when you get too close

Reine blinked but she couldn't help but to laugh along with him, his laugh was infectious and the story just sounded way too cute and funny. Grinning slightly as she settled down, she peered up at him, taking him in. "I'm sure you made me just as happy," she assured him quietly, "I mean... Just... Being like this with you, I'm happy." She could feel her cheeks warm with the admission, but she shifted, relaxing as she buried her face against him. "Do my parents like you, at least?*

Michael smiled, sliding his arms back around her as he rubbed her back gently. "You're the perfect one, Leigh," he told her quietly as he kissed the top of her head, relishing in the way it felt to have her so close. "You're everything I've ever wanted." And everything he'd never known he'd wanted until he met her. He smiled, though. "Yeah? I'm glad. At least you don't think I'm a total creep." He grinned down at her, watching her. "We can always continue that tradition, if you want?*

Luke smiled softly at Reine’s admission. “I’m glad you’re happy, because that’s all I ever want in life — you and your happiness.” Luke told her gently, kissing the top of her head once more, the gesture so small but meaning so much. “Your parents and I get on. They treat me like their own.” Like explained with a smile. “I tell them more than I tell my own parents.” Luke laughed, rubbing Reine’s back still.

Leigh smiled. “I’d really like that, Michael.” She told him with a soft voice, unable to tear her eyes from him. “But no more Fight Club. I swear, we’ve watched it a million times and I can probably recite the script.” She rolled her eyes gently, still settled with Michael, still happy with him by her side. “You need rest, Mikey. It’s been a trying few days.”

"That's good," Reine murmured with relief, glad to hear it, because the last thing she wanted was for her parents to be against Luke and make him uncomfortable. "What are they like? And what about your parents? Do they like me?" She watched him for a moment, taking him in, though she relaxed under his touch, enjoying the feeling, finding something inherently comforting about it. She yawned, though, finding it hard to really focus on her own questions and curiosity.

Michael blinked to her words and he stared at her for a long moment, wondering if she even realized what she'd said, or whether it was a fluke. He decided against mentioning it either way, not wanting to give either of them false hope and not wanting to startle her, either. "Alright, alright, I'll try to keep a minimum request for Fight Club," he teased, grinning slightly as he kissed her forehead gently, watching her. "I'll sleep when you sleep," he promised quietly, "I want to enjoy every moment of this that I can."

Luke kissed the top of Reine’s head. “Your parents are amazing. They live in Perth, they moved around the time you moved in with me, they were, and are, so supportive of us. They’re amazing.” He smiled. “My parents love you too, and they treat you like their own daughter.” Luke smiled into Reine’s hair. “You need rest.” Luke told her softly. “It’s been a busy few days and I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

Leigh blinked as Michael stared, frowning slightly. “What?” She settled against Michael’s chest when he kissed her forehead. “Well then, I guess I should sleep.” She laughed gently. “Because you need to be rested up.” She told him softly. “Thank you, Michael, for everything.” She stifled back a yawn.

Reine smiled with hearing it all, with know their parents were all okay with them being together. "I'm really glad," she murmured quietly, though she curled up close to him, closing her eyes as she nodded. "Okay, okay. Good night, Luke." She shifted, reaching for his hand to lace her fingers through his, not even fully aware she was doing it in her tired state, but finding the way his fingers fit between hers perfectly to be completely familiar. Breathing out, she relaxed, managing to drift off after a bit.

Michael smiled slightly and shook his head. "Nothing, it's nothing," he assured her quietly, running his fingers through her hair as he let himself relax, though he nodded slightly. "Right, sleep. You need it as much as I do. Especially in a comfortable bed." He grinned slightly, happy that she'd be trying to sleep either way and he shifted, pulling the blanket up around them to make sure to keep her warm, though he blinked, surprised. "You don't have to thank me for anything, Leigh. Ever. I promise." Smiling, he kissed the top of her head and watched her, relaxing.

Luke smiled softly, squeezing Reine’s hand gently. “Goodnight, sweetheart.” He murmured, wondering if she knew that hand holding, despite being a small gesture, was a significant thing throughout their whole relationship. “Sweet dreams. I love you.” He told her, watching carefully as she drifted off, falling asleep with her.

Leigh rested her head on Michael’s chest, relaxing enough to sleep, her hold tightening around him as she drifted off. “Goodnight,” she murmured tiredly. “I love you.”

