#tt; lukeweek2021

[thenovelartist]

The Fine Line of Loving You - Chapter 2

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Day 2: Accident

Everything went perfectly. Rosa had been enough a distraction to keep any watchful eyes on her, Aaron had given Luke the all-clear from where he was, and Luke had successfully tailed the culprit out of the building. He was certain he was going to catch the man.

Until he heard the ringing of a fire alarm in the building behind him.

“I’m caught.”

Luke’s gut sunk like a rock at the sound of Rosa’s voice blipping in his earpiece.

“Luke, stay on it,” Aaron’s voice sounded. “Rosa, I’m coming. Where are you?”

There was no response.

“Rosa, do you—”

Boom!

The shockwave of an explosion rolled through him. Luke spun around to look behind, only to catch half the building on fire.

The next two minutes felt like a lifetime. Luke turned to face the culprit, that now was sending him a wicked grin. In the next second, Luke had the man pinned to the ground. Only for the man to hold a gun under Luke’s jaw. The next forty-seven seconds were a struggle as Luke tried to wrestle the gun out of the psychopath’s hand. If it wasn’t aimed at Luke, the man was aiming it at his own head, and Luke was determined to bring this man in alive.

And when Luke finally did wrench the gun from his hand, the man managed to wrap his finger around the trigger, squeezing it and causing another bang to go off in the night and sending a 9mm somewhere. Luke didn’t feel it physically although the sound might as well have sent a hammer to the side of his head. His eardrum would be ringing for days.

The next twenty-one seconds seemed to go by slower as Luke struggled to get the man into a chokehold, squeezing tight to hopefully knock the man out. And when he fell limp, Luke was scrambling to restrain him.

“Aaron! Come in!” he shouted into the earpiece as he slapped a pair of handcuffs on the man. Only he got no response. “Aaron, do you copy?”

Again, no response.

“Aaron, do you—”

A car screamed up to them, screeching to a halt right in front of them. "Luke, get in there," Aaron said, bursting out of the car door. "Rosa’s not responding.”

Dammit!

The next moment, Luke was flying back towards the building, pushing past the screaming crowds of people scrambling to get away from the fire and chaos as fast as they could. Once he made it inside, he watched a few stragglers make their way out of the otherwise empty building. Pulling his gun out to hold at the ready, he quickly scanned what he could see before assessing where he should go. His head was a mess, and he hadn’t felt this discombobulated since his rookie days. Every second was precious time wasted but he needed to keep his head cool if he was going to protect Rosa.

Suddenly, gunshots rent the air, and his heart stopped.

The ringing in his ear from the previous shot made it hard to determine where the echoing gunshots came from, but he made his best guess and stormed up to the second floor. His mouth was dry, breathing heavy, gut twisted tight enough to make him throw up, and heart pounding painfully in his chest as his mind screamed one thought over and over and over.

Find Rosa.

Part of him wanted to call out for her. Part of him worried that would blow her cover if she responded. He had no idea what was happening or what situation she was in and didn’t want to risk throwing her in danger.

But right before he decided to throw caution to the wind, he caught sight of her backing out down a hallway with her gun aimed into a different room.

“Rosa!”

She swung around, aiming the gun in his direction, and he quickly threw his hands up. Almost as quickly, she put her gun down before swinging the barrel back in the direction she had been pointing.

“Coming behind,” he called out, quickly shuffling up behind her, his own gun aimed where she was pointing. Which was at a man lying limply on the floor.

“Cover my back,” he said automatically before it clicked Rosa had no clue what that meant.

And yet, she did, flipping around to aim her gun down the hallway he’d just come from in cover.

Luke approached the unconscious man, gun drawn and ready to shoot. But the red stains that bloomed out of the man's chest told Luke that he wasn’t getting up anytime soon.

After kicking the gun away, Luke knelt down and pressed his fingers against the guy’s neck.

Dead.

“Rosa, we’re getting out of here,” Luke said, quickly turning back to her. "Stay behind me.”

“Roger.”

Getting out of the building was easier than getting in. Rosa kept up with him shockingly well as he hustled out as quickly and safely as he could. And once they were out, Luke instructed her to put her gun away as they made their way back into the crowd of people just as emergency personnel started pulling up.

“Aaron, Rosa’s secured. Where are you?” Luke asked, trying to be subtle about talking into his earpiece. Behind him, Rosa slipped her hand into his, squeezing it tight. Just touching her was enough to settle his frantic mind. She was safe. She was safe. Scared, clearly, considering the way she was clinging to him. But he could deal with that.

“In the car," Aaron said over the earpiece. "Back entrance. Guy’s shoved in the trunk.”

“Copy. We’ll make our way over.”

In the hustle and bustle, Luke doubted anyone caught him and Rosa slipping off.

“NSB is on the way,” Aaron explained over the earpiece as they retreated to the car. “They’ll want a full mission briefing.”

“Understood.”

The car soon rolled into view, coming to a stop right by them. Luke opened the door for Rosa, placing his hand on her side to guide her into the back. She suddenly hissed, flinching at his touch, causing a new wave of adrenaline to course through Luke’s system. He pulled his hand away, only to catch a shimmer of red on his fingertips.

Blood.

Instantly, Luke was in medic mode, spinning Rosa towards him so as to assess her injury. Her side had been ripped open, likely grazed by a bullet.

“Oh,” she muttered, looking down and realizing as though for the first time that she had been injured.

Luke couldn’t fault her. He knew firsthand that when adrenaline floods a body, pain is sometimes unnoticeable. He knew that, yet his panic was taking over. “Hospital, now.”

…

It had been thirty-six hours since the explosion. In that time, Luke and Aaron had rushed Rosa to the nearest hospital. She’d passed out during that time, and Luke had been in hysterics. She couldn't die. She couldn't. Aaron had yelled at him to keep it together, but that was easier said than done.

When they’d arrived, Aaron had insisted on taking her in, forcing the massively panicked Luke to take the guy that was still in the trunk—whom Luke had nearly forgotten about—to the NSB for questioning.

Luke had done so, adrenaline revving through his body like a drug and keeping him hyper-focused.

But with adrenaline rushes must come an adrenaline crash. Which happened after he had offloaded his target, downloaded all information he knew to his team, and been informed by Aaron that Rosa was totally fine and the injury was not that critical.

By morning, Invincible Agent Pearce had been completely passed out on the floor in a quiet hallway.

Rosa had soon been pulled in for questioning, too. Her injury had only required disinfecting and stitches, so she’d been sent home within a few hours. Soon enough, her side of the story came into full view. There had been two men that she’d found suspicious. She’d ended up tailing them, eventually having heard enough about a targeted assassination to decide to “accidentally” pull a fire alarm.

She’d been caught, then proceeded to act tipsy and flirty in an attempt to get them to forget that ever happened. She thought they had bought it, and she’d been able to get out of there quickly. That’s when the explosion happened. However, when trying to herd people out of the building, she’d caught sight of the host’s wife being dragged off by one of the men.

That’s when the explosion happened.

Everything after that had been a blur to her. Clearly, that’s when her adrenaline high had fully kicked in. She’d tailed the kidnapper, and when the man had pulled a gun to point at the hostess’ head, Rosa had pulled hers, only for a shootout to happen. Rosa had, thankfully, been the better shot. And that was likely only because the gun that had been picked up from the scene, the kidnapper's gun, had been jammed upon immediate inspection. He’d only gotten off a couple of rounds himself, or Rosa could have wound up dead.

Currently, Luke was on his way up to Rosa’s apartment with a file in hand. One dictating a new assignment for them.

He knocked on the door, and it took her a moment to answer. She still looked like death warmed over, her eyes lacking the light he loved so much and her complexion pale. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she robotically responded, already letting him in.

Wordlessly, he entered, and she shut the door behind him.

“How are you holding up?”

“No better; no worse.”

His heart broke. This was exactly why he didn’t want Rosa there. Aaron was another thing; he’d seen war and had been a doctor for years. So while Luke cared about him enough to not want the man to get caught up in trouble, Rosa was different. She was a civilian, innocent and naïve to all this. And he’d desperately wanted her to stay that way despite her determination to worry him to death.

He should have been better prepared to protect her. Considering how she’d been adamant about joining the NXX, he realized she had already prepared herself to face situations like this. And while she'd always hoped she wouldn't have to face those situations, she had been fully prepared for them.

Luke hated that.

“What brings you by?” she finally asked. “Just to check in on me?”

“Well, yes and no,” Luke admitted before holding up the fire folder. “We’re being sent out of the country.”

Rosa blinked. Once, twice, three times in rapid succession. “We’re what?”

“Yeah,” Luke said, handing the file over to her. “We’ve both been deemed compromised and therefore are being sent out of the country to Svart. The NSB has officially informed your boss of the situation, so you don’t have a choice.”

“Great,” Rosa sighed, not happy about it in the slightest.

He understood her frustration. He wasn’t too happy about it, either. He desperately wanted to be at the forefront of this mission, hunting down the person who had broken his Rosa like this. But his boss had kicked him off the team, stating Luke was too emotionally compromised to complete this task efficiently. However, instead of looking mad about it, the man had almost looked amused. Aaron had told Luke later that the thought of the fierce Agent Pearce actually having a weakness made him seem more human instead of a super machine.

Luke was almost insulted by that.

As for Rosa, it was standard procedure to kick anyone off a team if they’d had to take a life. It was not an easy task and tended to leave the agent mentally and emotionally unstable. So they’d be put on administrative leave for a few days, at least.

But then there was a fact Luke couldn’t argue with: one man had seen both Rosa and Luke’s faces and had slipped away. Meaning Luke and Rosa were now no longer safe until this man was caught.

Meaning, they were to be sent out of the country for their safety.

And while Luke explained all that to her, she still wasn’t happy about it.

“I'm doing this only because I have to,” she relented, leaning back against the couch they had moved to during their conversation.

“Hey, I’m not a fan of it, either,” Luke said. “But we don’t have much of a choice.”

“I know,” she said with a sigh, her eyes closing tiredly.

Not for the first time today, Luke’s heart broke further at seeing her like this. With his socked foot, he lightly kicked at her shin. “Hey. You sure you’re okay? It’s okay to not be. Not even trained agents are after going through what you did.”

For a moment, Luke thought she was going to clam up. Instead, he watched as a storm slowly settled over her features. “Honestly… I don’t even remember what happened anymore. It was a blur. I can’t remember the guy’s face at all. I ended up talking with Vyn, and he said that considering I went through severe trauma, what I’m feeling is normal. He said he wanted to start psychological therapy as soon as possible.”

No matter what Luke thought of the guy, he sure appreciated the man now. “I think that’s a good idea,” he said.

A silence slowly fell between them, Luke unsure of what else he could say.

Rosa broke the stillness of the room but not the silence. The most sound she made was the slight rustling as she shifted across the couch closer to him. Instantly, Luke took her in his arms and just held her. He was only careful of her stitches after she hissed.

"Sorry," he muttered, heart breaking yet again as he shifted his hold so as to not touch her injury.

But at her first sniffle, he forgot all of that as he pulled her fully into his lap and held her tightly.

“It’s different,” she whispered, her voice already warbling with tears as she tightly clung to him, hands grabbing fistfuls of his jacket.

“What is?”

She took a breath. “I’ve trained for one year,” she managed to get out. “With target practice, learning how to clear a house, training my reflexes...”

She buried her face into his shoulder. “But I never thought I’d actually have to shoot someone. Training doesn’t prepare you for it.”

“As an agent, I can attest to that,” he quietly assured. “And it doesn’t get easier. If it gets easier, it means you’re messed up in the head. And if it gets harder, it means you’re messed up, too.”

“It sucks.”

“I know.”

And so, they lingered there, Rosa curled up against Luke’s chest, wrapped up in his arms as he soothed her to the best of his ability.

She really was his weakness, because his heart was shattered at seeing her like this: scarred for life while defending the lives of innocents. He hated she had been put in a position where she had to draw her gun at all. And he hated himself even more for having forced her into that position in the first place. He should have never asked. He could have protected her better.

Instead, he failed, and her innocence shattered. All because of him.

All because of him…

He might as well have been the one to pull the trigger because his heart and head were messed up all the same. Actually, this might have been worse, because he knew what it was like to take a life, but knowing Rosa had to bear the weight of that guilt… that was his fault.

And he’d regret that for the rest of his life.

[kaygom]

Bunny Plushie

Day 2 of Luke Week: "Oh, I didn't think you'd want to come along."

Synopsis: (High School AU) Luke is at his wits end trying after finding out his group of friends aren't exactly fans of Rosa whenever she would be around. Now he can't help but have an internal debate whether or not it would be a good idea to invite her

WC: 3085

Characters: Luke Pearce, Rosa

A/N: This was self-indulgent. I just kept on writing and writing and this is the outcome. Just for future reference, none of my works are beta'd so...if there are any mistakes just know I don't re-read any of my stuff prior to posting lmao. Also, it's never too late to join in on the fun for Luke Week~! If you'd like to join head on over to @themistypewriter for details!

--- --- --- ---

“Yo, Pearce!” One of his friends runs up from behind and hooks an arm across the back of his neck. “The guys and I are planning on going out to the grand opening for the arcade this weekend, want to come along?” He asks the brown haired boy.

Luke shrugs his shoulders. “Sure, why not?”

“Just don’t bring along your little girlfriend, okay?” His friend warns him.

