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Chapter Text

Lorelai stumbled into the diner just after the morning rush had ended and a lull in business left the diner empty. She walked purposefully over to the counter and plopped down. Luke looked up and took in her disheveled appearance.

“Jeez, what happened to you?” He asked, a thread of concern concealed in his gruff tone.

Lorelai groaned in response. “I couldn’t sleep last night. Like, at all. Even though I’m dead tired, zilch. Nada. No sleep for me. Seriously, I felt like.. like… Rip Van Winkle’s poor insomniac brother, Isaac.”

She giggled drunkenly. “Issac Winkle. Not a bad name, I must say. Their parents must be so proud.”

Luke leaned down and peered at her face. Her bright blue eyes looked glassy and sunken: not a good look for the energetic woman. Her dark hair was pulled back in a messy bun and escaped locks of it hung in wispy curls, framing her unusually pale face. She looked sick.

“Lorelai, seriously, are you feeling okay?” Luke asked, trying to catch her eye.

“No, didn’t you hear me?” Lorelai complained jokingly, “I didn’t sleep a wink last night! Didn’t sleep a Rip Van WINKLE!” She giggled again.

“Yeah, I heard,” he said, “You just don’t look so good, is all.”

“Again with the ‘take me now, Sailor’,” Lorelai griped with no real conviction. She was drooping over the counter now. Her skin was paler than usual, and from his close angle, Luke could see it getting slick with sweat.

He reached forward and felt her forehead. “You have a fever. Why are you even here? It’s obvious you’re sick. Why didn’t Rory stop you from going out?” Luke tried to make his voice sound annoyed and snappish to cover up the worry threatening to carry over.

“Rory had a project,” Lorelai mumbled, her mouth barely moving. “She stayed over at my parents’ so she could get there.. early. ‘S closer to Chilton. ‘S in Hartford, ya know..”

“Yeah, I know,” Luke said. Now he was really worried about her. She never was this tired, even after pulling an all nighter. Something was definitely wrong.

Luke pulled his hand away and reached for the phone. He needed to call Rory, tell her what was happening, then take Lorelai to the hospital. Luke almost shuddered at the thought, but this was Lorelai. If something could make her shut up for more than a minute, something was really, terribly wrong.

Lorelai didn’t let him go far though. As soon as he took his hand off her head, she made a little whining sound and grabbed for it, taking his hand in hers and plastering it up against her forehead. Her eyes were closed and her eyebrows curved downwards, marking her discomfort.

“Um, Lorelai, I’m gonna need my hand back,” Luke said.

“Nooooo,” she whined decrepitly, “Your hand’s so coooold an’... it- it feels niiiiice.”

He grumbled and shook off her hands. Before she could protest again though, he put his other hand against her forehead, the one that wasn’t currently warmed up from her fever. She moaned with pleasure as his cold palm made contact with her overheated skin. Luke pretended he hadn’t heard her, but that didn’t stop his face from turning scarlet around the edges.

Now was not the time to be thinking about that. Now was not the time to be thinking about that noise she made. Now was not the time to be thinking about how else she would sound, if the right… situations presented themselves. Now was not the time to be thinking about how low that neckline went, and how sweat was trickling down her neck and under her blouse. Now was definitely not the time to be thinking about under her blouse.

Luke mentally kicked himself. He shouldn’t even have allowed his mind to go there in the first place! Sure, Lorelai was beautiful and amazing and probably the most perfect woman he had ever met (even if she did eat her weight in sugar and drink enough coffee to challenge the African drought), but she was his FRIEND. F-R-I-E-N-D. And she definitely wouldn’t appreciate him getting distracted by her looks as she was in desperate need of medical attention.

“Luke..?”

He snapped his head up and out of his thoughts. He wetted his lips. Suddenly his mouth felt very dry. “Yeah,” he managed to answer.

Lorelai looked up at him with big blue puppy-dog eyes (he had thought that look was reserved for Rory, but apparently, he was mistaken). “Luke,” she began, slowly, breathily, the words dripping out of her mouth, “I think.. I think I’m…”

She stopped, and so did Luke’s heart. His stupid, stupid heart. He nodded and watched her intently. Lorelai let out a low, shaky sigh.

“I think I’m sick.”

Luke barked a laugh. That.. wasn’t what he had been expecting. He didn’t really know WHAT he had been expecting, but that… that wasn’t it.

“Yeah, you are,” he chuckled. “So let’s get you to the..” he swallowed the rising bile as memories surged, “..to the hospital. Okay?”

“Okay.” Lorelai’s voice was soft and weak and unlike any tone Luke had ever heard her use. His laughter died in his throat and the worry came slinking back.

He walked around the counter and tentatively put his arm around her. She leaned into him and shuffled to her feet. He led her out the back door and to his truck, where he reluctantly let go of Lorelai as he helped her into the passenger seat, which was really just as well.

Luke needed to get her to the hospital. He needed to get her to a doctor. Needed to get her medicine. What he didn’t need was for those ever-present thoughts, the warm feeling that rose in his chest when Lorelai smiled at him from across the diner, the constant feeling that they should have MORE than a friendship. He really didn’t need that right now. He didn’t need it. He didn’t… didn’t he?

Chapter Text

Lorelai was quiet in the truck. Luke tried and failed not to stress over that detail. She was never quiet. Ever since he had met her, Lorelai had been a ball of pure energy, always talking, always laughing, always making references to people he didn’t know and shows he didn’t watch. As much as he told her to shut up, you would think Luke would be at ease when she finally complied.

Finally, after too long, she spoke up. “Where are we going?”

Luke cleared his throat. “To the hospital, remember?” He said, glancing over at her. She looked even worse than before. She slumped in the seat, her skin pale and sweaty and tinged an almost yellowish color.

“Where— where’s Rory?”

“Rory’s at school. She’s fine. I’m gonna call her when we get there,” Luke said patiently.

“Why are we.. why are we going somewhere?”

“You’re sick. We’re going to the hospital so you can get better.”

“Okay.”

She was quiet again, her face turned toward the window. Luke tried to concentrate on the road. Take a left up ahead. Continue straight until you hit the city. Then right, then left again. It was only when he noticed her haphazard exhales did he realize Lorelai was crying.

“Heyyy. Hey now. What’s wrong?” He wasn’t good at comforting, especially not while driving. He maneuvered one hand to rub her shoulder in what he hoped was a soothing gesture.

“I— I’m sick,” Lorelai hiccuped, “And not just sick, but sick inside. I’m.. I’m not good enough. I’m not strong enough. I can’t— I’m not enough.”

“Where’s all this coming from?” Luke asked in disbelief.

“I’m sick and my head hurts and my kid is gone and I miss her and everything is terrible and I didn’t get to say thank you to Luke for being nice to me and he’s not here and everything is worse,” Lorelai murmured into her seatbelt, her voice raspy from the tears.

Luke blinked. She was delirious. That made sense. But still, it was strange to hear Lorelai talking like that. “I’m here, Lorelai. I’m right here,” Luke said.

“No, you’re dream-Luke,” Lorelai explained, her words slurring around the edges, “I’m asleep in my bed an’ ‘m sick, an’ probably goin’a die an’ I’ll never tell Luke how I feel an’ Sookie will cry at the funeral an’ Rory’ll be alone an’ I’ll never get to see any of them again.”

The tears were streaming down her face now, making her eyes red and puffy. Luke didn’t know what to do. She was delirious. She was sick. But she was also talking, which was good. He had to keep her talking, keep her awake, so that nothing she worried about would happen. He wouldn’t even let himself go there; she was going to recover, and that was it. Nothing bad would happen to Lorelai Gilmore.

Luke pointedly ignored the fact that his stomach flipped when she said “tell Luke how I feel.” That was a minor detail. The important thing was to keep her awake.

“Well..,” Luke edged, his hand still on her shoulder, “Maybe you could tell me how you feel as, uh, practice. Get it off your chest.”

Lorelai turned to look at him and his heart skipped a beat. Even crying, even with her hair a mess and mascara streaming down her too-pale face, she was beautiful. She looked away, gaze pointed straight ahead, and snuggled into the seat cushions.

“Luke.. is my best friend,” Lorelai started, “Other than Sookie and Rory, of course.”

“Of course,” Luke said.