Michael smiled, feeling his heart swell with her words. "I love you, too," he murmured, holding her close as he rested down, relaxing. "Good night." He watched her, letting himself drift off.

Reine stirred early in the morning when sunlight began filtering into the room from the blinds covering the door that led to the balcony. She watched Luke for a while, admiring the way he looked with the sunlight falling over his face, her expression softening as she lifted a hand, resting it over his face to run her thumb over his cheek gently. Eventually, though, she shifted, climbing off the bed as quietly as she could to go out to the balcony.

Michael had slept much better that night than he had since Leigh's accident. In fact, a part of him hadn't known sleeping could be that good; of course, he knew he'd always slept well with her next to him but, with the accident bringing up his concerns about losing her, sleeping with her in his arms, in their bed, had never felt better.

Luke felt Reine's absence, swearing that he could feel her touch in his dreams. Knowing that she had been secure in his arms all night brought Luke the most comfort he'd ever had. Running a hand through his hair, not caring that it was a mess - after all, Reine had seen him in worst circumstances - Luke stood from the bed and noticed the door to the balcony opened ever so slightly, and he knew that Reine had returned to her usual spot to find solace. Debating for a long moment whether or not he should disturb her, Luke gently treaded to the door, smiling as he saw her, perfect in the early morning sun, sat facing the ocean. "Good morning." He greeted, voice heavy with sleep. "How'd you rest?"

Leigh stirred in the early hours of the morning, feeling refreshed. Sitting up, trying her hardest not to disturb Michael, Leigh smiled down at the sleeping man next to her and ran her fingers through his hair gently, just admiring him in the light of the dawn; the shape of his lips, the way his eyelashes brushed against his cheeks, she couldn't believe just how beautiful he was. Climbing carefully off the bed, Leigh descended down the stairs, studying the photos of them both together that were lined against the walls. Finding her alcove, Leigh collapsed into the bean bag, exhaling happily as she got comfortable.

Reine sat, her knees to her chest and her arms around them as she stared out at the ocean. With it being early morning and them being near the ocean, there was a chill in the air, but Reine didn't mind, finding it peaceful and easy to think, easy to get lost in just being there. She wondered if that was why she loved this spot so much when she'd had her memories, but her thoughts were torn away when she heard Luke's voice and, settling her gaze on him, she could feel her heart swell at the sight of his messy bed hair and the sound of his tired voice. "Good morning," she greeted before she offered a small smile and nodded. "I slept great, honestly. But, when I woke up, I just couldn't help but to come out here. I didn't worry you when you woke, right?"

Michael could feel the movement on the bed, the way Leigh's fingers ran so smoothly through his hair, and he knew she was usually the first to wake, reminding him, even in his dreams, that he should wake up and be there for her - and just so that he could see her, make sure she was still doing well. Stirring, he peered around, seeing that Leigh was indeed out of the bed and he climbed off the bed, yawning into his hand and ruffling his hair up as he headed to the door. Instinct led him to the alcove, because that was always where Leigh was on the occasional mornings where he woke up without her at his side. Even so, he found himself both surprised and happy to see her in the very spot his feet took him and he grinned slightly, watching her for a few silent moments, just taking in how beautiful the sight was. "Good morning," he greeted quietly, not wanting to startle her, "Did you sleep well?"

Luke smiled as her attention turned to him, his heart swelling with adoration as he saw how at home she seemed on the balcony. Sitting in the chair next to Reine's, Luke smiled, offering her his hand to hold. "You didn't," he promised. "I saw the door open and I knew you were out here." He told her quietly, taking her in instead of the view. Luke had always considered Reine to be the most beautiful thing, and in that moment, it was true. "How long have you been out here?" He asked, feeling the chill and frowning. "Aren't you cold?" He asked softly. "I've got a dressing gown in the bedroom if you want me to fetch it." He told Reine, worried about her catching the chill.

Leigh opened her eyes as she heard Michael's voice. "Good morning." She replied, just as quiet, still adjusting to the daytime. Looking to him, she admired him in that moment, how stupidly adorable he looked when he woke up. Biting her lip to try and stop her smile, Leigh moved over for Michael to sit with her, planning to slip onto his lap instead, so they both could be comfortable. "I did." She confirmed. "But I got a great view of the sunrise from here, so my day is already pretty good." She laughed, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "How did you sleep?" She asked, toying with the material of her jeans, having not bothered to change to any pyjamas. "I was thinking pancakes for breakfast, you in?"

