Bruises (Luke Hemmings fanfic)

Okay. Save me...

I drift in and out of sleep for a long, long time. Each time I come to, Luke is playing a game on a little game-boy thing or singing to me. The only constant thing is that we're still in his bed with the curtains drawn, and I'm on his chest. He refuses to move me at all.  He plays with my hair, hums, whispers meaningless things, talks about songs he wants to write or sing. He stays quiet, but he keeps me close and keeps me occupied even in my sleep. I'm too busy thinking about him to get depressed or have a nightmare. Maybe that's why.

When I finally wake fully, the clock is 3 hours behind the last time I woke, and Luke is sleeping fitfully with me on his chest, arms locked protectively behind my back. I yawn and squirm a little closer to him, his arms loosening a bit, then I slip out from under them. His eyes snap open the moment I do.

"Where are you going, love?" He says groggily, blue eyes clouded over with sleep.

"I need a drink," I whisper, realizing it's three in the morning, not three in the afternoon. "And I wanted to give your bed back."

"Nooooo come baack! I love cuddles." He pouts cutely and slips out of bed, offering me a hand and helping me off the top bunk. "What do you want to drink? Orange juice? Apple? Milk? Chocolate milk? Strawberry?" He lists, looking in the fridge. "Tea? Water? We have this smoothie thing..." He holds up a smoothie container. "I don't know if it's any good though... we have V8."

I laugh quietly at his eagerness to please me. "How about apple juice? Or I could make the both of us hot chocolate."

"Hot chocolate might Help the two of us sleep until daylight." He winks at me and gets out the syrup and milk.

I smile and  heat up the milk on the little stove-like thing, then add the syrup to the glasses. He chuckles and watches me. "Super chocolaty, huh?" He grins.

"Shhhh I like chocolate. I can spoon some out of yours if you want."

"Noooo leave it!" He mixes it up and holds it out of my reach. "Mine! No touch! Bad little penguin!"

I blush. "Shh! The boys are still asleep." I mix my chocolate, smiling happily. Luke sips his and yelps quietly, burning his tongue, sticking it out of his mouth.

"Oowwiieee!"

"Want me to kiss it better?" I giggle.

He nods, smiling. "'Iss ih! 'Iss ih!"

I giggle a little and kiss the center of his tongue lightly. "Poor baby."

He grins. "Doesn't even hurt anymore. Just wanted a pretty girl to kiss me," He says cheekily. 

I blush deeply and sip at my chocolate milk, looking at the floor. "I'm not pretty,  Lucas... I'm broken and ugly and fat and annoying an-"

"So very wrong. You are beautiful. Kind. A little needy but I love to help. You're tiny as hell. You aren't broken. Just a little bruised, baby. And you are not annoying." He cups my cheek gently. "There is nothing about you that's ugly. You are beautiful and sweet and I am so happy that you are now a part of my life. I don't ever wanna lose you now."

I blush deeply and sip my drink, avoiding his eyes. "I don't understand you, Lucas... I really don't...." 

"I didn't think you would. Maybe one day you will. Do you wanna lay down now and cuddle?" He smiles and sets his empty cup in the sink.

"Luke?"

"Yes?" He asks, already climbing into bed.

"I...  Okay... Save me..."

He freezes and looks over at me, blue eyes huge and clear. "You... you... you mean it?"

"...yes..."

He steps back down and hugs me close, then sets me in his bed. "Thank you. So much. I won't let you down sweetheart."

I just nod sadly.

"Want to cuddle? Or do you want to sleep separate?"

I hesitate. Does he really want to cuddle? Or does he wanna get rid of me? "You pick."

"Cuddles then. If you get sick of me, just push me out of bed." He grins and crawls into bed and pulls me into his chest. "Goodnight sweetheart... Sleep well."

I cuddle into him closely, laying my head on his chest. After a moment, Luke sighs into my hair and buries his face into it, thinking I'm asleep.

"Goodnight my beautiful little one. I'll be right here when you wake, and I'll never leave you."