when you get too close

"Am not!" Reine quickly denied, a pout on her features, because, while she'd definitely gotten cold, the last thing she wanted to do was to admit it and worry Luke. He'd worried about her so much the past few days, she didn't want to add to it. She blinked, though, and smiled to his words, biting into her papaya as she enjoyed it listening to him. "Coconut's a funny word, too. Not as funny as papaya, but still funny. My mom ate papayas when she was pregnant with me, she said it's probably why I like them so much." In reality, she hadn't realized what she'd said, but she blinked, looking at him. "Huh? Why? I didn't do anything."

Michael chuckled quietly and nodded slightly. "We used it so much that our friends got sick of hearing it," he teased lightly, grinning broadly but jokingly at her. "Though they were always really happy for us, that we were happy." Smiling, he led the way to the kitchen, squeezing her hand gently as they walked, though he blinked, nearly freezing in his steps when he heard her words. His heart swelled with the thought that memories were slowly coming back to her - one thing could have been passed off as a fluke or coincidence, but so many things together just made it seem like it was a genuine possibility. "Right..." He smiled. "We never heard the end of that one." He watched her, though, amazed by her, by how easily she was finding her way through the kitchen, by the thought that memories were returning to her, just her.

Luke smiled, kissing Reine's shoulder. "Babe, when you get cold, you do this thing where you shrink yourself down." Luke explained gently. "I know, every time you do that, you're cold. It's like your preserving body heat, it's adorable." Luke smiled, eating his strawberries, but he paused when he heard her explain about her mother's pregnancy cravings. One memory, that could have been instinctive, but two, three, four? Luke felt his heart swell, just feeling so much love for Reine that he felt so driven to protect her by it. "Coconut is a pretty funny word." He confirmed with a grin. Hearing her ask why he was proud of her, Luke smiled, wanting to keep her memories to himself, wanting her to discover it all by herself. "Because I love you. And because you're mine."

Leigh laughed and shook her head. "I like the sound of it." She confessed to Michael, grabbing a mixing bowl. "Soulmate." She smiled over at him, so distracted by him that she didn't realise just how naturally she was moving around the kitchen. "Spending the rest of my life with you sounds like a dream." Hearing Michael say about her Father's reaction, Leigh laughed. "I don't care what he says about you, Mikey. I love you, and that's all that matters." She told him gently. Turning to face him, Leigh smiled. "Alright band boy," she smirked teasingly. "Put the hob on. I'm hungry." She pouted.

"Maybe I just like feeling tinier?" Reine offered up as an explanation, making a joking face at him, though she focused on eating her papaya, giving a happy noise with the taste. Hearing his words, though, she laughed. "That's not really a reason to be proud, silly." She lifted her gaze to watch him, though, and shifted, leaning back into his hold before she took his free hand to rest it against her heart. "I don't... Really remember what love is, but I think whatever this feeling is that makes my heart pound and makes me feel so safe and comfortable and happy in your arms - if that's love, I don't want to lose it."

Michael grinned slightly as he watched her, taking in every movement she made, unable to help it, just loving the sight of her moving so naturally, speaking so freely. "I know what you mean; I feel the exact same way," he assured her quietly, because he couldn't imagine anything better than having her in his life forever, having her as his forever. She really was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He laughed, though. "And you didn't hesitate telling him that, either." He grinned, moving to kiss the side of her hand. "I love you, too, babe." Smiling, he watched her but nodded and moved to turn it on so that she could cook, excited to enjoy the morning with her.

Luke laughed at Reine's explanation. "Of course you do, sweetheart." He teased, watching happily as she ate her papaya. She'd always enjoyed them, Luke loved how content she was in that moment, wanting to see her that happy all the time. "It is a reason to me." He murmured gently. "Knowing that I got you, man, that makes me prouder than anything." He told her, being honest, there was no reason to lie. Luke ran his thumb across her skin gently, feeling her heart beat under his hand, biting his lip to stop his emotion. "Well, just know that I love you, Reine, and I never plan to lose it, or let you lose it." He promised.