Reine smiled slightly, wondering how often she must have come out here for Luke to be capable of determining that so easily - or how well Luke knew her. "Not long," she assured him quietly, shifting to slide her hand into his, giving a gentle squeeze. "Maybe a few minutes. I'm fine, really." She watched him for a moment. "How'd you sleep?"

Michael smiled upon hearing it and he watched her for a while longer before he moved over, accepting her nonverbal invitation, and moved to sit down next to her, sliding an arm around her shoulders. "That's good. You always did like the sunrise," he teased lightly but nodded. "I slept great, having you there with me and being in our bed." He rubbed her shoulder gently, watching her. "Pancakes sound good. Should I go give a try in cooking them?"

Luke nodded, but continued to keep a close eye on her, although feeling Reine's hand slip into his, Luke couldn't deny that just the gesture alone set a flame alight somewhere inside him. Returning the gentle squeeze, Luke smiled. "I slept good - great, even." He nodded. "Just having you there, Reine, it makes a lot of difference." He told her gently. "Did you sleep okay? Were you alright waking up?" He asked, pressing a sweet kiss to her knuckles.

Leigh gently slid into Michael's lap, her arms around his neck as she rested her forehead to the side of his head, craving contact between them. Smiling as Michael spoke, just relishing in the sound of his voice, Leigh laughed slightly. "Based on what you told me, are you sure that's a good idea?" She teased. "How about I cook, you give me a hand?" She asked, pressing a sweet kiss to Michael's temple.

Reine smiled slightly as she watched him, relieved to hear it, but she nodded slightly. "Good, I'm glad," she murmured quietly, "I did, it was just... Nice being in your arms, really. And the bed was super comfortable." She watched him before she shifted. "Can we eat out here?"

Michael grinned when he felt her on his lap and he slid his arms around her, rubbing her back gently, glad to have her there but also just keeping her stabilized. "Well, that's why I asked if you want me to try," he teased, but he felt his heart swelling with her affection, surprised with it but enjoying it. "If you're sure you want to, sure."

Luke smiled. "I'm glad, because I love having you in my arms, Reine." He told her gently. "If that's what you want to do, of course we can." Luke pressed another gentle kiss to Reine's knuckles, looking to her. "What do you want for breakfast?" He asked her gently. He would make her anything she asked for, just glad that after the past few days, she was alive, she was still with him, and who cared if Reine was missing memories? They could always create new, better ones together, and Luke felt his heart soar at the thought.

Leigh nodded. "I'd love to try." She told Michael, burying her face into his hair. In that moment, just enjoying the feeling of Michael's arms around her, Leigh swore that there was nowhere else she'd rather be, now, or ever again. "Just a few more minutes." She sunk deeper into Michael's embrace, exhaling happily. "You're warm." She murmured happily into his temple, but after a few moments, she felt a bubble of concern form in her stomach, and she carefully stood to her feet, worrying she was overbearing. "C'mon, let's go eat."

Reine grinned slightly, ducking her head a bit upon hearing Luke's words, just happy to hear it. She wasn't sure what it was about Luke or how he made her feel, but she just felt so incredibly lucky. "Um... I think fruit would be fine for me," she decided quietly.

Michael chuckled as he held her close, enjoying the way she seemed so comfortable with him now. "As long as you want," he assured her quietly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, though he blinked when she pulled away, watching her. "Is something wrong?"

Luke nodded. "Alright, stay here, relax." He reluctantly separated himself from her. "I'll be back soon." He told her, disappearing back into their room, heading down the stairs. The house was near silent apart from the clock on the kitchen wall, and Luke had to remind himself that Reine was safe, and she was only upstairs. Grabbing some strawberries, slicing a peach and mango, Luke grabbed some papaya for good measure. Heading back upstairs, Luke grabbed their blanket from their bed, smiling as he headed back onto the balcony. "Breakfast's up." He smiled. "I got the blanket too."

"Uh," Leigh toyed with her lower lip, finding that she couldn't bring herself to lie to Michael, wondering if it was the same before the accident. "I'm not being too clingy, right?" She asked, just coming right out with it. "It's just that you make me feel safe, and I guess I'm feeling everything all over again, all at once." She looked to him. "It's amazing, but really scary." She laughed weakly, ducking her head slightly.

