i still dream for you

Michael could feel his heart almost bursting with the happiness he felt when he felt Ruby returning his kiss. He'd imagined kissing her again a million times since their break up, always missing her, always missing the love he felt around her, with her, because nobody had ever amounted to the way he felt for Ruby. She'd always been everything to him and the thought that they could possibly give this another try, that he could have her back in his life, was the absolute best feeling in the world. Feeling their foreheads reconnected, he cupped her face gently, running his thumb over her cheek gently as he enjoyed the closeness between them. "I don't want to go another day without you, Ruby," he told her quietly, "Ever. These last few years without you tore me apart, I can't stand the thought of not having you by my side."

Kyrie's expression softened as she listened to his words and her heart swelled with hope that maybe things could go their way this time and maybe they'd have some sort of future together. And the hope grew when she felt his lips against her own, the feeling so familiar and missed that she couldn't believe that she'd gone so long without it. Leaning into his kiss, she grinned against his lips, deepening the kiss while she could, feeling like she was on top of the world with Luke there and his lips against hers. After a while, she pulled back and grinned up at him. "God, I love you so much, Luke," she whispered, not wanting to disturb this moment between them.

"You don't have to, Michael." Ruby promised, keeping her voice quiet, running her hands through his hair. "Because I don't ever want you to leave my side." She pulled away, only slightly, to study his face, biting her lip. "And you know that my heart belongs to you, it always has." She kissed his forehead. Michael, as a whole, was intoxicating, and Ruby considered herself the luckiest person on the planet because she was the one who held Michael's affection, when he could've chosen any girl he wanted to. And Ruby had always chosen Michael - even when she wasn't so sure that they would come full circle, Ruby was grateful that she kept that small piece of hope.

Luke relished in the kiss as Kyrie deepened it, and Luke could feel his happiness spread even further throughout his being, if that was even possible. Luke had always waited, he never wanted to know what life without Kyrie was like, and now, here they were. They had done a complete circle back to each other and Luke didn't know what to call it other than fate - their love was written in the stars, of that he was sure. "I love you so much too, Kyrie." He promised upon hearing her words, keeping his voice a whisper too, sure that he would never get tired of telling her how much he loved her.

Michael grinned, unbelievably happy about how things had turned out, with having her there with him, too. "My heart's always belonged to you, too, Ruby," he murmured, leaning to kiss her forehead gently. "You've always been the best thing in my life and I want you in my life. More than anything."

Kyrie smiled, taking him in for a long while, shifting to press her forehead to his shoulder. "I almost can't believe this is real," she admitted quietly, "I don't know how the universe worked out like this, how everything turned around to this, but I'm really, really happy it did."

Ruby smiled, unable to stop herself. "You've got me. I'm not going anywhere." She promised, linking their pinkie fingers. It was a small, ridiculous gesture, but it brought her comfort knowing it was their little way of sealing the deal. Pressing a brief kiss to Michael's lips once more, Ruby reluctantly pulled away, but having Michael within arms reach was enough.

Luke smiled, kissing Kyrie's temple as she rested her forehead against his shoulder, both of their hands entwined. Luke squeezed Kyrie's hands gently. "Life works in mysterious ways." He chuckled, his lips still against her skin. "And this time, it worked in our favour. So, now that I've got you back, I'm not ready to let you go back to the dorm." He smiled softly. "I can offer you a comfortable bed and some hugs, this was the last stop of the tour."

Michael paused with mild surprise, though the grin that formed on his features was one of the largest he'd worn that night. The fact that they could so easily fall into old habits like pinky promises was honestly just the most amazing thing in the world to him. "Good," he told her quietly, watching her before he lifted his hand to wrap his pinky around hers, giving a slight squeeze, though he fully enjoyed the brief kiss he received. "Because, as long as I've got you, I'll be the happiest guy around." Grinning, he pressed his forehead to hers. "Any chance I can talk you into staying with me for the night? Because I honestly would do anything to avoid letting you go so soon after we met again."

Kyrie gave Luke's hands a gentle squeeze in return as she let herself enjoy the close contact between them; being in his presence again made her the happiest she'd been in so long and, before now, she hadn't wanted to admit to herself just how much losing Luke had impacted her. Hearing his words, she peered up at him, taking him in, and smiled as she brushed her lips against his, only to grin after. "I really love that idea," she admitted quietly, "But I also really want to make things right with Holly... And, if I do decide to take up your offer, I'd need to at least grab some clothes from my dorm, because this outfit will definitely not be comfortable to sleep in and I'll need a change of clothes for tomorrow, anyways."