“And he’s really, really great, ya know?” She sniveled and wiped at her eyes. The ghost of a smile danced on her lips as she continued.

“He’s always there for me, always listening, always.. there. He’s solid. Dependable. Kind, an’ nice, an’ good. Pretends he doesn’t care, but is really.., he’s just.., he’s cute about it. No, handsome, not cute.. an’ caring... an’ nice an’ fun to be around. Luke is.. Luke is… he’s.. Luke! I really like him. He’s really— I really like him.”

Luke tried to remember how to breathe. This was too much. He took his hand off of Lorelai’s shoulder and pinched himself. The sharp sting did nothing to dissuade his feeling that this was a dream. It had to be a dream. She would never— She didn’t think of him that way. But maybe… just maybe…

“But,” she sighed, “I know he doesn’t think about me like that, so I can’t say anything.”

Luke’s heart dropped. It was a friggin’ rollercoaster today. He swallowed, and calmed himself down enough to respond. “What makes you think that?”

“Oh you know,” Lorelai said, “He’s never asked me out. He thinks I’m annoying. He hates everything I do, hates everything I say. I’m surprised he hasn’t.. kicked me out of the diner... permanently!”

“No, you—you got it wrong,” Luke said without thinking, “He doesn’t—”

“Everybody.. says he has a thing for me,” Lorelai continued, as if he hadn’t spoken at all, “And sometimes I think— think they’re right.. but then why hasn’t HE said anything? I would have— I’d say yes if he asked..”

Luke saw the hospital sign approaching. Not yet, he thought, his heart in his mouth. He didn’t want this car ride to be over. He didn’t want to go back to how things were before, with no sign she actually felt this way.

“Thanks for listening, Dream-Luke,” Lorelai said with a sleepy smile, “and don’t tell Real-Luke about what I said. He’ll have enough on his plate if.. if I die.”

“You’re not going to die,” Luke said with firm conviction.

“But if I am, tell Rory.. tell her I’m sorry, okay? Tell her I’m sorry, and that we’ll always have the Crap Shack. She’ll know what it means. Casablanca.”

Luke didn’t answer. He just pulled into the hospital parking lot. He just pulled into the parking lot and willed himself not to cry or shout with joy or any other embarrassing thing he might do after finding out that Lorelai Gilmore might have feelings for him.

Chapter Text

Luke didn’t understand it, but Lorelai had somehow managed to fall asleep in the forty five seconds it took for him to park the truck and open her door.

Her cheek was pressed against her shoulder, her dark hair falling free from the messy bun and hanging loosely around her shoulders. He sighed and undid her seatbelt. He tried to rid his mind of thoughts and just focus on what he needed to do next.

Okay, he needed to get her to the hospital, get her to a doctor. First he needed to get her out of the car.

Luke tried to pull her to her feet, but scratched that plan when her knees buckled and she toppled forward. The only thing that saved Lorelai from face-planting into the asphalt was Luke’s worry-fueled reflexes.

He caught her and held her up, trying to ignore how her body hit perfectly against his. Like they were made for each other. God, he was being sappy. Not the time, buddy, he mentally chided himself.

Luke scooped her up in his arms and carried her fireman-style to the hospital doors. Lorelai clung to his neck, her face buried in his shoulder. Her hair tickled his face, and he adjusted his grip on her legs. She was lighter than he had thought, but, as a full-grown adult, still a challenge to carry. How a woman could eat like she did and not be 400 pounds astounded him.

As he walked through the hospital doors with Lorelai in his arms, Luke thought she was mumbling something into his shoulder. When he stopped to hear what she was saying, he almost laughed. She was humming the Superman theme song.

After he brought her in, Luke stood for a minute in the waiting room, unsure of what to do next. Thankfully, an older guy in a white coat stopped him and asked if the young lady in his arms was Lorelai Gilmore.

“Uh, yeah,” Luke said dumbly. “Are you a doctor?”

“Yes, actually,” the man said. “I’m Dr. Reynolds. But please! Call me Joshua.”

Luke maneuvered one of his hands away from Lorelai to awkwardly shake the doctor’s.

“So, what can I do?” Luke asked, panic creeping into his voice. “About half an hour ago, she said she was fine, but looked like crap, so I brought her here. She got worse on the drive over. She started sweating, and- and crying, and had a fever. By the time we made it here, she was delirious and, um, couldn't stand.”

Dr. Reynolds nodded sagely. “I’ll take a look at her. I’m on my lunch break right now, so I’ve got time for a quick checkup and a referral.”

Luke bobbed his head, and was about to thank the man when he spun around and walked through a door marked ‘Employees Only’. Dr. Reynolds then poked his head back out the door and motioned for Luke to follow. He did.

He was led past bustling doctors, past patients whose injuries made Luke’s stomach churn, down the hall to a white-walled room marked ‘unoccupied’.

“Here, put her down on the table.”

Luke did as he was told, but Lorelai wasn’t making it easy. She clung to him tightly, wrapping herself around him. It was everything Luke could do to keep his voice level and his face the same color as before.

“Lorelai, let go. You need to let go.”

“Don’t wanna,” she mumbled grumpily into his shirt. “‘Cause if I let go, you— you’re gonna go away. An’ I don’t want you to go.”

Dr. Reynolds chuckled, taking in Luke’s face (which, despite his best efforts, was a simmering scarlet) with an amused expression. “Better stick around, son. I’ve known Richard and Emily for many years, and if the Freudian-family theory holds true, she’s not going to give up easily.”

Luke blinked rapidly and tried to control his face. “Fine, fine,” he muttered, only half-angry, “I won’t let go.”

“I’ll never let go, Jack!” Lorelai crowed shrilly before once again burying her head in his shoulder. Her shoulders shook with giggles and Dr. Renoylds gave him a look that made Luke want to adjust his baseball cap.

Luke sat down awkwardly on the examination bed, Lorelai still clutching him tightly. He let his arms fall to his sides, and felt Lorelai settle gently on top of him, basically sitting in his lap. Scratch that. Definitely sitting in his lap. Luke just PRAYED he didn’t have an.. ahem… involuntary reaction.

Thankfully, Dr. Reynolds brought out a thermometer and checked Lorelai’s temperature before Luke could get too engrossed in his thoughts. The thermometer made a small beeping sound as he ran it across Lorelai’s forehead, and she whimpered. It made Luke’s heart seize up in his chest to see her like this. Weak. Defenseless. Quiet and complacent. You didn’t have to be a doctor to know something was very, very wrong.

Dr. Reynolds clicked his tongue and his brow furrowed. “106.4 degrees. Lucky you brought her in when you did, a fever that high can result in brain damage and convulsions, if left unchecked.”

He had to remind himself that Lorelai was still on top of his lap. Luke had been about to jump to his feet and.. do something. He didn’t know what. He hated hospitals.

“Wha- What does that mean, exactly? Is she gonna be alright?” He asked.

“It means Lorelai is experiencing an extremely high fever, and most likely has some sort of infection,” Dr. Reynolds sighed, “We’ll have to take her in and run some tests, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, um, yeah, it’s fine, run all the tests you need!” Luke stammered.

Dr Reynolds poked his head out the door and waved to someone on the outside. A few seconds later, three guys came in with a transport bed. Luke gently laid Lorelai down onto the bed, ignoring her ever-weakening objections.

“Luke,” she whispered, her eyes barely open.

“Yeah?”

“Luke, please don’t go,” Lorelai said quietly, her voice wavering. “I— I want to be.. be with you. Please don’t go. I— I’m scared, Luke.”

Her words felt like daggers piercing his chest. He didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to leave her like this: sick and afraid. He didn’t want her to be alone.

“Lorelai.. I’ll still be here when the tests are done. It’s all gonna be okay. I’m here for you,” he whispered to her, his voice hoarse with emotion.

Without thinking, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her heated forehead. As the nurses wheeled her away to be tested, Luke thought he saw the faintest glimmer of a smile cross Lorelai’s face. And then she was gone, and he was alone in the hospital.

Chapter Text

Luke shook himself out of his daze and got to work. He needed to do something, anything, while Lorelai was getting tested. Just standing there was killing him.

