Justice League: The Heir of Hecate

Gryffinpuff

After Luke woke up he'd been in something of a haze. Then the events of the last day caught up with him and he hurriedly tried to get out of the bed, his body shaking.

"Woah, woah, woah," Arthur said, catching Luke in his arms before he could stumble. "Easy there, buddy."

Clark's eyes never left Luke's face, which was a heartbreaking display of fatigue, worry and grief. He also took note of how Luke was clinging to Arthur, how Arthur was holding onto him.

"I have to check on Lydia and my parents," Luke explained, his voice trembling.

"We've already looked in on them," Victor said, his tone gentle and reassuring. "Lydia was taken to the hospital and questioned by the police but she's home now. Not a scratch."

Luke let out a shaky breath. "And my parents?"

"They're safe," Victor said. "Just very worried about you."

Luke took a deep breath to try to steady himself, then his eyes filled with tears and he began to cry. The heroes looked at each other, a sense of helplessness settling in on them. Luke had endured horrors, some of which they weren't completely privy to.

"I'm sorry," Luke gasped, wiping his tears as Arthur continued to keep him steady.

"Don't apologize," Diana urged as she reached out and laid a comforting hand on his back. "You should never apologize for your feelings."

Luke smiled over his shoulder at her, then looked back at Arthur, his eyes landing on the man's wide chest. He suddenly became conscious of just how tightly he was clinging to Arthur's thick biceps- and just how great they felt. "Uh, I'm sorry," he said, quickly letting go and moving back onto the bed.

Arthur grinned down at him. "It's cool. I'm used to people throwing themselves at me," he said in an attempt to make Luke smile.

Clark watched the exchange with a note of jealousy that was crushed by his concern for Luke, who had continued to cry. He wanted to shove Arthur out of the way and pick Luke up in his arms.

"I know you're probably wondering why I'm here and what's going on," Luke said after steadying himself. "I don't even know where to begin."

"Take your time," Diana said.

"Before we go into story time," Alfred said. "I think this young man would probably appreciate some nourishment."

Suddenly aware of the fact that he hadn't eaten or drank anything for several hours, Luke's stomach growled. He looked around at the others with a self-conscious smile.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Alfred said with a smile before briefly leaving and returning with a tray. He pulled the lid off, revealing a hot plate of lemon chicken with potatoes and a glass and pitcher of sparkling water. Luke immediately and hungrily dove in, not caring how he appeared.

Clark smiled at how content Luke became. It was the most at-ease he'd seen him since the exhibition.

"That's how I feel, like, ninety percent of the time," Barry laughed. "I'm always hungry."

Luke suddenly found himself feeling self-conscious. He reached for the linen napkin and covered his mouth. "I'm so sorry! I'm eating like a pig."

"Dude, you just got stung by a manticore and attacked in your sleep," Barry said. "I think you've earned the right to be a messy eater."

Luke finished his food a little more slowly and then started the story from the very beginning, detailing for the League every event that had taken place since leaving the exhibition. "There's still a lot I don't really understand," he concluded. "I need to talk to my...parents...to learn more."