Chapter Text
After a while, Nando managed to get Lance settled and asleep, laying him down on his back, with his wrist still resting on pillows by his side, slightly elevated. In the meantime, Nando knew Lance well enough to know that it was far from over, the worst was probably still yet to come, so he searched around the hotel room for supplies, which surprisingly didn't have much st all. So he has to resort to ordering things to the hotel and asking room service to bring them up. In the end, he layed out everything he collected on the table, so he has them all on hand when he needed them. He knew the painkillers probably wouldn't even create a dent in his pain level, but was desperate enough to try anyway.
Lance slept well, which surprised them both, even giving Nando the opportunity to nap on one of the chairs in the meantime. It wasn't particularly comfortable, but he'd experienced much worse sleeping spots in his life, so he was pretty okay with sleeping on an armchair. He wanted to be next to Lance, as if he could somehow protect him from the pain, but was too scared of accidentally crushing one of his wrists in his sleep or something. He knew he was probably overthinking and it would be perfectly fine, but he still wasn't willing to take the risk, risking back pain instead which, in his eyes, was the clear better option.
Lance woke up before Nando, slowly coming to his senses while a sense of dread settles in his stomach as he felt the ache in his wrists which would inevitably get much worse. He tested their movement, which was limited, but possible, and rushed to get something to eat while they still had movement, putting in a couple slices of toast for Fernando as well. The pain was getting gradually worse, but at least he managed to eat, and hopefully repay Nando in some way by making him something too before he couldn't anymore.
Nando awoke to the smell of toast, surprised that Lance was up before him, especially considering his state, so he instantly got up to see if he really was much better. Nando found him sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a small mug of green tea. He nodded a good morning to Nando, gesturing to a plate of toast he'd prepared. Lance had put braces on both his wrists, but still winced under his breath everytime he moved them, purposely underfilling his mug to make it lighter.
"Thank you. You really didn't have to though, I'm going to be pissed off if this puts you in more pain." He wasn't joking, even if his tone suggested otherwise. If Lance had further injured himself trying to do something Fernando was capable of doing himself, he was going to be pissed. "It hurts, but it's not too bad. It's manageable." Lance attempted to just brush it off, but Nando just sighed dramatically and got up to fetch him more ice.
"Let's go in the lounge, it's a lot more comfortable than in here." He instructed, leading them into the dimly lit living room and getting out a couple blankets from the drawers, as well as stealing the pillows from the neighbouring chairs to create a comfier couch situation. While Lance flicked through movies, Nando devoured the toast he made for him, returning the plate to the kitchen once he'd finished.
Everything was going smoothly for a while, Lance wasn't in too much pain and they were both sprawled out on the couch, watching silly movies and having a pretty good time, until Fernando noticed Lance's breathing pick up. "It's getting worse?" He just nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He gave him some painkillers, the strongest he could find, but he still knew they would barely make a dent if it got much worse.
Fernando rubbed soothing circles on his back, trying to keep his mind off of the throbbing pain which was bound to just decline and decline. After a few more minutes, Lance was curled up next to him, burying his face in his side and squeezing his eyes shut. Nando could do nothing but hold him.
Lance was so fucking sick of being in pain, he wanted to be angry, to fight back somehow, but he just couldn't anymore. He was just drained and done, he didn't even want to imagine how he'd manage without Fernando. He tried to focus on the feeling of Nando's hand on his back or his shaky breathing, but nothing could take his mind off of the pain.
He felt like he was ruining everything, wasting Fernando's time with his pathetic issues, and he probably had much better ways to spend his time than with him while he's in too much pain to even attempt to make conversation. But Fernando kept a steady hand against his back, keeping him sheltered in his arms, rocking him very slightly. And in that moment, everything just became too much and Lance just started to cry.
He tried to keep it subtle, but Nando could always tell, tightening his grip while whispering comforts in his ear, he didn't even try to hush him, just letting him finally cry it out. He didn't even think to judge and that realization made Lance cry even harder. That someone would still love him like this, it meant the world to him.
He sniffled and sobbed, hiding his face from the world, keeping his eyes squeezed shut tight, almost as if it could stop the tears from escaping. "I've got you. I'm right here. I'm not going to leave you, I promise." Nando uttered into his hair. For once, he actually believed it, pressing himself closer into him, finally feeling a little bit lighter.