White Collar: The Labyrinth ch 8
NOTE: Hugs for support! Finally got to some of the 'comfort' of the hurt/comfort genera in this chapter...it does not come as naturally to me as the first part. ;)
Chapter Eight
"Neal…"
Knowing what Peter was going to say Neal shook his head and pulled away from him slightly. Sitting on the wet concrete shower floor holding his hand protectively over his ruined shoulder Neal swallowed the bile that was burning the back of his throat as he started shivering. He had desperately asked for a break from Peter digging the glass out of his shoulder, but now that he had gotten a few minutes of reprieve he wasn't sure he had the mental strength to agree to letting him remove the rest.
"Neal," Peter repeated gently "we have get this over with, we need to stop the bleeding."
Closing his eyes Neal let tears slip unchecked down his face, his stomach felt like it held an angry snake twisting around in it at the thought of continuing the painful treatment. The remaining pieces of glass throbbed painfully and he could feel the blood dripping down his back but the discomfort of having the invasive glass in his skin was nothing compared to the sharp agony of having the shards torn out. He knew it had to be done but he couldn't bring himself to allow any more pain, at least when Jake was tormenting him he was fighting for Peter, he was finding it much harder to fight for himself.
Still not getting an answer from Neal and not wanting to proceed without some form of permission Peter reached out and carefully touched the hand that Neal was using to shield his shoulder in a silent request that he move it away. Grinding his teeth against a wave of nausea Neal nodded vacantly and forced himself to put his hand down. Acting quickly Peter pressed his left palm against Neal's back on the far side of the injury to give himself something to brace against as he gripped down on one of the larger pieces of glass and yanked it out. Knowing Peter hated to hurt him Neal was just as determined to stay silent now as he had under Jake's hand. However when Peter pulled another piece of glass there seemed to be nothing he could do about vocalizing his pain as his cry echoed off the close concrete walls.
"I'm sorry." Neal apologized in frustration.
"It's okay, Neal, make as much noise as you need to."
Resolved to gain better control of himself Neal balled his hands into fists and chewed on his bottom lip. Working as fast as he could Peter pulled the invasive glass out without the same hesitation as when he'd first started an hour ago. He had been more careful when working as many of the smaller splinters out as possible, but now that he was removing the deeper larger pieces time was a serious factor as he made the blood loss exponentially worse.
Staring at the blood creeping across the wet concrete towards the drain Neal poured all of his focus into not crying out. He was furious at himself that Jake had managed to pry his lips open and he needed to prove to himself now that he wouldn't let it happen again. Panting for breath as Peter pulled more of the glass away Neal started to become overcome with nausea and dizziness as his stubbornness to remain quiet pushed him closer to collapse faster than if he just gave in to the urge to make his obvious pain known. Starting to hold his breath only made things worse and with the next lancing stab of pain Neal found himself slammed hard against the limit of his endurance.
"Stop!" Neal finally wailed in agony.
This time Peter didn't pay any attention to Neal's wishes as he quickly ripped out the last three visible piece of glass in violent succession. Having used his breath to cry for break and expecting to receive it Neal gagged violently when he lost what little air was left in his lungs to the shock of Peter's well meaning treachery. Sucking for breath Neal lashed out blindly to try and push his tormentor away when Peter went to press a towel against the gush of red that was pouring from the open wounds. Prepared to have his patient fight back Peter wrapped one arm around him to pin Neal's good arm to his side and held him close while he pressed the cloth against Neal's shoulder mercilessly to stanch the dangerous flow of blood.
Throwing his head back Neal screamed at the top of his lungs in a combination of fear, pain and anger. He tried to tell himself that Peter was only doing what he had to to save his life but the primitive parts of his mind that were driven by instinct only saw Peter as a source of pain and kept trying to get him to fight back the threat. Although he felt more trapped by his situation than by Peter Neal's only outlet was to struggle against the man currently holding him down. Afraid that releasing Neal now would only lead to more blood loss Peter tightened his hold pressing Neal's back harder against his chest despite the pain it cause his brand.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Peter whispered hoarsely sounding like he was going to be sick. "I had to, I can't just let you bleed out. I'm sorry, I know it hurts."
