All The Stars We See // muke

chapter eighteen

It was bright in the room, the smell of chemicals and the striking sound of a consistent beep filling the silence with muffled cries and silent begs. Blurred bodies moving faster than he thought possible and ugly baby blue gowns filling his eyesight. A hospital room?

Hands were pulling him, but he was struggling, right? Is that what the resistance was? Who were they? Pulling, pushing, where was he and why was he crying?

"Luke?"

Is that him being picked off of his feet?

"Luke."

Who's voice was that? It sounded so familiar yet so foreign. He couldn't name it.

"Luke!"

*

He bolted out of his bed and he jumped when he saw a body laying beside him, a scream threatening to pull from his throat yet staying lodged deep in his vocal chords. He pulled the blankets as he felt his body stick to them and he felt his heart beat quicken as he found himself trapped and stuck with the rush of falling backwards.

"Hey, hey!" He heard and he felt himself being pulling back up. "Hey, what's the matter?"

He took a deep breath as a lamp switched on and he began to pull at his tank-top as it clung to his body. "Look at me. Can you do that?" Michael asked and Luke nodded as he looked into his eyes.

"It's going to be okay. Hey, listen to me. Focus on me. You got this." He soothed and Luke took a deep breath with him. "Tell me what happened, soldier. Talk to me."

Luke pushed his hair from his face as reality began pushing in and out of his consciousness and he pushed his back against the headboard as Michael set a hand on his knee. He was counting in his head, but he suddenly couldn't remember what was coming after five. Seven? Ten? No, he's missing something. He's always missing something. Why couldn't everything be whole?

"I'm here for you." He heard and he grabbed the body beside him. A sharp hiss filled the room and Luke jumped at the sound, his senses kicking in as he saw Michael holding his bicep carefully. "No, no, I'm fine. You just grabbed too hard."

"Michael?" He asked and he looked at him. "What's happening?"

"You had a nightmare, and got scared." He told him and Luke moved so he was sitting in front of Michael. "I'm fine. How are you?"

"I-I don't know. I thought they stopped." He admitted as he tried taking a closer look at Michael's arm. "Let me see."

"What was it about?" He asked and Luke sat on his knees as he heard Michael breathing heavily.

"I-I don't know." He repeated and then saw Michael's grip ease. "I never know. It's bodies and-and voices, colors too, but I can't see their faces. It's scratched out. It's broken, and I usually just ignore them. Now let me see."

He pried Michael's hand away from his arm and Luke gasped as he saw the colored part of his skin had a deep blue shade dripping. "Are you bleeding?" He asked and Michael took a deep breath.

"That's the most sensitive part of me. My skin is thinnest there and you accidentally tore it." He explained and Luke jumped out of bed. "It heals the fastest. Don't worry, I'm fine."

"I'm such a fucking idiot!" He ranted as he flipped the light switch in his bathroom. "What's my problem? Have a man in my room one night and suddenly I'm a danger to the both of us. Maybe this is why I shouldn't let people near me. I knew there was a reason why I never had any friends. I -"

"- Stop it." He heard a commanding voice and he looked into the mirror in front of him to see Michael approaching him. "I'm fine, see? It's already healed."

Luke put the bandages away and then sighed as he grabbed a rag instead. "I'm sorry." He apologized as he ran it under the tap real fast and then grabbed his arm.

"It's okay." He told him and Luke gently began wiping away the navy shade of blood from his skin while crouched down. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I-I'm always fine, I mean. Why are you asking?" He asked as he looked up at him. "It doesn't matter."

"Why do you do that?"

"What?"

Michael's ear twitched when he pushed too hard and he apologized before looking back down. "It's on your tank-top. Here, take it off." He motioned and Michael used his fully fleshed arm to help get it off before dropping it off of his bloodied one.

"Why do you close up like that?" He asked and Luke felt himself laugh despite nothing being funny. "You get scared, or nervous, or angry. You don't have to be like that."

"It's how I am." He sighed as he began wiping at where the blood smeared on his side. "It's how I've always been. I don't know why, okay?"

Michael nodded and Luke couldn't help but stop wiping at his skin to stare at his lean torso and strong arms. He's noticed it before, the slight muscle in his build that was usually hidden behind his sweaters. As a soldier, a man groomed for war and has been stuck within one since he was little, he wonders why he isn't massive with thick arms and a broad span of shoulders. Why was he so slender? He was most lean but not quite thin enough for the title.

He didn't want to underestimate his strength however. Michael could probably lift him with one arm and then toss him across the room without even breaking a sweat.

"Luke?"

He snapped out of his gaze and then looked up at Michael as he shifted. "I'm sorry. I just... you're so... hot." He confessed and Michael scratched the back of his neck.

"It's kind of cold, actually." He admitted and Luke pushed his forehead against Michael's stomach as his heart felt like cupid shot an arrow through it.

He's so fucking cute.

"You're uh, hah, really close." Michael stammered and Luke tossed the rag into the sink when all the blood was wiped away.

He stood up and then fell into Michael as an ache blossomed in his knees. "Is that a problem?" He teased and Michael shook his head. "Can we head back to bed?"

"Do you want me to sleep with you still?" He asked and Luke felt himself nodding. "Okay."

And that's how Luke was late to his first period class, because how was he supposed to unravel himself from Michael when he looked so cute sleeping there?

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