Luke ended up wandering around the hospital for a few minutes before finding the reception desk. An older, kindly nurse lent him her cell phone and he proceeded to punch in Rory’s number. God, was he glad he knew it. She picked up after the third ring.
“Whoever you are, this better be important, because I’m facing the wrath of Paris for stepping out on the pop quiz.”

“Rory, it’s Luke,” Luke said, “Don’t freak out.”

“Ooookay,” she said hesitantly, “What’s going on?”

“Well, your mother came into the diner and looked, well, uh, sick. So I took her to the hospital, that’s where I am now, the hospital, and they said she has a high fever and a possible infection. They’re runnin’ tests now.”

“Oh my god!” Rory exclaimed, “I-I’ll be right over!”

“No, Rory, finish your quiz. Come as soon as you can, just.. Your mom’s going to be fine, Rory. She wouldn’t want you skipping school for her sake. Come after class, I’ll page the room number and any updates, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Rory’s voice said after a pause. “Is she really gonna be okay?”

“She is,” Luke said, hoping with all his heart it was true, “I’ll be here the whole time. Call me when you’re on your way.”

“Okay, thanks, Luke. Bye.” She said, hanging up.

Luke breathed a sigh of relief. Glad that’s taken care of, he thought. Next he called Sookie and Caesar, letting them know neither him nor Lorelai would be coming into work today.

After that, Luke hung around the hallway for a bit, avoiding eye contact with any patients that passed by. About an hour and a half later, he caught a glimpse of the same doctor from before, Dr. Reynolds, walking out of a room a little ways away.

“Hey!” Luke called, walking quickly down the hallway to intercept the doctor, “Is that Lorelai’s room?”

“Huh? Oh no, she’s down the hall. Room 221.” Dr Reynolds said, “I would go with you, but I have an appointment.”

“Okay, thanks anyway.”

“No problem.”

Luke found his way to Lorelai’s door, and was about to enter, when a short nurse exited, nearly bumping into him.

“Uh, sorry,” Luke said. His communication skills were frazzled at the moment. He was sick with worry, and really just needed to see Lorelai right now. Needed to make sure she was okay.

“What are you doing?” The nurse asked, her face bordering on annoyed.

“Going in..? She can see visitors, right?”

“Only family allowed right now,” The nurse said tersely, “Are you family?”

“Well, um, not really,” Luke mumbled, cursing himself for not lying to her and saying they were brother and sister or something, “but I’m—”

“Luke..? Luke, is that you?” He heard from the room. It was her.

“Lorelai!”

Without waiting for permission, he rushed into the room, brushing past the nurse, who just shook her head at him. He heard the door close behind him.

The room Lorelai was in was small and painted a starchy shade of white. Silver trays and papers cluttered the small bedside table set up by her. Lorelai herself looked so small. Vulnerable.

Her hair was completely down now, and it fell in dark waves around the faded hospital gown that went perfectly with her pale, ashen skin. The dark circles under her blue eyes had grown and darkened like an approaching storm. Her eyes held his and Luke wondered if breathing had always been this difficult. She looked like his mother, right before the end.

“Luke..,” she said in a faint voice, “You’re.. still here.”

“Course I’m still here,” he replied, edging slowly towards her bedside, “I told you I’d stay.”

She smiled at that. It was the same smile she gave him once, a long time ago, the first time he offered to fix something in her house. Luke remembered it well.

Her roof had been leaking, and Lorelai had stayed up all night going over budgeting to try and scrape together some money to hire a handyman who could actually fix it. She hadn’t told him that, of course. Luke had found it out when he went over there with his toolbox after hearing her half-hearted attempt to reassure Rory everything would be fine, that it wasn’t a big deal. After Luke had patched the hole and retiled the roof (and cleaned the gutters; they were clogged beyond recognition that year), Lorelai had come home to find him putting up the ladder. She had offered him some lemonade and that same brilliant, yet exhausted, smile before wrapping him up in a hug. Luke had called her crazy and pointed out that she had probably ruined her clothes beyond hope of ever wearing them again (as he was still covered in grime being elbow deep in the rain gutters). She had just laughed and said ‘dirty’, which he only got later.

Lorelai had that same smile now. Like the sun coming out from behind a cloud. It made his heart do a tap dance in his chest, despite his best efforts to squash the feeling.

Before Luke could say anything, a doctor walked in. A doctor holding a clipboard with Lorelai’s final diagnosis.

Chapter Text

“Hello, Mr…,” the doctor said, trailing off pointedly.

“Danes. Luke Danes. I’m her, uh, friend,” Luke responded after a second.

“..well, Mr. Danes, your friend here is lucky that she came in. Things could have been a lot worse.”

“Did you find out what’s wrong? Is she gonna be okay?” Luke could feel his chest seizing up. She had to be okay. He needed her to be okay.

“Ms. Gilmore will be fine. She had a serious kidney infection, which caused her, rather impressive, fever. I’m surprised she didn’t come in sooner, actually. The symptoms are.. hard to miss. Nausea and urinating blood, and whatnot.”

“I thought.. it was just... that time of the month..,” Lorelai grumbled softly from her bed. Luke adjusted his baseball cap and tried not to get too uncomfortable with the implications.

“So, um,” he said, trying to change the subject, “What can we do? Is there a treatment?”

“Yes, actually,” the doctor said, turning to him, “she’ll be given antibiotics and receive plenty of fluids. She already has a heating pad and medication for the nausea. But, since it was a quite serious infection, she’ll stay here for, oh… two weeks, at most. That way we can be sure she receives the proper treatments.”

“Okay, good, good,” Luke muttered, shell-shocked with relief, “is it.. ahm, contagious?”

The doctor laughed. “No, it isn’t. She’ll recover in under a month, if everything goes well.”

He checked his watch, and made a face. The doctor quickly brought out a pen, scribbled a prescription onto his clipboard, and excused himself from the room. Luke was again left alone with Lorelai.

He shuffled his feet, jamming his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. He didn’t really know where to look.

“Are.. you okay?”

Luke chuckled. “I should be the one asking that.”

“‘M fine,” Lorelai murmured, “Just tired.” She sighed and brought a shaking hand to her face. “Everything hurts. I feel like the Bride of Frankenstein— all ripped up and put back together again.”

“You’ll feel better soon,” he said. He pulled up a chair next to her and started paging Rory, letting her know everything was okay.

“Don’t… don’t you have to.. to get back…. to the diner..?” Lorelai said, raising her blue eyes to his. The gaps between her words were getting longer, her articulation grinding to a halt with every sinking syllable.

“No, I don’t,” Luke lied. He looked unflinchingly into her tiredly beautiful eyes. “I’ll stay as long as you need me.”

With great effort, Lorelai moved her hand up across her body, stretching her shaking arm out to him. An IV protruded from her inner elbow, the tube snaking around her arm to a pouch strung above her headboard.

Luke met her fingers halfway, taking her trembling hand in his. As if watching someone else, he threaded his fingers through her pale ones, and held on tight. Her hand was too warm, a little sweaty, and far too shaky to be considered healthy, but she gripped onto his hand as if for dear life. Luke could feel every squeeze, every twitch of her fingers. He felt her heartbeat in rhythm to his own.

“Thank you,” Lorelai whispered, her eyes never straying from his own.

“Anytime,” he said in a gruff undertone.

They stayed that way, hand in hand, for a good long while. Luke never moved, not once, except to tuck her in when Lorelai fell asleep. And even then, he still held onto her hand, shaky as it may be. He needed a reminder that this wasn’t just another dream.

Chapter Text

One week later, Lorelai was still in the hospital. Rory had come by a few hours after the doctor had left the room, and Luke had felt Lorelai’s hand in his for the very first time.

Rory had been devastated to see her mother in that condition (she had started to cry and insisted on spending the night at the hospital), and Luke really couldn’t blame her. It was unnerving to see Lorelai with tubes sticking in her arm and machines reading her pulse, more so to see her actually sit still and shut up. That last part didn’t last long.

The day after Luke had brought her in, Lorelai was back to rambling about celebrities he didn’t know and movies he didn’t watch. Luke never thought he would miss her scattered ramblings and haphazard conversation. But he found himself smiling more with every obscure reference that passed from her lips.

Luke found himself dreading going to work more and more with every passing day. It just.. well, it wasn't the same without her there.

