out loud / michael clifford
summary: you crossed a line you didn't know was there.
tags/warnings: smut, afab! reader, luke x reader if u squint, jealous!possessive!michael (sensing a theme my bad y'all). eas!era. this is my first time writing smut so if it sucks uhhhhh just be happy it's not ai - oral fem! & male! receiving, p in v, kinda chill yk this is so not edited and the resolution is quickk ENJOY
the club was dark and packed, bodies hot and thrumming as the bass thumped hot and sticky off the walls. your boots hit the floor as you walked in, eyes fixed on the bar; you knew he was here but you weren't about to look like you were seeking him out. calum followed you in closely, chattering about someone he saw outside and scanning the room for a spot for you two to dance as you ordered drinks.
as you made your way to the dance floor, you couldn't help the way your eyes wandered, searching for him. cal playfully swatted your arm, a knowing smile on his face.
"y/n, you gotta stop that," he grinned. "you said it was nothing serious."
you nodded, smiling back. "it's not, i swear."
it hadn't been. you and michael had been hooking up sporadically for a month or two after meeting at a mutual friends' house party. you had woken up in his sheets after that night, and since then you had done the same more times than you could count. it worked without much communication; you'd hang out at one of your places, you'd sleep over, you'd hook up, you'd go home, repeat.
you would be lying if you said it looked casual from the outside, though. somewhere along the way you had started texting frequently, meeting for coffee on days off, ordering in food and watching movies until early in the morning. you told yourself that it was normal, that if he wanted to solidify anything with you then he would. that never came. it was never more than introducing each other as "a friend", and you didn't dare ask any questions that would stop the arrangement. if he wasn't going to make any serious moves, neither were you.
that didn't stop you from looking for him as the lights flashed and the alcohol warmed your system. you and calum danced to the music, the slight buzz from the drink in your hand spurring the movement of your hips as they swayed to the music senselessly. every time you thought you saw a flash of red hair pass by it shocked your system, making you down your next few drinks quicker than you probably should have.
you weren't sure how much time had passed when a hand grabbed your upper arm, turning you around into a tall, solid body that immediately apologised for startling you, giggling. you stared up at luke, sparkly blue eyes half-shut and a grin spreading across his face as he pulled you into a hug. your heart dropped, eyes blown wide. if luke was here, michael wouldn't be far; they were practically attached at the hip whenever they went out.
"y/nnnn!" luke yelled into your ear, carding a hand through the back of your hair as he hugged you close to his chest. "i didn't know you'd be here!"
you laughed, leaning up to talk back into his ear over the loud music. his hand planted at your lower back, sending a warmth through your spine as you talked. his accent was sloppy, words slurring casually together as he reached across you to say hi to calum, the smell of smoke and cologne hitting your nostrils intoxicatingly when the movement pulled you closer into him. you chewed your lip anxiously; the longer luke lingered, the more likely it was that you'd see michael.
"you look stunning," luke said lowly, eyes roaming over you unapologetically. "absolutely insane." his large hand was splayed on your back, rubbing small circles through the fabric of your top. his eyeshadow sparkled in the lights and you could admit he looked pretty, pupils blown out and lips wet, tongue running over the pointy parts of his teeth. the thought flashed across your mind before you could stop it, and in a bold move, you reached to trace a hand across his collarbone and down his shoulder, lingering on the back of his arm. if michael was nearby, he would see you devastatingly close to one of his closest friends, feeding into the flirting, and a large part of you wanted him to. if he didn't want to call you his, then you were desperate for him to see that someone else would, that someone else could want you. luke enjoyed the attention you were giving him, pressing into your touch as he kept his eyes locked on you.
