaxed into Luke's hold, reminded of all the times she found solace in such a simple thing from him. How she had ever allowed herself to let him go, she was beginning to forget. He'd meant everything to her and he still did to this day, and she wondered what their lives would be like if she hadn't ended things between them back then. "If you have videos, I'm sure both Ruby and I would love to see," she joked lightly before blinking when she heard Holly and she looked over. The boys didn't seem to be paying much attention to Holly at this point, caught up in their own teasing, but she wondered if she had just imagined the way Holly looked at her and Ruby in that moment. "Yeah, okay, we'll see you at the dorm," she said quietly, watching her, "Get back safely."

Watching as Holly left, Ruby allowed herself to relax. Looking at Michael, Ruby smiled, leaning in to whisper back to him. "I'm glad I came." She promised, squeezing his hand within her own gently, showing him her words were genuine. "I've missed you too, Michael. So much." She murmured, relaxing into Michael's side when he had kissed her temple, the small gesture feeling so huge to her, and in that moment, surrounded by the people she cared for the most, Ruby swore she had never felt more at home. "Come on now," she joined in with the conversation. "I agree with Kyrie, if you have it on video, I want to see it, there is nothing in this world that Michael could value over sleep." She grinned cheekily.

Luke watched Holly as she exited, feeling more at ease now that she was gone. "Thank god she's gone." He commented, knowing the boys would agree with him. He didn't mean to be so disrespectful to any of Kyrie's friends, but he'd seen the way that Holly had looked at the girls, and he felt his anger rise within him, kissing the top of Kyrie's head as she relaxed into him, Luke just taking a quick moment to relish in the smell of her shampoo - not even a bit surprised that she hadn't changed it; just to relish having her at his side at all, knowing his whole world was safe in his arms. Knowing that tonight was his chance, Luke smiled down at Kyrie. "Alright, I wanna hear everything you've been up to." He flipped off Calum and Ashton jokingly.

Michael's grin stretched across his face in a way that would have probably hurt if he wasn't so damn happy with hearing Ruby's words. "Yeah?" he asked, shifting a bit to pull her onto his lap, mostly wanting to have her as close to himself as he could manage to, though his hand didn't let hers go, wanting to maintain that comforting connection as much as he could. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear that or how much I've prayed to hear it." He smiled, watching her, and lifted his free hand to run his fingers through her hair gently. "Catch me up on what your life has been like the past few years. I can't wait to hear it all."

Kyrie made a face when she heard Luke's comment and she playfully shoved at his shoulder. "She's not so bad," she defended. "I think she just feels left out and upset that we kept all of this from her." But, admittedly, it felt like there was more to it. She hoped she and Ruby could make it up to Holly later and mend the friendship, but, for now, she just wanted to be near Luke. Still, hearing Luke continue to speak, she smiled slightly as she peered up at him. "What I've been up to?" she questioned before grinning and reaching up to toy with his hair. "What about you? Look at this hair!"

Ashton watched the four for a few moments before nodding and standing up. "Yeah, we'll go get that straight away," he assured with a small grin before he began to walk off, but paused when Calum wasn't following, moving to shove at his arm a bit to get his attention.

Calum arched a brow, looking to Ashton. "What?" he asked, confused.

"Come on, let's go get the video," Ashton told him.

"But it's on -" Calum started, pulling out his phone as if to remind his friend they'd videoed it on their phones.

"I know," Ashton said, "Let's go get it."

Calum blinked, then realizing that Ashton wanted to leave the four alone, and nodded, hopping off the arm of the couch. "We'll be back, don't have too much fun without us," he teased before walking off.

"Or have all the fun, that's alright, too," Ashton laughed before following Calum out of the room.

Ruby bit her lip and shook her head at Calum and Ashton in amusement, focusing her attention back to Michael as the other half of 5 Seconds of Summer left, reluctantly letting go of his hand to wrap her arms around his neck as she settled into his embrace, watching him, having missed his face, his mannerisms, his voice, his laugh too much to not take advantage of the situation now. "Yeah." She smiled. "I'm just... glad luck was on our side, that's for sure." She smiled, pushing his hair from his face, adoring how close they were in that moment. "I think you've got more explaining than I do," she teased. "And I cannot wait to hear every detail." She promised, kissing the top of his head. "As for me, went to college, nearly finished my degree." She shrugged. "Boring."