“Girlfriend?” Luke pulls away from his friend and knits his brows in confusion.

“You know who I’m talking about. Rosa. She’s always by your side. It should be a guys only weekend. It’ll be weird if she tags along..” His friend claps his hand against his back.

“But you’ve never had a problem with her hanging around during lunch…” Luke points out as he stops walking to be able to look at his friend better.

“Well of course we aren’t gonna say it to her face, dude. Some things that she talks about it’s unrelatable and awkward. We don’t want to hurt her feelings because we all know how protective you are of her.” He stuffs his hands into his pant pockets, as he looks down at his foot that’s dragging along the concrete.

Luke blinks then nods his head slowly. “Well, I--I uh, I guess I can try my best to make sure she doesn’t find out. But you know my situation.. If I ask her parents, she’s bound to hear it from them..”

“Well, see what you can do, Pearce.” His friend raises a hand to wave goodbye before taking off back to where he came from.

Luke sighs and runs a frustrated hand through his hair. I can’t just leave her out.. But I guess it wouldn’t hurt to do it once… He thinks to himself. He proceeds to walk to the exit of the school with sluggish steps. When he gets to the front gate, he hears his name called out in a cheerful voice. “Luke!!!!” Footsteps approach him with haste and he turns his head to see his best friend.

When his best friend is right beside him, his smile spreads across his face. “Hello, Rosa.” He greets her.

“What took you so long to get out here?” Rosa asks him.

“Oh, nothing. I got caught up talking to one of my friends.” He answers simply.

Rosa then hooks her arm with his and they walk in the direction to the bus stop. The whole walk to the bus stop, the two shared what they did during their after school activities. Rosa had won another mock debate for her debate club and everyone was teasing her that she rigs every single one because she has yet to lose one.

“Ah, my Watson. You’re just too smart for the rest of them that’s why. They don’t have your quick mind.” Luke ruffles her hair, causing Rosa to whine in detest.

“We’re not little kids anymore, Luke. You don’t have to do that..” She huffs and swats his hand away before she flattens her hair back down.

“How was your robotics club?” Rosa asks him curiously.

“Mmm, I had to help complete the code that they needed to get the arm to pivot. They messed up one line of code that none of them picked up on when it was originally entered in.” He shrugs his shoulders as if it was no big deal.

“Such a genius you are, Sherlock.” Rosa nods her head, her eyes twinkling as if she was really proud of him for completely such a small task.

“It was just a small correction, silly.”

“Yeah, but it was the one correction that resolved their error. If it wasn’t for your keen eye, they wouldn’t have been successful.” Rosa always knew how to reassure him, making it seem like what was small to him, a big deal.

Luke just shakes his head with an amused smile playing on his lips. “Well, thank you for thinking so highly of me..”

The bus finally pulls up in front of them and he lets Rosa go in first and he follows her down the aisle to a pair of seats towards the back. Settling into the seat, he sets his backpack on his lap. Rosa hums quietly to herself as she stares out the window. Luke steals glances at Rosa, his conversation with his friend replaying in his head. Have they been so bothered with her presence all this time? He asks himself.

He never thought anything of Rosa always being around because they live together so her presence was constant. He loved being with her and he was bummed out at the beginning of the year when they found out that they wouldn’t be in the same homeroom. Even though the both of them made their own friends, they always ended up spending lunch together. Sometimes he would join her and her friends or vice versa. But the majority of the time she joined him and his friends because she claimed that her friends had too much drama after they started getting involved with boys.

Luke never opposed it because he didn’t want to risk hurting her feelings. But now, he was completely at a fight with himself because he wanted to hang out with his friends, but he didn’t want to--

“Earth to Luke!!”

Luke blinks, pulling out of his head. “Huh?”

“We’re at our stop..” Rosa nudges at his side so he can move.

“Oh..” He slides out from his seat and stands up. He takes a step back to make room for Rosa and she slides out from between the seats. The two of them walk out to the front of the bus. Before going down the steps, they thank the bus driver.

As the duo is walking in the direction to their house, Rosa bumps into Luke’s side. “What got you lost in your head back there?” She questions him.

“I was thinking about the code for the robotics club,” he lies with little to no effort.

“But you fixed it, what is there still to think about?”

“They asked me to come up with a code to make the claw wave.” Luke continues with his lie.

“When you think about a code do glowing numbers just pop up behind your eyes when that happens to you?” Rosa chuckles, her voice hinting that she was joking with him.

Luke can’t help but laugh at what she was insinuating. “Do you think my mind works like the movies? Did you expect me to start writing numbers in thin air with my finger?” He steps close to her and bumps her playfully.

Rosa’s laugh fills his ears and his heart starts to race in his chest, his cheeks warming up. He loves her laugh. Whenever he is able to get her to laugh, he feels like all is right in the world.

--

Later that night, Luke was in the living room with Rosa’s father. The two of them were on the couch watching TV while Rosa and her mother were in the kitchen cleaning up. Luke plans on going in to help, but he wanted to ask if he can go out tomorrow out of the way.

“Mm. Would it be too much to ask if I can go out tomorrow with some friends?” Luke doesn’t hesitate as he glances from the corner of his eyes at his best friend’s father.

“Where are you going to go? Will you need any money?” Her father asks in response.

“I was invited to go to the arcade. I--I don’t think I’ll need any money, thank you though.” The teenager clears his throat.

“Well, I don’t see why not. You don’t always ask to go out, so I don’t want to keep you from having some fun,” then he pauses. “What about Rosa?” His father follows up with the one question Luke wasn’t hoping he wouldn’t ask.

“A-Ah. My friends...specifically asked me not to bring along Rosa.. The last time I did, apparently they didn’t like it.” He rubs the side of his neck slowly.

Rosa’s father stays quiet for a second before he nods his head and stands up to walk away.

What the heck? Luke’s eyes widen and turns his body to look over the back of the couch, he watches her father retreat into the kitchen. Is he going to tell Rosa?! He panics in his head. He is about to get up to follow behind, but her father returns into the living room and he sets his butt back down into the couch. Her father now has his wallet in hand and he flips it open. He counts a few bills before he holds them out to Luke.

“Just take it. It should be enough for the arcade plus lunch.” He offers a smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Rosa about it so you can be able to have some time with your friends.” Her father has a bit of a look in his eyes that he can’t quite put his finger on what it is. It’s as if he is apologizing with his eyes that Luke has to deal with having a Rosa clinging to him ever since they were children. But Luke wants to tell him it’s not a problem at all. He truly doesn’t mind always being with Rosa, it was just his friends that were the issue.

Luke takes the cash. “Thank you.” He offers a polite smile. He stands up then sticks the money into his back pocket before walking to the kitchen to help clean up.

--

The next morning, Luke wakes up pretty early so he can get ready. His friend sends a message to their group chat asking who will be showing up and he responds to it with a thumbs up. After he finishes getting ready, he goes down the stairs to the kitchen for breakfast. Rosa is already cooking pancakes and bacon. “Good morning, Luke!” Rosa greets him with a smile as bright as the sun shining through the windows.

“Good morning, Rosa!” He walks up to the fridge and grabs the orange juice in the glass pitcher to bring it out to put in the center of the table. He walks through kitchen opening and closing cabinets and drawers to retrieve plates and utensils to prepare the table.

He assists Rosa with taking the bacon out of the pan to put on top of a plate with a paper towel to collect the grease. “Want me to cook the eggs?”

“Mm, go for it! You know how we all like our eggs.” Rosa flips the two pancakes in the pan in front of her.

Luke grabs an egg that was already set to the side and taps it against the counter a few times, then cracks it over the hot pan, the egg sizzling in the bacon fat. He proceeds to do the same for the other three eggs, but scrambles one of them with the spatula. After the eggs crisp up, he turns off the stove, then removes the pan from the stove to carefully set them into another plate. With the pan in his hand, he settles it on top of a rag beside the sink so the fat can be disposed of properly.

“Are you going out somewhere?” Rosa asks him as she’s dispensing the last of the pancake batter into the pan.

“Oh, uh. I’m going out,” he answers cautiously, “to study with some friends.” He finishes as he sits down in his usual spot at the table.

“That’s no fun for the weekend,” she chuckles.

“It’s for the robotics club again. Have to figure out that stupid code still.”

“Oh, yes. The one that made you blank out yesterday on the bus.”

Her parents then come down to join them for breakfast. “Luke, you’re going to the arcade today, right?” Her father asks him, as if completely forgetting that he wasn’t supposed to mention it in front of Rosa.

“Arcade? Luke says he’s going to study with his friends.” Rosa sets the plate of pancakes on the table and settles into her seat beside Luke.

“Oh-- Yeah, that’s right. He’s going to study!” Her father plays it off with a laugh and sits across from him. They all start to get food on their plates and Luke already feels the guilt setting in.

“So which is it, Luke? Are you going to study or to the arcade?” Rosa turns her head to look at him, her face serious.

“Arcade..” He answers with a quiet sigh as he looks down at his plate with food.

“Why didn’t you just say that to begin with?”

“Oh I didn’t think you’d want to come along. I thought it’d be easier to just say I was studying.” Luke admits, the corner of his lips pulling down into a frown.

“All you had to do was be honest with me, Luke,” Rosa says before she goes quiet to eat her breakfast.

The whole time everyone ate it was quiet. Once Luke finishes his food, he pushes away from the table and brings his plate to the sink to wash it. “I will be heading out. I’ll be back later today.” Luke tells them as he walks out of the kitchen to the front door.

--

Luke gets to the arcade and he finds his friends waiting for him outside. He approaches them while he’s waving his hand. “About time you showed up! We thought that you were going to have your girlfriend with you.” One of them jokes with him, the rest of them laughing.

“Now that you’re here, let’s get going. I think they might still be giving out free game credits.” They all start to rush into the building. The lights are flashing brightly and when they get to the counter, there are two workers there who welcome them. “Welcome! Here are cards with preloaded credit that you can use~”

All four of them were given cards and Luke took his. He outlines the shape of the card with his fingertips and then he looks up to see what kind of prizes they have to offer. His eyes catch sight of a small bunny plushie. “750 tickets?” He asks himself. “That’s not too bad.. However, most of these games probably haven’t reached a high jackpot yet since it just opened.”

His friends had already dispersed to find what game they wanted to play first. Luke looks around the arcade at what he could play that would have a high ticket reward. He walks around to find the games that have the highest jackpots.

The whole time, Luke didn’t spend any time with his friends as he was trying his best to collect as many tickets as he could from any of the games that had a decent amount of winning tickets. When he won just enough to get the bunny he was eyeing since he came in. He walks towards the counter with his tickets in stow, some of it dragging on the floor behind him.

His friends come trailing beside him, surprised by his winnings. “What the heck? What have you been doing all this time?” One of his friends asks him curiously.

“I’ve been building up the jackpot for some of the games to be able to win them.. But some of the games already had high enough jackpots. Once I figured out how to win the game, I would just play to win.. I ended up refilling my card a few times though. But I think I have more than enough tickets for the prize I want.” He explains himself as he finally approaches the counter. He hands over his tickets to one of the employees and they look at him in shock.

While they all wait for his tickets to be counted, his friends get their tickets counted as well. When he receives his total, he points at the bunny plushie. “May I get that, please?”

The employee nods and then goes to retrieve it in the back. When he returns, it’s wrapped up in clear plastic to keep it safe from getting dirty. Luke thanks him and turns to his friends who are still trying to decide what to redeem their tickets for. “Hey, I’m going to head out. Thanks for inviting me today. I have to get home. See you at school on Monday!”

He doesn't wait for any of them to respond as he takes off out of the arcade with the bunny plushie under his arm. Luke gets home as fast as he can. When he gets back to the house, he’s breathing heavily with the bunny still perched beneath his arm. After kicking off his shoes he rushes in, calling out Rosa’s name.

She appears at the staircase as he’s running a lap around the downstairs, greeting her parents in the process. He stops beside the stairs and he reveals the bunny. “I--I..” He blushes. “I wanted to make it up to you for lying to you. I actually lied to you on the bus yesterday as well.” He finally confesses.

Rosa takes slow steps down the stairs, her eyes fixated on the bunny in his hands.

“I wasn’t actually trying to figure out some code. I was too busy thinking about how my friend said they’re bothered by your presence, that they didn’t want me to invite you to the arcade.. It confused me so much because I don’t mind you being with me whatsoever. But I just want you to know that I am sorry..” Luke rambles with his apology.

Rosa tilts her head and her eyes are soft, facial expression calm. “I’m not mad at you Luke. I’m just surprised you didn’t tell me since we tell each other everything. Even the stuff that bothers us,” Rosa reaches out for the bunny, but Luke puts his hand out to stop her.

“Wait…” He tells her as he starts to unwrap the bunny from the plastic. “Okay, here. I played so many rounds for different games to raise up the jackpot to learn how to win just to be the one to win the jackpot.”

“That is probably the most genius thing you could do at an arcade. I’m not even surprised.” Rosa takes the bunny from him and hugs it close to her chest. “You’re forgiven, Pearce.” She winks at him. “Thank you for winning this for me.”

“Anything for you, my Watson~” Luke ruffles her hair.

[themistypewriter]

LUKE WEEK 2021!!!

Hello writers! With Luke’s birthday a month away, I drew up an event for everyone to participate in. Luke Week will kick start on Monday, November 29th and run through Sunday, December 5th!!