"thanks honey, you look pretty too." you replied honestly, bringing your drink up to your lips as he grinned and replaced your drink with his own glass, watching as you sucked through the straw.
the air in the room shifted. suddenly you felt unbearably hot, heart racing, skin prickling. a pair of green eyes met your own from across the room over luke's shoulder, and it was like the air was knocked out of your lungs. you refused to let it show. he was leaning against the wood top of the bar as the bartender gave him his drink, mouthing 'thank you' without taking his eyes away from yours. everything about him was effortlessly gorgeous; his baggy jeans and muscle tank falling loosely over his tall frame, red hair messy, dark eyeliner smudged. his gaze burned, the lights of the club still flashing in time with the music. you tore your eyes away from the man across the room and brought them back to luke, who was still hovering above you, chest heaving. his dark curls fell across his forehead as he leaned down to talk about the song the dj was playing, plush lips brushing the shell of your ear and breath fanning across your cheek. you took the opportunity to snake your hand up his back, fingers running up and down his spine, feeling the muscles tighten under the shirt he was wearing as you continued to laugh and nod at everything he was saying.
you heard calum giggling behind you. "uh oh…" he sang playfully, and you barely had time to register what was happening before a large hand gripped your wrist, cold rings biting your skin. michael stared down at you, teeth gritted, eyes dark. he was shaking his head, looking almost disappointed. he spoke over the music without even looking at luke.
"mind if i steal her for a second?"
luke grinned, keeping his arm around you. "that depends, does she wanna go?"
michael's eyes were cold, fixed on you. "she does."
luke and calum laughed as he left you with michael, both muttering something that you couldn't hear over the rush in your own head. michael's hand was still gripped tightly around your wrist, eyes boring into yours.
"and what if i didn't wanna go?" you spat, hoping the tone tore through his skin and settled in his chest, curling into something that nagged at him for the next few days. he stepped a fraction closer, breath ghosting over your forehead as he sighed lightly.
you huffed, pulling your arm back into yourself. "what was all that?" you demanded, and a flash of hurt cuts through his otherwise calm expression.
"what was what?" he huffed, pushing a hand through his hair casually as if he hadn't just scared off a fully grown man.
frustration built in your stomach, something dark and churning. "don't do that."
"don't do what?" he scoffed, eyes narrowing. "you were the one all over him."
your jaw tightens, defiance set in. "and? since when do you care?"
"i don't." he shoots back, quick, easy, feigning nonchalance.
you barked out a laugh, cutting through the still-loud room, head shaking in disbelief as you took a step back from him. "right."
for what feels like ages, neither of you dares to speak. the silence between you stretches as the club music keeps pulsing, people milling about around you still. his head hangs low before catching your eyes again.
"you knew i was here." your stomach drops, anger spiking to cover how right he was. you blink once, twice, mouth slightly open before setting your jaw again.
"what are you talking about?"
"you kept looking," he says quietly, and it's only cause he's still so damn close that you hear it.
"i don't know what you mean." you say unconvincingly, heat rising to your face, arms crossed over your body in a protective stance.
"you sure?" he steps towards you, just out of reach, head tilted to the side.
you swallow hard, tearing your eyes away from his. "you don't get to act like that, mikey." the words land between you, and he debates even acknowledging that they're there.
his shoulders straighten a little, brows knit tightly together. "then don't give me a reason to, y/n." as if it was simple. as if it was your fault.
you scoff, rolling your eyes. the ego radiating off of him is dizzying. he studies your face intently, seeing where the cracks are, where he can wedge in. "that's not how this works. you've made that pretty clear."
the silence between you hits again, somehow landing heavier this time. his eyes are still roaming your face, like if he studies it long enough he can commit it to memory. around you, the club livens, more people dancing to the thumping beat that mimics your heart now. he breaks the silence before you do.
"come on." he mutters finally, nodding towards the door. your heart leaps, knowing you got what you ultimately wanted. you try not to let it show, not wanting to give him the satisfaction, but deep down, you know you've won this fight. he reaches for your hand, lacing your fingers together. you let him.
"we're not done talking about this." you say to his back as he guides you through the crowd, hand warm under yours.