Ruby smiled, pressing another sweet kiss to Michael's lips, standing to her feet to stretch, blinking in surprise when she saw the clock on the wall tick towards ten o'clock. Hearing Michael's words, Ruby offered him a smile. "How could I ever say no to that face?" She gently leaned down to kiss his cheek. "I need to stop by my dorm to get some clothes. I need to talk to Holly, too." She looked reluctant, but she knew it was the right thing to do. "I uh, think tonight was a big shock to her." She explained gently, offering a hand to help Michael to his feet.

Luke nodded. "That's fair enough." He didn't like Holly, and even then, that was a bit of an understatement. He felt there was something so untrue about her, something that Kyrie didn't deserve in a friend or otherwise. "But you always did look good in my t-shirt." Luke suggested - and God, was that the truth. It was something Kyrie had done countless times before, stealing Luke's shirts to sleep in, and he didn't mind one bit. The sight was truly something to behold. "So is your dorm quite far from here?" The thought of Kyrie staying the night excited Luke to no end, just knowing that after so long, when he woke up the next morning, she'd be beside him.

Michael's grin broadened as he watched her for a few moments. "Good, I'd absolutely hate it if you said no," he teased lightly, though, admittedly, he figured he would have understood if she'd disagreed to the idea; the night had progressed so quickly, after all, and, while he'd dreamed of the day he'd get to see Ruby again and get her back, it still left him awestruck that it had actually happened. "You could always borrow my clothes. I certainly wouldn't mind." His grin turned a little cheeky, then, but he placed his hand in hers to stand up, nodding to her words about Holly. "You really are such an amazing person, Ruby." Definitely more amazing that Holly deserved, from what he'd seen. Smiling, he gave her hand a squeeze as he took her in. "Want me to drive you to your dorm, then, so you don't have to walk there and back?"

Kyrie made a joking face up at him, her cheeks warming in the slightest with his words. "Well, in that case, I'll use one of your shirts to sleep in," she decided in a hum, giving his hands a squeeze, "I'm still gonna have to go back to the dorm." Because she still needed to talk to Holly and she definitely needed clothes for tomorrow. Plus, it would give her time to gather herself and process everything that had happened, and hopefully make it so she didn't act disastrously awkward around Luke. Still, she smiled and shook her head. "No, it's a pretty short walk, actually. It didn't take us long to get here from there at all."

Ruby rolled her eyes jokingly at Michael as she helped him up, looking up to him as he stood straight, their height difference obvious. "Behave yourself - and get that thought out of your head." She warned teasingly as she saw his cheeky grin and a glint behind his eyes that she knew well. Ruby felt her excitement grew at the thought of sharing a bed with Michael again - he was always so cuddly when he was tired, and Ruby appreciated the feeling of being needed. "It's not amazing, Mikey, it's the right thing to do." She smiled, squeezing his hand back. "Sure. I need to grab a text book, too." She shrugged.

Luke smiled at the thought of Kyrie wearing one of his shirts to bed, grinning at the thought. "Alright, lead the way." He squeezed Kyrie's hands gently, pressing another kiss to her forehead, trusting her enough to let her take the lead. Falling into a comfortable stride with her, Luke felt his heart swell with content. Kyrie had only been back in his life for a few short hours, and already, Luke had felt the most comfortable than he had in years. "I really admire you, you know, wanting to make things right with Holly." Kyrie had always had the patience of a saint, and Luke didn't know how she did it.

"It's planted deep in my mind, the roots are ingrained, there's no way to get the thought out now," Michael teased in response, grinning slightly as he watched her, admiring her. He was beyond glad that they were acting just as naturally around each other as they always had. The thought made his body fill with a happiness that he'd missed feeling without Ruby there with him. Smiling, he ran his thumb over her knuckles as he led the way out of the venue. "Considering the way she was acting, I think it is amazing. And I know you'll never agree to it, because you don't see how truly amazing you are, but it's true." He nodded, though. "Need to study or do homework?"

Kyrie grinned broadly, nodding slightly as she led the way out, heading back to her dorm building, enjoying the comfort Luke's presence brought. Outside of Ruby, nobody knew her as well as Luke did, and having him there with her made her beyond happy. Blinking out of her thoughts when she heard his words, she peered up at him. "Well... She was upset," she said quietly, settling her gaze back ahead as she offered a small shrug, "We kept a pretty big part of our lives as a secret from her, so I'm sure she's hurt... I feel bad about it, so I want to fix it. Isn't that what most people would do, anyways?"