Leigh smiled at Michael's words, feeling her cheeks warm slightly. Leigh knew they were young, hearts changed, but she just couldn't envision herself with anyone else but Michael. He completed her, he brought something so genuine Leigh had never seen before, and she wanted Michael forever, no matter what life or distance threw at them. Grabbing a frying pan, Leigh put some mix into it and put it on the hob Michael had just switched on, sitting on the breakfast bar, despite the chairs by the table and stools by the bar. "I love you more, dork." She teased, watching him, loving how perfect he was, in the morning and always.

Reine relaxed under his touch, running her own thumb over the skin of his hand, mostly his wrist, and she leaned back with the feeling, just enjoying the contact between them. "How do you know that it's love that you feel?" she asked quietly with curiosity, mostly wanting to understand her own feelings, her papaya momentarily forgotten.

Michael grinned as he took her in, loving the way her cheeks got brighter, wishing he could take a picture of it in that moment. Moving over to her, though, he rested his hands on her hips gently, stroking his thumbs over her hips as he watched her. "Mm, no, I'd have to beg to differ," he teased lightly, kissing her nose gently, "I definitely love you more."

Luke smiled. "Love?" He asked. "I mean, it's beautiful, but it's scary, too." Luke explained gently, just enjoying the stillness of the moment with Reine. "For me, my heart leaps and bounds when you're close to me. My hands always reach out to you, even in a crowded room." He smiled at the feeling of her hand on his, any contact between them being so incredible to Luke. "When you're not in my sight, I worry, I get a little nervous because my instinct is to always protect you, Reine." He told her genuinely. "Seeing you laugh brings me more happiness than you can imagine, especially when it's one of my stupid jokes that did it." He grinned. "Love, to me, is knowing that you were destined to be in my life and enjoying every moment I spend with you, because there's no one else in the world I'd rather have in my arms."

Leigh laughed, shaking her head at Michael's words. "Um, excuse me, that's clearly a lie, because I definitely love you more." She scrunched up her face slightly as he kissed her nose, debating with herself for a moment if she should take the plunge and kiss him - she'd been wanting to all morning. Biting her lip, Leigh laughed as she leaned in, pressing a sweet kiss to Michael's lips, knowing she was doing what was right and natural to them. "See, you're doing it again, you're making me fall more in love with you, if that's even possible." She told him, their foreheads connecting once more.

Reine listened quietly, shifting a bit to stare up at him while she listened, watching him, scanning over his features while he spoke before her gaze settled on his eyes. In that moment, some part of her, deep inside, knew exactly what he was talking about, that part acknowledging all the feelings she held for Luke, even without her memories. "I think..." she started but she made a face, shaking her head at herself, "No, I know I love you, Luke, I really do. With or without my memories, it's like... It's like my heart's connected to yours, to you."

Michael laughed to her words, amused but doubtful that she could ever possibly love him more than he loved her. He paused, though, when she leaned close and kissed him, and he could feel his heart swell. He'd been avoiding kissing her lips, no matter how much he'd wanted to kiss her over and over again, worried about upsetting her or throwing her off. Knowing that she'd made the decision herself to intiate something that huge between them made his heart swell, a grin spreading across his face. "Yeah?" he asked, relishing in the feeling of her forehead against his, "Well, I think it's very possible, because I'm still falling deeper in love with you every second of every day."

Luke smiled at Reine's words, instinctively holding around her middle a little tighter, always craving some sort of contact. Having her there, in his arms, put Luke's heart at ease. "I love you too, Reine." He murmured gently. "I know that we're going to be okay, memories or not." He told her softly, not wanting to ruin the quiet morning, or ruin the moment that the two were sharing. "Hell, I knew from the moment I met you that you - you were my one, Reine. You always have been, you always will be, no one could ever take your place in my heart, I wouldn't even let them try." He told her honestly. "I love you so much."