Using what was left of his strength Neal pushed his instincts to escape pain at all costs aside and showed Peter that he understood and accepted the apology by forcing himself to relax against him. Even though he had started shivering uncontrollably he at least stopped actively fighting Peter restraining him. He knew from the start that Peter was trying to save him but that didn't change the fact that Peter was causing him more pain than his original attackers having spent over the past hour trying to fix what had taken only a few minutes to break. Slowly recovering Neal realized that he wasn't the only one who was shaking, still holding onto Neal Peter's chest heaved with a heavy panting as he fought to control his own trembling from the stress of having to torment his friend.
Closing his eyes Neal leaned his head back to rest his head on Peter's shoulder as made a conscious effort to slow his breathing and managed to calm his quivering muscles. Feeling Neal truly relax helped Peter do the same and although he kept the pressure on the wounds he did reduce the amount of force he was using to hold Neal still turning his embrace into one of support rather than restraint. Resting his chin over Neal's uninjured shoulder Peter closed his eyes for a moment as well in search of a moment of peace in the middle of the storm. Neal found himself just about to drift off to sleep when Peter jerked slightly as though he had fallen asleep and caught himself just before he lost consciousness completely.
"Peter?"
"I'm here." Peter answered simply.
With more work to do Peter released Neal making sure he could sit up on his own before rooting through the plastic tub of medical supplies sitting next to them. The basic medical kit had apparently been part of reward for Peter having won his fight which had meant Neal had won his bet. The two doors that had been locked in the short hallway had also been unlocked but they hadn't had time to explore them yet. Peter found a box of steri-strips and after doing his best to clear away the clotting blood from Neal's shoulder he applied some of the adhesive strips to the worse of the cuts before taping a large gauze pad over the area.
Neal looked up as Peter got unsteadily to his feet to take one of the small towels they'd been given over to the sink. He had taken off the undershirt he'd been wearing and was soaking it in the sink in an attempt to get the blood out of it. His ribs and side were already marred with several deep purple marks where Jake and Campbell had struck him. His split lip was swollen and still trickled a bit of blood that he kept compulsively licking off. However what alarmed Neal the most was the blood that covered his hands all the way up to his elbows. A great deal of the blood was Neal's but Peter's wrists were still actively bleeding. Looking down at his own painful wrists Neal discovered he had the exact same problem.
Taking the ruined shirt out of the sink Peter put it aside as he washed the blood off his arms as best he could before wetting down the towel and turning back to Neal. When Peter sat down in front of Neal and started to clean the blood off his arms with the towel Neal caught sight of the two horseshoe marks where Campbell had bit him. Human bites were notoriously nasty and this one was no exception as Neal could already see the whole area turning red and swollen.
"We need to try and clean that bite."
"I'll pour some peroxide on it." Peter said dismissively.
Neal doubted that something as simple as peroxide was going to keep the bite from becoming infected. Unconcerned with his own injuries Peter worked to clean Neal's wrists before wrapping them tightly in strips of gauze that he tied off with a double knot. Peter went to put the remaining roll of gauze back in the plastic bin leaving his own wrists dripping in blood when Neal reached out and stopped him.
"I'm fine." Peter insisted. "We need to save these supplies, we might not get any more."
"We need to take care of us both."
"I haven't lost much blood."
"But you're still open to infection."
Peter took a breath to protest but Neal ignored him and took the wet towel and searched out a clean spot to use on Peter's wrists. Sighing in defeat Peter peacefully allowed Neal to treat the deep cuts caused by the plastic restraints. After wrapping Peter's wrists Neal dug through the box until he found a dark bottle of peroxide and a small tube of antibiotic ointment. Peter held his arm out for Neal to pour the peroxide over. The cuts in their wrists and in Neal's shoulder were too deep for the peroxide or the ointment to do anything more than cause more pain but the bite needed to be sterilized as best they could. Peter growled as the peroxide fizzed and hissed as it came in contact with the bite mark. Neal spread a thin layer of the ointment over the marks before realizing that it might help their brand marks as well. Peter flinched when Neal reached out to treat the brand but he didn't stop him.
Having accepted as much medical attention as he was going to allow Peter got to his feet once again. Neal gingerly applied some of the ointment to his own brand that was already starting to become infected after having it been used several times by Jake as a weak point. The areas that Jake had jabbed with the taser were sore but didn't bother him in comparison to the rest of his problems. Neal looked up as Peter reached down and offered him his hand to help him up.