"good," he says back at you, glancing your way. "we're not having this conversation here."
outside, the air hits you like a slap in the face, sending shivers up and down your body. the buzz hasn't worn off completely — the edges of your brain still fuzzy and mellowed out as you followed the boy down the block where he stops and holds his hand out to call a taxi passing by. the two of you climb into the backseat and michael sighs out his address as the taxi tears away from the curb. the streetlights start to blur by, a rush of wind against the windows of the car and the movement pushes your thigh to his. neither one of you moves away. the silence between you gets too much, and your exhale cuts through the atmosphere of the car like a blade.
you decide to press, eyes glued forward. "so, you gonna tell me what that really was?" you breathe, and his thigh twitches next to yours.
"just thought you were laying it on a bit thick, that's all." he states, and out of the corner of your eye you can see his mouth is set in a firm line, the lights hitting all the right angles of his face, his soft features, turned up nose.
"you're kidding." you huff, turning to look at him finally.
"what?" he snaps, eyes focusing onto yours, threatening.
"you think you get a say?" you push back.
you blink at him, eyes wide. "i thought you didn't care?"
he pauses, thinking about his answer.
"yeah." and he leaves it there, just one word hanging in the air between you. you turn back to face the window, an absolute hurricane whirling in your head. the car rolls to a stop, red light bathing the inside of the taxi. michael moves his hand to rest on your knee, and when you turn to look at him he's busy pretending something is more interesting out the window. you let him keep it there, its warmth almost comforting, familiar. the light turns green. the car moves again. neither one of you says anything for the rest of the ride.
the taxi pulls up outside his place, engine idling softly. he reaches for the door, cool air hitting you once again as he climbs out. you follow, arms wrapping around yourself in the cold. michael is paying the driver as you stand on the curb; he steps back and brushes past you as the taxi pulls off into the night.
"you coming?" hands shoved in his pockets, he stalks towards his own door, turning to look at you to make sure you're following. you're all of a sudden hyper aware of the way your shoes are hurting in your boots from dancing all night, the dull ache in your head, how messed up your hair and makeup must be. you follow him in anyways.
you shut the door behind you with a quiet click, leaning against the wall to take off your shoes. you've barely looked up before he's above you, boxing you in against the door with one hand next to your head and the other coming up to take your chin. your breath catches in your throat, coming out as a half-gasp, half-protest. he studies you again, eyes lingering on your parted lips for a beat too long, his bottom lip caught between his teeth. his rings are cold against the skin of your throat.
"i can't believe you made me do that," he near growls, eyes dark and heavy lidded. you can smell the alcohol on his breath. "acting all easy with luke."
you whine, shaking your head as if this isn't what you wanted all along, like you hadn't craved his touch all night. the thought of him watching you flirt with his friend set your chest on fire. his thumb swipes across your bottom lip, tugging at it gently before coming to rest at your chin once more, keeping your gaze locked on him. his pupils were blown, red hair falling across his forehead and tickling yours. your hands come up to grip his muscle tank, eyes flicking quickly to see the way his bicep was held taut against the weight of his body on the door frame, and heat flashes in your stomach.
"awh, you wanted me to see you, didn't you baby?" he pouts, frowning when you shake your head defiantly. his knee slots between your legs harshly, the denim scraping against your bare thighs. "don't lie to me."
you look up at him sweetly through your lashes. "wanted to see if you'd care."
this cracks something, and the expression on his face falls for a second. he strokes your cheek with his thumb, other hand finally coming off of the door to hold your waist so tight you're sure you could feel his handprint on your bones.