Luke nodded, understanding Kyrie's defensiveness. "Sorry." He grinned at the girl he still considered to be his soulmate. Chuckling at Kyrie's words, Luke wiggled his eyebrows humourously. "Do you like it, though?" He asked, scooching closer to Kyrie, desperate to be within her reach, now and forever more. Watching her closely, Luke couldn't help the smile. "How about we take a walk?" He asked, just wanting to be alone with her, wanting to hear everything she'd been up to without the interference of anyone or anything else. "I just want to spend some time with you. It's been too long." He ran his fingers through her hair gently, feeling the calm only Kyrie could provide.

Michael shifted, resting his chin on her shoulder, though he shifted to kiss the skin there that he could reach, just relishing in having her this close to him again, in his arms and just there. "I'm glad, too. I promised myself I'd look at every face in the crowd in hopes of finding you out there tonight and I can't even begin to tell you how excited and relieved I was when I caught sight of you," he told her honestly, wrapping his arms around her gently to avoid her falling from his lap. "Oh? That's not boring, it's impressive." He grinned as he took her in, glad that she'd had the chance to do something like that either way. "What have you been studying?"

Kyrie grinned. "I do like it, it suits you," she assured him with amusement, her fingers still toying with his hair, playing with the ends before she gave a playful tug and smiled with seeing him closer to her. She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the feeling for a moment before she nodded. "Okay, let's go," she agreed softly, opening her eyes to take him in, so glad for these simple moments. "I'm sure we have a lot to talk about." Offering a small smile, she shifted to stand up, though she could already feel herself missing the closer contact between herself and Luke.

Feeling Michael's lips against her skin made Ruby relax even further, placing her hands on top of his own around her middle, smiling at his confession. "You were always such a big softy." She teased gently, just taking the feeling of him holding her in as much as she could. "Nursing." She turned her head, her forehead against his temple. "It was the only thing I was good at." She laughed, shaking her head. "But c'mon, Michael, you've seen the world by now - what was that like?" She asked softly, curious.

Luke smiled at Kyrie's compliment towards his hair. Feeling Kyrie's absence from beside him when she stood up, Luke was keen to get onto his feet. Wrapping an arm around her waist, Luke guided her to the back of the venue, quiet and deserted, a place where he could just have Kyrie all to himself. "There is a lot to talk about." He confirmed. "But I want to hear about you first." He grinned, looking at her with love, unable to hold back his emotion. "College, hm? What've you been studying?" As much as he missed her, every damn day since he'd last seen her, he was glad she had gone to higher education.

"You love that I'm a softy," Michael teased with a grin as he held her close to himself, so glad that she hadn't pulled away from him. Having her this close to him, feeling her in his arms, felt like the most natural thing in the world, and he didn't want to give it up, not again. "Nursing, huh?" He grinned, taking her in. "I could definitely see that. I bet you'd be an amazing nurse." His expression softened into a smile as he listened to her question and thought. "It was amazing, it was... But I think it would have been perfect if you'd been there with me, honestly." He didn't say it to make her feel guilty or anything, of course; he merely said it because it was true and he wanted her to know that.

Kyrie, although surprised with feeling his arm around her waist, smiled and leaned into the feeling, relaxing almost immediately after the initial surprise. She followed him quietly, nodding to his words, and examined him, her expression softening at his look. God, she'd missed that look. "Education," she told him, offering a smile before she shrugged, "It's been what my family pointed me towards since birth and I like being around kids, so I figured why not." She watched him for a while before grinning. "Your turn. Tell me about your travelling and that amazing hair."

"I do love that you're a softy." Ruby laughed softly. Hearing Michael's words though, her smile softened. "We found our way back to each other though, didn't we?" There was so much she wanted to say, and all she could think was fuck it, life was short and she really didn't want to waste the chance she'd been given. "All that love I had for you, Mikey, it never went away." She admitted, laying herself out in the open, knowing that when it was just the two of them, she could. "I thought about you every single day." She sat up, very reluctantly, sliding into the seat beside him, wanting to take him in as she cupped his cheek. "You were always on my mind." And she wanted Michael to know that.

Luke couldn't help the smile that occupied his face when Kyrie told him she had been studying to become a teacher. "You'd make an amazing teacher." He promised, stopping to face her and tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear gently, cupping her cheek in his hand, just studying her and the little changes that were obvious enough to see - how she'd matured, how her smile still lit up his world, how truly wonderful she was. "As for me, I'm still Luke, Kyrie." He chuckled. "Just seen a bit more of the world - I can't lie, I've seen some pretty sights, but the best sight I've ever seen will always be you." He promised, meaning every word.