[Please share and reblog to get this out to as many ToT writers as possible! ^^]

Here are some rules & guidelines for this event:

Please tag your pieces on Tumblr with: #tt; lukeweek2021 (This tag will be followed for the week)! or Luke Week 2021 on AO3!

We will accept late submissions, but not early submissions. The last day that work for Luke Week will be accepted is December 8th!

Writers can choose to write either one or all of the prompts for each day.

Any pairing is accepted.

Work can be posted across any platform. If you post on Tumblr, feel free to @ us and we will reblog!! Or you can submit the link from whichever platform as well~

Works can be canon-compliant or AU!

Doesn’t necessarily have to be a one-shot. It can be a headcanon or even a mini-series if writers so please. That being said, there is no word count limit.

NSFW pieces are accepted, but please make sure your works are clearly tagged and include warnings. Please put the piece under a cut. If writers fail to include warnings and are not properly tagged, it will not be reblogged.

Last but not least, have fun with this! Get creative and enjoy yourselves throughout the week!

Below the cut will be the prompts in plain text.

11/29 - 12/05

Day 1 (11/29) :: Longing / Jealousy / “I wanted to call you, but I’d immediately hang up once it rang.” Day 2 (11/30) :: Broken Promise / Accident / “Oh, I didn’t think you’d want to come along." Day 3 (12/01) :: Road Trip / Inside Joke / “How could you just leave me behind like that?!” Day 4 (12/02) :: Late Night Conversation / Unrequited Love / “Why’d you think I’d be into someone else? Day 5 (12/03) :: Ring / Peanut (bird) / “There’s gotta be something hidden in there…" Day 6 (12/04) :: School / Sunset / “Please tell me you caught that on camera!" Day 7 (12/05) :: Cake / Party / “Since it’s my birthday, will you grant my wish for me?

[thenovelartist]

The Fine Line of Loving You - Chapter 4

Whoops, I'm two days behind, but oh well. I had other things to do.

< Previous Next>

Day 4: Late-Night Conversation

Of course, there was only one bed. Because it seemed the author of the universe said so. Or maybe this was Aaron’s joke. Luke didn’t know, didn’t care to know, but he did care to find a solution.

Which… Rosa decided upon.

“Share?”

A week in, and he’d tried every conceivable way to avoid being in the bed with her, but she saw through every excuse. There was no “I’ll sleep in the chair” or “I want to stay up a little longer for this project”. It was only her dragging him to bed or waiting up for him.

“I know you,” she’d warned him. “And you won’t get any sleep otherwise.”

Well, he hardly got enough sleep as it was, sharing a bed with Rosa. She had a habit of tossing and turning in the night, but Luke knew it was really her subconscious desire to get close to human contact. It happened all the time when they were little, and he’d come to realize it was always her moving closer to him. Sure, she moved in her sleep when she was alone—as evidenced by him having to wake her up on occasion growing up—but when they were sleeping close, she always moved closer to him.

The other reason it was hard to share a bed with her was because his feelings really surfaced when he was tired and in close contact with the love of his life. He couldn’t help but want to hold her. And he had indulged in that desire more than once.

While he did struggle to get to sleep, normally troubled by his heart pounding over the fact she had snuggled close, the sleep he did get was deep and restful. He didn’t want to look too deeply into why that was. Because he knew. He knew full well.

Tonight, as per usual, Rosa was in bed before he was, but the only reason she allowed it was because he was on a phone call with Aaron.

“How’s things?” the cheeky doctor asked in a voice far too cheery for Luke to handle.

“I hate you.”

“You just can’t appreciate all the lengths I go to to help you out with Rosa, can you?” he lamented.

“I didn’t ask for your help.”

“No, you just sit there like a kicked puppy and whine about it for hours.”

For another three minutes, the conversation went on like that, to the point Luke was almost about to hang up the phone and call someone, anyone, else. But Aaron did eventually give him a run-down of everything happening at headquarters.

Which… wasn’t the best news ever.

When Luke hung up the phone, the first thing he did was drop down onto the bed.

“That didn’t sound like it went well,” she whispered.

Luke whined, kicking off his shoes before collapsing back onto the bed, his head hitting the pillow with a ‘poof’. “They were able to get a lot of information out of the guy we brought in, but as for finding the man who got away, they haven’t made any headway. They don’t even have a lead. Aaron did warn me that it was possible he could find us, although they can’t say for sure. Still, I really don’t want you going out alone anymore, okay?”

She paused. “Are you saying that as a valid concern or are you being over protective again?”

Her words caught him off guard for a moment. It wasn’t… like it wasn’t possible, although Aaron had said it was unlikely. But when it came to Rosa, he was not taking any more chances. “Valid concern.”

“Luke.”

The way her name rolled off her tongue, somewhat shyly and quietly, concerned him.

“How valid? Like… immediate chance he could find us or…”

In the yellow light of the lit bedside lamp, the only light on in the room, he could see a slight nervousness on her features. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he promised, turning on his side to fully face her. “Promise. For now, they don’t have any indication that we’ve been compromised, but it’s always a possibility.”

“Oh,” she said, her gaze falling away from him.

Unable to take the sight of seeing her worried, he slowly took hold of her hand. “Rosa.”

Her eyes locked back on his.

“I promise, I will protect you this time.”

He had hoped those words would ease that fear on her expression. Instead, one of pity took its place. “Will you please stop blaming yourself?”

“No,” he answered, his honesty shocking both of them.

He took a breath. No going back now. “Because counter it all you want, it is my fault.”

“You can’t be responsible for me all the time.”

But I want to. Thankfully, he stopped those words from coming out. “I am when you’re my partner on a mission.”

“I took it on, though.”

“I was the lead, and I not only agreed to let you be my partner, but I put you in that dangerous situation.”

“No, I walked into it.”

The air fizzled with tension, sparked by two best friends who were rubbed the wrong way.

“It’s not your fault,” Rosa insisted.

“But you almost got shot due to my negligence.”

“No, I almost got shot because I went to help.”

“And you shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”

“So you’re saying you can’t trust me?”

“No.”

…shit.

If he could take that back, he would. The shock on Rosa’s face was physically painful to see. He didn’t mean it like that. He just…

He didn’t know.

That was a lie. He did know, it was just complicated.

Ah, another lie.

With a frustrated sigh, he got up. “Sorry,” he said, turning his back to her. “I… I do trust you. I just… I’m going to get some water.”

And with that, he left the bedroom.

It doesn’t take people five minutes to get a glass of water, but Luke sure took his time, hoping to cool his head down. He would hurt her at this rate, which was exactly what he didn’t want to have happen. He hated fighting with her, especially over something like this. Why couldn’t she just let him take the fault for this?

… That was unfair. Ultimately, he knew why. The woman in the other room was someone he knew almost as well as himself. Even though their eight years apart had changed and shaped both of them, they were able to pick up where they left off and fill in the missing pieces along the way. But this time, the answer wasn’t one that surprised him. It wasn’t one of those pieces that had to have been filled in, either. This went back as far as he could remember, back to their young years of early childhood: Rosa never let him take full blame when both of them were involved.

Ever.

And that hadn’t changed now, no matter how badly he wished it had. She was too good for him. Too willing to shoulder blame he wanted to carry himself. But she always was there to carry it with him, as much as she could. Somehow, it made all his burdens simultaneously lighter and heavier.

“Hey.”

Luke looked up from the hole he was staring into his water glass. At the other side of the kitchen, Rosa stood her arms crossed over her chest in a way that made her seem small. Her timid expression wasn’t helping that, either.

He set down his water glass. “Hey.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “For pressing.”

“No, I’m sorry,” he quickly responded. “For telling you I don’t trust you. Because I do. I really do.”

She gave him a small shrug. “Honestly, I know what you meant. You’ve been trained by some of the best, and I’m just a lawyer.”

“You know how to handle yourself, though,” Luke said. “And it’s unfair of me to say you can’t.”

“Yeah, but maybe I got cocky. And I do need your help at times. So, thanks… for always being there.”

“You never have to thank me,” he said. “I want to always be there for you. And maybe I do get a little over protective—”

“You do,” she confirmed. “But I know it’s because you care.”

A moment of silence hung over them before Rosa slowly approached. Luke welcomed her closer, opening his arms for her. And she responded by settling against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist as he encased her in his embrace.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

“For?”

“Everything.”

She was so small, tucked against his chest as she was. He was able to set his chin on top of her head as he clung to her.

And for a good while, they just stayed there. Despite his exhaustion, Luke felt like he could stay there forever. But he was beginning to worry that she was tired, and the rational part of him wanted to get her into bed.

… Not like that! Get her to go to sleep. That was all.

“Luke.”

“Yeah,” he responded, happy to start up conversation to break him out of his thoughts but unsure if a conversation with the root problem of his thoughts was going to help.

“Are you coming to bed?”

“Do you not want me in the room with you?”

She shook her head against his chest. “Please don’t leave.”

His heart was shattering as he clung to her tighter. “I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered. “I’ll stay as long as you want me to.”

“Don’t leave. Because…” She peeked out from her hiding spot to look up at him. “Promise me you won’t blame yourself?”

That was already bad. “What is it?” he asked, worry already settling over him like a storm.

“I just…” she clung to his shirt as her gaze fell away. “I like knowing you’re there to protect me… It makes it easier to fall asleep.”

Dammit. Here she was, relying on him in ways he hadn’t even realized, and he was still failing her. “Sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t know.

“I didn’t want you to know,” she admitted.

“Thanks for telling me.”

“Just as long as you don’t use it as an excuse to beat yourself up more for it.”

He sighed. Mentally, he was doing just that, but he had to keep it hidden for Rosa’s sake. It was a show of good faith to admit that, and he couldn’t betray her and let her down. “I won’t.”

“Good.”

Without warning, Luke picked her up, bridal style. She let out a little squeak of surprise but was quick to wrap her arms around his neck.

“Let’s go to bed, yeah?”

She nodded, snuggling closer. “Okay.”

She was going to be the death of him. That was his only thought as he carried her into the bedroom. It was his only thought when she snuggled up next to him, her arm wrapped around his torso. It was his only thought when he slung his arm around her, holding her close.

And it was still his only thought when she slowly fell asleep in his arms.

… Yet again, that was another lie. His other thought was ‘I don’t care if you’re the death of me. Because I love you.’

[kaygom]

Unaware

Luke Week Day 5 & 6: Ring & Sunset

Pairing: Luke x Rosa

Synopsis: (AU-ish) Their lives are about to change. Luke can't wait to finally propose to the love of his life. Since he was finally granted forever, he wants nothing else but to live his life forever with Rosa by his side and he prepared the most perfect night.

WC: 3309

A/N: I know I am a bit late for the two days. Kind of fell into a weird slump and just couldn't find the motivation to write. However, I didn't want to go a single day without writing so here is the finished product.

--- --- --- --- ---

Luke fingered the ring that Aaron returned to him. Between his thumb and forefinger, he angled it back and forth, letting the red ruby catch the light. He sighed and he thought about the plan that he drew out for the perfect proposal. It had been a little over ten months since Luke and Rosa started dating. It only took two months after being reunited to realize that the two of them would be better off more than friends.

The two of them had romantic feelings that they kept from each other growing up that never went away for each in the eight years that they were apart. Even though Rosa did admit that she tried to move on during college and tried dating, but she couldn’t bring herself to. She always ended up thinking about Luke and how she wanted to wait for him. To her, he was her first love and she wanted him to be her last.

Even after they had reunited, Rosa had reassured him that there was nothing between her and her colleague, Artem Wing. Luke, observant as he was, knew that the man thought of her more than a candidate for Rosa to be his partner. He rolled his eyes at the thought. But it only got more complicated when Rosa became engaged with NXX cases and the sleazy CEO and the uncanny psychiatrist entered the picture.

He knew that with more suitors in the picture, it may askew Rosa’s view. When Vyn and Marius started to give more attention to Rosa, his best friend was always so polite to decline any personal invitations outside of NXX work. Which always made Luke smirk to himself whenever he heard her gentle rejection. Which made him feel relieved that he had the upper hand as her childhood best friend and they are now trying to make up for lost time.

After realizing how much of an advantage he had, he decided to take the jump and finally ask her to be his girlfriend, which she accepted without a second thought. After the months of dating, he knew that she was the one for him. He would finally ask her to be his wife. He didn’t want to wait any longer. It was now or never. He was getting tired of hearing Aaron’s constant pestering for Luke to take their relationship to the next level. Now that they had found a treatment for Luke to help prolong his life until he’s old, Aaron wanted Luke to do nothing but finally get what he deserved and that was to experience married life with the woman that he loved the most.

He let the ring fall into the palm of his hand and he encased it in his grip, the ring pressing into his flesh. “I will make sure the proposal is perfect…” He whispers to himself.

Luke ran a hand through his brown locks and he gazed down at the screen built into his desk. He double checked the exact time the sun would set for the next day then he pulled up the reservation for the restaurant that they had their first date at. It has a balcony terrace that he wanted to set up just for their dinner, which the restaurant gladly offered to close off and decorate for the special occasion. Since he was close with their chef, he was also offered a special menu for the night that way the proposal would be exclusive.