Leigh held Michael's face within her hands, her touch as light as a feather, afraid he'd break if she was too rough. "Yeah." She confirmed quietly, listening to his words and feeling so lucky that she was the one Michael loved. "But you do this thing, where you smile and my heart just..." she smiled at the thought. "Does handstands." She pulled away to look at him, one hand straying from his cheek to brush through his hair, loving how unkempt it was. "When you touch me, my skin burns, in the best way, and all this love Michael, God, it's overwhelming." She told him. "But I'm not afraid of it anymore."

Reine felt her heart swell as she listened to Luke, finding some sense of encouragement from everything he was saying, and she curled into his hold, tucking her head under his chin. "I must have been truly blessed to even meet you, even more so to actually get to have you as a part of my life," she murmured quietly, her fingers curling into his shirt as she relished in just being this close to him, being in his arms, having this contact.

Michael smiled as he listened to her, lifting his own hand to cup her face, running his thumb over the skin of her cheek gently. "Just seeing you, knowing you're happy, you're safe, this warmth spreads through me," he told her quietly, "Having you in my life, knowing you're mine, I can't imagine anything better than that, Leigh. All the love I feel for you, it's constantly growing, and I don't ever want it to stop, because you're everything to me."

"It was fate." Luke murmured back, just as quiet, kissing the top of Reine's head, rubbing her back with soothing circular motions. "You're my destiny, Reine. Don't ever doubt that." He told took in the scent of her hair, just loving her presence, just loving her. Luke hummed to 'Jet Black Heart' as he continued to rub Reine's back, just wanting to provide her with as much comfort as he could, because that's what came so naturally to him. Reine had been a part of Luke's life for so long, he couldn't imagine his daily routine without her.

Leigh gently bit her lip at Michael's words, knowing it was everything she wanted to say, but couldn't put into words. "Michael Clifford, how did I ever get so lucky?" She looked to him with a small smile, her heart swelling as she saw how focused he was on her. "I love you. I know that for certain, and nothing could ever change that." She promised, gently lifting his head by his chin so she could look at him, glancing at his lips momentarily, pressing another kiss to his lips, lingering a little longer this time.

Reine smiled slightly as she listened to him, somehow believing his words so easily. He seemed to have so much faith in what he was saying and some part of her just knew that she believed the same. "I won't," she promised quietly, but she fell silent, relaxing in his arms, letting her eyes slide closed as she listened to him hum, just enjoying the peace between them.

"I think I'm the one who should be asking that," Michael told her with amusement, grinning. "But, I think it's because you're my soulmate, you have been from the moment we met." He smiled, though, so glad to hear her words. "I love you, too, Leigh, more than anything." And, when he felt her kissing him, he returned it, holding her face gently as he just relished in the moment.

Luke smiled as he felt Reine relax, relishing in the moment. Turning from humming to singing, Luke kept his voice quiet, but only loud enough for her to hear. The amount of times he'd sung to Reine during the quiet mornings and still evenings was more than he could count, and the fact that everything still felt so wonderful between them, despite the accident, was just so overwhelming to him. Moving his hand to run his fingers through Reine's hair, Luke finished the song and kissed the top of her head once more, looking out to the ocean with a small smile, thanking every higher power he could that they were together.

Leigh relaxed as she felt warmth flood through her, feeling Michael return the kiss. Pulling away after a long moment, Leigh smiled up at Michael, gently pulling away to check on their pancakes, although she didn't want to, she really didn't want to, being in Michael's arms was just so wonderful to Leigh. "I don't doubt that for a second." She smiled, her voice more confident, more relaxed. "The whole soulmate thing." She served the first pancake, pouring more mix into the pan.

Reine relaxed with the comfort, leaning into it as she listened to him. His voice brought a sense of ease to her and she found solace in just listening to him, wondering how often they relaxed like this. "I always did like that song," she murmured, not really aware the words had slipped past her lips, but she grinned up at him, "You really do have such an amazing voice, Luke."

