Michael's eyes are wide in amazement as they stare out over the ocean, and Luke grins softly as he runs his fingers through his soft hair. "I've never seen something so... magnificent." He breathed out and Luke agreed with a hum as he stared at the man.

"I don't see why you didn't let me buy you the -"

"- Are all waters like this?" Michael asked and Luke looked over the ocean.

"Some are even more beautiful." He admitted. "I wish I could bring you there. You deserve the best."

Michael smiled before looking up at him, a hand reaching out to brush a curl behind Luke's ear. "This is perfect." He promised and Luke kissed Michael's wrist.

"I never was able to get out much." He admitted before looking over the dark ocean water and the twinkling stars in the sky. "I'd wake up, go to work, go home, then sleep. I thought it's all I was allowed to do."

"Why?"

"I don't know." He sighed as his eyes landed on the full moon. "There's something unproductive about taking time to just enjoy the beauty of nature. I made myself believe I was just too busy, too adult-ish, to spend some time admiring it. All my life has been go, go, go, so to stop and just stare is nice."

Luke smiled to himself as he counted the stars in the sky, and then looked down when he felt Michael shifting his weight. His head was now on top of his thigh instead of his leg, and his leg was hanging off the end of the cliff. Michael was staring at the sky now too, more interested in the constellations than their reflection from the sea.

"I love the stars." Luke said without thinking. "I always have. I get this feeling of nostalgia every time I see them. Do you see that?"

He pointed up at the sky and Michael nodded. "That's the big dipper. And right beside that? That's the North star, people use it to guide them in journeys where compasses don't work or where they don't have access to one."

Michael hummed, and Luke excited pointed to another set of stars in the sky while squinting. "That's Cassiopeia. It's the first constellation I ever learned, and it's name is so pretty. I wanted to have a daughter and name her Cassidy after it."

"That's a pretty name." He agreed and Luke felt fingers press against his neck where his vein ran. "Can I show you something?"

"What is it?"

He didn't answer, but Luke felt something suspiciously similar to the relaxation of nearly falling asleep as everything went black. He gripped on to Michael, and he could hear his kind words before suddenly the world came back to him like a rush. It was brighter, clearer, and so much more lively. The shimmers on the ocean weren't just foggy reflections distorted from waves, and the stars weren't just little dots of light. They were beautiful, like something he had never seen before coming to life right in front of him. Almost exaggerated, like a cartoon animation, but real. They were so real, he felt like he could touch them if he reached high enough.

"Woah," he gasped and then looked around while blinking. "- what did you do?"

"It's hard to explain. My father used to do it to me when I was a child." He said, voice strained as Luke continued admiring the sky with a brand new sense of bewilderment.

"Everything's so much more beautiful." Luke voiced and Michael let out a laugh that almost sounded pained.

"I-I can't hold it long." Michael told him and Luke felt his eyes twitch when he turned towards the moon, the light too bright to handle. "Do you see it?"

"I think." He answered and then looked down at Michael to see his eyes lit up almost like a flashlight behind the palm that was covering them. "What are you doing?"

"Showing you how I see your world." He told him and Luke smiled before looking back up at the sky. "Your eyes will explode if I hold it too long. Mine too. Can I -"

"- Yes, please. You sound like you're in pain." Luke chuckled and then closed his eyes for a few moments as he felt Michael's fingers move.

When he opened them again, everything felt like normal, and he took a deep breath as Michael dropped his hand on to his stomach. "If I could, I'd bring you back a star." He spoke and Luke felt a strange sense of happiness fill him at Michael's attempt to be romantic and cheesy.

"Why?"

"Because you look at them like they're your's." He said as if it was obvious. "Like they belong to you and they were put in the sky just for you to admire and name for me. You deserve a star."

"It's physically impossible to give someone a star, but thank you." He looked down at Michael who still had a hand over one eye. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He sat up and Luke felt worry bubble inside of him as Michael laughed nervously. "I just... I've never done that before."

"The seeing thing?"

He nodded and Luke slowly peeled Michael's hand away to see that unlike his right eye, which held a soft luminescent glow of emerald, his left eye was dull and normal. He sighed, and Michael looked down as Luke leaned forward. "Close it."

Michael closed his left eye and he pressed a soft kiss against his eyelid. "Here on Earth, if you kiss an injury then it gets better faster." He told him with a chuckle.

"I'm sorry."

Luke shrugged as he tilted Michael's gaze up. "Hey, it's okay. You don't need to do things that will hurt you for me."

"You just went through so much trouble for me and I wanted to give you something, even if it was short. If other humans find out about how you hid me, wouldn't something bad happen?" He asked and Luke took a deep breath.

"Let's not think about that, okay?" He said and Michael pressed his forehead against his chest as Luke rubbed his back. "It doesn't matter what happens in the future. Right now is all that matters for now."

Michael nodded and Luke looked over the horizon as his own eyes felt dry and aching. "I have some eyedrops in my bag by the tree, how about we see if that can help, alright?" He asked and then stood up.

Michael stood up with him and the two began to walk towards the small picnic setup. "If something happens, Luke," he started. "- can you promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Can you promise me that you'll do something that actually makes you happy?"

Luke stopped and then turned around to see Michael standing behind him, seriousness etched into his face. "Why that?"

He could have asked for anything else, like the nightlight he loves so much or his sweaters that he never wants to stop wearing even if Luke bought him his own. Why his happiness?

"I've never seen you happier than you've been the last few days and I think you're even starting to glow." He chuckled and Luke felt his cheeks burn. "Happy is a really pretty color on you."

He nodded and then forced a smile. "Nothing is going to happen, okay?"

"Can you promise me though?" Michael pushed and Luke kissed his cheek.

"I promise. Now come on, my eyes are burning." He chuckled and Michael followed him after interlacing their fingers.

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