Even though it would only be the two of them on the balcony, he wanted close friends to be in attendance. He tried to see if he could get Rosa’s parents to return for the occasion, but he didn’t have any luck.The people he did manage to invite consisted of the NXX guys, Kiki, Celestine, and of course Aaron and his wife. He also asked some people that he and Rosa mutually knew from the cases they worked together and she had kept close tabs with. It wasn’t many, but it’s enough that she would be happy to know they were there since her parents wouldn’t be able to attend.

He even went the extra mile to recruit Kiki to take Rosa out to get manicures together because the former recommended it. She told him that she wouldn’t let her best friend accept a ring on her finger with plain nails, to which he chuckled and told her if that is what should be done, so be it. Come to find out even Celestine had joined in on the fun this afternoon when Rosa texted him a picture of the three of them getting pampered. She was now asleep in the room upstairs unaware that tomorrow night their lives were about to change. He opened his palm and gazed down at it for a couple more seconds. “Rosa.. Will you marry me?” He practiced his line. Luke smiled to himself before tucking the ring between the velvet covered plush of the box. He tucked it away into the drawer of his desk before pushing himself away from it to join Rosa in bed for the night.

--- --- --- --- ---

The next morning, Luke woke up with Rosa in his arms. She was facing him and he couldn’t help but graze gentle fingers along her forehead to brush her hair to the side. The sun filtered in from the window behind him and shined on her face. To him, she looked like an angel. His angel. He lifted his hand away from her face and loomed it over hers to shade her eyes.

But being the light sleeper that she is, Rosa shifted beside him, letting out a small groan. Soon after her eyes gazed into his. When he put his hand back down on her cheek, the sunlight twinkled off her eyes, resembling the glisten of topaz. Luke stared back into her eyes, feeling lucky to be able to wake up to such a beautiful sight.

“Good morning, Luke~” Rosa greeted him with a hundred watt smile that made his heart flutter in his chest.

“Good morning, dear Rosa.” He responded by giving her a kiss on her forehead.

“What should we make for breakfast? I’m in the mood for pancakes and some bacon,” Rosa mused with a distant look in her eyes as if thinking about the taste of the food already.

Luke chuckled and ruffled her hair. “Why did you ask if you answered your own question? If you want pancakes and bacon then that is exactly what we will be having for breakfast.”

He pulled the blanket away from the two of them and rolled out of bed. He stretched his arms over his head and yawned loudly. He slipped on his house slippers and dragged his feet to the bathroom to freshen up first. When he finished up and walked back through the bedroom to the kitchen, Rosa had fallen back to sleep. He walked up to her side of the bed and placed a kiss on her cheek before exiting the bedroom.

Luke hummed to himself as he cooked breakfast for the two of them, ignoring the nerves that were rising from the pit of his stomach. He’s worried about every single thing going wrong today, like the balcony not being completely finished or the food not being good or he would forget the ring. Mustn’t forget the ring! He thought to himself as he flipped the pancakes in the pan.

As he was getting lost in his mind, there was a gentle tug at the back of his shirt, then arms wrapped around his waist then a nuzzle against his back.

Luke could have sworn he felt his heart lurch forward in his chest. “Hello, sunshine~”

“The bacon smells amazing.” Rosa pulled away from his back and stepped off to the side where the plate of bacon was. She helped herself to one of the strips and it crunched against her teeth. “Crispy! The way I like it!” She mused happily as she picked up the plate to bring over to the dining table.

Luke transferred the finished pancakes onto the other plate and glanced over his shoulder to watch Rosa as she collected plates and utensils to set at the table. He finished off the pancake batter and cooked the last three pieces before joining her with his plate stacked high with pancakes.

Her eyes lit up when he placed the plate between them and he chuckled. “Thank you for cooking, Luke!”

“It’s no problem. I’d gladly cook breakfast for you every morning for the rest of our days.” He gazed at her as she placed food onto her plate and started to dig in. He ate himself and the two of them discussed the plan for the night.

“We’re going to that one place that we really enjoyed, right? The place with the really pretty balcony terrace? And we are leaving by 5? ” Rosa verified the plan.

Luke nodded his head. “Mm, yes. I really liked that place and I wanted to treat you for successfully winning at yet another case. That’s why Kiki took you out to get your nails done, right?” He asked her as if he wasn’t behind it.

“Yes! When we won in court, Kiki suggested that we get our nails done since it had been awhile since we did and they were already growing out. Then Celestine jumped in and she offered to pay as long as she got to join in.” Rosa explained with a delighted expression on her face. “It was nice. I know most people wouldn’t hang out with their boss outside of work and get their nails done together at that. But she reassured us to not think too much of it.”

“I’m glad that you had a wonderful afternoon out. You deserved it after working so hard the last two weeks..” Luke nodded.

Rosa sighed a little. “You’re right. I definitely needed the break.”

After they finish eating their breakfast, they spend the rest of the morning into the afternoon cleaning around his place. Once it was time to get ready, Luke and Rosa stood in front of the large vanity mirror fixing his hair and doing her makeup.

“You look stunning as always,” Luke complimented her with a wink.

Rosa blushed and continued to swipe her lipstick against her lips. “Th-Thank you.” She responded with a slight stutter.

“I’ll be back, okay?” He did a double take at his reflection to make sure his hair was okay before he stepped out of the bathroom to go down to his study. He glanced up to make sure that Rosa didn’t follow her then he opened the drawer when the coast was clear. He picked out the ring box and pulled back the top to get a glance at the ring. He smiled and closed it gently. He slipped it into his outer jacket pocket and went back up to see if Rosa was done getting ready.

She was slipping on her shoes when he entered through the door and admired her beauty. “God, you look gorgeous.” Luke stepped up to her and swooped her into his arms in a tight embrace.

“You’re going to wrinkle your suit, Luke!” Rosa giggled and wrapped her arms around him.

“I don’t care,” Luke buried his face into the crook of her neck.

Their embrace lasted a few moments before they pulled away from each other. They gazed into each others’ eyes lovingly. “I love you, my dear Watson.” Luke whispered.

“I love you, my Sherlock~” Rosa giggled before she grabbed his hand. “Let’s go before we miss our reservation.”

---

The two arrived at the restaurant and they were led through the maze of tables to the balcony. His eyes caught sight of some of their acquaintances among the seated crowd and he hoped that Rosa hadn’t noticed. When they got to the balcony, Rosa gasped in awe. “Whoa. This is beautiful.”

Luke glanced over at her and the lights reflected in her eyes. “Did you reserve this whole balcony just for us?” Rosa turned to him, the sparkles bright in her eyes.

“Do you like it?” Luke leaned in to place a kiss on her lips.

When he pulled away, she just nodded her head excitedly. “Yes, I love it! The way they set it up is beautiful, too~ Gosh. You’ve outdone yourself, Pearce.”

The two approached the table and he pulled out her chair inviting her to sit down. He pushed her in gently and went around the side to seat himself. The waiter brought them their menu and he kept his eyes on Rosa to see her reaction.

She peered up at the waiter and pointed at the menu. “Is the menu different tonight?” She asked him.

The waiter nodded his head. “Yes, this is a one-night special. The chef prepared it for tonight only!” He answered her. “Also~” He turned to the side to introduce the bottle of wine that was being brought in by another waiter. “We have the finest of wines on the house for the lovely couple as well. The owner wanted to express his thanks for the legal help that you gave him.” He directed to Rosa

Luke was surprised when the wine was brought out because he was completely unaware that such a gesture would be presented.

“Wow, I will have to thank him at the end of the night~” Rosa smiled widely as the wine was poured into their glasses.

“Since it’s a set menu, your appetizers will be here shortly. Please enjoy the complimentary bread and spread, while you wait.” The server told them before walking back into the restaurant.

Rosa looked across the table at Luke and she couldn’t hide her amusement. “How nice of the owner and the chef, huh? It’s as if tonight is some kind of special occasion.” She helped herself to a slice of bread and spread the butter across the soft surface.

For the duration of their night, each dish that was brought out was personally presented by the chef to explain what was being served. Rosa was loving all this special attention, oblivious that tonight was much more special than she thought. Luke turned his head to see the position of the sun. He glanced down at his wrist at his watch and it was nearly the time that the sun would touch the horizon. It set up a nice pale orange glow on the balcony. It was setting the tone up perfectly. He reached into his pocket and he peeked up at Rosa who was enjoying the last few bites of their entree.

He fingered the shape of the ring box and he leaned back into his chair as he waited for Rosa to finish up. When she set down her utensils, she followed up with a swipe of her napkin across her lips.

“I bet my breakfast has nothing on what the chef had prepared tonight,” Luke teased.

“I will always love your pancakes, Luke,” she smiled cheekily, “but...the chef did prepare an exquisite filet mignon tonight.” She laughed lightly, that sound music to his ears.

“I must agree, the main entree was quite delicious.” He nodded with a smile. He pulled his hand out of his pocket then stood up to push his chair back. He offered his hand to Rosa and she blinked at him curiously.

“Want to go stand by the edge of the balcony and look out as the sun sets?” Luke asked her with an inviting smile. She took his hand and he led her away from the table. The two peered out into the city skyline and enjoyed the sounds of the city filling the silence between them.

“Do you remember our first date here?” Luke started. “You told me I didn’t have to prepare something so fancy? But I reassured you that you deserved nothing short of the best.”

Rosa giggled at the memory. “It was also slightly awkward because it was our first date. Even though we spent lunches and dinners together, since it was the first date as a couple it had this whole different aura. That was also the night that you told me that you had a limited time left.” Rosa reminded the two of them. “We were standing right here when you told me. Then you asked me… Would--” She’s cut off.

“Would you still want to be with me knowing that I can’t promise you the forever that I have in the past?” Luke recited his words from that night, his eyes gazing out at the sun.

“And I said: ‘Of course I will.’ Without hesitation.. I knew that no matter the outcome, I wanted to keep you by my side for as long as I had left.” Rosa whispered. “I’m very thankful for Aaron and his team for finding a cure for you.. In the months before they found the cure, I visited Aaron’s office for any updates. The first few months seemed grim. But luckily with my affiliation with Marius, I was able to gather some resources from PAX to help Aaron and his team eventually develop a cure.”

“We really spent our first year together living like it was our last.” Luke chuckled as he turned to face Rosa. “Thank you for being persistent and offering to help in any way that you could to help me finally live out my days and not have to worry about it being cut short..” Luke took her left hand and she turned to face him.

“Mm, I didn’t want to say goodbye to my best friend forever.” Her voice was shaky. Luke knew that she was fighting tears.

He rubbed his thumb soothingly against the back of her hand and looked up at her to meet their eyes. “I wouldn’t want to spend the rest of my life with anyone else. I’m so lucky to have you by my side. No words in the dictionary could sufficiently explain my love for you. I am absolutely enamoured by you Rosa. All those years ago, I’m so glad that we were brought together. Now that you’re mine, I’d like it if you remained mine forever. Of course, only if you’d like to..” He inhaled shakily and her gaze was locked on him as he got down on one knee. He let his hand slip out of her and he reached into his pocket to take out the ring box. “Rosa..” He looked up at her as he pulled open the top. “Will you marry me?”

Rosa’s eyes glistened with tears and the sunset casted an orange glow at the side of her face. She smiled through the tears sliding down her cheeks. “Of course I will, Luke..” She replied without hesitation.

Luke’s heart was racing in his chest and it skipped a beat when she said yes. He took out the ring from the box and he slipped it onto her ring finger. He felt the tears start to prick at his eyes as he slid it on her. He blinked them away and stood back on both of his feet and he grabbed her face between his hands to capture her lips against his.

After their passionate embrace, the two pulled away, breathless. The hand on his chest was the one adorned with the engagement ring. As he stared at her face, she stared down at the ring that caught the last of the sunset in the sky. “I love you, Rosa.”

“I love you, Luke.”

Then the crowd that Luke invited to be in on this special occasion came pouring out to congratulate the couple on this beautiful milestone. Luke wrapped his arm around Rosa’s waist and the two were all smiles when everyone came up to celebrate with them.

[thenovelartist]

The Fine Line of Loving You - Chapter 5

Honestly, this could be a stand-alone one-shot. XD I'm almost sorry it isn't

< Previous Next>

Day 5: Ring

“Luke, have you seen my ring?”

It had been three weeks now of them hiding in the safehouse. Things were… interesting, to say the least. Because while Luke didn’t know if Rosa felt this way, he sure felt like they were married. At least, it felt like more than living with his best friends like he did in the past. They inhabited this space together near flawlessly, and every hiccup was met with a bit of butting heads before being sorted out fairly quickly. It was like they were a team, a single unit; like they were really husband and wife.

Particularly when they ended up having to turn the house upside down for Rosa’s fake wedding ring.

“You really can’t remember where you put it?” Luke asked.

“I swear that I put it on the side table in the bedroom, but it’s not there.”

Luke could confirm that. He and Rosa had already torn the bedroom apart searching for it. And Rosa was back in the bedroom looking yet again in case she missed it.

But no such luck, he supposed.

“Um… Luke?”

He turned around, only to see Rosa standing hesitantly in the bedroom doorway. “What? You find it?” he asked, walking over to her.

“Um… no. But…” Her lip was now between her teeth which, when paired with her hesitant expression, did not make Luke comfortable.

“What is it?”

She took out a ring. A striking ring that Luke knew all too well.

His gut about sunk through the floor.

“What’s this?” she asked.

He really didn’t know what to say. Like… he really didn’t. Because now that she’d found it, there was no way around the truth. And dismissing it entirely as “nothing” would not fly for Detective Rosa. “Where’d you find it?”

