Strength in Weakness (Peter, Johan, Gabriel)
Sometimes, Peter found, complaining was a fantastic way to get what you wanted. He had learned this because he not only had seven children, but he also had...Deirdre. And complaining to the cops that he wanted to see his cousin had gotten them to relent in the end, when he had finally played the 'I own a hospital so I should be allowed in the infirmary' card.
When Peter entered the room, he had braced himself for what Johan would look like, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight. Sweet mother fuck, he said to himself. "Johan...it's Peter," he said out loud. Even Thomas hadn't looked this bad, injury wise, though to be fair, Peter hadn't seen him until after Spectre had healed him. And all that had been left then was the devastating effects of starvation. Johan looked a little thinner, sure, that was to be expected from being kept in a place like this after experiencing more trauma than any man deserved to experience. On top of that, there didn't seem to be a square millimeter of exposed skin that wasn't swollen and black and blue. It turned Peter's stomach to look at him, so Peter looked at the man sitting beside Johan instead. "Uncle Gabriel."
"Hello, Peter." Gabriel smiled politely at his nephew and he drew up a stool so Peter could sit at Johan's side too.
"What are you...doing here?" Peter glanced back and forth between Gabriel and Johan, feelig intensely protective of his cousin.
"I'm Johan's lawyer, Peter. We're going over a few things."
Johan didn't look like he could speak, let alone go over the intricacies of his case at the moment. Peter gave Gabriel and obstinate look. "Don't you think he deserves a rest?!"
"Pe..." Johan grumbled at not being able to get Peter's name out, but he lifted his hand towards Peter's briefly, and Peter took the hint. He found Johan's hand with his own, and he held it as gently as he could.
"It's alright, Johan. You don't have to talk." Peter assured him, soothingly. In response, Johan twisted Peter's index finger, and though the man didn't have much strength in him, the action still caused a sharp jab of pain to race up Peter's arm. "Ow!"
Gabriel covered his mouth to keep from laughing, though he still managed to say, "it looks like he very much wants to talk," from behind his palm.
"Clearly." Peter admitted through gritted teeth. "I'm sorry, Johan..."
Johan inclined his head and then he patted Peter's hand as if to apologise. Gabriel glanced at his notes and then he peered at the broken man over the top of his glasses. Gabriel was a man who had hidden his sexuality for years, and he had expressed his repression in various ways, including the alienation of his bisexual daughter. He had only reconciled with her after the rape court case of Brian Montgomery vs. Spectre Mors. And Gabriel considered the outcome of that to be one of the greatest travesties of justice he had been witness to. Until now. Until this. Here was a man, lying broken and bleeding in front of him, and because he was lost in the justice system himself for something that wasn't his fault, nothing was going to be done about it. "I want you to know I will continue to work on getting you transferred-"
"You know we're getting another lawyer in to work on his case?" Peter asked his uncle.
"I do. We've spoken and he's going to be a big help, Peter."
"He's already working on getting Johan out of here."
Gabriel nodded. "Good. I'll contact him again when I'm done here. Should I go through the rest of my notes with you, Johan?"
Slowly, Johan nodded. And as Gabriel spoke, Peter's heart felt more conflicted than it had in a long time. He felt both absolute sympathy and horror, and yet he was filled with pride and respect for his cousin. Peter was having trouble just going about his daily life, and he felt on the inside like what Johan looked on the outside. And his wife had just stated she wanted to leave him. Aly certainly had not first eaten one of their children, requiring Peter to put the child out of their misery, before offing herself, leaving Peter to prison where he would get raped by three men at once. Comparatively speaking, Peter had nothing to complain about. And yet here Johan was, with every excuse in the world to just give up, working even through his pain.
When Gabriel finished, he gathered up his things to take his leave. "I'll put everything else aside until you're out of here." Gabriel whispered, looking quite emotional. Despite the way Johan had hounded him on their first meeting, Gabriel was feeling rather personally upset about his situation and he wanted Johan safe.