Neal accepted the offer but the moment he was on his feet his vision started to go black as his blood pressure plummeted. Seeing that Neal was about to pass out Peter slipped in under his shoulder and wrapped his arm around his waist to keep him upright. Neal had gone on twenty mile runs with less effort than it took him to make it the twenty feet to the front room. Peter sat Neal down in the corner that was slightly warmer and made sure he was going to stay conscious before he disappeared into the hall again.
Resisting the temptation to lay down Neal listened to Peter open one of the newly unlocked doors and rummaging through whatever he had found. Alone in the front room Neal looked around the dirty concrete walls and suddenly felt his mounting anxiety become overwhelming. It wasn't until this moment that it truly hit him that they might actually die down here. When they had first woken up here it was only natural to have hope of rescue, and in the ring he had been too busy fighting for his life to think about the fact that he might lose it. However here in the quiet aftermath of all the violence Neal felt the true gravity of their situation press down on him as his exhaustion made him feel that much more vulnerable. If anyone came through that door right now he physically wouldn't have the strength to even attempt to defend himself.
With his breathing growing quick and shallow Neal was close to a true panic attack when Peter returned. Neal had no way of knowing that beyond his dire situation a great deal of his anxiety was a physical reaction to the blood loss, as it was he simply chastised himself for not being stronger. Peter's calm stoic expression helped Neal control his own rebelling emotions as he managed to quell his panic for Peter if nothing else. Although battered as well and clearly weary Peter still looked determined to offer a fight to anyone who dared challenge him. Finding strength in Peter resolve Neal managed to keep from losing himself to fear. Looking over at Neal Peter managed a tight lipped smile that Neal returned as they worked to fool one another into thinking that they were both okay. Peter checked to make sure the door was locked before stepping over to Neal and offering him a bottle of Ensure that he'd brought from the closet.
"Here." Peter shook the bottle slightly.
"What about you?"
"I had one already."
Neal was fairly confident that Peter was lying to him but before he could call him out on it Peter removed the cap from the bottle and physically placed it in Neal's hand. Neal wasn't very hungry despite the days of starvation but he knew he needed it. The thick warm vanilla favored drink hit his stomach like lead. After chugging half the bottle Neal pulled it away with a noise of disgust and offered the rest of it to Peter.
"You need to drink all of it."
"I can't." Neal said trying to not vomit back up what he had drunk. "Seriously."
"Finish half what is left at least."
Grimacing Neal nodded and knocked back a little less of half of what he'd failed to finish the first time. Neal knew if he just gave it a minute he could probably finish off the drink but he wanted to make sure Peter drank at least some of it. Knowing he wouldn't let the precious resource go to waste Neal handed the rest over. Peter finished what was left before taking the bottle into the bathroom. Hearing Peter fill the bottle with water to drink the residue confirmed Neal's suspicion that he hadn't opened a bottle for himself or else he would have done the same with the first one.
Neal was too tried to pick a fight with Peter right now over how they needed to divide the resources they were given. He assumed that much like the medical supplies that food was something they had to 'win' and that one of the locked doors lead to some form of pantry. Feeling a sudden chill Neal wrapped his arms around his stomach as his digestive system reacted to the dense calorie drink. By the time Peter returned Neal was actively shaking as his body temperature dropped from a large portion of what was left of his blood rushed to his stomach to aid in pulling the nutrients out of the liquid meal.
"Neal?" Peter asked concerned.
"I'm freezing."
Peter walked over to where their jackets were laying from when Jake had demanded that they remove them. Bring them over to Neal Peter sat down and nudged Neal to move out of the corner so he could sit there himself. Peter motioned for Neal to lay down against him so they could help each other by conserving their body heat. Neal couldn't lay on his back without his shoulder protesting so he laid somewhat awkwardly on his side with his ear rested against Peter's chest, being careful to avoid the Peter's sore brand. Peter brought his knee up to help support Neal's lower back instantly making him more comfortable before he laid the jackets over him like a blanket.
Peter carefully wrapped his arms around Neal's waist and settled into as comfortable a position he could find. With the skin to skin contact Neal quickly began to warm and eventually stopped shivering. He was grateful to be warm but he was concerned by how warm Peter was, worried that he was already developing a fever. Neal was going to mention it, but it wasn't going to change anything and Peter had to already be aware of it and the implications.