"Michael!" Ruby laughed, gently shoving him. "Typical." She rolled her eyes jokingly, pretending to be disappointed. "You men, all the same." She teased back, loving how second nature their relationship was to the both of them, just loving him in general. "You're such a dork." And despite her words, she felt her cheeks warm up with a blush. "But to answer your question, idiot, I have to study." She shrugged, letting Michael lead her to his car.

Luke smiled. "Not most people, which is what makes you so incredible, Kyrie." He spoke honestly. "Want me to wait outside, or?" He asked, not really keen to see Holly again, not understanding why Holly felt so entitled to Kyrie's history with him and the rest of his band. Seeing Kyrie act so compassionately about Holly made Luke smile, it was one of the many things he'd fallen hard for, and she really brought out the best in him.

"Not all the same!" Michael complained with a laugh, "And, besides, can you blame me for thinking about it? It's been forever since we've been together." He shot her a teasing wink, loving seeing the blush on her features, happy to know that he was the one to put it there, not wanting to think that there could have been anybody in his absence to do the same. "Oh? Anything specific you're studying for?" Coming to his car, he opened the passenger door for her, grinning. "Ladies first."

"You say that, but I'm sure you don't know that as an absolute fact," Kyrie joked lightly, nudging him gently, but she smiled as she settled her gaze ahead, spotting the dorm building before long, and she chewed on her lip, nervous about the conversation that would take place. "Um... Yeah, waiting outside might be best. I don't want her thinking that I'm flaunting you or something, that would probably make things worse."

Ruby shook her head, rolling her eyes at Michael. "You're such a horny teenager still." She teased, smiling as he opened the car door for her, kissing his cheek in gratitude. "Thank you, baby." She waited for him to climb into the drivers seat before answering his question. "Yeah, uh, one of my final exams." She shrugged. "Figured I could cram a little."

Luke nodded. "Alright, I'll wait right here." Luke promised, smiling at Kyrie reassuringly. Seeing her nerves, Luke squeezed her hand gently. "Hey... you've got this. You're amazing, Kyrie, anyone who doesn't see that isn't worth your time." He promised, frowning at the thought of Holly giving Kyrie a hard time. Leaning against the wall, Luke pressed a sweet kiss to the corner of Kyrie's mouth, reluctantly letting go of her hand.

Michael laughed, but left the previous conversation to focus on her studying. He nodded with the mention of it, though. "How many finals do you have?" he asked with curiosity, "And what class are you cramming for this time?" He shot a smile over at her, not at all surprised, because it was how Ruby had always been, smart and studious. "Alright, tell me the way to your dorm, I'll make sure we're there in no time." While he grinned jokingly, he had no actual intentions of speeding, wanting to just enjoy being with her.

Kyrie smiled gently as she watched him, taking in his words and feeling her heart swell with the thought that Luke could still think all of that about her, despite their history. "Thanks, Luke," she murmured quietly, squeezing his hand in return until he let go. "Always one for an amazing pep talk." She shifted, leaning up to kiss his cheek before she took a breath and made her way into the dorm building to head to her dorm. Unlocking the door, she made her way in, peering around. "Holly?"

Ruby smiled, loving that Michael was genuinely interested. "I have six finals." She told him. "And this one is for giving patients an intravenous sedation." She shrugged. "Easy when you know how, just can't afford to fuck up." She smiled at him as he drove. "The dorm is literally just down this road, second left at the end of the street." She told him, and although they could have walked, Ruby still appreciated the time she had with Michael.

Luke smiled as he felt Kyrie kiss his cheek, watching as she went into the building, leaning against the wall.

Holly heard Kyrie's voice, frowning. "Oh, hey." She greeted, not as bubbly or enthusiastic as she usually was. "So, when were you and Ruby planning to tell me that you literally dated a member of 5 Seconds of Summer each?" She asked, her voice venomous. "I thought I was your friend, Kyrie."

"Six?" Michael asked with shock, blinking as he drove. "Wow, that's a lot." He shifted, though, reaching over for her hand as he drove, and gave it a squeeze. "I know you can do it, though. I have faith in you." He grinned slightly over at her before settling his gaze back ahead, nodding to her directions. Since it wasn't far, it didn't take long to get there and he parked the car before lifting her hand to give it a kiss. "Should I wait here or do you want back-up?" He worried about her, worried that Holly would be cruel or rude, and Ruby didn't deserve treatment like that.