It was too quiet, too… mundane. Sure, whenever they fought he didn’t see her at the diner for a couple days, but he had a REASON to be upset. Now he was just upset and he didn’t know why. Any outsider to the situation would say he missed Lorelai, and Luke would probably deny it. But they would have been right. He missed her.

And that was why he was standing at the window of a shop so cutesy it made him want to vomit, looking at flower displays and his own sorry reflection.

If it were somebody else buying flowers, Luke would have laughed his ass off, saying that overpriced flowers and stupid gifts were the price you paid for being a dope. He didn’t much feel like laughing now though.

Lorelai was getting better, that was obvious from the speed of her conversations, but she was still in the hospital. Luke still visited her every day, sometimes twice a day. He hated to admit it, but he secretly watched the clock every time, counting down the hours until he could see her again without looking like a clingy, dopey-smiled schmutz who couldn’t bring himself to buy flowers for his best friend in the hospital for fear of her reaction.

What was he so afraid of anyway? If she didn’t like them, fine. It had nothing to do with how she felt about him. And if she did… well, he didn’t want the whole town to know he gave in to something as corny as this. But, if, by some miracle, she liked them and DIDN’T alert the media, maybe she would.. give him some sign, some clue, as to what he should do next.

Luke sighed, steeled himself, and marched into the flower store.

Twelve minutes later, he emerged with a pained expression and a bouquet of bluebells and white lilies tinged with pink. It wasn’t a convention flower bouquet, but he thought Lorelai would like it. At least, he hoped she would. And have the grace not to tease him about it for TOO long.

Luke arrived at hospital a few minutes later, clutching the flowers like a weapon. He walked purposefully towards room 221, praying that nobody else was visiting her. He wasn’t proud of being this sappy.

When he reached the door, he knocked twice, then cautiously poked his head in. He was greeted by a familiar voice and a brilliant smile.

“Luuuke! Whatcha doin’? What brings you to this neck of the woods? Could it be to see your amazing and wonderful pal, Lorelai?”

“No, I’m just the pizza delivery guy,” Luke deadpanned.

Lorelai perked up in her bed, pushing the covers aside. “You brought pizza? You brought ME pizza??” She said, excitedly, “thank GOD, I am so sick of hospital food!”

Luke cringed, regretting the quip after seeing her hopes rising. “Uh, sorry, fresh out of pizzas at the moment.”

She slumped forward, and it felt like a punch to the gut, letting her down like this. Luke made a mental note to bring her pizza next time. Lorelai quickly bounced back though, literally. She bounced up and down on the bed, the shoddy mattress squeaking in protest.

“Buuuuuut, something IS up with you, isn’t it! You’ve never come in at this time, and you’re hanging at the door pretty suspiciously, so spill!!”

She winced, and pressed a hand to her stomach. “Ahh. Bed Bouncing is apparently bad for the sick and incapacitated. Who knew, right? Anyway, what’re you up to? You’re definitely up to something?“

Luke swallowed his pride along with the lump in his throat as he stepped into the room.

“I, um, brought you these. Get-well gift, or.. whatever.”

He held the bouquet out to her with one hand, trying to act casual. She took it from him, and one glance at her face made the whole debacle worth while.

“Oh.., Luke,” she cooed reverently, her hands running over the flowers, “They’re beautiful.”

Luke resisted the urge to say ‘So are you’. That wasn’t… it wasn’t the time. Instead he just muttered, “Yeah, well..,” and trailed off, leaving the rest up to her.

After a few seconds of half comfortable, half awkward silence, Lorelai looked at him with a smile in her eyes. “Rory was right. You ARE a softie.”

“Ah, jeez..,” Luke grumbled as he felt his face turning red.

“You’re soooo a softie! You brought me flowers! You visit me every day and hold my hand when I get shots!” Luke adamantly denied to himself that the shots were his favorite part of the visit.

“Seriously dude, you’re gonna have to start some bar fights or arm wrestle a bear while chugging whiskey or something, to build back up your ‘macho’ reputation.”

“Okay, first of all,” Luke said, his voice rising above normal speaking levels and sliding into rant-mode, “don’t call me DUDE. Second of all, I don’t HAVE a “mAcHo” reputation, and even if I did, bringing you flowers would do nothing to change it. There’s nothing girly about being nice to people, end of story.”

Lorelai nodded sagely, her face fixed in a serious expression, her blue eyes twinkling with some unnamed emotion Luke couldn’t unravel.

“You’re right,” she said tenderly, “I shouldn’t have teased. Thank you for the flowers, Luke.”

“You’re welcome,” he muttered over his shoulder as he sat down heavily on what was now his usual chair.

They sat in a definite comfortable silence for a while. Luke watched Lorelai smile down at the lilies in her hands, hints of color rising in her pale, sickly face. She was blushing. He had made Lorelai Gilmore blush. Suddenly he didn’t regret buying her flowers at all. Hell, Luke would buy her flowers every day of the week if it would make her smile like that again. Suddenly he wanted to buy her flowers every day.

Suddenly he wanted to see her smile and hold her hand. Suddenly, all those stupid, sappy love songs made sense. Suddenly, he came to terms that he, Luke Danes, was completely and totally in love with his best friend.

Chapter Text

The next day, Luke came in early to the hospital room to find Lorelai not only awake, but happy. Deliriously so, in fact. It kind of came as a shock to Luke, who knew from firsthand experience Lorelai was anything but a morning person.

“We just gave her an extra dose of nausea medication after she threw up again yesterday,” a nurse explained on her way out, “She’s a little loopy right now, but conscious.”

Luke carefully approached Lorelai, wary that if she was dosed up on meds, that she was liable to do anything. I mean, more so than on a normal basis.

“Hey,” he greeted her as he walked into the now familiar room, “You feelin’ okay?”

“Heeyyyy.. burger-boy,” Lorelai said with a saucy smile, “Of all the gin-joints in all the world..”

“..I walked into yours,” Luke finished for her. “You’ve used that one before.”

Lorelai stuck out her bottom lip and pretended to pout. “Hey, no fair! You don’t get to steal away my punchline, especially not after you betrayed me this morning!”

“What did I do this time?”

Lorelai harrumphed at him and crossed her arms, which he found aggravatingly cute. “You weren’t here to hold my hand when I got the shot-to-end-all-shots. The mother shot. The Goliath of Shots.”

“Well, I’m sorry,” Luke said, holding back a smirk of superiority. “Would you like me to hold your hand now?” He asked, only half-joking.

Lorelai considered him for a second, her bright blue eyes suddenly piercing and focused. It was a look that made his skin tingle, and not necessarily in a bad way.

“Come here,” she said after a second.

Hesitantly, he walked up to her and stood at her bedside. “So... now what?” Luke asked, his eyebrows climbing towards his hairline.
“Closer,” Lorelai commanded softly, lifting her arms with great effort.

Luke bent down, leaning over the bed to her. “Okay, you’re starting to freak me out here.”

Lorelai reached up and put both hands on his face, slowly pulling him down to her level. Luke wanted to resist, but he feared that if he did, she would get upset or things would get awkward. Something about the way she was looking at him made him want to do whatever she wanted, without question. Dirty.

She carefully slid his cap up off his head and set it down next to her. She held his gaze, her face unreadable. Luke was acutely aware that their faces were just inches from each other.

“Lorelai,” Luke said, trying to keep his voice level, “What… Are you doing? Wh—” He stopped short when she ran her fingers through his hair.

“I’ve been seeing you from a distance for forever,” Lorelai said, softly, in a matter-of-fact tone, “I wanted to actually touch you for a change.”

Luke could feel his face turning red as her hands drew circles across his scalp. She smiled at him, and Luke had to recite baseball statistics in his head to keep his body from responding in... inappropriate ways.

“Um, Lorelai, listen,” Luke said, then stopped as she moved one hand down to caress his cheek.

“You’re scruffier that usual,” Lorelai laughed lightly. Luke wasn’t sure how much of this was the medicine making her loopy, and how much of it.. wasn’t. God, he hoped it wasn’t the medicine.

“Lorelai?” He managed to choke out.

“Mhhhm?” She murmured, her thumb brushing against his jawline, fingers butterfly-light as they edged toward his neck. Suddenly the baseball statistics weren’t quite cutting it.

“What are you— why are you… why?”