Michael grinned slightly when Leigh pulled away, not at all bothered by it, just happy that they'd had the moment at all, no matter how long or short it lasted. "Good," he told her quietly, "I remember the first time I called you my soulmate, you were just... So happy and you said you felt the same way, we both had, ever since we met. It was probably my favorite thing to hear, outside of you saying you love me."

Luke blinked in surprise when Reine told him she'd always loved Jet Black Heart, and the smile that came across his face was so wide, he was sure his cheeks would begin to ache. "It's one of my favourites, too." He admitted, and suddenly, the guilt of being away for so long to record their new album flooded across him once more. The past twelve months had been anything but easy for the both of them, being away from each other all day, and only getting a short night to relish being around each other, but he didn't want to tell Reine that, he didn't want to drive her away when he'd only just got her back. "It means the world coming from you, Reine." He told her gently.

Leigh smiled as she cooked, biting her lip as she listened to him. "God, I do love you though." She smiled over at him, cooking a few more pancakes before putting the rest of the mix in the fridge, grabbing the syrup and handing Michael his plate. She kissed his temple as she did. "I think I'm addicted to you, Michael." She laughed slightly, pushing her hair from her face.

Reine smiled as she listened to him and she leaned back in his hold, relaxing again. "Well, it's true," she murmured quietly before she peered out at the view for a long moment, just taking it all in. "You said we got together on your birthday," she mentioned after a bit, peering up at him for a moment, "How'd that happen?"

Michael grinned as he watched her. "I love you, too," he told her quietly, taking her in, the way she moved in the kitchen and got out what she needed and put everything away without hesitation, without pause, was just so amazing to him. He could watch her all day and he loved it. "Thanks for the food, babe." Smiling, he leaned to kiss the side of her head. "And, as for addictions, I can guarantee I'm addicted to you. You're the best addiction to exist." He grinned as he watched her, kissing her lips for a moment.

Luke smiled at Reine's question. "We had a house party." He explained quietly, just enjoying having her in his arms, making the most of it as he squeezed gently. "This guy from school was hitting on you, and I was getting jealous." He explained with a laugh. "We nearly fought, Ashton dragged him away... you asked what the hell my problem was." He grinned at the memory, shaking his head. "I told you there and then I loved you, and I wanted you to myself - and you agreed to be my girlfriend." He buried his face into Reine's shoulder as he laughed.

Leigh smiled as Michael kissed the side of her head. "You're welcome." She told him softly, smiling as he kissed her, pulling him in to kiss him again. "I like being your addiction." She smiled as she kissed him once more, reluctantly pulling away to sit down to eat. "Alright, four years together - favourite memory?" She asked with curiosity. "Looks like taking photos was something we loved."

Reine grinned slightly as she listened to him, enjoying the way being in his arms made her feel warm and comfortable and safe. "I can't imagine you even being close to fighting somebody," she admitted quietly, peering up at him as she watched him for a long moment. "I bet that was one of the best days of my life, though." And she wished she could remember it, especially with how amused Luke was. Her heart swelled with his laugh, though, her concerns easing.

Michael grinned, chuckling quietly as he nodded slightly. "And I like being your addiction," he teased her as he returned her kiss before he watched her as she pulled back to sit down. Smiling, he moved to sit by her, not wanting to be too far from her, and he hummed in thought about it. "Favorite memory is a hard one. We have so many amazing ones. But I guess, if I had to choose, I'd have to say it'd be the day I asked you to be my girlfriend." He grinned as he watched her. "It was your birthday, so I went crazy, trying to find the right gift. I had four gifts picked out and the guts teased the shit out of me for it. There was a stuffed pup - it's actually still in our room." He grinned. "Some of your favorite flowers. We pressed one into a bookmark after they died, so that you could keep it. I got your favorite book, because you'd talk about it all the time and I just wanted you to know that I'd been paying attention." He laughed at himself, unable to help it. "And I got you a set of designed hair clamps, because you liked putting your hair up." He chewed on his lip, grinning. "And when I gave them to you, after you thanked me, I went on and on about how amazing you were and, before I could really think about what I was saying or be embarrassed about it, I asked you on a date and joked about it being the fifth gift. After you agreed, we went out on the date and, not even ten minutes into the date, I couldn't wait a second longer and asked you to be my girlfriend. You kissed me and said yes immediately and I swear I thought I would die from joy." He laughed again, but nodded. "It was, actually!" He grinned. "Which brings me to the sixth gift - we went to one of those photo booths and went through them, but you loved it so much that I bought you a camera. The first picture you took with it was of us kissing again."

