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Michel felt like he couldn’t move.
A side effect of the poison he was told. Joint pain that would fade in time, but at the moment, prevented him from leaving this bed. All he could really do, was stare out of the window, taking in the beautiful Italian afternoon sun.
He barely noticed Luca entering the room, not until a gentle hand was uncurling his fingers from the sheets.
“Have you taken anything?”
Weakly, Michel nodded, “Can’t take anything else for a few hours.” He whispered. Yes, it was early in the morning, but the pain had been so great, that he needed all he could get.
And now he was stuck.
Luca’s fingers gently brushed against the back of his hand, the only form of comfort he could give without hurting the younger man. “I can get you some water. Maybe a cold flannel?”
“P-please.”
Sipping at the water through a straw, Michel groaned even when the cold flannel was placed on his forehead.
“Hurts.” He whispered, feeling Luca’s fingers gentle massaging at his head.
“I know… it’s going to be okay though.”
He didn’t fully believe his boyfriend but forced himself to smile anyway. “A-anything interesting happening?” He asked, hoping to change the subject, settling down and listening to Luca talking about the upcoming financial meeting.
Their hands were tangled at the edge of the bed, and if Michel pretended hard enough, he could pretend this was just a normal afternoon for them.
………………………………………………………
Migraines.
Michel had suffered with migraines before all this, where every movement caused pain. He needed to wash, but the idea of even taking one step out of his bed made him feel sick.
A feeling that proved to be a viable warning as he was sick quite a few times on the way to the bathroom, apologising even as Vincenzo and Luca gently told him not to worry about it.
He only vaguely felt Luca removing his slightly sweat-damped shirt off of him, along with the soft pyjama pants.
“Michel? Are you okay?”
He couldn’t answer straight away, head bent so far toward his knees that he was almost bent in half.
“Come on.” Vincenzo sighed, “Let’s get you into the shower. Hopefully, that’ll ease it.”
It never did.
…………………………………………………
Michel was still sitting on the floor of the shower over an hour later, back to the spray. His forehead was pressed hard against the tiled wall and even though Vincenzo couldn’t see it, it didn’t take him long to hear the hitch in Michel’s breathing.
“Come on.” He whispered, making a mental note to give his adoptive brother some of this poison when they finally caught him.
“I-It’s fine.” Michel croaked, eyes closed against the light as the water was shut off and he was gently helped out, Luca drying him as best he could without aggravating existing aches.
“You- you both can’t be looking after me all the time.” Michel whispered, “What- what about- “
“- We’re where we’re meant to be.” Luca whispered, “Stop worrying, and focus on getting better.”
They helped him to the bed, with Michel letting himself be tucked under the sheets, smiling when Luca perched on the edge of the bed, and took a hold of his hand once again. He felt a little better after the shower, which he hoped meant that he was finally on the road to recovery.
……………………………………………..
When he was well enough to actually sit up without every muscle in his body protesting the movement, he found himself visited by almost every person in the mansion, from the cook to the person who cleans out the pool.
He didn’t really have the energy to engage them in conversation, but they didn’t seem to mind.
They all just seemed to be happy to see him.
“You’re loved.” Vincenzo stated, when Michel queried about the visits, “Everyone in this family adores you. If we could find who did this to you, I can guarantee that everyone in this house, would want a piece of that revenge.”
“Oh.” It was an odd feeling… being loved by so many people.
When he was ‘Chairman’, he was feared.
When he was Han Seo, the Chairman’s brother, he was ridiculed.
Being loved was… new.
“You don’t have to do this, you know.” He whispered one night, head on Luca’s mid-section as he tried to sleep, “Be this nice.”
“Just… consider me one of the nicer side effects of all this.” Luca continued to massage Michel’s head to ease the migraine.
…………………………………………………………………………
Another week passed, before Michel felt well enough to get out of bed, meandering slowly down the hall, towards the kitchen, steadying himself with one hand flat on the wall, stretching stiff muscles and joints along the way.
“Mister Cassano Sir!” The cook spotted him immediately, rushing over and helping him sit at the table, “Let me make you something to eat. Some toast?”
“Just plain please?” Michel whispered, smiling weakly as the cook immediately got to work, almost looking excited by the fact that he was up and awaken.
The migraine was still there a little, but nothing as severe as it had been.
He finally felt like he was getting better.
He knew he still had some way to go.
There would be days when he would wake, and the sunlight would cause him pain. There would be days when even the thought of moving would make his muscles ache.
But on these days, he knew he would have help.
Gentle hands stroking through his hair; soft whispers of comfort and encouragement.
He wouldn’t be alone.
And that was what mattered the most.