boxer ⋆ luke hemmings ✔️

08. Bigger Build.

Luke didn't expect his knuckles to sting so bad, but they did. They hurt like a bitch.

Of course, he had experienced this before. This wasn't the first time he had considered himself immobile due to how hard he fought on the previous day. But Luke hadn't had a fight the day before; he just went to the gym and trained, like a normal guy with his underground occupation would do.

Only maybe, just maybe, he went a little harder at it than usual. The reason as to why he did was still a little blurry to Luke.

He even winced while taking a sip from the mug in his hand, it's contents swilling of sweet tasting coffee and far too much sugar. Ashley claimed that it would help him get the energy he needed, but Luke was just convinced the girl was trying to subtly give him a mild case of diabetes.

"You make the worst coffee," he muttered, putting the mug down without more than a grimace. Ashley placed a hand on her hip at his statement, watching him with a steely gaze.

"You make the worst human being."

"Ouch," he said monotonously, "You really know how to hurt me, Ash."

His best friend just rolled her eyes, picking the two full plates she'd been prepping in the kitchen up before walking over to where Luke was sitting. He'd been in inactive pain for the past three hours, after Ashton paid him a little visit and informed Luke quite shockingly that he had two dislocated fingers.

Ashley had basically been pampering and babying him the entire morning, much to Luke's distaste. He wasn't necessarily up for a pity party, but that was what he got.

"I don't understand you," she began, sitting cross legged on the couch opposite him. She nudged his leg to get him to move it to the side, which he did reluctantly, "How did you manage to fuck it up so bad?"

She was gesturing to the way Luke's hand was bandaged, stiff and calloused in the makeshift cast that Michael had made for him out of stolen hospital cloth.

"I don't know," Luke replied honestly, carefully using his other hand to spoon some weird tasting chicken into his mouth, "I just lost track of time,"

"Yeah. Because that's so easy," Ashley said, her words sarcastic.

He paused, the spoon clamped between his lips as he tried to refrain it from falling, "You sound like Jack,"

"Glad to hear it. Maybe then you'll listen to me,"

"Maybe not. He gets as pissed at me as you do,"

"Stubborn bastard." she said, and Luke couldn't help but laugh. It was obvious that Ashley cared for him, even if she failed to show it at times. She acted like she despised him a majority of the hours they spent together- even going so far as to sigh in disappointment whenever he'd come back from a match with all of his teeth in tact- but that still didn't mean that she didn't love the guy.

When they cleared their plates, Luke decided it would be best to call Jack and tell him that they had to skip training for the day. He didn't want to- his left hand was pretty much unscathed and he'd make sure to wear gloves this time- but he knew that Ashley would kill him if he didn't.

She'd probably strangle him with a ring rope if he so much as came within the slightest distance of a punching bag.

"Hello?"

"Hi," Luke said, running the hand that wasn't currently throbbing in pain through his hair.

"Luke?" his brother said, sounding puzzled, "Mate, where the hell are you? I've been in here for the past twenty minutes now waiting for you to burst through those doors,"