When Gabriel left, Peter inched closer to Johan's side. "I'm so sorry-"
"Not...your fault." Peter could see that Johan was watching him out of the tiny slits he had left where his eyes should have been.
"Have they given you something for the pain?" Peter asked, rather desperately. He remembered how it felt to be lying in a hospital bed with the terrible feeling of the ebb of the drugs. He had been ignored largely by hospital staff, and the pain of his shattered bones had been...unspeakable. It made him cringe just to remember it.
"Morphine." Johan responded, his voice weak and rasping. "Peter. You have to get me out of here." The words came slowly, and Peter found himself waiting for each one as Johan's uncooperative tongue took it's time to form the correct sounds. "Please."
Peter closed his eyes and he leaned his forehead down to lean against Johan's hand. "I'm trying. Believe me, I am. Right now, I want nothing more than to get you away from here. Abby already tried to get you transferred back to the hospital, but they knocked that back. I can assure you, however, that this will not happen again." Peter's voice was low and dangerous on that point. He was already poised to sue the life out of the fucking place if Johan would let him.
"I would have them burn." Johan growled.
"So would I. Johan, is anything broken? What...what did they-"
"Ribs. Two. And left wrist. I think...I might not sit again. For awhile."
Peter shuddered at that, and his hand tightened instinctively on what was, thankfully, Johan's right hand. "I hate this. I fucking hate it. I love you, you know that, right?"
The corners of Johan's cut and swollen lips twitched and Peter understood that was as much as Johan could manage of a smile. "I do. You gush."
"Heh...I do do that." Peter kissed Johan's hand and he let out a deep sigh. "I hate leaving you here."
"Don't. Don't go."
Peter was surprised at the insistence and, indeed, fear he heard in Johan's voice. "Alright, I'll stay."
"Thank you." Johan breathed, relief evident. "Peter. You'll tell them? Tell everyone? I'm still fighting. Promised Allanah."
"Oh, Johan. I'll tell them. You should try and rest. I'll be right here, I promise." Peter never let go of Johan's hand as the man drifted off to sleep, exhausted just by talking for the past hour. Peter would watch over him until the guards insisted he leave, and even then he would put up a bloody good argument. If Johan was still fighting, Peter sure as well was going to keep fighting too.
When Peter entered the room, he had braced himself for what Johan would look like, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight. Sweet mother fuck, he said to himself. "Johan...it's Peter," he said out loud. Even Thomas hadn't looked this bad, injury wise, though to be fair, Peter hadn't seen him until after Spectre had healed him. And all that had been left then was the devastating effects of starvation. Johan looked a little thinner, sure, that was to be expected from being kept in a place like this after experiencing more trauma than any man deserved to experience. On top of that, there didn't seem to be a square millimeter of exposed skin that wasn't swollen and black and blue. It turned Peter's stomach to look at him, so Peter looked at the man sitting beside Johan instead. "Uncle Gabriel."
"Hello, Peter." Gabriel smiled politely at his nephew and he drew up a stool so Peter could sit at Johan's side too.
"What are you...doing here?" Peter glanced back and forth between Gabriel and Johan, feelig intensely protective of his cousin.
"I'm Johan's lawyer, Peter. We're going over a few things."
Johan didn't look like he could speak, let alone go over the intricacies of his case at the moment. Peter gave Gabriel and obstinate look. "Don't you think he deserves a rest?!"
"Pe..." Johan grumbled at not being able to get Peter's name out, but he lifted his hand towards Peter's briefly, and Peter took the hint. He found Johan's hand with his own, and he held it as gently as he could.
"It's alright, Johan. You don't have to talk." Peter assured him, soothingly. In response, Johan twisted Peter's index finger, and though the man didn't have much strength in him, the action still caused a sharp jab of pain to race up Peter's arm. "Ow!"
Gabriel covered his mouth to keep from laughing, though he still managed to say, "it looks like he very much wants to talk," from behind his palm.
"Clearly." Peter admitted through gritted teeth. "I'm sorry, Johan..."