Closing his eyes Neal worked to shut out all thoughts of the recent violent events and the uncertain future and tried to focus on the fact that they had both survived at least this far. With his ear against Peter's chest Neal could hear his heart and took comfort in the fact that it was beating strong even if it was racing. As calm as Peter was trying to appear his heart betrayed his own fear, but Neal felt he was doing well controlling it and strived to do the same. For a moment Neal succeeded and felt that he might actually be able to rest. However before he could find release in sleep a tremor that had nothing to do with cold wracked Neal's body when his brief brush with peace was shattered by an unexpected spike in anxiety as his exhaustion made it more difficult to control his thoughts. His mind had wandered back to being helpless against Jake while pinned to the bars and brought the panic of the moment back to him in a crushing wave. Misreading the trembling Peter rested his chin on top of Neal's head to increase their contact to keep him warmer. Despite the cold not being his issue the addition support helped calm Neal and reminded him that at least in this moment he was safe. Once Neal settled Peter took a deep breath and sighed in what sounded like relief.
"Peter?"
"Thank you, Neal." Peter said quietly.
"For what?"
"For handling this so well."
"I am?"
"You are." Peter assured. "I'm proud of you."
"And here I thought you'd be angry with me for antagonizing Jake." Neal said in a half teasing tone.
"I would never fault you for being brave." Peter corrected. "You got me through that fight by standing up to him and showed him you're not easily used."
"I only bought you few minutes."
"Down here few minutes could easily be the difference between life and death." Peter said seriously. "These are circumstances where any man could fall apart and you are keeping yourself together and I need that from you now more than ever. I won't…I can't survive this on my own."
"Neither can I."
"Then we will have to do this together or not at all."
"I promise I'll stay alive if you promise to do the same."
"Deal."
"It's settled then, we're going to make it out of here. I've never known you to go back on your word."
Peter briefly hugged Neal tighter in appreciation of both his faith in him and for his optimism. Neal had his doubts about either of their survival just a ten minutes ago, but now he found that he genuinely believed in their chances. Closing his eyes as he started to feel a peaceful sleep over taking him without the same stab of fear as before. Neal smiled as he noticed that Peter's heart rate had slowed significantly.
"Si vales, valeo." Neal muttered sleepily.
"What does that mean?"
"…when you're strong, I'm strong."
Chapter 9: http://phoenix-cry79.livejournal.com/30200.html
Chapter Eight
"Neal…"
Knowing what Peter was going to say Neal shook his head and pulled away from him slightly. Sitting on the wet concrete shower floor holding his hand protectively over his ruined shoulder Neal swallowed the bile that was burning the back of his throat as he started shivering. He had desperately asked for a break from Peter digging the glass out of his shoulder, but now that he had gotten a few minutes of reprieve he wasn't sure he had the mental strength to agree to letting him remove the rest.
"Neal," Peter repeated gently "we have get this over with, we need to stop the bleeding."
Closing his eyes Neal let tears slip unchecked down his face, his stomach felt like it held an angry snake twisting around in it at the thought of continuing the painful treatment. The remaining pieces of glass throbbed painfully and he could feel the blood dripping down his back but the discomfort of having the invasive glass in his skin was nothing compared to the sharp agony of having the shards torn out. He knew it had to be done but he couldn't bring himself to allow any more pain, at least when Jake was tormenting him he was fighting for Peter, he was finding it much harder to fight for himself.
Still not getting an answer from Neal and not wanting to proceed without some form of permission Peter reached out and carefully touched the hand that Neal was using to shield his shoulder in a silent request that he move it away. Grinding his teeth against a wave of nausea Neal nodded vacantly and forced himself to put his hand down. Acting quickly Peter pressed his left palm against Neal's back on the far side of the injury to give himself something to brace against as he gripped down on one of the larger pieces of glass and yanked it out. Knowing Peter hated to hurt him Neal was just as determined to stay silent now as he had under Jake's hand. However when Peter pulled another piece of glass there seemed to be nothing he could do about vocalizing his pain as his cry echoed off the close concrete walls.
"I'm sorry." Neal apologized in frustration.
"It's okay, Neal, make as much noise as you need to."
Resolved to gain better control of himself Neal balled his hands into fists and chewed on his bottom lip. Working as fast as he could Peter pulled the invasive glass out without the same hesitation as when he'd first started an hour ago. He had been more careful when working as many of the smaller splinters out as possible, but now that he was removing the deeper larger pieces time was a serious factor as he made the blood loss exponentially worse.