“I was looking on the floor in the closet.”

He grimaced. It must have fallen out of his pocket, but he was so careful with it!

“So…” she continued. “Why does Agent Pearce have a ring?”

He swallowed hard, not liking the way she said his name. So official. So formal. Not like they had been friends forever. “It’s… an engagement ring.”

He watched her pale. “A… an engagement ring,” she solemnly repeated.

He nodded.

Suddenly, she looked like she was about to cry. “Sorry. I…” She stuck the ring out for him to take. “I didn’t know you had someone like that.”

“I don’t.” he said, closing his fist around the ring.

Her brow furrowed. “Huh?”

“Yeah.”

The confusion on her face was perfectly clear. “Then… why do you have a ring?”

“Because I made it.”

“You made it?”

He nodded.

“I… didn’t know you dabbled in jewelry.”

“Not really.”

“Not really…”

He shrugged.

“Then… why make it?” she questioned. “You don’t do things like that without a purpose.”

“Because… I had someone in mind.”

Again, she looked pained as tears began gathering in her eyes. “O-oh.”

“Y-yeah.”

Another silence.

“What happened to them?”

“Who?”

“The person you made the ring for.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah.”

Another silence. Not an intentional one as Luke wanted to fill it but couldn’t quite find the words for.

Instead, Rosa was the one to fill it. “Or, is that a secret?”

Luke grimaced. “I… it was for someone.”

“You said that.”

He nodded.

“Someone important, I’m guessing.”

“Really important.”

She nodded slowly, turning her head away as she thought. “Can… I hear about them?”

Luke stared at the ring. “She… is amazing.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” His heart was slowly twisting as he thought about how he wanted to continue. “She’s talented, and brave, and smart. She doesn’t back down from a challenge. And…” He choked on the next words. I like best when she’s by my side.

“And you love her.”

It was a fact, not a question. One he couldn’t deny. “I loved her.”

“Luke Pearce, there is no way that’s just past tense.”

She was right: it wasn’t.

“So… why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you still have that ring?” Her question came out as a challenge laced with pain and anger. Which made Luke fear this miraculous woman once again.

“Because…”

Because…

He was a coward.

“Because I can’t.”

The dubious look she sent him could kill. “You can’t?”

“No.”

“You can’t what? Propose?”

“No.”

“Why?”

In the moment, she sounded… mad. Like… really mad. And Luke did not know how to remedy that.

“Don’t you think it’s possible she loves you, too?” she challenged, her brows furrowed in fury. “Or is there a reason you can’t propose to her?”

Words caught in his throat. “Th-there is.”

“What is it? Is she gone? Is she in love with someone else?”

“No. It’s… well… I don’t know if she loves someone else.”

She scoffed. “Not like you to chicken out.”

That was a sucker punch he wasn’t expecting.

“So, what’s the real reason you still have this ring and it’s not on her finger?” she asked, snatching the ring form him again to point at his face. “Because any girl would be lucky to be married to you. And if she even thinks about saying no, she’s not worthy of you at all, but I know you and the likelihood of you falling for a girl like that is low. So I’ll ask again: why haven’t you proposed yet?”

“You don’t understand.”

“What wouldn’t I, your best friend for years, wouldn’t understand?”

That was the question wasn’t it? “What if I wasn’t going to be around in a few years?”

Highly unamused, she quirked a brow. “Don’t tell me you’re planning on dying.”

Well, he wasn’t planning on it, and he hadn’t been planning on telling her, either. But the way she was glaring him down now… she was going to weasel the information out of him one way or another. There was also a chance she’d go to Aaron and see if he had any info. And if that happened, Luke would be in real deep trouble. He trusted his friend… most of the time. This instance not being one of them.

Meaning, that he would have to bite the bullet and tell her himself. “I have an incurable sickness that will kill me.”

And before he could say anything else, Rosa dropped the ring. It landed with a soft ‘thump’ in the carpet beneath their feet, but it went fully ignored as they stared at each other.

The silence between them was heavy as a wet wool blanket. Luke could barely look at Rosa, mostly because the shock and hurt on her face was overwhelming. “Luke…”

“I can’t do that to her,” he continued, the words suddenly flooding out. “I can’t… can’t come into her life, be her husband, wish for a family with her, maybe even start one, only to learn that a cure wasn’t found in time. I can’t… I just…can’t.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, but they were hard to see since his own gaze turned watery.

“I love her too much to do that to her.”

“Dammit, Luke,” she whispered, covering her mouth with her hands. “And you didn’t think I’d want to know?!”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, hanging his head and taking a step back.

She took a shaky breath, turning her face away from him as a tear rolled down her cheek.

An unsettling silence filled the room, and Luke felt like it could suffocate him. “You understand why I can’t now, right?”

“I…” She bit her lip, the color on them the same shade her eyes were right now. “I think it’s unfair of you to decide that on your own.”

“What do you mean?”

“I…” She struggled with her words, her hands shaking about in frustration as she fought for anything to say. “Does she know? About… you?”

Well, she does now. “Yeah.”

He caught the hurt that flashed across her face, which hurt him in the process. “Does she know you love her?”

Luke grimaced. “I…”

“You should tell her,” she said, tears dripping from her eyes that she quickly swiped away. “If she’s as amazing as you say, I think she would want to know who she was loved by someone as incredible as you.”

“Would you?” Luke asked, suddenly desperate to know. “Would you want to know that… that someone who was dying, that couldn’t promise you forever, loved you?”

“Yes.”

Her words weren’t hesitant in the slightest.

“You’d want to know?” he asked, dumbstruck and so confused.

“Yeah,” she said. “Because… if she truly cares about you, which I’m assuming she does because I doubt you’d make a ring otherwise, she would want to know that someone so precious in her life loved her so deeply.”

“But I can’t marry her, so what’s the point?”

“Who said?”

“You’d marry a dying man?”

“If it was you, yes.”

It took two whole seconds for both of them to realize what had just come from her mouth. A confession neither had been expecting. A confession that was both miraculous and heartbreaking at the same time.

Luke’s gaze hit the floor, staring at the ring that had fallen some time ago that neither had bothered picking up. “So…” He swallowed hard, his gaze locked on the glittering ring he’d made specifically for her. “You… You’d marry me… if she were you?”

It was stupid to try and salvage her pride now when both knew what she’d said and meant. “Yeah,” she quietly admitted.

“So… if I… bent down.” He knelt on the floor. “On one knee.” He reached for the ring. “And held out this ring to you…”

It took him a moment to gather the courage before looking up at her. Tears poured from her eyes by now, but he could see the pain behind them. As if his heart wasn’t broken enough. “And asked you to be my wife for as long as I had left, which might be only two or three years… would you really still say yes?”

She nodded, pursing her warbling lips together as she swiped at her cheeks. “I would. And maybe that’s just because we’re… we’re close. I don’t know how close you are with her, but if… if she really cares about you…”

Her words dissipated completely as a sob interrupted them.

At this point, Luke couldn’t help the tears running down his own cheeks. This wasn’t how he pictured it going in the slightest. He wanted all those tears to be happy. He wanted her lips to be tilted into a smile instead of pursed in pain. He wanted to be here promising her forever and not just a few years. He wanted so much more for her.

And despite all of that, he still wanted to be selfish.

“Then give me your left hand.”

She sniffed hard, gently dabbing at her nose with the back of her hand. “What?”

“Rosa, can I please have your left hand.”

Five heartbeats passed before she shakily extended her hand to him.

His heart was racing, causing his hands to shake as he slid the ring on her finger, finding the fit to be perfect. He squeezed her hand, hard and tightly, unable to find the courage to look back up to her and instead clung to her hand, bringing it up to his lips to hold it there. “Rosa,” he choked out.

Next thing he knew, she’d collapsed to her knees in front of him, startling him just enough to look up. He didn’t have time to meet her gaze, though, as she positively threw herself into his arms. He was quick to catch her, clinging to the now sobbing woman as a whole new round of tears poured from his eyes.

No, this wasn’t at all how he wanted it to be. But somehow, this right now, this disaster of a proposal involving two sobbing people who couldn’t even find the willpower to stand, was still the happiest moment of his life.

[thenovelartist]

The Fine Line of Loving You - Chapter 6

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Day 6: Sunset

Week five of the safehouse, week two of being engaged, and Luke was so ready for this to be over. Not that he was ready to leave his precious Rosa’s side, but he just wanted to get home. Mostly because he just wanted to change her last name soon as he could and live normally as a truly married couple without the fake pretense. But he liked going out with her, holding her hand or wrapping his arm around her in public without it being an act. In private, he liked holding her, snuggling with her, kissing her.

It was all he ever wanted.

Now, if the loose bastard could just get caught so they could go home already.

“Sorry, Luke,” Aaron updated him. “We haven’t caught him yet.”

Luke groaned, tossing his head back in frustration. “What are they doing?”

“We almost had him,” Aaron said. “We managed to hunt him down and did a whole raid on his location. We cornered him and a handful of his goons. We’ve locked down literally everyone else in this whole operation, except him. He slipped through our grasp at the last moment.”

Again, Luke grunted. This time, Rosa was there to hug him from behind, pressing her head against his back between his shoulder blades while her arms wrapped around his waist. A smile came across his face as warmth flooded him. He couldn’t resist grabbing one of her hands to hold.

“We’re back to tracking him, but we have no idea where he went.”

“Just catch him already, will you, Aaron? Because I’m ready to get back home.”

“So am I!” Rosa cried, causing Luke to chuckle. “I liked the vacation but I’m done now, thank you!”

On the other side of the line, Aaron chuckled. “We’re on it, promise. Tell Rosa we’re sorry and that we’ll get her back to Stellis as soon as possible. If she wants, I can send you all the information and she can put together a case to press charges.”

Luke pulled the phone speaker away from his mouth as he turned to Rosa. “You want to weed through information and decide what crimes to pin this guy with?”

“Yes!” she begged, squeezing him tighter.

“That’s an affirmative, Aaron,” Luke responded.

“Noted. Glad to hear you two are in a good mood despite the news.”

Luke didn’t really know what to say to that.

“All right, kid, spill it. What’s going on in your little love shack?”

Instantly, Luke felt his face flame. “I-it’s not a love shack!”

“Sure, it ain’t. And the sky’s green.”

“Aaron.”

“He teasing you, Lukey?” Rosa playfully prodded with a pretend pout, standing up on her tiptoes so she could plop her chin on his shoulder.

If Luke’s face wasn’t on fire beforehand, it sure was now. And worse yet, he could practically hear Aaron grinning over the phone.

“Lukey, huh?” Aaron teased. “What’s going on over there?”

“N-nothing!”

“You aren’t going to tell him?” Rosa whined.

Luke knew she was teasing him at this point, meaning he was getting it from both ends. Geez, he was screwed.

“Tell me what?” Aaron asked.

“Nothing. I’m going to tell you nothing.”

Rosa whimpered. “Are you ashamed to tell him about us?”

Luke nearly dropped the phone in exasperation, but the most he could do was close his eyes and toss his head back as he grimaced.

“Luuuuke!”

Aaron was now laughing over the phone. “Kid, for the love of everything good, tell me you proposed to her.”

“Shut up, Aaron.”

“Welcome to married life.”

“Aaron.”

“It doesn’t get any better.”

“I’m hanging up on you.”

“Did you tell him?” Rosa whined in one ear while Aaron begged for forgiveness in the other.

Despite having been in many tense and dangerous missions, this was up there in the ranks of “tightest spots Luke has ever been in”.

After navigating two teasers on both ends, Luke eventually did hang up. Slipping away and releasing Luke from her hold, Rosa instantly started giggling.

“You really had to poke the bear, didn’t you?”

“Absolutely.”

Luke turned to face her, fully intent of giving her a piece of his mind, but she was quick to grab him by the face, yanking him close and slamming her lips against his. Well.. this was the most effective way to silence him ever. He couldn’t even be fake mad anymore.

“You play dirty,” he whispered in between kisses.

“It’s more fun that way,” she said before he cut her off with another kiss. “After all, Watson has to keep Sherlock on his toes sometimes.”

“Yeah, but you don’t think Sherlock is going to return the favor?”

“On the contrary, my dear Holmes,” she purred in a way that instantly cranked his internal body temperature. “I look forward to it.”

Before he could think the better of it, he grabbed her by the thighs and lifted her up. She squeaked but soon enough wrapped her legs around his waist. Once again, she grabbed his cheeks, tilting his head back so as to capture his lips once again.

Only for a knock to sound against the door.

Instantly, the duo froze, an icy dread countering any heat they’d felt earlier.

“Were we expecting anyone?” Rosa whispered.

“No,” Luke said, letting her slide out of his hold as he set her silently back on the ground. It took him two seconds to grab one of the hidden guns in the place and signal to Rosa to hide.

She didn’t need to be told twice as she disappeared into the bedroom.

Sliding the gun into his waistband then covering it with his shirt, Luke hesitantly answered the door.

Only for the door to burst open the second he unlocked it.

In three seconds, Luke was on the ground, a gun to his head. One second later, Luke was holding that gun at the man’s head. Which was almost knocked out of his hand the following second.

Back and forth, the fight went. Luke’s normal preference of dislocating anything as a method to subdue into compliance was forwent entirely due to the fact this man was planning to kill him and kill him quick. Someone was going to die today, and Luke was determined it wouldn’t be him. He had a woman in the other room who was desperate to see him alive, and he wouldn’t disappoint her.