Johan inclined his head and then he patted Peter's hand as if to apologise. Gabriel glanced at his notes and then he peered at the broken man over the top of his glasses. Gabriel was a man who had hidden his sexuality for years, and he had expressed his repression in various ways, including the alienation of his bisexual daughter. He had only reconciled with her after the rape court case of Brian Montgomery vs. Spectre Mors. And Gabriel considered the outcome of that to be one of the greatest travesties of justice he had been witness to. Until now. Until this. Here was a man, lying broken and bleeding in front of him, and because he was lost in the justice system himself for something that wasn't his fault, nothing was going to be done about it. "I want you to know I will continue to work on getting you transferred-"
"You know we're getting another lawyer in to work on his case?" Peter asked his uncle.
"I do. We've spoken and he's going to be a big help, Peter."
"He's already working on getting Johan out of here."
Gabriel nodded. "Good. I'll contact him again when I'm done here. Should I go through the rest of my notes with you, Johan?"
Slowly, Johan nodded. And as Gabriel spoke, Peter's heart felt more conflicted than it had in a long time. He felt both absolute sympathy and horror, and yet he was filled with pride and respect for his cousin. Peter was having trouble just going about his daily life, and he felt on the inside like what Johan looked on the outside. And his wife had just stated she wanted to leave him. Aly certainly had not first eaten one of their children, requiring Peter to put the child out of their misery, before offing herself, leaving Peter to prison where he would get raped by three men at once. Comparatively speaking, Peter had nothing to complain about. And yet here Johan was, with every excuse in the world to just give up, working even through his pain.
When Gabriel finished, he gathered up his things to take his leave. "I'll put everything else aside until you're out of here." Gabriel whispered, looking quite emotional. Despite the way Johan had hounded him on their first meeting, Gabriel was feeling rather personally upset about his situation and he wanted Johan safe.
When Gabriel left, Peter inched closer to Johan's side. "I'm so sorry-"
"Not...your fault." Peter could see that Johan was watching him out of the tiny slits he had left where his eyes should have been.
"Have they given you something for the pain?" Peter asked, rather desperately. He remembered how it felt to be lying in a hospital bed with the terrible feeling of the ebb of the drugs. He had been ignored largely by hospital staff, and the pain of his shattered bones had been...unspeakable. It made him cringe just to remember it.
"Morphine." Johan responded, his voice weak and rasping. "Peter. You have to get me out of here." The words came slowly, and Peter found himself waiting for each one as Johan's uncooperative tongue took it's time to form the correct sounds. "Please."
Peter closed his eyes and he leaned his forehead down to lean against Johan's hand. "I'm trying. Believe me, I am. Right now, I want nothing more than to get you away from here. Abby already tried to get you transferred back to the hospital, but they knocked that back. I can assure you, however, that this will not happen again." Peter's voice was low and dangerous on that point. He was already poised to sue the life out of the fucking place if Johan would let him.
"I would have them burn." Johan growled.
"So would I. Johan, is anything broken? What...what did they-"
"Ribs. Two. And left wrist. I think...I might not sit again. For awhile."
Peter shuddered at that, and his hand tightened instinctively on what was, thankfully, Johan's right hand. "I hate this. I fucking hate it. I love you, you know that, right?"
The corners of Johan's cut and swollen lips twitched and Peter understood that was as much as Johan could manage of a smile. "I do. You gush."
"Heh...I do do that." Peter kissed Johan's hand and he let out a deep sigh. "I hate leaving you here."
"Don't. Don't go."
Peter was surprised at the insistence and, indeed, fear he heard in Johan's voice. "Alright, I'll stay."
"Thank you." Johan breathed, relief evident. "Peter. You'll tell them? Tell everyone? I'm still fighting. Promised Allanah."
"Oh, Johan. I'll tell them. You should try and rest. I'll be right here, I promise." Peter never let go of Johan's hand as the man drifted off to sleep, exhausted just by talking for the past hour. Peter would watch over him until the guards insisted he leave, and even then he would put up a bloody good argument. If Johan was still fighting, Peter sure as well was going to keep fighting too.