"you gonna keep pretending like you don't?" you push through the silence, smoothing out his shirt where your hands had been gripping it, and his lips slam into yours without a second thought. it's messy, rougher than usual, desperation seeping in through the seams of the kiss. his tongue licks its way into your mouth sweetly, and his hand that had been at your throat moves to tangle in the back of your hair. he groans into your mouth, and you can taste the leftover alcohol on both of your tongues. his large hands reach to palm the backs of your thighs as you're picked up without effort, kiss never broken, like you've done a million times before. you're put down on the edge of his bed, laid back as he leans over you, panting — his chest rises and falls hungrily for a bit before leaning down to kiss you again, sweeter this time, hands coming to push your hips down into the bed. his hands roam freely, not sure where to come to rest just yet; he's lost in the feeling of you and your hands and your lips and the steady buzz in his head. you can already feel that he's straining against his jeans by the almost desperate way he's grinding into you, thighs warm against yours, soft breaths escaping his lips between kisses.
"knees. now." he huffs through bites and licks to your lower lip, fumbling with his own belt buckle and zipper. you slide off of the side of the bed and onto your knees as he asked, helpful hands coming up to pull his jeans down the rest of the way. as soon as your hand reaches into his boxers he's groaning, head thrown back at the slightest touch. you stroke him languidly, watching curiously as his head tips back, curve of his throat exposed. his hands find their way into your hair, fingers threading harshly through the strands.
he watches, mouth open, as you take him into your mouth. he's unable to stop the way his hips buck up into you, trying his best not to overwhelm you. you hollow your cheeks, tongue flat along the bottom of his length, and the broken sound he makes in response sends heat down your spine. he lets you toy with him in your mouth for a bit before pulling you to your feet, kissing you hard as he pushes you back down onto the bed. his hands are a blur, tugging your top over your head impatiently. his lips attach themselves to your neck, skirt being pulled down, leaving you in just your underwear. the cool metal of his rings leave goosebumps where they trace down your sides. he leaves wet, open-mouthed kisses along the inside of your thighs, biting down harshly just to get a reaction out of you. he presses his tongue flat against the fabric that covers your center, warmth radiating through you at the feeling. your back arches off of the bed, hands flying to card in his hair. light tugs have him groaning.
he hooks his fingers into the waistband and drags your underwear down your legs slowly, deliberately, laughing at the way you writhe under his touch. when his tongue finally flattens against you, it's messy and deliberate. he laps at you with purpose, working into you as you grab fistfuls of his hair. the groan that rumbles into you is electric. he reads every gasp and whimper of yours, staring up at you through his lashes sweetly.
"you taste like the club still," he says against you, and there's something almost possessive in the way he says it, like he's trying to overwrite the memory of luke's hands with his own mouth. he takes a finger and slides it through your slick, pushing it into you and adding a second quickly after. his fingers curl inside of you as his tongue still works on your clit, thighs clenching involuntarily as his other hand comes up to press on your lower stomach. his pace quickens once he sees you screw your eyes shut, whimpers becoming higher and higher pitched and mixing in with whines of his name. as soon as you feel that familiar feeling in the pit of your stomach, marked by a particularly loud moan, you're left empty; you nearly cry out at the loss of his fingers and mouth, slamming your heel against the bed in protest.
"so unfair—" you huff, but are cut off with a hand wrapped around your throat, not squeezing, just resting. a condescending look is shot your way, kisses are given to your neck.
"been thinking about this all night," he mutters against your collarbone, leaving marks as he goes. "watching you with him, knowing you're mine."
you want to protest, want to remind him that you're not his, that he made that decision when he refused to call you anything but a friend, but his mouth finds your breast and all rational thought is gone. you arch into him, fingers digging into his shoulders as he works you over with his lips and teeth and tongue. he drags his cock through your folds, and both of you take in a sharp breath as he presses against your entrance, watching your face like he's trying to memorize it, thumbs stroking circles on your hips. he comes up to press his forehead against yours, green eyes dark.
"no one else gets to have you like this, y/n. just me, yeah?" he pushes into you as you nod frantically, the stretch aching perfectly as he sinks deeper. he groans, burying his face in your neck as he bottoms out, stalling to let you adjust. he hikes one of your legs up as he pulls back before setting an agonisingly slow pace. his heavy breathing fans across your face, eyes locked on yours, a large hand wrapped around your thigh while the other comes to rest on your cheek, thumb placed on your lower lip.