She hummed and continued lightly rubbing his face and neck. “Because I wanted to. I wanted to see if you would let me.”

“Why wouldn’t I—”

“Why are you doing all this for me?” Lorelai asked abruptly. At his questioning look, she elaborated.

“I mean the flowers, the hospital visits, staying with Rory after school...”

(Luke had been letting Rory hang out at the diner every day after school and making sure she was being fed and cared for [even though Rory was sixteen, every kid needs someone to help during tough times]. Luke didn’t know Rory had told her mother. Luke had just wanted to help.)

“So, why are you doing it?” Her eyes were so, so blue.

Luke didn’t know what to say. He had been waiting to tell her how he felt for so long, he didn’t know where to begin. The horoscope, maybe? She was looking at him, her hands still holding his face up to hers.

“I, uh,” Luke said, stumbling over his words then cursing himself for stammering, “Well, I just, you— you and Rory, are my, um.. you don’t… well, I really..”

She watched him fumble with his words with an amused smile, those sparkling blue eyes pinned on his own nervous ones. Luke wasn’t even sure what he was saying anymore.

Then her mouth was on his, and his racing thoughts melted away, consumed in a kiss.

Chapter Text

As soon as it started, it was over, and he could feel Lorelai’s lips pull back from his own. Luke’s mind was.. completely blank.

Lorelai had kissed him. Lorelai. She had kissed HIM. Luke could still taste her on his lips, the distinct taste of coffee mingling with flavors of sweet oranges and whipped cream. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t think. She was watching him, trying to read his blank expression.

“I-I’m so sorry,” Lorelai stammered, her face pink and blushing, “I didn’t think and—”

Luke snapped forward and pressed his lips to hers, cradling the back of her head. He felt her stiffen, then melt into the kiss, becoming an active participant moving with him.

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” he murmured against her, “I-ve been waiting so long to— this is just—”

“Luke,” Lorelai gasped, out of breath.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

“With pleasure,” he growled, smiling against her lips despite himself.

Then they were kissing again, and the rest of the world fell away. All that mattered was this moment, right now. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip and she moaned gently. The sound sent a shiver of anticipation up Luke’s spine. He never thought he would hear that sound from her. He never thought he would be the one to provoke it.

Lorelai opened her mouth slightly and he pushed forward, deepening the kiss. Luke pulled her into him with both hands, one on her waist and one tangled in her hair. He needed her closer. He wanted to feel every twitch and pulse of her body against his.

He lost track of time. It didn’t matter where they were. It didn’t matter that he had yet to take her on a real date. The only thought in Luke’s mind was that she was here, and that she wanted it too. Then he heard a screeching voice ring out from the doorway.

“LORELAI VICTORIA GILMORE!!”

Lorelai pulled away so fast Luke worried that he might have bitten her lip.

“Mom!” She exclaimed, her face bright red, “What are you doing here?!”

Luke yanked his head backward and stood bolt upright. Turning his head, he saw the same woman from Rory’s birthday party, the older one with short red hair and a regally pissed-off expression. Her mother.

“What I am doing here,” the woman seethed, “is visiting my daughter in the hospital! The same one who didn’t even TELL ME she was injured in tHE FIRST PLACE!!”

“Mom, I’m sorry, but—”

“I had to find out from JOSHUA that something was even WRONG! Do you know how mortifying it is to be the last one to know your child is iN THE HOSPITAL!?”

Lorelai gulped and shrank back into her pillows. Luke wished he could do the same. Lorelai had exaggerated many things in her ramblings at the diner, her mother’s temper was apparently not one of them.

“AND,” she continued, her voice rising several decibels, “when I FINALLY manage to find her room number, wHAT DO I FIND?!”

Luke was sure his face was the color of strawberries. Lorelai’s was, anyway. He felt remarkably like a teenager again.

“I FIND HER, NECKING WITH THE FILTHY DINER-OWNER SHE CLAIMED SHE ONLY THOUGHT OF AS A FRIEND!!”

“I’m gonna go,” Luke said, not making eye contact with either of the Gilmore women.

“Wait, Luke—,” Lorelai tried before she was cut off by her mother again.

“No, let him go, Lorelai! We need to have a private chat about responsibility, you and I.” Her mother’s voice was ice cold and dripping with malice.

Luke wished he had the nerve to stick around for Lorelai, but one glance at her face was enough to tell him she clearly didn’t want him there. Her face was pale and worried. She didn’t meet his eyes. It stung to see her turning away from his face, ashamed of being seen with him.

Luke pushed past Emily Gilmore without a word. She glared at him archly, daring him to say something. He didn’t.

Luke’s previously blank mind felt like it was rebooting, thoughts running around his head so fast he couldn’t focus on any of them. He needed to get out of there. He didn’t wait for a goodbye. He didn’t hear Lorelai calling after him, her voice desperate. He just walked out of the hospital without another word.

Luke was halfway home before he realized two things.

1. He had left his blue hat, the one Lorelai had given him for Christmas, on her hospital bed.

2. By not saying goodbye, by not sticking around to sort everything out, his one chance to be with the woman he loved more than anything in the world, was ruined. She probably wouldn’t even come to the diner anymore. She wouldn’t talk to him, she probably wouldn’t even look at him. They were over before they ever began. And it was all his fault.

Luke turned onto the highway. He drove until his whitened knuckles, clutching the steering wheel, started cramping. He drove until the sun dipped below the horizon and the lamps lit up the sides of the road. He drove until the burning behind his eyes stopped and his breathing returned to normal. He drove until he was numb to the pain in his chest, blind to his own heartbreak, and deaf to the voice in the back of his mind that said her name, over, and over, and over again.

Lorelai...

Chapter Text

“This is Luke, I’m not here to answer the phone right now, so leave a message and I’ll get back to ya, soon as I can. And if you’re a salesman, don’t bother, I’m not buying whatever crap you’re selling.”

*Beeeeep* “Hey Luke, it’s me. Me, meaning Lorelai. Gilmore. Heh, you knew that. Um, annyyywayyy, I was just calling to, uh, check in with you. Haven’t seen you today at any of the normal visiting hours. Starting to think you stood me up!... yeeesh, awkward. But, um, call me back, okay? I think we need to— I need to talk with you. So just, uh, call me when you get this. Bye.”

*Beeeeep* “Hey Luke, it’s, uh, Lorelai again. I know it’s early, but you get up early, dontcha? So maybe that doesn’t matter. Yup, okay. But, uh, Luke, I just wanted to check in with you, since I didn’t see you yesterday. If you’re not coming by today, call me, so I don’t.. d-uhh…, get my hopes up. Or whatever. So, yeah. Uh, bye.”

*Beeeeep* “Hey, it’s Lorelai again. You didn’t come in today. Ugh, you knew that. Mhrgh. But, um, I just wanted to.. check in again. Are you doing okay? ...I’m doing fine, thanks for asking. The new medicine’s working really well, I haven’t been nauseous for at least 9 hours, so that’s good. They said I’m gonna be released soon. Counting down the days ‘till I can—… have your coffee again! Hah ha.. Luke, uh, just— just, call me back, okay? Okay. Bye.”

*Beeeeep* “Hey, um, Luke. Did.. did I do something wrong? You haven’t come by in the last three days, and well.. I miss you. If it’s about.. what happened in the hospital room.. I’m sorry. I just— I didn’t think. Please, please, PLEASE call me back, Luke. I— I miss you. Call me. Bye.”

*Beeeeep* “Luke, if it’s something I did, please.. please let me know! I haven’t seen you in so long, it feels like we’re in a fight without actually fighting. It’s the freakin’ Cold War of voicemail messages here. Let me know what I did wrong so I can apologize and we can go back to the way we were! If, that’s what you want, I mean. I want— ugh, I just miss you, Luke. I don’t like not.. I don’t like this. Call me. We can— we can talk about what happened. Please. I want to talk. I love talking. I’m the QUEEN of talking. ...so call me, Luke. I.. miss you. Bye.”

Luke pressed the rewind button on the tape machine, and listened to her messages again. It hurt his head to hear her like that, lonesome and self-conscious in every break and pause in her rapid-fire dialogue, and it hurt worse to remember that HE was the one who made her feel like that. Hurt as it may though, he couldn’t stop himself from pressing rewind over and over again, just to hear her voice.

