I woke up alone and in a lot of pain. There were voices in the room in front of me. I tried to open my eyes but couldn't. Fear swept through my body. I called desperately, "John?"
The voices stopped abruptly. I heard a chair move out and footsteps running toward me. I wiggled out from under the comforter and sat up.
"Shh, 'Berto. It's just me." John sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I leaned against him for support and a calming sensation. He brushed his lips over my forehead.
"I can't see," I whimpered.
"I know," he whispered. "Your eyes have swollen shut with bruises. Remy has some stuff that'll help."
"I'm scared," I admitted. John pulled me onto his lap and held me closer.
"He's panickin'," came a voice by the door.
I raised my head toward the voice. "Remy?"
"Oui, gamin. Keep talkin' to 'im, John," he replied. "I'm goin' t' get dat stuff."
John started rocking us as Remy's footsteps receded. One of his hands started stroking through my hair. He knew how I'd react to these movements. My breaths were coming in short and shallow now. He continued to pet me in an attempt to calm me down. John pressed a kiss against his spot to remind me that it was only he. I knew I was panicking, but I couldn't stop my heartbeat from going up.
"Can you calm down, kid?" John pleaded as his free hand started making soothing circles on my lower back. "Please don't do this. I- I don't know what to do to help you. You're scaring me, Roberto."
I raised my head toward his voice and willed my breaths to even out. John pressed his lips against mine. I took a deep breath as he let me out of the kiss. I forced myself to think about the hand going through my hair. I pushed into his touch, just needing to feel it. Slowly, John got me to calm down and lower my heartbeat. Finally we were just sitting on the bed.
"We need to talk," John started as I settled against him. "I called Logan."
"What?" I practically exploded.
"I know you didn't want me to tell Xavier, but someone had to know where you were or they'd send out a search party." I didn't reply and John ran his hand through my hair. "He said you were supposed to be with Berserker- "
"Shit. Ray? He was. We were both beaten up. He ran. I mean, we split up to run. I figure he went to the sewers."
"OK. Do you want to tell me about it all?"
I shook my head. "Not yet, please."
"All right." His grip tightened slightly. "We'll talk about this later, okay?"
I heard his threat loud and clear. "Of course."
"Now are you sure you didn't hit your head?"
"Yes, I covered it with my arms." As I said this, I realized how much my arms did hurt right now. "I don't have a concussion, John."
He dropped a kiss into my hair. "Are you hungry?"
I looked up at him, slightly confused. I wasn't hungry, but I realized that I should be. "What time is it?"
"About seven, why?"
"What? No way. I have to- I've gotta-" I struggled to find the words.
John pulled me closer and kissed his spot. "I'm not letting you go anywhere, kid. I'll call Xavier if I have to, but I'm not going to let you leave my sight. You're too injured to move and I'm not letting anyone else make you better."
"I don't-" I started. I was going to say that I didn't deserve him, but John's threat about degrading myself still rung in my mind. Normally I would not have hesitated just to see if he still remembered or planned to uphold his threat, but not today. John was holding me together like a lifeline and I didn't want to risk losing that.
"You don't what?" John pressed. He caressed my cheek oddly. Then I realized that he was wiping away a tear that I hadn't even realized I'd released.
"I don't want to be alone," I covered my blunder. I buried my head in the crook of his neck.
John ran his fingers up and down my spine soothingly. "I'm not going to leave you, kid. I'm not going to let you deal with this alone."
I paused. I figured that I must look really bad for him to keep making comments like that. My whole body ached, but I tried to ignore it as much as possible. I rubbed my forehead against his shoulder and realized that he was still in his uniform. He must've been doing stuff the whole time I was asleep.
"Can we take off your shirt to make sure that nothing is broken?" he asked.
I snorted, "Maybe if I can get you out of that uniform."
He chuckled, "Later, kiddo. We'll wait until after Remy's gone before attempting anything like that."
I lifted my head a bit as John tugged on my shirt. He slid it over my head and tossed it aside. Then he set to checking every bone in my torso, basically my ribs. He ran his fingers up and down, counting and feeling. It wasn't the first time I was grateful that I wasn't ticklish. I rested my hands on his thighs as he checked my hips for anything unusual.
No sooner Remy came in. "Got de stuff."
John tipped my chin up, "Remy has some homemade cold cream that'll get the swelling down. You should be able to see in a few hours."
I felt a pang of compassion toward Remy as I realized just how much he knew about my situation from his own experience. I felt a calming sensation turn my brain sluggish and realized that Remy was retaliating with his own feelings toward me. The bed dipped a bit as Remy sat down beside us. Remy warned, "It's cold."
I felt a hand gently spread the cold lotion onto my face and eyes. A moment later, they were putting some on my right side. I let out a hiss of pain before a hand tangled in hair to calm me.
"Can we get you out of your pants?" John asked. I just nodded. The two of them managed to get my pants off and spread the stuff over the bruises on my legs. My pain was mounting as they continued. None too soon they were done.
"Thanks, Remy," I started.
John whispered something to him too. I wanted to curl up with John but didn't want to cover him in the salve that was helping me heal. The hand in my hair slid out before beginning to pet me.
"I'm goin' to leave d' adjoining door unlocked. There are people outside," Remy told us.
I felt John stiffen under me. If those were the FOHs or if John thought they were... I wrapped my arms around his neck.
"Don't leave me alone." I put as much whimper into my voice as I could. I didn't want to be left alone when I was blind, but I really didn't want him to go out there and start something that would end in his exposure.
John dropped a kiss on my hairline, "I won't if you don't want me to."
"Please don't."
I felt Remy get up. "Let 'im sleep before they start, John."
"But I don't want to sleep," I teased him. "John, do I have to?"
"Yes, because he'll never leave us alone if we don't listen to him."
Remy chuckled, "Least y' know who's in charge, Johnny."
I laughed and assumed John was shooting him a glare. Remy headed out of John's room and over to his own. John placed at savage kiss on my lips. I fought for some kind of control or leverage even though I knew it wouldn't happen. John liked it when I put up a bit of a fight. I pulled back reluctantly, but I knew I needed oxygen. John nipped at my bottom lip too.
"Uniform?"
"Then you have to let go of me."
I growled playfully as he dropped me onto the bed. There was a moment of silence and I figured John was stripping to his boxers. I felt the bed dip and he curled up behind me. He immediately began kissing down my neck.
"You know that I love you, right?" he whispered.
"I never thought you'd be one to say that as much as you do," I returned, feeling Remy's stuff all ready drying and hardening on my body.
"Good. Now you need to get some sleep, kid."
"Aw, but John-"
"Sorry, kiddo. As much as I hate to admit it, Remy's right. You need to get your sleep before it all starts."
"Before what starts?"
John wrapped his arms around me and pulled me completely against him. "The nightmares."
"I'm not tired," I protested half-heartedly.
"Then I'm going to have to find some OTC medicine that makes you drowsy."
"OK, OK. I'm going to sleep."
John pressed a kiss to his spot. "Good."
Then I upheld my end of the deal and fell asleep in John's arms for the second time in a row.
TBC