"so pretty for me, baby, you like when i take what's mine?" he whispers against your lips.
"yes, mikey, i—" his hips snap against yours roughly at the sound of his name, quickening the pace and spurring endless groans out of both of you as the sound fills the room. he's babbling, absolutely drunk on you, a chant of calling you his, his baby, his perfect girl leaving his pretty plush lips. it's like music to your ears.
"only you," he gasps into your neck, biting down hard enough to leave marks. "fuck, only you get me like this. you ruin me for anyone else, y/n."
your nails rake down his back, and he hisses at the sting of it, hips driving deeper in response. the angle is perfect, hitting that spot inside you that has you seeing stars, and you're already wound tight again, muscles coiling in anticipation.
"i'm close," you whimper, arms thrown around his neck.
"i know, baby, i can feel you squeezing me," he breathes, one hand moving down to circle your clit as he thrusts. "come for me. come on my cock and show me you're mine."
the combination of his words, his touch, the relentless pace, it's too much. you're tightening around him, crying out his name as pleasure washes over you in waves. he follows close after, groaning your name into your shoulder as he spills into you, hips slowing as he works through it.
he doesn't pull out right away. instead, he stays there, forehead pressed against yours, both of you breathing heavily in the quiet aftermath. his hand comes up to brush the hair away from your face, eyes searching yours like he's looking for something. he rolls to the side off of you, pulling you into his chest tightly, and for the first time this whole night the silence is comfortable. your breathing slows together, and he traces circles over your bare back.
"can i say something that might ruin this?" he grimaces. you shift to look at him, propping yourself up on an elbow, searching his face for a semblance of anything that could break your heart.
"sure," you say softly, fear settling into your stomach. he's quiet for a moment, and you can feel him working through what he wants to say. his arm tightens around your waist.
"i can't keep this up." he says carefully. "pretending it's nothing. cause it's not nothing. you're not nothing to me." he blurts the rest out, refusing to meet your gaze. his fingers are nervously tapping your back.
your heart catches in your throat. "michael…"
"please, let me finish," he says, voice shaking. "i know i've been a coward about it. i know i've been keeping you at arm's length, telling myself it was easier this way. but watching you tonight, seeing you with him, the thought that i could actually lose you..." he trails off, swallowing hard.
you reach up and touch his face, feeling the warmth of his skin under your fingertips, the stubble on his chin. he turns his face to kiss your hand, and his grip on your waist is bruising.
"i wanna be loud about it, y/n. i want people to know. and i'm so sorry if this ruins everything and it's not what you wanted i just needed you to know that—" you cup his face in both of your hands, kissing him softly. the nerves in your stomach that had been raging all night finally seeming to calm. when you pull back to look at him, he's smiling, hands still trembling slightly at your waist.
"you could've just told me that instead of scaring poor luke off," you tease. "all you needed was to say the word; i've been yours, mikey." he blushes, pulling you back against his chest, and you can feel him relax like he's been holding tension this whole night and is only now letting it go. his hand finds yours under the covers, lacing your fingers together.
"in the morning," he murmurs against your hair, "i'm telling luke and calum. and everyone else. you're mine, and i want people to know it."
you smile into the low light of the room. "okay."
"and tomorrow night," he continues, his voice getting softer as sleep starts to pull at both of you, "i'm taking you out. proper date. dinner, somewhere nice. you in that dress you wore to your friend's birthday thing."
"the red one?" you ask, already knowing the answer.
"yeah, that one," he confirms, nodding against you. "the one that drives me fucking crazy."
you laugh quietly, and he does too, and it feels right in a way that nothing else has in months.
"sleep, honey," he hums after a moment, pressing another kiss to your head. "i've got you."
and for the first time since this whole thing started, you actually believe that he does.