Staring at the blood creeping across the wet concrete towards the drain Neal poured all of his focus into not crying out. He was furious at himself that Jake had managed to pry his lips open and he needed to prove to himself now that he wouldn't let it happen again. Panting for breath as Peter pulled more of the glass away Neal started to become overcome with nausea and dizziness as his stubbornness to remain quiet pushed him closer to collapse faster than if he just gave in to the urge to make his obvious pain known. Starting to hold his breath only made things worse and with the next lancing stab of pain Neal found himself slammed hard against the limit of his endurance.
"Stop!" Neal finally wailed in agony.
This time Peter didn't pay any attention to Neal's wishes as he quickly ripped out the last three visible piece of glass in violent succession. Having used his breath to cry for break and expecting to receive it Neal gagged violently when he lost what little air was left in his lungs to the shock of Peter's well meaning treachery. Sucking for breath Neal lashed out blindly to try and push his tormentor away when Peter went to press a towel against the gush of red that was pouring from the open wounds. Prepared to have his patient fight back Peter wrapped one arm around him to pin Neal's good arm to his side and held him close while he pressed the cloth against Neal's shoulder mercilessly to stanch the dangerous flow of blood.
Throwing his head back Neal screamed at the top of his lungs in a combination of fear, pain and anger. He tried to tell himself that Peter was only doing what he had to to save his life but the primitive parts of his mind that were driven by instinct only saw Peter as a source of pain and kept trying to get him to fight back the threat. Although he felt more trapped by his situation than by Peter Neal's only outlet was to struggle against the man currently holding him down. Afraid that releasing Neal now would only lead to more blood loss Peter tightened his hold pressing Neal's back harder against his chest despite the pain it cause his brand.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Peter whispered hoarsely sounding like he was going to be sick. "I had to, I can't just let you bleed out. I'm sorry, I know it hurts."
Using what was left of his strength Neal pushed his instincts to escape pain at all costs aside and showed Peter that he understood and accepted the apology by forcing himself to relax against him. Even though he had started shivering uncontrollably he at least stopped actively fighting Peter restraining him. He knew from the start that Peter was trying to save him but that didn't change the fact that Peter was causing him more pain than his original attackers having spent over the past hour trying to fix what had taken only a few minutes to break. Slowly recovering Neal realized that he wasn't the only one who was shaking, still holding onto Neal Peter's chest heaved with a heavy panting as he fought to control his own trembling from the stress of having to torment his friend.
Closing his eyes Neal leaned his head back to rest his head on Peter's shoulder as made a conscious effort to slow his breathing and managed to calm his quivering muscles. Feeling Neal truly relax helped Peter do the same and although he kept the pressure on the wounds he did reduce the amount of force he was using to hold Neal still turning his embrace into one of support rather than restraint. Resting his chin over Neal's uninjured shoulder Peter closed his eyes for a moment as well in search of a moment of peace in the middle of the storm. Neal found himself just about to drift off to sleep when Peter jerked slightly as though he had fallen asleep and caught himself just before he lost consciousness completely.
"Peter?"
"I'm here." Peter answered simply.
With more work to do Peter released Neal making sure he could sit up on his own before rooting through the plastic tub of medical supplies sitting next to them. The basic medical kit had apparently been part of reward for Peter having won his fight which had meant Neal had won his bet. The two doors that had been locked in the short hallway had also been unlocked but they hadn't had time to explore them yet. Peter found a box of steri-strips and after doing his best to clear away the clotting blood from Neal's shoulder he applied some of the adhesive strips to the worse of the cuts before taping a large gauze pad over the area.
Neal looked up as Peter got unsteadily to his feet to take one of the small towels they'd been given over to the sink. He had taken off the undershirt he'd been wearing and was soaking it in the sink in an attempt to get the blood out of it. His ribs and side were already marred with several deep purple marks where Jake and Campbell had struck him. His split lip was swollen and still trickled a bit of blood that he kept compulsively licking off. However what alarmed Neal the most was the blood that covered his hands all the way up to his elbows. A great deal of the blood was Neal's but Peter's wrists were still actively bleeding. Looking down at his own painful wrists Neal discovered he had the exact same problem.