Michael smiled to her words. "We did," he agreed quietly as he watched her, nodding slowly. It'd taken them a few years, but they'd somehow lucked out and run into each other again, and he wondered how in the world he got so damn lucky, but he wasn't about to question it and ruin it. Hearing her talk again, he watched her for a long moment before he shifted, cupping her cheek in his own hand, his thumb running over her cheek gently before he pressed his forehead to hers. "I never stopped loving you, Ruby. You've always been my world, everything to me, and I've missed you more than I thought was humanly possible."

Kyrie smiled as she watched him, leaning into his touch, lifting her hand to rest it over his, her thumb running over the skin of his hand gently. "Always the smooth talker," she murmured teasingly, though her heart swelled with his words and she watched him for a while. "I really missed you, Luke... I almost didn't come tonight, because I wasn't sure that I could face you, but I'm really glad I did, and that I get to see you again, and that you really haven't changed at all." She offered a small, soft smile. "The fact that you're still as amazing as the day I fell in love with you blows my mind, honestly."

The feeling of Michael being so close made Ruby swear to herself she would never let him go again. She'd been told that distance made the heart grow fonder, and in this instance, it was true, it really was, and Ruby would never forgive herself if she let Michael slip through her fingers again. Pushing Michael's hair from his face, she smiled softly at the man in front of her, her heart swelling with fondness when he told her what she wished to hear for so long. "I've missed you too, Michael." Her voice was quiet, meek, but she felt that their actions were speaking much louder than their words ever could.

Luke smiled as Kyrie leaned into his touch, just loving the feeling of her skin beneath his finger tips. "I'm glad you came." He murmured back. The situation needed no loud words, no fanfares, he was more than content just sharing a quiet moment with Kyrie - she'd always been there to ground him. "Soon as we got onto that stage, I looked for you." He confessed. "I told myself I would, because the small chance was there. You caught my eyes straight away." There was no point lying to her. "Neither have you, you know." He smiled when she told him he hadn't changed. "Still as beautiful as the day I met you. Still as in love with you as ever."

Michael's eyes scanned over Ruby's features, his heart swelling and warmth flooding through him as he listened to her. More than anything in this world, he wanted Ruby in his life. He'd gone this long without her in his life already, and he honestly didn't want to go another day; he didn't want to waste another moment. All he wanted was her; it was all he'd ever wanted, in the end. As much as he loved music and performing and this band and his friends, he knew it would have all been better if he'd had Ruby by his side through it all. "I love you, Ruby," he told her firmly, more straightforward, just needing her to know and not wanting her to ever forget. And, as if it would ensure that she didn't forget, he leaned closer to her, pressing his lips to hers, wanting this moment with her.

Kyrie smiled gently in response, nodding slowly. "I'm glad I came, too," she admitted quietly, because she'd gotten to see him again. Even if things had gone to chaos, the fact that she'd gotten to see him again, that she'd gotten to hear him sing again, and she'd gotten to watch him perform and do something he loved so much, meant so much. "Yeah?" She grinned, laughing to herself. "And, here I was, trying to hide." Making a joking face at him, she watched him. "I'm glad you looked for me." And, the more he spoke, the more her expression softened, and she eyed him before she squeezed his hand gently. "I know what you mean. I don't think anything in this world could stop me from loving you."

Feeling Michael's lips press against hers, Ruby relished in the feeling immediately. Every time she kissed Michael, it felt like the first time - so brand new and magical, but this time was different. This time was promising and so full of love it made Ruby's heart want to combust. Holding around Michael, one hand at the back of his head, the other at the back of his neck, Ruby pulled away, exhaling calmly as she reconnected her forehead to his. "I love you too, Michael." She was no longer meek in that moment, wanting him to know it was the biggest truth to come out of her mouth. "I always have, you know I always will."

Luke smiled down at Kyrie, knowing what she'd meant what she said, and it was the same for him, too. Not Hell or high water could stop Luke from loving Kyrie. She was his first love, and he knew, deep down, that she was his soulmate, and they'd always find their way back to each other in the end. "Good, because if I lost you again, Kyrie, I don't know what I'd do." He murmured. "This time was bad enough..." Finding himself leaning in, Luke decided to go with his gut and gently press his lips to Kyrie's, hoping it wasn't too soon for her. Luke smiled into the kiss when he felt the familiar rush of love flow through his veins.