He hadn’t seen Lorelai in five days, not since the incident in the hospital room. Not since Luke finally crossed that ever-present line in their relationship, and it blew up in his face. He knew she should go, knew he should call her back, but he just couldn’t.

He’d rather be here, before they talked, before she inevitably rejected him. Before their hesitant friendship became a distant memory. It’s better this way, he tried to tell himself. She’s better off without.. better off this way. I’M better off this way, he thought with a pang of regret. He’d never been very good at lying to himself. His lies of hopeless self-preservation did nothing to dissuade the feeling that he had to see her again. He NEEDED to see her again.

Luke got up from his couch and pulled himself together. It’s not too late. He could still do this.

He could still run over to the hospital, say he had been on LSD or something, and claim insanity. He could still salvage their friendship with her. As much as it feels like pulling teeth, Luke could say he just wanted to be friends, nothing more. It killed him inside a little bit every time he had to say that, but it might just be enough to get things back to the way they were. Lorelai and him: nothing more than customer and provider, only sometimes friends. It’s better than spooking her by coming on too strong and never getting to see her again.

Luke grabbed his car keys and headed downstairs. Before he knew it, he was halfway to the hospital.

On the drive over, Luke finally allowed himself to remember the kiss. Their first kiss. Their only kiss. The only kiss that really mattered to him anymore. 

She tasted so sweet, sweeter than he had imagined. And her lips had been warm and wet and fierce against his own. Her hands had cupped his face, her fingers tracing his jawline and palming his unquenchable smile. It had gone on for a long while, he realized, but not even close to long enough for him. At least now he knew what it was like.

Luke tried to suppress the memories rising like bile in the back of his brain. All the times where they almost were… until they weren’t.

The first time they met, when he had almost asked her out, but then she started talking about her kid and he lost his nerve. When he first talked with Rory, and realized her mother was even more amazing than he had thought, for raising a kid like her all on her own. Being pushed into painting the diner, the way her bright blue eyes seemed to linger on his mouth. The double-date she went on and rushed out before he could ask her to dinner. She hadn’t even said goodbye. 

Well, neither did he, after they kissed in the hospital room. They never got a chance to talk about that one.

But that’s what he was going to do now. No more waiting. No more being a coward and a damn fool for not saying a word, all the years he’d loved and not known it.

Luke pulled into the hospital’s guest parking and made his way to the now familiar-hallway. Room 221. Her room.

As if watching someone else, Luke saw his hand turn the knob and push open the door.

She was in there, a yellow and black T-shirt (reading RE-BELLE with some disney princess sporting multiple tattoos and piercings plastered on the front) pulled over her hospital gown. She jumped when he opened the door. Her wide eyes met his. 

“Hi.”

And just like that, everything was okay again. More or less.

Chapter Text

Luke stood in the doorway of room 221 and tried to remember how to breathe.

Lorelai was looking at him. She looked healthier than she had the last time he had visited. Her skin wasn’t pale or sweaty, but instead glowed with health. Her hair flowed down around her shoulders, and Luke thought he could make out faint traces of makeup lining her stunning features.

“Hey,” he croaked.

“Hey yourself,” Lorelai said, her slightly puckered lips hinting at a smile.

Luke didn’t know what to do with his hands. He wiped them self-consciously on his jeans and kept staring at her. Staring was rude, this he knew, but somehow he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“So… did you come here for a reason, or just give the doorway a patented Luke-Danes-flannel-makeover?”

“Mm? Uh, I thought..,” Luke said, snapping out of it, “Thought we should talk.”

“Oh, yeah. Right.” She looked uncomfortable, and fiddled with her hands absentmindedly. “So.. you gonna sit down then, orrrr....?”

“Oh— Oh yeah!” Luke said quickly, walking to the chair next to her bed and easing himself into it.

He leaned forward, elbows resting on his thighs, and rubbed one palm with his index finger. Luke was focused on his hands, focused on NOT focusing on the beautiful woman whose face was turned to his. He let all the air in his lungs out in one long, low breath.

“So I think that—,” Lorelai started just as Luke said “I’m sorry that I—”. They both stopped and looked at each other.

“You go ahead.”

“No no, uh, it’s fine. You go.”

“ALLLL-Righty theN!” Lorelai said with a bad accent and an awkward smile. “I’ll go first.”

She breathed deeply, opened her mouth, then closed it again. “My mind.. has… gone completely blank,” she admitted, her eyes staring straight ahead.

Luke snorted. “That’s a first.”

“Oh, like you could do better!” She laughed, “this conversation isn’t gonna be easy no matter HOW we approach it!”

“Listen, Lorelai, it’s— it’s fine, really. It wasn’t a big deal,” Luke said, every lying word tasting vile and acidic in his mouth, “We can just.. forget it ever happened.”

Even as he said it, Luke knew he could never forget it happened. It had been the greatest kiss of his life, a moment where he finally felt pure elation instead of the half-assed happiness he had known before. He wondered if he could ever think of her the same way again, as just a crazy, caffeinated friend. He wondered if he had ever JUST thought of her that way.

“Wait, Luke,” she said, her voice breaking apart his thoughts, “It.. well, it was a big deal. To me, it was, at least…”

Luke’s heart surged with hope. Was Lorelai saying what he thought she was saying..?

“Luke? Do.. YOU want to just stay friends? Because if that’s what you want then—”

“NO!” He exclaimed, noticing the thread of vulnerability in her voice. “I mean,” he said, dialing it back a little, “that’s not.. I don’t want that. I don’t want.. to just stay friends.”

It felt so good to finally say it out loud. It felt better to catch the glimmer of a smile fleeting across Lorelai’s face as he said it. She was happy. Happy about this.

“Good,” Lorelai said, after a second, “Good. I, um, concur.”

“Concur?” He said, raising his eyebrows at her.

“Hey, you put me on the spot!” She said defensively, “I can’t be blamed for what comes out of my mouth when I haven’t had coffee yet!”

“You haven’t had coffee?”

“The doctors said it might counteract some of the medicine they’ve been giving me. The sleep-inducing ones.”

“So, you mean to tell me, you haven’t had coffee for over a week?! I gotta meet these doctors, they’re miracle workers!”

Lorelai squirmed and ducked her head. “Well, Rory snuck me in some contraband.. sooooo….”

Luke laughed. “I know I say that stuff’ll kill you, but it’s different when you’re in THE HOSPITAL!”

“I needed it!”

“Sure you did,” Luke said with a well-placed eye roll.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, both smiling to themselves. Then Lorelai spoke up.

“You know, um.. Luke. Tomorrow’s the day I’m finally being released…”

Luke looked up at her, eyes squinting as if they could figure out where she was going with this train of thought just by staring at her.

“And,” Lorelai continued, choosing her words carefully, “although Rory has demanded that we have a Mother-Daughter bonding day as soon as I get out, I imagine that she.. would be fine with letting me have the evening to spend how I please. And with whomever I wish.” She looked up at him with hope in her bright blue eyes.

Luke wanted to laugh. Was she seriously asking him out? She was being so cordial about it too! Who knew Luke Danes would be the one to finally make Lorelai tongue-tied. He grinned at her teasingly.

“Is that your way of asking me out?”

Lorelai blushed and tried to scoff. “Wh-what? No!... yes.”

Luke laughed and smiled at her, not even caring that he must have looked dopey with that huge grin plastered on his face. He couldn’t seem to wipe it off.

“I think I’m free,” he said nonchalantly, ignoring how his heart had migrated to his throat, “Pick you up at six?”

“Sounds perfect,” Lorelai said, her smile pushing up at her blue eyes.

Again, there was a brief moment of silence where they both just smiled and said nothing, expect this time they were looking at each other.

“You know,” Lorelai said casually, “It’s funny how we’re doing this all out of order.”

“Whaddya mean?” He asked.

“Oh, just.. we’ve kinda been on the “getting to know you” phase of our relationship for AT LEAST five years…”

“True,” Luke said with a shrug.

“...and we kissed before the first date even began,” she continued, her eyes sparkling flirtatiously and her smile slowly turning feline, “who knows what else will happen before our first date? Sookie once mentioned you gave off Bull-Durham vibes, and I’m starting to agree with her.”

Luke turned red. “Don’t say that,” he managed to choke out, looking away.