Taking the ruined shirt out of the sink Peter put it aside as he washed the blood off his arms as best he could before wetting down the towel and turning back to Neal. When Peter sat down in front of Neal and started to clean the blood off his arms with the towel Neal caught sight of the two horseshoe marks where Campbell had bit him. Human bites were notoriously nasty and this one was no exception as Neal could already see the whole area turning red and swollen.
"We need to try and clean that bite."
"I'll pour some peroxide on it." Peter said dismissively.
Neal doubted that something as simple as peroxide was going to keep the bite from becoming infected. Unconcerned with his own injuries Peter worked to clean Neal's wrists before wrapping them tightly in strips of gauze that he tied off with a double knot. Peter went to put the remaining roll of gauze back in the plastic bin leaving his own wrists dripping in blood when Neal reached out and stopped him.
"I'm fine." Peter insisted. "We need to save these supplies, we might not get any more."
"We need to take care of us both."
"I haven't lost much blood."
"But you're still open to infection."
Peter took a breath to protest but Neal ignored him and took the wet towel and searched out a clean spot to use on Peter's wrists. Sighing in defeat Peter peacefully allowed Neal to treat the deep cuts caused by the plastic restraints. After wrapping Peter's wrists Neal dug through the box until he found a dark bottle of peroxide and a small tube of antibiotic ointment. Peter held his arm out for Neal to pour the peroxide over. The cuts in their wrists and in Neal's shoulder were too deep for the peroxide or the ointment to do anything more than cause more pain but the bite needed to be sterilized as best they could. Peter growled as the peroxide fizzed and hissed as it came in contact with the bite mark. Neal spread a thin layer of the ointment over the marks before realizing that it might help their brand marks as well. Peter flinched when Neal reached out to treat the brand but he didn't stop him.
Having accepted as much medical attention as he was going to allow Peter got to his feet once again. Neal gingerly applied some of the ointment to his own brand that was already starting to become infected after having it been used several times by Jake as a weak point. The areas that Jake had jabbed with the taser were sore but didn't bother him in comparison to the rest of his problems. Neal looked up as Peter reached down and offered him his hand to help him up.
Neal accepted the offer but the moment he was on his feet his vision started to go black as his blood pressure plummeted. Seeing that Neal was about to pass out Peter slipped in under his shoulder and wrapped his arm around his waist to keep him upright. Neal had gone on twenty mile runs with less effort than it took him to make it the twenty feet to the front room. Peter sat Neal down in the corner that was slightly warmer and made sure he was going to stay conscious before he disappeared into the hall again.
Resisting the temptation to lay down Neal listened to Peter open one of the newly unlocked doors and rummaging through whatever he had found. Alone in the front room Neal looked around the dirty concrete walls and suddenly felt his mounting anxiety become overwhelming. It wasn't until this moment that it truly hit him that they might actually die down here. When they had first woken up here it was only natural to have hope of rescue, and in the ring he had been too busy fighting for his life to think about the fact that he might lose it. However here in the quiet aftermath of all the violence Neal felt the true gravity of their situation press down on him as his exhaustion made him feel that much more vulnerable. If anyone came through that door right now he physically wouldn't have the strength to even attempt to defend himself.
With his breathing growing quick and shallow Neal was close to a true panic attack when Peter returned. Neal had no way of knowing that beyond his dire situation a great deal of his anxiety was a physical reaction to the blood loss, as it was he simply chastised himself for not being stronger. Peter's calm stoic expression helped Neal control his own rebelling emotions as he managed to quell his panic for Peter if nothing else. Although battered as well and clearly weary Peter still looked determined to offer a fight to anyone who dared challenge him. Finding strength in Peter resolve Neal managed to keep from losing himself to fear. Looking over at Neal Peter managed a tight lipped smile that Neal returned as they worked to fool one another into thinking that they were both okay. Peter checked to make sure the door was locked before stepping over to Neal and offering him a bottle of Ensure that he'd brought from the closet.
"Here." Peter shook the bottle slightly.
"What about you?"
"I had one already."
Neal was fairly confident that Peter was lying to him but before he could call him out on it Peter removed the cap from the bottle and physically placed it in Neal's hand. Neal wasn't very hungry despite the days of starvation but he knew he needed it. The thick warm vanilla favored drink hit his stomach like lead. After chugging half the bottle Neal pulled it away with a noise of disgust and offered the rest of it to Peter.
"You need to drink all of it."
"I can't." Neal said trying to not vomit back up what he had drunk. "Seriously."