The man was a skilled fighter, Luke couldn’t deny. He had to keep his guard up the whole time, ready to accept a few punches and kicks in the middle of avoiding others.

But then came the punch that knocked Luke down completely to the floor. In a second, Luke pulled the gun from his back.

Bang! Bang!

With a shout of pain, the man was on the floor, blood blooming out on his shirt. Luke quickly pinned the man down. He hadn’t wanted to shoot, but there had been no other option. And as much as he wished to bring this man in alive, and hoped he’d survive just fine, if Luke had to, he’d bring in the corpse and not feel guilty. After all, this was the man who scarred his precious Rosa. And if only to protect her, Luke turn into this dark version of himself he hated.

But only for her sake.

While securing the man, Luke shot a glance back towards the bedroom door, where Rosa was kneeling with a gun in hand. Slowly, she lowered it upon seeing the man was secure. He hadn’t wanted to see her with a gun in hand ever again, if he was honest. But considering his gun jammed after only one shot, he would let it slide this time.

…

Twenty-four hours later, the duo were back in Stellis. It was nice to be home. It wasn’t so nice to be separated and each stuck in a different briefing room.

The intruder hadn’t succumbed to his injuries. Yet, anyway. Rosa had contacted help instantly, and an ambulance, along with a full NSB team, had arrived right on time. The man had taken two bullets to the gut, but at the last hospital check-in, it was announced he was expected to make a recovery. He’d be spending the rest of his life in a detention cell, but at least he was alive to possibly give out information.

After debriefing the interrogator on what had happened, both Luke and Rosa were released. The first thing Luke did upon seeing Rosa was embrace her tightly, an embrace she quickly and wholeheartedly returned. “You good?” he asked.

“Yeah, you?” she returned, not giving him any indication she wanted to let him go.

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

After a while, they did loosen their hold on each other, pulling apart only just enough to meet each other’s gaze. “Does this mean we can go home now?” she asked, looking rather exhausted.

Luke nodded. “Yeah, it does.”

“Yay,” she quietly cheered.

It got Luke to grin.

“Hey, lovebirds.”

Normally, that voice would be a welcomed one. However, Luke had about had it with Aaron. But it wasn’t like Luke could get away with ignoring the man, even if he wanted to. Not when they was clearly visible in a public hallway and Rosa was already waving Aaron over.

“Hey, Aaron,” she greeted.

“Is a congratulations in order or not?” the man cheerily asked.

With a beaming grin, Rosa flashed him the ring on her finger. “Look what Luke made for me. Isn’t he so sweet?”

“Luke made it, huh?” Aaron prodded.

Luke knew that look on Aaron’s face. He did not likethat look on Aaron’s face.

“To be honest,” Aaron continued, giving Rosa a wink. “I knew about the ring. Glad he finally listened to me and gave it to you.”

“Oh really?” Before Luke knew it, Rosa was know giving him a look under the guise of a smile. Luke knew that look on Rosa’s face. He did not like that look on Rosa’s face. “Really? Luke, how long had he been telling you to propose?”

“Uh-oh,” Aaron said, his smile somehow both wide and apologetic. “I have a wife; I know that tone. Good luck.”

Luke took the opportunity to grab Aaron’s hand while the man patted his shoulder. “Aaron.”

What started as teasing soon ended in Luke watching Rosa making a point of “being angry” by letting a laughing Aaron escort her out of the building. He even made the joke of taking her out to dinner before saying his wife would be upset if he took any other woman out on a date.

“But I still think you deserve a good dinner, after all you put up with,” Aaron said to Rosa, giving Luke a wink.

“I think I do, too,” Rosa said, turning to Luke with a teasing grin on her face. “What do you think, Luke?”

“I think that you two will put me in the grave early.”

Aaron laughed. “Come on, kid, don’t be like that. I’m trying to keep you alive for this little lady’s sake.”

“And I much appreciate it, Aaron.”

Luke shook his head. Those two got along way too well for his liking. “But, I would like to take my fiancée out to dinner, if she’ll let me.”

“Aww, now you can’t turn that down,” Aaron teased, patting Rosa on the shoulder.

“Even if I could, I wouldn’t want to,” Rosa assured, walking over to Luke and wrapping her hands around his arm.

With her now by his side and everything seemingly forgiven, Luke felt a tension he hadn’t even realized he had leave his body. “Then we should get going. I’m exhausted and hungry.”

“Take out at your place?” she suggested.

“That sounds like a great plan.”

“Then I should get you two youngsters back home to enjoy your evening,” Aaron said, pulling out his keys as they approached his car.

“We’d appreciate it.”

“You two’d probably appreciate some sleep, too.”

While it may have sounded suggestive, Luke knew there was no innuendo behind it.

“I could seriously go for a ten-hour nap,” Rosa lamented.

Aaron just laughed. Frankly, Luke couldn’t blame her. That sounded pretty good to him, too.

The whole way home was filled with general conversation riddled with light teasing. Luke couldn’t say he didn’t enjoy the conversation, but he could say he would happily endure it if it meant being back home. And when he saw his place come into view, Luke felt himself truly relax for the first time in a while.

“We’ve been keeping tabs on it,” Aaron informed, putting his car in park in front of the building. “It’s all clear.”

“Appreciate it,” Luke said.

“It’s our job,” Aaron assured as Luke hopped out of the car. “Hey! Before you go, congrats again on the engagement.”

“Thanks, Aaron,” Luke said, truly meaning it this time.

“I get to be your best man, right?”

“Not after what you pulled.”

The man mock gasped. “Do you know how many times you’ve come to me lamenting over this young lady right here?”

Rosa was now laughing as Aaron continued to “lecture” Luke about his longsuffering.

Luke regretted ever saying anything. “Fine, I’ll tell you when we set a date. Okay?”

“You better. I’ll even bring the wife.” With a wave, Aaron drove off, leaving Luke and Rosa in front of his building.

“He’s a great guy,” Rosa commented.

“He really is,” Luke agreed, albeit reluctantly at the moment. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted and starving.”

“What do you want?” Rosa asked as they headed inside.

“I really don’t care, but I feel like I could eat a lot of it.”

“Pizza?”

“Sounds fantastic.”

Twenty-two minutes later, Luke and Rosa were sitting in Luke’s apartment, a box of pizza on the coffee table in the living room that was bathed in the orange glow of sunset.

“Luke,” Rosa hesitantly began.

He looked over at the woman sitting next to him on the couch. She was drowning in one of his t-shirts and old sweatpants, but he loved the view. She had showered upon arriving, so Luke had found something for her to wear since she didn’t have any cloths of her own. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“Um…” Her lips pursed nervously. “Can I… stay here tonight? I’m not implying anything, I just…”

She trailed off, not that Luke minded. Setting down his plate of pizza, he reached over to pull her closer. “Honestly, I’d prefer to have you here tonight so I know you’re safe.”

A relaxed grin took the place of her tense expression. “Thanks, Luke.”

Honestly, he should be the one thanking her because he doubted he would be able to sleep tonight without her by his side. He’d grown too accustomed to having her there, and with everything now winding down, his only fear was her, her safety, her well-being. So letting her leave was not anything he had been looking forward to.

Thankfully, it seemed he didn’t have to.

But instead of saying anything, he settled for pulling her even closer and pressing a kiss to her temple. “I’ve got you. Always.”

“I know,” she said, nuzzling up closer. “And I’m thankful for that.”

[thenovelartist]

The Fine Line of Loving You - Chapter 3

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Day 3: Road Trip

“You know, I’ve always wanted to take a road trip with you.”

“I doubt this is what you had planned.”

Rosa frowned as she crammed her bag full of clothes and clothes only. Bathroom necessities and the like would be provided at the safehouse in Svart, so it was strictly a take only what they needed basis. “I’m trying to be positive here.”

“Sorry.”

He heard her sigh. It was a longsuffering sigh, a tired sigh, and an “I’m at my wit’s end with you, Luke,” sigh all rolled into one. He didn’t have to have to see her to know what kind of expression she wore. He could picture it quite well.

Next thing he knew, the bed he was laying on shook. His eyes flew open, only for him to realize Rosa was now hovering over him.

Had she just… kabedonned him to the bed?

Ohhh, this was bad on his heart and blood pressure. He could feel himself catching fire by the second.

“Luke,” she began, her voice proving she was quite done with him. Paired with her glare, Luke wouldn’t dare move. “You have to snap out of it.”

“W-w-what?”

“You’re beating yourself up over me, aren’t you? Well, news flash, Detective Pearce: I was the one who got myself into that mess. Not you. So you have got to knock it off and get it through your thick skull that it wasn’t your fault.”

“But—”

“No buts!” she cut in. “Or I am going to keep you trapped here all day until you relent.”

… He was ashamed of just how pleasant he found that idea to be. But at the same time, he also didn’t know if his heart could handle it. He looked away from her, unable to take the sight of her much longer. “But I should have known—”

The next second, the air was forced out of his lungs as she flat out fell on top of him, fully pinning him to the bed.

Good grief, this was bad on so many levels. Levels he was even ashamed to admit. “R-rosa?”

“Punishment for continuing to beat yourself up!”

Most pleasurable punishment he ever got. To the point of it almost being a torment.

“Rosa…”

“Luke Pearce,” she returned, shifting upwards a little bit so her face was hovering over his in the process. “I’m not kidding. I don’t blame you, and you can’t be there to protect me all the time.”

“Yes, but the least I can do is not put you in danger.”

“I volunteered!”

“I shouldn’t have let you!”

The power behind Luke’s voice shocked both of them. And the silence that followed was especially heavy.

“Don’t you trust me?”

Her voice was weak. Insecure and vulnerable. And successfully shattered his heart. “That’s not it.”

“Then what is it?”

He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words. Rather, he couldn’t find the words he could use to cover his actual reason. I love you.

There was a knock at the door that sent both of them on edge. They could hear the lock click and the door creak open. “Rosa. Luke.”

It was Aaron.

Luke relaxed. “We’re here,” he said, vaguely so as to give Rosa time to get off of him. He placed his hands on her hips, pushing her up and off of him.

“I’m almost done,” Rosa responded, not moving despite Luke trying to push her away. “Luke and I were just talking.”

“What are you doing?” he hissed, knowing full well Aaron could come around the corner and catch them in this... suggestive position. And knowing his friend as he did, they would NOT be getting off the hook any time soon.

“Stop playing the self-blame game,” she responded in a low growl.

Stop being so attractive! he wanted to return but knew better than doing so.

“Glad someone’s calling Luke out on those tendencies.”

Both of them froze at the sound of Aaron’s voice coming from… close. Luke spotted him first, leaning against the entranceway to Rosa’s bedroom and wearing a smug grin in the process. The embarrassment hit Luke like a bucket of ice water. Or maybe hot coals was a better description because his face was sure on fire now.

“This isn’t what it looks like!”

It was like his own voice echoed in the room until he realized Rosa, who was now scrambling off of him, had said it, too.

“Sure it isn’t,” he said, grin never wavering. “Sorry I ever implied you two didn’t know how to act like a married couple.”

“Aaron,” Luke growled while desperately scrambling off the bed the love of his life had just pinned him on.

“Come on. It will help with your cover story.” Aaron flicked a manila envelope at Luke, which was easily caught.

Again? Even though Luke’s gut was in knots, he tried to get his head back into mission mode as he read over their new cover. “Michael and Fiona Weston?”

“Still have your rings on ya?” Aaron teased.

Luke sighed. Honestly, if asked, he couldn’t say it was surprising. Frankly, to play being married again was what he expected. “I have my ring. Rosa, I never got them back.”

“They’re around here. Somewhere on the vanity.”

Automatically, Luke began looking over her vanity as she continued packing. He found them soon enough. “Here.”

“Thanks.” She extended her hand, and he placed the rings in them.

“Don’t let my wife see. She’d want me to take lessons from you on how to be a good husband.” Aaron teased.

“Kitchen,” Luke warned, shooting a glare at his colleague.

Aaron tossed his hands in the air in surrender. “Okay, okay.”

They reached the kitchen, but before Luke could pull out a chair, Aaron beckoned him outside. His usually cheery face looked serious, so Luke doubted he was going to get teased.

“How’s she holding up?” Aaron asked once Luke shut the door.

It was an innocent inquiry, one made solely out of concern, but it still hit Luke like a punch to the gut. “She’s strong,” he answered, his words weak and laced with regret.

“She’s like you, then?”

Luke hadn’t even realized his gaze was on the floor until he looked up at Aaron. “Huh?”

“You’ve got a talent of covering your pain. Unless it comes to her.”

Regretfully, Aaron wasn’t wrong.

“That’s why I was asking you,” Aaron continued. “Because I figured if I asked her, she’d put on a smile and say she was fine. But my guess is you’re her weakness as much as she is yours. So if anyone knew how she was actually holding up, it’d be you.”

Grimacing, Luke let out a pained grunt. “She’s even trying to keep it together for me. And I…” He let himself lean backward, falling softly against the nearby wall. “I don’t know what to do, Aaron. I don’t know what she needs of me.”

“She needs support, first and foremost,” Aaron said. “Something to keep her grounded. And the way she leans on you for everything is pretty obvious.”

Luke shrugged. “Probably because she’s known me the longest. That’s all.”