“Why not?” Lorelai laughed cattily, her voice turning to baby talk, “Is this turn in our relationship bothering you, Little Luke? Is it too hard for you?”

“YES,” he griped testily, not getting the innuendo until it was too late. She laughed delightedly and clapped her hands as Luke’s face turned another shade of puce.

“I can’t believe you’re embarrassed NOW, considering you used tongue on our first kiss!”

“Ah, JEEZ,” Luke said, covering his face, mortified at himself.

Lorelai kept giggling as Luke grabbed his baseball cap off the bedside table and adjusted it firmly, his mind racing to think of a conversation change he could use.

“So what’d your mother say after I left?”

Lorelai stopped laughing and looked at him aghast. “Why ON EARTH would you bring up my mother right now?” She pretended to vomit into her hands.

“Sorry,” He muttered, secretly relieved for the change in conversation.

Lorelai collected herself and folded her arms across her T-shirt. “Well, first she yelled at me for not calling, then she yelled at me for not being sorry about not calling, OOH! Then she yelled at me for not telling her about dating you, and then about how I should have married Christopher when I had the chance and how I’m squandering my potential and am a failure in every sense of the word. So, same old, same old, really.”

Luke winced, partially at Lorelai’s description of her mother, partially at how normal she made it sound (he couldn’t imagine anyone thinking of Lorelai as a failure), and partially at Christopher’s name. He had never met the guy, but from what he knew, he was a deadbeat and scumbag, and Lorelai was lucky to be rid of him. But he kept that to himself.

“Yeah, sorry I ran outta her and left you like that,” Luke apologized sincerely, casting his eyes downwards and rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh don’t worry about it,” Lorelai said dismissively, waving her hand, “Par of the course for the Gilmores. You’re lucky you escaped with you life, my friend!”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I am. Lucky.”

She smiled at him warmly, eyes roaming his scruffy face with such affection it made Luke’s heart swell. Then her eyes flitted to the clock, and her face changed abruptly.

“Wait, isn’t it the lunch rush right now?”

“Ah jeez!” Luke blurted, realizing she was right. “Sorry, I have to go. Caesar’s out of town for the weekend and I’m already short handed.”

“S’okay, I get it,” Lorelai said. “Thanks for stopping by!”

Luke got to his feet, adjusted his baseball cap, and looked around the room, his hands itching for an excuse to stay. He didn’t find one. What he did find when he turned around though, was Lorelai looking at him with the same expression from the other day.

“C’mere,” she said, holding out her hands for him.

Luke gulped and tried to restrain his smile as he walked over to her. He bent down and Lorelai’s hands rested on either side of his face. She pulled him closer to her until he could feel her warm breath on his neck, see her eyes watching him through half-closed eyelids. Her rosy lips were slightly parted, just begging to be kissed. He leaned forward, but Lorelai put a finger to his mouth, stopping him gently.

“Ah, ah, ah,” she whispered in a breathy voice, “Not until tomorrow.”

Luke growled (half in amusement, half in frustration) and bit down lightly on her finger, trying to tease her as much as she was teasing him. He thought she was abotu to moan, but instead she just let out the air in an irritatingly adorable giggle.

“Nice try, burger boy,” Lorelai breathed against him, “but you have to get to work.”

“Don’t wanna,” he murmured against her hand.

She pulled him closer and pressed her lips to his neck. He sucked in a breath as she left a trail of kisses up his jawline, mouth working softly against the sensitive skin. Luke let his eyes flutter closed as he enjoyed the feeling of her lips on his neck. He bit back a whimper as she bit down on his neck, sucking at the soft skin.

Then she pulled back, kissed him on the cheek, and shoved towards the doorway. “Now, VAMOOSE! You’re late!”

Luke groaned and pointed an accusing finger at her. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

Lorelai’s eyes sparkled with a smile as she fought to keep her face neutral. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He shook his head, a chuckled bubbling in the back of his throat. He raised his hand in goodbye. “See you tomorrow, Lorelai.”

“Six o’clock, right?”

“Six o’clock,” he confirmed with a nod.

On his way out, Luke was so focused on sneaking not-so-secret glances over his shoulder that he smacked nose-first into the doorway, causing Lorelai to laugh uproariously.

“Shut it, you,” Luke growled at her, closing the door behind him. He could still hear her laughter through the wall as he walked away.

All the drive home, along with the rest of the day, to everyone in Stars Hollow’s unavoidable surprise, (try as he may) Luke Danes could not stop smiling.

Chapter Text

The next day, Luke had to physically restrain himself from calling her. He knew it was dumb, he was going to see her tonight anyway, but he couldn’t keep his mind off the blue-eyed brunette with a blinding smile and concerning coffee-addiction. 

Especially after that goodbye she had given him.

Luke honestly hadn’t thought he could be this eager for something again, not since he finished puberty. Not that he was expecting— Not that he thought she would— He just was eager to see her again. 

That morning, the whole town knew something was up when he greeted every customer with a smile and a casual, “How can I help ya today?” He had whistled as he brought people their food, even going so far as adding in chocolate chips to every pancake and handing out free refills to anyone who had a cup. 

The only thing that had soured his mood that morning was Kirk.

“Good morning, Luke,” Kirk had said as he took a seat at the counter.

“Morning,” Luke had responded with a nod.

“If I may ask, why are you acting so cheerful?”

Luke had set down his notepad and groaned. “Why is everybody asking me that? Can’t I just have a good day every once and awhile?”

“Well yes,” Kirk had said matter-a-factly, “but never when Lorelai isn’t here.”

Luke’s ears had turned red, and his face was about to follow suit. He growled, “What.” Kirk failed to notice his change in tone.

“Oh, I just mean that, historically speaking, you’re only this chipper when Lorelai’s around, usually when she flirts with you.”

“Kirk, shut up,” Luke had muttered, seizing upon the distraction of clearing plates to get away from that conversation. Kirk hadn’t understood his obvious discomfort.

“Luke— we’re men. We should be able to talk about these things. It’s no secret that you and Lorelai have pent-up sexual tension, not to mention good chemistry. Everybody knows it. It’s really a miracle you haven’t just laid one one her already.”

“Kirk, I’m begging you,” Luke said with a weary glare.

“Actually,” Kirk said, a hint of amusement creeping into his usual, emotionless tone, “judging by the hickey on your neck, it seems she might have taken the initiative.”

Luke slammed the plates down on the counter so hard a chip broke off of one. He didn’t notice. “KIRK,” he shouted, but the man had already gotten up and left, finally noticing Luke’s change in mood.

Luke’s face had been bright red as he had raced up the stairs to his apartment, flung open the bathroom door, and checked his look in the mirror. Sure enough, a reddish bruise the size of a kiss marred the side of his neck. “Ah, jeez,” he muttered, realizing the love mark had been on display for the entire diner to see ALL MORNING.

He shook his head and tried (unsuccessfully) to rid himself of secondhand embarrassment at the memory. Luke looked around his apartment and sighed. He still had an hour before he picked Lorelai up. At least now he could figure out what to wear. 
He remembered fondly the first time Lorelai had seen him dressed up. He had gone to the bank and therefore worn a collared shirt. He hadn’t had time to change before his shift at the diner, so he had just forsaken his usual flannel and suffered through the regular customers’ astonished looks. The only reaction he hadn’t minded was her’s. She had complimented him sincerely, her eyes lingering on his. He remembered it well, and silently kicked himself at the memory, half-regretting not making a move earlier. 

At least now, looking back at all the memories and compliments he had stockpiled, Luke had something to go on when dressing for their date. Luke pulled out the black turtleneck she had given him and matched it with some nice slacks. He considered wearing a button-down, but then he would have to decide whether or not to wear a tie, and he just didn’t want to go through that. 

Why was he stressing about this anyway, he wondered to himself as he walked to the bathroom, it was just a date! But, in his heart of hearts, Luke knew this was never “just a date”. 

As an afterthought, he shaved. He wanted to look his best, even if he felt like a schmutz doing it. This was for Lorelai; she deserved the best.

At 5:50, he pulled on his leather jacket and grabbed his keys. He spent the drive over psyching himself up.

Okay, this is no big deal, he thought. It’s just a date. It’ll be fine. She already knows me and likes me, so there’s no pressure. No pressure at all.