"Finish half what is left at least."
Grimacing Neal nodded and knocked back a little less of half of what he'd failed to finish the first time. Neal knew if he just gave it a minute he could probably finish off the drink but he wanted to make sure Peter drank at least some of it. Knowing he wouldn't let the precious resource go to waste Neal handed the rest over. Peter finished what was left before taking the bottle into the bathroom. Hearing Peter fill the bottle with water to drink the residue confirmed Neal's suspicion that he hadn't opened a bottle for himself or else he would have done the same with the first one.
Neal was too tried to pick a fight with Peter right now over how they needed to divide the resources they were given. He assumed that much like the medical supplies that food was something they had to 'win' and that one of the locked doors lead to some form of pantry. Feeling a sudden chill Neal wrapped his arms around his stomach as his digestive system reacted to the dense calorie drink. By the time Peter returned Neal was actively shaking as his body temperature dropped from a large portion of what was left of his blood rushed to his stomach to aid in pulling the nutrients out of the liquid meal.
"Neal?" Peter asked concerned.
"I'm freezing."
Peter walked over to where their jackets were laying from when Jake had demanded that they remove them. Bring them over to Neal Peter sat down and nudged Neal to move out of the corner so he could sit there himself. Peter motioned for Neal to lay down against him so they could help each other by conserving their body heat. Neal couldn't lay on his back without his shoulder protesting so he laid somewhat awkwardly on his side with his ear rested against Peter's chest, being careful to avoid the Peter's sore brand. Peter brought his knee up to help support Neal's lower back instantly making him more comfortable before he laid the jackets over him like a blanket.
Peter carefully wrapped his arms around Neal's waist and settled into as comfortable a position he could find. With the skin to skin contact Neal quickly began to warm and eventually stopped shivering. He was grateful to be warm but he was concerned by how warm Peter was, worried that he was already developing a fever. Neal was going to mention it, but it wasn't going to change anything and Peter had to already be aware of it and the implications.
Closing his eyes Neal worked to shut out all thoughts of the recent violent events and the uncertain future and tried to focus on the fact that they had both survived at least this far. With his ear against Peter's chest Neal could hear his heart and took comfort in the fact that it was beating strong even if it was racing. As calm as Peter was trying to appear his heart betrayed his own fear, but Neal felt he was doing well controlling it and strived to do the same. For a moment Neal succeeded and felt that he might actually be able to rest. However before he could find release in sleep a tremor that had nothing to do with cold wracked Neal's body when his brief brush with peace was shattered by an unexpected spike in anxiety as his exhaustion made it more difficult to control his thoughts. His mind had wandered back to being helpless against Jake while pinned to the bars and brought the panic of the moment back to him in a crushing wave. Misreading the trembling Peter rested his chin on top of Neal's head to increase their contact to keep him warmer. Despite the cold not being his issue the addition support helped calm Neal and reminded him that at least in this moment he was safe. Once Neal settled Peter took a deep breath and sighed in what sounded like relief.
"Peter?"
"Thank you, Neal." Peter said quietly.
"For what?"
"For handling this so well."
"I am?"
"You are." Peter assured. "I'm proud of you."
"And here I thought you'd be angry with me for antagonizing Jake." Neal said in a half teasing tone.
"I would never fault you for being brave." Peter corrected. "You got me through that fight by standing up to him and showed him you're not easily used."
"I only bought you few minutes."
"Down here few minutes could easily be the difference between life and death." Peter said seriously. "These are circumstances where any man could fall apart and you are keeping yourself together and I need that from you now more than ever. I won't…I can't survive this on my own."
"Neither can I."
"Then we will have to do this together or not at all."
"I promise I'll stay alive if you promise to do the same."
"Deal."
"It's settled then, we're going to make it out of here. I've never known you to go back on your word."
Peter briefly hugged Neal tighter in appreciation of both his faith in him and for his optimism. Neal had his doubts about either of their survival just a ten minutes ago, but now he found that he genuinely believed in their chances. Closing his eyes as he started to feel a peaceful sleep over taking him without the same stab of fear as before. Neal smiled as he noticed that Peter's heart rate had slowed significantly.
"Si vales, valeo." Neal muttered sleepily.
"What does that mean?"
"…when you're strong, I'm strong."
Chapter 9: http://phoenix-cry79.livejournal.com/30200.html