in the crowd • luke hemmings

23. goldfish

everything was still dark.

still dark, but blurring slightly; accents of grey beginning to swim into luke's vision, causing a furrow between his eyebrows.

he wanted to open his eyes.

it was difficult, much more difficult than it usually was, but eventually luke managed to blink his eyes open -

and everything was still dark.

his body was aching, anchored to a bed that wasn't his own, and it wasn't lola's either. the sheets were cold and harsh and his head had sunken back into the pillow slightly; only elevating his feeling of being trapped, staring into the darkness that was still fucking there.

his eyes adjusted slowly, until he could take in the large tiles on the ceiling - tiles?

why the fuck are there tiles on the ceiling?

every inch of his body was aching, but it was an ache he could deal with; the only familiar thing in the uncertainty of waking up in a hospital bed, with a hospital gown covering his chest - luke hadn't been in a hospital since his birth.

the only familiar thing until he turned his head to the side to stretch his neck and caught sight of lola, fast asleep in an armchair beside him.

she had a blanket pulled tightly around her, a cloud of curls around her head in an still sleeping bedhead style. the more his eyes adjusted, the more noticeable the tear tracks on her cheeks became and the more luke's heart twisted in his chest.

even in sleep lola looked exhausted and the last thing luke wanted to do was disturb her, but he needed to hear her voice more than he ever had before.

"lola, baby."

his voice was low and hoarse - he hadn't spoken in hours and it felt strange to hear the sound of himself again.

lola stirred, but she didn't wake up, instead cuddling further into the white, fluffy blanket she was wrapped up in.

the sight made luke's heart soften, and he rolled over slightly, reaching out to brush a stray curl from lola's face and tucking it gently behind her ear.

"sweetheart?"

her eyes screwed tightly shut before opening slowly, taking in the sight of luke awake and okay and talking to her.

"you're awake!" she couldn't stop herself from reaching out to cup his face; eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness so she could take in luke's wide, blue eyes,  his hand resting on her jaw and the fact that luke was actually awake.

"you're awake, i was so scared you weren't going to be okay." lola's voice was shaking and it broke luke's heart; wondering what she must've seen to make her so scared.

"i'm awake baby." even in the husky tones that came after hours of unconsciousness, luke's voice managed to reach new levels of softness and it made lola's heart leap in her chest to hear him again.

"i missed your voice."

"i missed your face." he replied with a lopsided grin that brought a deep flush to lola's cheeks.

"come onto the bed with me pretty girl." luke implored, caressing his thumb across her cheek.

lola bit down on her lower lip, her dark eyes flickering anxiously over luke's face, taking in the bruising that had appeared.

"i might hurt you?"

"you won't hurt me sweetheart."

"i don't think i'm allowed."