With a sigh, Aaron frowned. “Kid, you really don’t realize how much she cares for you, do you?”

“We’re old friends.”

“Please, you both see each other as more than that.”

“You’re wrong. I’m just a friend to her.”

“Don’t give me that,” Aaron chastised, giving Luke’s shoulder a shove with his fist. “You come to me all the time wanting my help because I’m married, and now that I’m telling you about girls, you won’t listen.”

Luke grimaced. Aaron had a point. “But it’s not like that with her. She just cares for me like an old friend.”

“Geez, kid. You’re gonna make me go gray early.” Aaron then leaned against the wall next to him. “Changing the topic, you have any questions about your assignment?”

Luke once again looked over the papers dictating his temporary identity. “Not really, other than wondering why we’re pretending to be married again.”

“Because it was either that or splitting the two of you up entirely.”

“What?!” The papers nearly fell from Luke’s hands as his heart raced in momentary panic.

“And I knew that would be detrimental to both you and her,” Aaron continued, looking rather smug again. “So I suggested this. You should be thanking me.”

Luke grunted, leaning his head back against the wall and letting his eyes close. Was he serious? Aaron wasn’t likely to lie in this situation, though. “Fine. Thanks. This once.”

“I’ll take it. I’m also organizing a psychologist for her to see. I’d like to get you one, but my guess is you’re not opening up to anyone besides her. Maybe me, But I’m not flattering myself.”

“You heard of Dr. Vyn Ritcher?”

“Yeah. I highly respect him. She seeing him?”

“They’re acquaintances, so yes. I told him we’d be leaving the country for a while, and he offered to do counseling over the phone or on video call.”

“Then if he’s willing to do that and she’s up for it, I’ll leave that be. Therapy will be better with someone she already trusts.”

Luke just nodded.

The door opened a crack, and Rosa cautiously stuck her head out.

“Sorry,” Luke said, pasting on a quick smile for her. “We were just chatting. Are you done?”

She returned his grin. “Yeah. I’m packed. Shall we go?”

He nodded. “You got everything? We won’t be coming back for a while.”

“I’d suggest turning off your heating and air for now,” Aaron suggested.

“Great idea.” She then scampered back inside.

“Word of advice,” Aaron said from behind Luke, tapping Luke’s shoulder with his fist a couple times. “Propose to her already, will ya?”

Luke shot another glare at the man. “Aaron, I will tell her you’re Sphinx. She’s been wanting to press charges.”

Rosa reappeared before Aaron could respond. Unfortunately, there was a twinkle in the man’s eye that Luke did not like. But he ignored it, for now, in favor of turning his attention to Rosa. “I can take your bag, Rosa.”

“It’s fine,” she assured.

“But—”

“Luke, I got it.”

Aaron chuckled. “You’re not winning that one, Luke.”

Playfully, she grinned up at Aaron. “You’re my new favorite now, Aaron.”

“Wha?” Luke sputtered.

Aaron laughed harder. “Honored to hear that, young lady. In that case, maybe I should confess one of my deepest secrets. See, I’m actually—”

“And we’re leaving, right?!” Luke loudly interrupted, suddenly realizing just what Aaron was doing. He began pushing a laughing Aaron forcefully down the hall, all while leaving a confused Rosa to follow.

[thenovelartist]

The Fine Line of Loving You - Epilogue

< Previous

Day 7: Cake

The cake in front of him had two candles on top, a number three followed by a number zero. Honestly, he hadn’t thought he’d make it this far, but he’d been nickel and diming his time. A few months here, few more there, a year once. Aaron hadn’t stopped intently searching for a cure, and Luke hadn’t given up on life. He already hadn’t wanted to when he married Rosa, but a whole new sense of desperation had hit him like a tidal wave when she told him she was pregnant.

It had happened a few months after they’d tied the knot, which had happened a month after the insane mission and safehouse debacle. Rosa decided to forgo planning a wedding entirely. Instead, she had him take her down to the courthouse and marry him there. After that, they had organized a much larger reception with all their friends and colleagues by booking out a bar for the evening.

Actually, Luke had to thank Marius for that one. He pulled a few strings for Rosa’s sake.

It was a grand time, and they were showered in congratulations, particularly from his rowdy coworkers. Aaron was there to rib both of them mercilessly—mercilessly—and give a speech that had the entire room laughing. And despite having been downright mortified, Luke wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Then that was that. She had his last name, and they lived life happily married in his home. Very few things changed, which was how Luke liked it. One of those things that had changed, though, was her wanting to try for children.

To say Luke had been hesitant was an understatement. He hadn’t wanted to leave Rosa with a child if a cure couldn’t be found on time and he were to pass away. But Rosa had insisted that she wanted a piece of him, a child with him, to carry on his legacy.

And so, Luke had caved. Two weeks before their first anniversary, their first son was born. John. Like John Watson. Rosa’s idea.

Luke totally cried.

Aaron had been named their child’s official godfather. But only in exchange that he continue doing everything he could to keep Luke alive. To which Luke had been met with a smack over the head and a good scolding. “I’ve been keeping up my end of the deal. It was you who didn’t have any will.”

As much as Luke wanted to protest, there was no arguing with that.

Then came baby number two a year and a half later. Another boy. Luke Sherlock Pearce Junior. Again, Rosa’s idea. In fact, she had insisted, and Luke had let her.

Luke should have died after that. He really should have. But Aaron had worked miracles, which had led to miracle baby number three. A girl, this time. Mary. Luke had laughed until he cried.

And so, here Luke was, celebrating a birthday three years after his original expiration date with one-year-old Mary on his lap while John and little Sherlock sang him ‘Happy Birthday.’

This was all he wanted in life.

After his kids had finished, Luke made a wish before blowing out his candles. Looking over at Rosa who sat across from him, she gave him a bittersweet smile. She knew what he’d wished for; it was no mystery. A cure had yet to be found, but Luke wouldn’t give up hope. He had a family who adored him, three little kids he wanted to watch grow up. He wanted to see if any of them truly took an interest in detective work. He had to make sure to protect his little girl like any good dad would. He wanted to make sure his boys would grow up safely and not end up getting themselves killed like he almost had. But he would trust Aaron would come through. He’d worked miracles thus far; he could work more.

Furthermore, Luke had continued hunting down any clues himself for the drug that was killing him. Rosa had convinced Luke to divulge his secret to the NXX members, confiding in them the drug he’d been forced to take and the men likely behind it. Ever since then, the three other men had gained a new fire in them, knowing now that they were up against people who were recklessly willing to kill for their own gain and the danger that presented to the public at large.

For now, though, Luke would balance the two little boys hanging off of him, wild grin on his face as he cherished every moment he could and fought for each tomorrow.

Later that evening, Rosa would give him all the pictures she’d taken throughout the day. A blessed day filled with joy.

“Aren’t you glad you proposed?” Rosa asked while they were laying in bed that evening.

“Yeah.”

“Good. I’m glad I pulled it out of you.”

“I’m glad you did, too.”

With a content sigh, she snuggled closer to him. He pulled her against his chest, relishing the feel of just holding his wife.

Until his work phone went off.

Rosa whined as she always did. Luke couldn’t say he was too happy about it himself. Yet, he answered it anyway. “Agent Pearce.”

“Luke, it’s Aaron.”

Luke laid back down on the bed, Rosa taking the time to snuggle up against him while she could. “What’s the emergency?”

“Sorry, but there is no emergency. I know it’s late; you can hate me later.”

Well, he was glad he didn’t have to leave, that was for sure. “If I’m not needed why’d you call?”

“Because I couldn’t keep this to myself on your birthday,” Aaron said, grin audible in his voice. “Remember you and your NXX people found what you thought was the drug used to kill you about a year back?”

Something in his words caused Luke’s gut to tighten. “Yeah?”

“It… well, it was and wasn’t. It’s the modified version of your poison. But knowing that, I called in some favors to see if we could degrade it back to the version you yourself got. Couple months ago, we thought we successfully did so. Meaning I was able to study it and create the beginnings of what I think might be an antidote.”

Luke’s gut was bound tightly in knots, and he began finding it hard to breathe. “What…”

“All initial tests prove it functional,” he said. “But I’m gonna need you to come over in the next few days so I can get blood samples from you to see if I actually got it right.”

“Luke?” a soft voice next to him spoke, calling him out of his reverie. His watery gaze locked on his wife’s concerned expression. Gently, she began swiping at his cheeks.

“You mean it, Aaron?” he asked, voice weak with hope. “You might have found an antidote?”

Rosa gasped but quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

“I think I did,” Aaron said. “Absolute worst-case scenario, I didn’t find squat, but I'm pretty confident that's not the case. Second worst-case scenario, what I did find will only give you a couple years.”

“But that’s a lot of time,” Luke quickly countered.

“I’m glad you think so! And plenty of time for me to work more magic. Luke," Aaron said, firm determination in his tone. "I will save you yet. Just you watch.”

“Gladly,” Luke said, watching as tears rolled down his wonderful wife’s cheeks. But they went unattended as she was wiping the happy tears off his.

“I’m not gonna disappoint that wife of yours or my godkids. Not a chance. Gotta keep you alive somehow. But that’s why I called so late. I know you were probably celebrating your birthday with your family, but I thought you’d want to know.”

“I did, Aaron. I absolutely did.”

“Then I’ll let you go and see you whenever you get the chance in the next few days.”

“You’ll see me first thing tomorrow if that’s what you need me for.”

Aaron chuckled. “Then I’ll see ya then.”

“Bye.” With that, Luke hung up the phone.

“He found a cure?” Rosa asked hopefully.

“Maybe,” Luke said, unable to keep the grin off his face. “Maybe. At worst, it wouldn’t work, but preliminary tests say he’ll at least be able to give me a couple years.”

“I have faith in him,” Rosa said, a new round of tears rolling down her cheeks. “He’s worked hard this long.”

Luke gently swiped the tears away from her eyes in a fruitless endeavor to dry them. They were both crying in joy and would likely be for a while. “I’ll forever be in debt to him.”

“We all will. And your birthday wish even came true.”

“Maybe,” he said, trying to keep his head out of the clouds and be realistic.

“Definitely,” Rosa encouraged, hugging Luke tightly. “Is that where you’re going tomorrow morning?”

“Yeah. I know it's our day off, but—”

“I don’t mind,” she assured. “Not one bit. Go see Aaron, then I’ll be waiting at home with the kids for your good news.”

“Then I’ll try my best to not disappoint.”

“Hey,” she said, scooting even closer. “Any more time with you will be good news.”

That was true. “Okay. Then I’ll come back tomorrow with good news.”

Gently, she kissed him. Once, twice, three times. All while clinging to him desperately, happily, hopefully. “I’ll be excited to hear all about it, Luke.”

[kaygom]

I Spy...

Day 3 of Luke Week: Road Trip & "How could you just leave me behind like that?" (A variation of the quote)

Synopsis: Vacation approved, Luke and Rosa are set out to enjoy a week long getaway to a beach house. Just the two of them. Ha. So they think

Characters: Luke & Rosa / Brief appearance: Vyn, Artem, Marius

WC: 3203

A/N: The struggle was real to get this finished lol. But here it is.

--- --- --- ---

“Rosa, I’m going to the grocery store, do you need anything?” Luke is slipping on his jacket by the front door. He slips on his shoes and he peers down the short hallway, Rosa walking towards him.

“I think I pretty much wrote down everything on the list I gave you. If there is anything that comes to mind, I will just text it to you,” she tells him as she holds out his wallet for him. “Missing something, Pearce?” She adds with a chuckle.

“Oh--” He takes his wallet from her hand and wiggles his wrist gently. “How could I forget this?”

“You left it on the coffee table, you goof. Drive safely, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I will.” He winks at her then turns around to open the door of her apartment and walks out. As he’s walking down the hallway he takes out the folded paper from his jacket pocket. He unfolds it and his eyes scan through the list. “She’s so funny. She acts like there won’t be a grocery store near the beach house.”

Luke takes the elevator down to the parking garage and goes to find his car. He takes this time to reach into his other jacket pocket for his pill case. He shakes out two pills before popping them into his mouth, swallowing them dry. He feels the pills go down his throat as he walks up to his car, unlocking it to get into the driver’s seat.

Once at the grocery store, he walks in and is greeted by one of the workers. He gives a polite to the lady and he catches a blush appear on her cheeks. He chuckles in amusement as he goes to grab a shopping cart. Pulling out the shopping list, he takes a glance at it before he tilts his head up a little to look at the signs over the aisles.

He makes a beeline through the aisles and grabs everything on Rosa’s list. He also grabs a few things of his liking along the way. He stands to the side of an aisle and double checks that all the items on the list are within the cart. He nods to himself then proceeds to the checkout line.

Luke unloads his cart and he pushes his cart towards the end of the checkout counter. He hands the bagger his reusable bags that were in the kiddie seat, nodding when the teenager thanks him. He listens to the mechanical beeps of the scanner and his eyes watch his total add up on the screen. He hands over his membership card and the cashier quickly scans it then hands it back to him.

Once he pays for his own groceries, he exits the store and returns to his car to load up the trunk. When he pulls back into the parking garage, she is waiting for him by the elevator. She is leaning back against the wall, scrolling through her phone. When she hears the squeal of his tires as he turns into a parking space, she rushes over to his car. She walks up to the passenger side and she knocks on the window. Luke turns his head and smiles at her. He waves at her and the welcoming smile she gives him makes his heart skip a beat.