Reine had found herself missing Luke's presence while he was gone, finding it oddly cold without him there to hold her hand, and she chewed on her lip while she waited for him to come back. Blinking, she grinned slightly at him when he came back, and nodded. "Thank you," she murmured, watching him before she shifted, taking the bowl of fruit and setting it on the balcony table, and took the blanket from his hands. "Sit down first."

Michael watched her, waiting for her answer, but he could see how nervous she was to bring it up and he wished he could think of a way to help her. When she finally talked about her concern, though, his expression softened. "No, you're not, not at all," he told her gently, moving to stand up as he made his way over and took her face in his hands gently, pressing his forehead to hers. "I love having you in my arms, near me, what have you, Leigh. So, if you're clingy, I'm clingy. But this is nothing new for either of us. With or without your memories, we've always been pretty much inseparable. We've always brought each other comfort and love and everything either of us have ever needed in each other."

Luke sat down in the chair, watching as Reine grinned, feeling his heart swell even more. Once he sat down, he pulled Reine gently to sit on his lap, being careful not to hurt or startle her in any way. Wrapping his arms around her middle, Luke rested his chin on Reine's shoulder, loving how there was still a small trace of her perfume from the night of the accident, just having her in his arms and being so hopelessly in love with her bringing Luke more comfort than he could probably verbally express. He watched her for a moment, having chosen her favourite fruit, wondering if something within her would remember that small detail.

Leigh relished in the feeling of Michael's forehead against hers, immediately stroking through his hair, finding that the gesture came so naturally to her. But still, she nodded with his words. "I'm sorry for being so nervous, I just..." She blinked, watching him. "I just can't help - it's like -" She frowned, trying to find the words to express the emotions she was feeling, because love just wouldn't suffice. "Gravity pulls me towards you, Michael." She murmured, shifting to kiss his forehead as she pulled away.

Reine gave a quiet whine, shifting a bit on his lap to wrap the blanket around him first before she tucked in close to have the blanket around herself as well. She wasn't really aware that it was something she'd done often, any time she was even remotely cold, as it was her tell for when she felt cold, even if she wouldn't admit to it. Reaching for the fruits, she picked up a papaya, examining it. "Papaya is such a funny word," she mentioned, though she found herself attached to the word, to how amusing it was, and she tucked in closer to Luke. "I'll share everything but the papayas." She grinned up at him, enjoying the warmth he provided and the feeling of being in his arms, on his lap, close like this.

Michael smiled gently and shook his head slightly as he took her in. "There's nothing to apologize for, Leigh," he assured her quietly, kissing her forehead gently for a moment, hopeful that she wouldn't be worried or upset too much. The last thing he wanted was for her to be worried about the attention she was giving him. It'd seemed like it had come so naturally and he didn't want her to hold back from any of that, both because he enjoyed her attention and affection but also because he was hopeful that it would help with her recovery, if they behaved as naturally as they always had. "You're everything to me, Leigh. You're my destiny, my soulmate, I just know it. So you never have to worry about any of that, I promise." Shifting after she'd pulled back, he offered his hand to her with a smile. "Ready to go make pancakes?"

Luke grinned as Reine moved naturally with him, squeezing around her middle, having seen the gesture of adjusting a blanket a million times, but still, he kept it to himself, feeling more hopeful, now more than ever, that Reine was going to make a full recovery. "I knew you were cold." He murmured, pressing a sweet kiss to her shoulder. Laughing at the mention of papaya, Luke buried his face into Reine's shoulder, completely amused. "Believe it or not, we used to laugh about papaya when we were younger." He explained. "Hell, we still do." He told her, unable to hold it back, just wanting her to know how happy he was that the detail stuck. "I'm so proud of you, Reine." He took a strawberry with a genuine smile, unable to stop himself, just loving her so damn much.

Leigh blinked in surprise as she heard the word soulmate leave Michael's mouth, but she smiled, not realising just how broad the smile was, loving the idea of spending the rest of her life with Michael, even if they were still young, Leigh knew that Michael was her forever, even if she couldn't remember. "Did we use that word a lot? Soulmate." She asked quietly, taking his hand when he offered it to her, squeezing gently as she followed him to the kitchen. "Dad flipped out when I told him you were my soulmate." She laughed. "That band boy?!" She exclaimed in a deep voice. Seeing the kitchen, Leigh smiled, finding the ingredients they needed by herself.