Kyrie blinked as she watched her friend, surprised at her tone. "We don't really talk about it," she said carefully, watching Holly, unsure of what to say. "It hurt to talk about it and we didn't think we'd ever see them again, so it was just easier to never bring it up. I'm sorry for not telling you, I am, but... I mean, I don't see why it's such a big deal... It was our past, it wasn't something that could just come up in any day conversation and it hurt."

"I think it'd be better for you to wait here." Ruby smiled, leaning over to kiss Michael's cheek, seeing Luke. "I think misery guts over there could use your company." She laughed, getting out of the car and going to her shared room with Kyrie and Holly, already hearing the beginnings of a heated conversation. Walking in, Ruby looked to Kyrie sympathetically. "What's up?" She asked gently.

Holly looked at Ruby, before looking to Kyrie. "I can't believe the both of you." She frowned, crossing her arms across her chest, not even thinking about her friends' feelings, just wanting to think about her own selfish gain and emotion. "You know how much I love that band, and you honestly think this is a detail that wasn't worth mentioning? Are you dumb?"

Michael smiled in response, watching her, worried still, but nodded. Turning the car off, he stepped out once she'd walked in and made his way over to Luke, nudging his friend gently. "Waiting around?" he asked with curiosity before he leaned against the wall beside his friend, peering towards the door of the building, trying not to be too concerned, though he couldn't help it. He didn't trust Holly, at all.

"We never said it wasn't worth mentioning," Kyrie said with a gentle frown, trying to stay calm, though it was getting hard with the fact that Holly was making this all about herself and ignoring Ruby and Kyrie's problems. "We just couldn't bring ourselves to talk about it. How does any of that make us dumb? And we wanted our new friends to like us for who we are, not who we knew. How is that such a bad thing to ask for?"

"Please," Holly scoffed. "All you two probably ever wanted was a song written about you." She frowned, crossing her arms sternly.

Ruby frowned, feeling tears burn in her eyes. "That's not fair to say, Holly. Kyrie and I genuinely loved Luke and Michael, and we still do." She pointed out. "If you don't like that, and you're so blinded by your jealousy, that's not our problem, it's yours."

Luke nodded, frowning. "Worrying around. I don't trust Holly, and I'm worried that with all those dirty looks she was throwing to Kyrie and Ruby, that something's going to kick off." He explained, exhaling, looking in the direction Michael was looking to, hoping Kyrie would come out at any moment.

Kyrie stared at Holly in surprise, feeling her heart clench painfully, her eyes burning with tears, before she swallowed hard and gathered what courage she could and moved closer to Holly, staring at her. "We were with Luke and Michael before they got famous," she said firmly, "And we love them with everything in us, because of who they are. We don't give a damn about songs being written about us, because the songs don't amount to what actually matters, which is being with them, being with the guys who make us so genuinely happy. If you don't see that, I don't know what else to tell you, Holly. I came here to fix things and I'm sure Ruby did, too, because we actually feel awful for not telling you, but it was ours to tell, our choice, our past, our love lives. If you can't respect that, that's on you." Moving past Holly, Kyrie went to gather a bag and some clothes, but she also grabbed a few text books because the confrontation put her on edge and she didn't think she'd be able to come back to the dorm to study.

Michael nodded in understanding, looking towards the entrance still, his anxiety growing now that Luke had voiced Michael's very own concerns. "I know what you mean," he admitted quietly, frowning to himself, "I wanted to go in there and give Ruby some back-up in case anything ended up going wrong, but she wanted me to wait here, and, honestly, I hate being out here and not being able to help her in any way while she's in there, dealing with Holly. By the way Holly was acting at the venue, I can't see things going well at all." He just hoped that Holly didn't hurt or upset Ruby in any way. His jaw clenched with the thought and he breathed out, trying not to let his concern get to him.

Ruby shook her head at Holly, going to pack her things, throwing her bag over her shoulder and waiting for Kyrie, not wanting to leave her alone with Holly, knowing the situation had peaked and could easily tip at any moment. Avoiding Holly's glare, Ruby wiped her eyes, keeping her attention to the floor. Seeing Kyrie emerged, Ruby grabbed her best friend's sleeve and led her back outside, the cold air hitting her face, not realising she'd let a few tears escape. Exhaling a shuddered breath, Ruby looked to Kyrie. "Ouch."

Luke nudged Michael as the girls appeared, seeing the both of them clearly distressed and rushing over, studying Kyrie carefully. "What happened?" He asked her quietly, taking Kyrie's bag and gently tugging her to his chest, wrapping her in his embrace, protecting her from the cold, giving her a safe space to express herself and her emotions, free of judgement.