He opens the driver door and circles to the trunk, meeting Rosa there. “Hello there, handsome~” She says teasingly, bumping into shoulder gently.

Luke lets a light chuckle leave his lips. “Hello, beautiful.” He opens the trunk and he starts to grab some of the heavier bags while Rosa grabs the remaining bags that he knew were lighter so she wouldn’t have to worry about hurting herself.

“I packed my duffle bag while you were out shopping. I also packed whatever you left out into your own bag,” Rosa tells him as they wait for the elevator to arrive at their floor.

“You didn’t have to.” Luke’s cheeks heats up, embarrassed that she took the initiative to pack his belongings.

“Yeah, but I was bored. At least it’s less that we have to do before we leave tomorrow morning. Which, I think we really should pack all these things within the hour if we want to get ample sleep before getting on the road.” Rosa nods her head and Luke glances at her from the corner of his eyes.

“You act like you’re going to be the one driving tomorrow,” Luke teases her.

The elevator rings, the doors sliding open. The two of them walk into the small space, Rosa pressing the button for her floor. “Well, I am going to have to stay up to make sure that I feed you any snacks or offer you any drinks to keep you up.” Rosa chuckles. The elevator arrives at her floor, they walk out, and turn left down the hallway to her apartment.

“By the way, why did you have me buy fruits and vegetables when there is a grocery store nearby the beach house?” Luke questions, wanting to know her reasoning. He walks through the hallway and sets the bags on her table.

“I assumed the fresh produce would be more expensive out there, so I wanted to make sure we get them beforehand to avoid higher prices..” Rosa’s answer is so innocent and Luke ends up bursting out into hearty laughter.

“You really put in a lot of thought into this trip didn’t you?” He continues to question her.

“Of course! This is the first real vacation I’ve had in awhile! The moment Celestine approved my vacation, I went into full planning mode. I wanted to make sure that this would be a memorable time together.” She starts to look through the bags for anything that would need to be put into the fridge overnight. Luke organizes the snacks into their own bag, humming under his breath.

By the time they finish up in the kitchen and get ready for bed it is nearing 11PM. Rosa clings onto Luke’s arm as the two of them walk into her room. “Are you excited for the next week together?” She asks, her grin wide and cheeky.

Luke pats her head and nods. “I sure am. We finally get to spend time together that doesn’t require being in the presence of the rag tag team of ours.”

“They all mean well, Luke.”

“Yeah, sure they know how to be annoying well. They kept pestering us to see what we had planned. Especially that sleaze bag. He kept insinuating we were gonna do more than what we have on our itinerary. While the other two constantly asked where we’d be and if we had them as emergency contacts in case something happens.” The two pull back the blanket back on their respective side of the bed before sliding in beside each other.

“You know they care about us a lot, Luke…” Rosa lays back into her pillow and pulls the blanket up to her chin.

“No, they’re overbearing.” Luke refutes, scooting in closer to Rosa. “Good night, Rosa.”

“Good night, Luke.”

---

The next morning the duo get ready for their road trip. Luke loads up the car while Rosa makes sure that everything in her apartment is powered down and everything is neat so they don’t come back to a messy place. Luke gets into the driver’s seat and he sets up his GPS for their destination.

“Okay, so I have a bag of snacks. Alongside a few water bottles. Phone is connected to play the road trip playlist I curated during my breaks.” Rosa tells him with a smile, her excitement written all over her face about going on this trip.

“Well, as long as we’re ready now, I am going to start this four hour drive.” Luke puts the car into drive and pulls out of the parking spot.

When they drive out of Stellis, Rosa is singing along to the song that is playing loudly through the speakers. Luke glances back and forth from the road to see Rosa holding a water bottle in her hand, singing into it like it is a microphone.

An hour into the drive, Luke turns down the volume of the music. “I have an idea, let’s play a game,” he suggests, wanting to take a break from focusing too much on the road.

“What should we play? I spy?” Rosa asks him.

“No. A word game. We have to come up with a word that starts with the last letter of the word that we say. So if I apple, you say egg. Or something like that.” Luke gives her an example.

“Oh, okay okay. Let’s play. I’ll start! Mmmm. Tempo.” Rosa begins their game.

“Opera~” Luke follows up with.

“Air!”

“Rabbit.”

“Traffic.”

“Carpet.”

“Train.”

“Next.”

“Tarp.”

“Paint.”

“T--” But Luke pauses, realizing that the words that Rosa keeps giving him end in the letter T. “Hey, what are you doing?!”

Rosa laughs, obviously aware of what she was doing. “‘Hey, what are you doing?’ doesn’t start with the letter T, Luke.”

“You know what word starts with the letter T, Rosa? Trickster. And that is exactly what you are.” He reaches across to the passenger to tickle at her neck.

Rosa squeals and she retreats to press herself to the passenger door to steer clear of Luke’s threatening hand. Luke laughs also as he pulls his arm back so he can have both hands back on the wheel. “Okay, different game.”

“I spy?” Rosa asks for the second time.

“No, how about a game of categories?” Luke chuckles, not accepting her game just to get under her poke fun at her.

She whines and protests. “I want to play I Spy, Luke!”

“Fine, fine! We’ll play the game you want. But first, may I get a snack, please? I hope that you packed the cheese rings. I am getting a bit hungry.”

“It’s a front seat snack, Luke. Of course they’re up here for easy access.” Rosa reaches down into the bag of snacks and the rustling sound of all the snack bags colliding with each other fills the air. She pulls out the bag of cheese rings and she pulls the opening apart. She sniffs and exhales. “Cheesy.”

Luke wiggles his fingers, reaching over, but Rosa meets his hand halfway and his hand crinkles the bag. “Why thank you~” Luke reaches into the bag and pulls out a few rings to munch on.

“Okay, should we play a few rounds of I Spy?” Luke asks between chews.

“Yes, let’s!” Rosa looks around the car and peers out the windshield to see what she would choose to describe for him to guess.

Luke continues to snack on his chips as he waits for Rosa to start the game.

After a few moments, she is finally ready. “Okay. I Spy with my little eye something green.” Rosa says her clue before she helps herself to the chips.

Luke’s peers around the dash of the car, looking for anything that is green. “Is it one of the lights here?” He points with his pointer finger dusted with cheese crumbs.

He catches her shaking her head from the corner of his eyes. “Nope~” She quips, happy that he didn’t get it at first guess.

Then his eyes get a glimpse at the bag of chips that Rosa has decided to hoard to herself. “The bag of cheese rings?” He asks.

“Errrrr!!” Rosa imitates the sound of a buzzer, which makes Luke laugh at her attempt. “Wrong!”

Luke huffs and his eyes search his dash once more. But he doesn’t see anything that is green within the car. Oh. He leans forward a little careful not to hinder his ability to drive properly. He glances beyond the windshield and his eyes catch something green in the distance. “Is it those green balloons out there?” He turns his head to the side to look at her, anticipating her response.

“Ding ding ding!” She offers him the bag of chips. “You are correct! Those are the balloons for the carnival, right?”

Luke reaches for more cheese rings and pops one into his mouth before responding. “Yeah, I believe so.”

“We should go there on our way back.” Rosa muses.

“If you want to leave a day early we can. Then we can just book a hotel nearby so we won’t have to worry about driving three hours to the carnival, spend the whole day, and drive back home..” Luke suggests, as he wiggles his fingers, signalling for something to wipe his cheese dust covered fingers.

Without question, Rosa retrieves a wet wipe from her bag. But instead of just letting him wipe his fingers himself, she does it for him.

Luke glances away from the road and he watches her for a brief moment. “Thank you, Rosa.” He tells her when she finishes up.

“No problem~” She disposes of the wet wipe and puts the bag of chips away before she looks at him. “Okay, it's your turn.”

“Well… Okay..” His eyes search whatever is before him and debates on what his item will be. “I spy with my little eye… mmm..” He pauses, his eyes still searching for an object. “Let’s see…” His eyes dart at the sticker that is on the top corner of his windshield that is usually put there after he gets service done on his car. “I spy with my little eye something white.” Luke describes vaguely even though it would be obvious what he described as long as she looks well enough.

“There’s a lot of things in this car that are white right now…” Rosa huffs. She remains quiet, analyzing everything in the car that he could have possibly caught his eye to be his object of choice.

He taps his fingers against the steering wheel along to the beat of the song that is quietly playing in the background. Luke waits to see what she comes up with when she hears her mumbling to herself. “Is it the napkins tucked in the front compartment there?” Luke’s eyes trail over to where Rosa’s finger is pointing.

He shakes his head. “Nope~”

Rosa falls quiet again. Luke hums softly to the new song that comes on. He reaches forward to turn the volume dial to turn it up. “Want another hint?” Luke asks Rosa when she doesn’t speak for a minute.

“Yes, please.”

“There’s also numbers on the object.” Describing the dates and mileage on the sticker for when he should return to the dealership.

“Numbers?” Rosa's voice sounds so confused, unsure what the heck Luke was describing.

Another moment of silence and Luke almost gives in to telling her where it is located, but if he does, it’d be a dead giveaway. He vocalizes the countdown song from the quiz game show the two frequently watched on weeknights.

“Ugh, Luke! Why did you have to choose--” She pauses after she turns her head to shoot him a glare, but he assumes she found the sticker. “Is it that sticker?!”

“Correct!” Luke drums on the steering wheel in celebration. “Congratulations!”

“Want to go another round?” Luke asks her, wanting to try to find another hard object for him to find.

“No, I’m going to take a nap.” Rosa snaps at him, playing irritated that he had got her stumped.

“I thought you said you were going to stay up with me through this whole four hour drive?” Luke feigns disappointment with a gasp.

“Well, I’m napping! Suck it up, Pearce. Let the music entertain you while I sleep.” Rosa huffs and reaches in the back for her small blanket to drape over her body.

Luke chuckles in amusement as he focuses back on driving and lets Rosa “nap.”

---

The last two and a half hours of the drive was spent either talking about the vague details of the cases that they had to put on hold before going on their short escapade.

When they pull up to their beach house, Luke blinks at the car that is parked in the driveway as well. “Did I put the right address in?” He double checks his phone, comparing the itinerary that Rosa sent him to the address he put in his GPS.

“It looks like the house that I reserved.. Maybe it’s housekeeping?” Rosa questions, peering out of the window to see if there is anyone in the car that they are parked beside.

“I hope that’s what it is…” Luke mutters, suspicious of their current situation. “The key is in the small key lock at the front door, right?”

“Yeah. The code is 39-14-5”

“Okay, you stay here and I’ll go get the key. If there’s no one in the house, I’ll come get you. But if there happens to be housekeeping still in the house, we can just go out to the beach while they finish their job.” Luke gets in his serious agent mode, putting their safety first. He unbuckles his seatbelt and exits out the car. He looks around and it’s a quiet community, no sign of anyone around. The only sound that he hears is the waves crashing against the shore in the distance.

He blinks and cautiously scales the side of the house, walking up the short steps to the walkway to the front door. Luke pauses when he sees figures walking towards the house. He rolls his eyes and he walks back to the driveway, waving down Rosa to come out.

When she joins him, the two of them watch as the three who emerge from the beach all smile widely at them. “Dr. Richter?!” Rosa is shocked to see their colleague here. Artem is right behind him and he has a towel wrapped around his neck.

“Well it’s about time you guys showed up! We already began to enjoy the beach without you two! Marius calls out to them, picking up his pace to finally catch up with the two eldest.

“Mr. Wing.. Marius..” Luke acknowledges the two other men before pursing his lips. “And what the hell are you three doing here? Bombarding our trip?”

“How could you two just leave us behind in Stellis?” Marius smirks at the two of them. “We wanted to join the fun!”

“I am only here because Marius dragged me to do this..” Artem says his piece.

“I was rudely awakened before my alarm this morning. I tried to get out of it, but Marius threatened me.” Vyn explains as he shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly.

“The three of you are sleeping outside.” Luke scoffs at the three of them. “Told you, you shouldn’t have told them our exact plans, Rosa.” He walks up to the key lock and unlocks it to retrieve the key to unlock the front door.

“I will keep that in mind for future reference..” Rosa mutters before walking back to the car to unload the car.

This trip started off nice. But now he was going to have to deal with the three musketeers. I suppose we’re just gonna have to make the best of it… He thinks to himself as he directs Marius and the other two to help Rosa to get their stuff.

[themistypewriter]

Luke Week has begun!!

Day 1: Longing / Jealousy / "I wanted to call you, but I'd immediately hang up once it rang."

You can either share your work via the discord server or the contact page. You can also tag your work with #lukeweek2021 and your work will be reblogged onto the main page.

[themistypewriter]

Day 7 of Luke Week (Final)!!

Prompts: Cake / Party / "Since it's my birthday, will you grant my wish for me?"

[themistypewriter]

Day 5 of Luke Week!

Prompts: Ring / Peanut (Bird) / "There's gotta be something hidden in there..."

[themistypewriter]

Day 4 of Luke Week!

Prompts: Late Night Conversation / Unrequited Love / "Why'd you think I'd be in into someone else?"

[themistypewriter]

Day 6 of Luke Week!

Prompts: School / Sunset / "Please tell me you caught that on camera!"

[themistypewriter]

DAY 3 OF LUKE WEEK!

Prompts: Road Trip / Inside Joke / "How could you just leave me behind like that?!"