A/N: So after recent episodes and what we know of upcoming episodes I am more in love with IV and V's relationship that ever because it's getting better but I love how painful it used to be. So, since there must have been a rather large time gap between the accident and the disqualification incident (since Thomas showed no signs of pain or injury during what little we saw of him and burns are nasty) and we know Tron probably wouldn't have left him in hospital longer than absolutely necessary. So this is him recovering. Please enjoy and review guys.
IV was taking heavy medication. He didn't know he was, Tron had III slip it into IV's tea. He was so quiet and dazed, he was barely aware of anything around him but at least he didn't feel the pain of his burns or injuries.
V stayed with him as much as he could. He remembered looking after him when they were younger. He'd dress up in Byron's lab coat and declare himself doctor and his younger brother would laugh sweetly and lie back in bed and let him look after him, because he was his big brother and he knew best. After dads, big brothers were the next best thing.
There were no games this time though. Because they were grown up now. There was no time for games. IV was just down with the flu. He could have died. They still weren't entirely sure what the results of this would be. The doctors had warned there could be permanent scaring, he was lucky not to have ended up like that Rio girl, the injury to his eye could cause loss of vision, even blindness.
So V stayed at his brother's side as much as he could. He would gently rub cream on his burns and change his bandages. III would come in and give him his tea every few hours but Tron never came into his room unless he was after V and III and even then he seemed to make a point of staying outside in the hallway.
And every night, V would leave Tron tucked up in bed like a child- like the child he was- and went to IV's room again. Sometimes III would be giving him his last dose of medication for the night and sometimes he'd already be asleep. And V would take off his coat and climb into bed with him, gently wrapping his arms around him, stroking his hair gently. His little brother needed him. His younger siblings were hurting. Tron was hurting them but they were all willing to take it if it helped get their father back. V could only protect IV and III as well as he could. He'd make sure this never happened again.
IV grew stronger but he was still dazed and lost and V stayed with him as much as he could but Tron called him away more and more as he got stronger. IV would be sleeping by the time he got to see him and Tron would demand his attention before IV woke. III began to take over the duties V had carried out. V knew he'd lost IV a long time ago but he still loved him dearly. That orphanage had destroyed the boy he'd known, the boy who'd been his best friend for so many years. III was the only one who could really reach him no matter how much V tried. Because he'd abandoned them. He hadn't meant to. He thought he was doing what was right for them. He always did what he thought was right for them. And even if he couldn't break down IV's barriers again, even if he spent the rest of his life hated by his little brother, he'd continue trying to make it up to him and trying to protect him.
When V next got a chance to tend to IV, it was removing the dressing from his face. The skin was still tender and a little red and swollen but was no longer at risk of infection and could be exposed to the open air. The wounded over his eye that had been stitched up had healed nicely and was still a little sore as well but he was going to be alright. Physically at least.
V could do nothing when IV began crying upon seeing himself. He tried to hold him and let him know it was going to be ok, but IV screamed at him, pushing him away with all the strength he had. But V just wrapped his arms around him as firmly as he could without aggravating his injuries. So IV gave up fighting and just screamed and cried. And V didn't blame him in the slightest. He was a child. He hadn't even turned sixteen yet. And now his face was permanently scarred. He would have a permanent reminder of what had happened. V tried his hardest to offer some comfort but nothing he said or did could make it better. He wished he knew what to say or do but nothing worked. It just made IV worse.
And then III came in and poured out a cup of tea, no doubt mixed with more sedatives and painkillers and pried IV off him. V hated it. He hated how IV began to calm almost instantly as III stroked his hair and murmured soft reassurances. He was still the most handsome person in the world to III and he was always going to be his hero. IV drank his tea with a small smile and V could only sit and watch as III wrapped him in his arms, letting him drift off there. III just smiled at him like there was nothing wrong, like he didn't understand. He couldn't hate III for it. It wasn't his fault. It was V's. He'd done this when he left them. He'd let Tron put IV in this position.
And when IV was recovered, IV remembered none of it. He didn't remember V sitting there taking care of him or cuddling up with him at night. The painkillers and sedatives had destroyed those memories. Thanks to Tron keeping him busy as IV was weaned off the medicine, he only remembered III's care. He was more distant than ever because he didn't remember how worried V was or how he'd cared for him. As far as IV remembered V had left him in his time of need.
Again.