Luke laughed. "I think that was the closest I'd come to punching someone." Luke told Reine honestly, burying his face into her shoulder further, pressing a kiss to her skin, just wanting her comfort, wanting to experience her in every way he could. "When I told you I loved you, you threw your arms around me and kissed me, and I was so sure my soul left my body with how ecstatic I was." Luke admitted, squeezing around Reine gently, his voice slightly muffled by her skin. "Our first kiss was incredible, and every kiss since has felt like the first one. The love I have for you, Reine, it's crazy. It's the best thing I've ever felt." He told her honestly. "I always turned to you whenever I needed comfort, and I hope you know I'm determined to do exactly the same thing for you now, through your recovery." Luke told her gently, reaching to run his hands through her hair. "Every time I got mad over a song that didn't sound right, you were always there to encourage me, push me on... and I love you for it, I just love you and everything about you. From day one, I knew you were my soulmate." He smiled. "And I know, even know, that it's true."

Leigh smiled as Michael sat beside her, watching him as he spoke. Kicking up her feet onto his lap, Leigh studied Michael for the longest time, taking hold of his hand in hers. Watching him think, the way he made a face when he tried to concentrate, Leigh loved everything about him and his mannerisms. Still, she listened intently as Michael spoke, addicted to the sound of his voice, swearing to herself she'd never heard anything better. "I think I'd love anything you gave me." She told him gently, but still half-amused, half-touched at how much effort he put in to her birthday. Hearing Michael's laugh, Leigh's chest ignited with adoration, and she smiled. When he chewed on his lip, though, Leigh's smile broadened. "I kissed you first?" She grinned. Leigh knew that she could be reserved or shy, so knowing she made the first move for the kiss was amazing to her, telling her how much Michael meant to her, as if she wasn't already aware. "God, how lucky am I to have you, Michael?"

Reine listened to him quietly, her smile softening, touched by his words, and she peered up at him, shifting a bit to face him a bit more to cup his face gently, running her thumbs over his cheeks. “I love you, too, Luke,” she whispered quietly, her eyes running over his features for a few moments. “And, with or without my memories, I feel the same, that you're my soulmate, and I just… I don't know how you do it, but you make me feel so safe and happy and loved and I can't thank you enough for that.”

Michael grinned slightly when he felt her take his hand and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, running his thumb over the back of her hand. “I wanted to make sure you ended up with the perfect gift, though,” he reminded quietly, “I wanted to see your face light up with happiness, I wanted to be the reason for that happiness. So, I went a little crazy, but I don't regret it at all and I definitely wouldn't have done things differently.” He chuckled, though, and nodded. “You were. And I'd say I'm the lucky one here. You've made my life perfect, Leigh.”

Luke relished in the feeling of Reine’s touch, learning into her touch happily, relishing in her words even more, happy to hear that even without her memories, she still loved him. Things could of, so easily, gone wrong, and yet here they were, still in love. “There’s no need to thank me, Reine. I love you so much, I’d go to the end of the Earth for you.” He told her softly. “I couldn’t imagine myself with anyone else. You just... complete me. I know that you don’t see me for what I am, you see me for who I am, and I’m so grateful.”

Leigh relaxed as Michael gently squeezed her hand. “I have you. That’s enough of a gift for me.” She told him, watching him. “And you do make me happy. I know that. I look to you and I just feel so much love and happiness, it’s almost scary.” She told him. “But I love it. I love you.” She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m so glad you’re mine.” She told him gently, shifting completely to climb onto his lap.