Chapter Text
“the curtains stir. there you are on the bed, like a gift. like a touchable dream.” (carol ann duffy
.-
The first thing Alex processes when he comes too is the throbbing pain that’s pulsing in his head, the second is the abrasively florescent light of the room, and the third is a pair of cornflower eyes that are staring at him with such longing that it borders on scary.
“He’s waking up,” another voice out of frame announces frantically, and it takes a moment for Alex’s groggy mind to recognize it, to place it belonging to June. Suddenly the apprehension that was crawling up his spine fades to comfort. Alex isn’t sure what in holy hell is going on but June’s here, that makes everything a little more sane.
“I’ll grab a nurse,” a voice that Alex can’t discern— one that’s distinctly masculine and distinctly British— announces.
Everything still hurts like hell if Alex’s being honest. The throbbing in his head was a picnic compared to the heaviness weighing on his leg and the pulsing running up and down his side. He recognizes that feeling at least, remembers it from his high school days when some dingus on the opposing lacrosse team would tackle Alex with way too much force, leaving ugly bruises marred against his skin and a sore sort of aching for days on end.
Alex would really like to ask why the fuck his entire left side is inflamed with those sorts of bruises, but he can’t with how his mouth feels like it’s been stuffed with cotton. Thankfully the aforementioned dude with cornflower eyes must understand by the way Alex’s pursing his lips because suddenly he’s thrust out a styrofoam cup and is gingerly pressing the straw to his lips, one hand folded around the back of Alex’s neck.
“Parched are we?” The blonde tries to joke, but his smile is wobbly and hands are shaking as he sets aside the now empty tumbler. Jesus fucking Christ this dude is British too! What the hell Austin?
“Yeah,” Alex rasps, but doesn’t bother to try and pretend as if he’s in the mood for laughing, pleasantries be damned. Everything’s starting to come into focus now, and Alex isn’t quite sure how to even begin gathering his bearings. He figures that sitting up would help, so with a deep inhale he does just that, finally gets a clear view of where exactly he is.
NO surprises here, it’s a fucking hospital room.
It’s painted in muted tones of beige and eggshell, with a monitor keeping track of his heartbeat and an IV pumping liquids into his hand.
“They couldn’t find a proper vein in your forearm,” cornflower eyes explains with a tinkling humor that Alex doesn’t even begin to care understanding.
He flickers his gaze around until he spots her, June. Oh thank God. It’s like all his anxiety suddenly floats out the open window that’s painting her golden once he finally gets a proper look at her, he wasn’t just imagining the recognition. She’s here, she always knows what’s going on with frightening precision.
“What happened,” he asks her, near desperate.
There’s an awkward silence that lapse over the room, composed of a surprised expression that pulls on her face and a sadder one that etches into the blonde’s. But then it passes. June coughs slightly before walking up so that she’s carding a hand in Alex’s hair like she use to do when they were younger.
“It was a drunk driving accident,” she begins to explain softly, tears already beginning to swell in her big eyes. Strangely enough the blonde guy— holy shit Alex needs to figure out his name— stands up to sling an arm around her in comfort, padding her head gingerly as she continues to tell the story about the drunken teen who hit Alex on the slippery streets and how they were all so terrified he’d never wake up again.
And oh!
Of course!
This must be the new boyfriend June was raving about to him and Nora all last week. The first guy she’s dated since her fated break up with Danny once he moved literally across the country. Alex has to give his sister props, this dude is leagues ahead of any of the guys she’s ever dated before— honestly leagues ahead of most dudes. He’s all tawny locks and lithe muscle and like over six god damn feet tall. He looks like a fucking J Crew model and Alex is only slightly petty over it.
“When we got the call Alex,” June stutters over a sob, pulls tight on his hair like she couldn’t help it and he feels so guilty that he made her feel this way.
“I’m sorry bug.”
“Don’t apologize you idiot! I’m just so happy you’re okay!” June bellows, is only stopped by her boyfriend’s lithe arms from tackling Alex full throttle.
“Glad to know she’s been completely cool headed,” Alex jokes, leveling him with a look of fond exasperation. His face in turn is so open and aching that Alex feels like he’s invading on a moment just for the pair of them. June must’ve been a neurotic mess to extremes even he’s never seen if her boyfriend has been this worried about her.
“Oh please, Henry’s been like a thousand times worse!” June crows wetly, brushing away her sniffles with the back of her hand.
Alex rolls his eyes at her dramatics before holding out his hand to the dude, doesn’t think a forced smile really is expected considering that he’s the one in the hospital bed and this guy— well he’s somehow a hotter version of Steve Rogers, which is all types of fucked up if anyone were to ask him.
“Nice to meet you man, June’s been wigging about you for weeks. Erm, ah sorry that this’s how you’re being introduced to the family.”
There goes that pregnant silence again, and Alex is really fucking confused. He didn’t say anything abrasive? Besides, any social faux pas he might’ve committed should probably be excused considering his current predicament. It’s not like when he pelted her homecoming date Freshman year with paintballs after he dropped her off because June was texting him all evening about how boring of a dude he was.
That had made her snort out her genuine, ridiculously loud, laugh. Now, well now it’s all types of awkward and June’s got a confused look splattered all over her face while there’s a painful sort of tension woven into the blonde, Henry’s, posture and his thin lips are pinched and brows are furrowed and nose wrinkled in a way Alex is comfortable enough to admit is kinda precious. But yeah, the dude looks fucking gutted.
What the fuck did Alex say?
“Okay, hah hah bro.” June tries for a chortle, it comes off a little broken and a lot worried. “You’re not funny, so cut it out.”
“What!” Alex demands, now is starting to get real pissy and flustered and just all around bewildered.
“Alex I said cut it out!” June pleas, brown eyes imploring and stance going rigid.
“Cut what out June!”
“Alex,” her boyfriend, Captain America incarnate— well erm minus the accent— sits down now, bores his eyes directly into Alex’s own with such intensity that it makes it so there’s an unnerving pressure that squirms beneath his skin. “Who— Who am I?”
“I don’t know man,” Alex knits his brows together, studies a point over Henry’s shoulder instead, simply unable to handle that sort of searing intensity that he’s got trained on Alex right now. “I mean June said you were an engineering major I think? Did we like already meet or something?”
“Oh,” June deflates, face gone ashen.
“I’m going to find Pez,” Henry says, sounding like a blown out candle, and Alex can’t help but watch him as he slowly rises and putters out the room with careful steps.
“What did I say?” Alex asks, utterly perplexed now. “Did I like do something to him?”
“No, no Alex nothing. You did nothing wrong,” June hurries to assure him, a new round of tears flooding her eyes as she gently lies besides him and tugs Alex’s head into the crook of her neck and shoulder, as if he wasn’t like half a foot taller than her. But it’s grounding, he feels secure in his sister’s arms and all he wants to do is fall asleep again and figure out all these muddled memories later on when he wakes.
Fuck.
What is even going on.