Oh, who was he kidding?! There was TONS of pressure! This was Lorelai he was talking about, not some passing ship! He needed to do this right. Luke wasn't sure what he’d do if something went wrong. 

Nope, he wasn’t gonna think about that. All he needed to do for tonight was relax, have fun, and show her a good time. Dirty. God, he was spending too much time with her if he kept thinking that way. Luke grinned to himself. He couldn’t wait to spend even more time with her.

He pulled up in front of her house right at six. Luke caught glimpses of her and Rory’s silhouettes in her bedroom window, and he smiled. She was still getting ready. Cute.

Luke climbed the porch steps and leaned against the wall of their house, opting to give Lorelai and extra ten minutes to get ready. He knew her well enough to not barge in at the agreed upon time, expecting her to be punctual. He loved how scattered she was sometimes. Really he loved everything about her, all the time. 

WOAH there, he mentally reprimanded himself, One thing at a time. Take her on a date first, don’t come on too strong. 

He repeated this mantra over and over again until the ten minutes were up, and he gathered enough courage to ring the doorbell. The door was opened and Luke found Rory’s smiling face on the other side of it.

“Why hello Luke,” she said with a cheeky grin, “WHAT a surprise!”

“Hey Rory,” he managed. He was suddenly a lot more nervous than he was a minute ago. “Is your mom ready?”

“JUST A MINUTE,” the woman in question hollered from upstairs. 

“Come on in,” Rory invited.

Luke stepped into the familiar space and ran a hand through his hair. He couldn’t remember if he had combed it or not. He hoped he had. Suddenly Luke heard footsteps rushing down the stairs, and he whipped his head up just in time to see Lorelai pause at the banister. Her gaze locked with his.

She looked beautiful. She was wearing a deep blue dress that fit like a glove, the neckline hugging her chest, the skirt fluttering around her legs. Her hair was done in wavy curls that framed her exquisite face. She was a goddess, a vision, the most beautiful human being he had ever seen. And yet she was looking at him as if he was all that and more.

She smiled at him, and his heart fluttered. “Hi,” Lorelai said, making her way to the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes never left his face.

“Hi,” Luke said, blinking too many times.

“You look.. nice. Really nice.”

“You look... really nice too,” Luke managed. They stood a few paces apart, neither one of them moving or looking anywhere but at the other.

“So,” Luke said after a second, “we should go.”

“Huh? Oh yeah!” Lorelai exclaimed, as if she had forgotten their date entirely, and had just been focused on him, “let me just grab my coat, and I’ll be ready.”

She and Luke both tried to go first to the doorway, sidestepped, and tried to let the other pass. He laughed nervously and she blushed at the awkwardness of the situation. When they finally managed to get to the door, Rory waved them off.

“Have a good time, you crazy kids!” She called after them, “I would say have her home by 10, but mom— I’m staying at Lane’s tonight, remember? So see you tomorrow!”

Just like that, the door slammed, the two adults were left alone, and thus began their first date. Already, Luke couldn’t wait for their second.

Chapter Text

Luke led her to the truck and opened the door for her. Lorelai stumbled a little as she got up, catching herself against the side of the truck. Luke would have laughed, but he bumped into the hood not two seconds later, so he really didn’t have a leg to stand on.

When he got into the driver’s seat and started the engine, Lorleai immediately started peppering him with questions.

“So, where’re we going?”

“You’ll see,” he replied.

“C’moooon, give me a clue! You didn’t even give me any hints about what to wear, so I have absolutely NO IDEA whether I’m over or underdressed!” Lorelai whined, bouncing up and down impatiently.

“Trust me— you’re perfect.”

She blushed and stopped bouncing on the seat. “Oh, thank you.”

As Luke pulled out of the driveway, he tried not to stress over her abrupt silence. Had he come on too strong? Was it going to be awkward between them now?

Lorelai wrung her hands and gave a nervous laugh, breaking the silence. “God, I don’t know why I’m so nervous!”

Luke smiled and was about to confirm his nerves as well, when she continued.

“I mean, maybe it’s from hunger, that’d make sense, right? Hunger drives people to act weird, I mean, just look at basically any Dracula movie ever! Perfectly nice guy, a little on the kinky side, but good to maidens of pure heart or whatever the slogan was. But then WOAH, he’d be hungry and suddenly BAM BLAM MURDER VICTIM BLOOD EVERYWHERE.”

Luke held back his laughter at her mini-rant. “Yeah, but I think that may have less to do with hunger and more to do with the whole.. drinking blood to survive.”

She crossed her arms and sighed dramatically. “Same concept.”

“Also, you’re always hungry, so I think the Gilmores are an exception,” Luke said with a smile.

“Usually not THIS much!” Lorelai squawked, “I haven’t eaten in HOURS AND HOURS, LUKE! Not since breakfast this morning! I MIGHT DIE!”

Luke snorted. “I hardly think you’ll—,” he stopped, and looked at her quizzically. “Did you say you haven’t eaten since breakfast?”

She shrugged and looked away, embarrassed. “I was too nervous to eat.”

Luke smiled and felt a twinge of some unnamed feeling in his chest. Lorelai hadn’t eaten all day because of him. She was just as nervous about this as he was. Comforting, in a way.

He pulled onto the highway and let his mind drift a bit. He was on a date. With Lorelai. He had finally asked her out, and she had said yes. This was the beginning of their relationship. Wow. 

“Heeey, Luke,” he heard from beside him. “D’ya mind if I just ramble for a bit?”

“And that’s different from what you normally do, how…?” He tried to joke. Something about Lorelai’s change in tone was off-putting, though Luke did his best to ignore it.

She was quiet for a second, until Luke looked at her and nodded slightly, giving her the go-ahead.

“Okay, well, I know this is only our first date, but.. god, it feels like so much more than that. You probably don’t feel the same, and that’s okay, but I’ve wanted this for a really long time, Luke. Wanted you.”

Luke’s throat was closing up. He was suddenly reminded of the drive over to the hospital, almost two weeks ago. Except this time, Lorelai was fully conscious and in good health. He kept his eyes on the road, but all of his focus was on Lorelai.

“Luke, I know it’s early, but.. this thing we’re doing here? Me and you? I want it to work. I really.. I do.”

Lorelai’s voice wavered, and Luke looked over at her, worried she might cry again. But she sat up tall in her seat, head held high. She looked regal, almost queenly, as she continued to pour her heart out to him.

“I know I don’t have the best track record in relationships, but.. well, I’m trying to be better, to do better. And I’m hoping that, um, this time will be different. Because there’s you.”

Her voice got quiet all of a sudden, and Luke could almost hear the smile in her words as he watched her face soften and break into a shy smile, her eyes still pointing straight ahead.

“You’re one of my favorite people in the world, Luke. You never hesitate to help me with.. whatever. You’re always there for me. And I just wanted you to know, I appreciate it. I appreciate everything. And if I’m being totally honest here…”

She took in a shaky breath.

“I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Luke’s heart stopped. Was this a dream? It had to be a dream. Because Lorelai Gilmore had just said she loved him, and the only place that could happen was in his wildest dreams. He couldn’t think. He was paralyzed.

“Luke? Luke, did you hear what I said?” Lorelai asked with concern in her voice. She rested a hand on his shoulder and the touch caused Luke to spring back to life and swerve just as a semi passed them on the road.

“JESUS CHRIST,” she yelped as Luke gained control of the wheel. The semi blared its horn at them as it passed, which they kind of deserved.

“ACH SORRY SORRY SORRY,” Luke gasped. He didn’t know what the symptoms for a stroke were, but he was pretty sure he just had one.

Lorelai was laughing hysterically next to him. “I think,” she said through the subsiding giggles, “I think this is going to be an interesting date.”

Luke almost smiled at her, but he didn’t look up from the road. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel, holding it firmly in place. 

“I’m going to have to agree with you there,” he said after a while. They sat in (mostly) silence for a few minutes, interrupted only by Lorelai’s occasional smothered laugh.

“And Lorelai?”

“Yeah?” She said, reining in her grin.

“I feel the same way. Probably more than you do, actually.”

Her smile returned in full force and she poked him playfully. “Oh yeah?” She teased, “wanna bet?”

Luke allowed himself a glance at her, nodded, and smiled. “I’m all in.”