Michael is a difficult patient

[cattygabriel]

Date: May 3rd
Place: Michael's room, the lobby, and back to Michael's room
Status: Private (Gabriel, Michael) - Complete
Summary: Gabriel leaves for a short while and returns to check on Michael, only to find him missing.

Ms Hodges had been quite understanding about letting Gabriel have a few days of unpaid leave to take care of Michael; she'd offered to have a doctor look at him, but Gabriel didn't feel like explaining the wings or the sword wounds. He was staying in Michael's room most of the time, returning to his own room only to sleep, feed the cats and shower.

Running a hand through still-damp hair, he pushed open Michael's door and paused, staring at the empty bed.

"Michael?" he called, but was unsurprised when no answer came. Sighing, he stepped out of the room.

I need to find Michael. And he knew that Michael was at the bottom of the stairs leading to the first floor. Taking the steps two at a time, Gabriel ran down. He paused at the sight of Michael sitting on the bottom step, huge golden wings drooping limply.

"Michael, you should be in bed."

Comments

[angelofawesome.livejournal.com]

All right, he'd made it the bottom of the stairs! It wasn't as far as he would have liked, but still it was further than he'd managed to make it yesterday*. Now that he was here, he could sit down on the bottom step and relax for a spell before making it the rest of the way outside.

Every time something like this happened to told himself to start working on his own healing, but noooo, then he'd forget and then something would happen and he'd be back to square one; completely exhausted and still aching where the wounds had been inflicted. And feverish, that was the worst part; apparently Lucifer had been a dream, but it still affected him the same way the real Lucifer would have, which was seriously annoying.

He managed to get his eyes open enough to see that there was no one at the front desk when he heard Gabriel's voice. He tried to respond, but his mouth wasn't cooperating.




---
* He'd managed to stand up and then collapse before dragging himself back into bed, no one the wiser.

[cattygabriel]

"Michael, you idiot," Gabriel sighed, kneeling next to him and slipping an arm around his shoulders. "I believe I told you to stay in bed."

He noted the look on Michael's face and pressed a cool hand to his cheek and forehead. "And you're feverish, too. At this rate I might have to tie you to the bed until you're healed." He'd let Michael rest for a while now before bringing him back, though; he looked like he needed it.

[angelofawesome.livejournal.com]

To Michael, it all felt like a dream, or as if he weren't really sitting there. "Y' did," he mumbled, closing his eyes. The coolness of Gabriel's hand sent shivers up and down his spine. "But 'm fine."

[cattygabriel]

Gabriel noted the shivers, thinking they were part of the fever. He sat down next to Michael, keeping an arm around his shoulders. "You're not fine. You've got a fever and you can barely walk and you're not recovered from the blood loss."

[angelofawesome.livejournal.com]

Michael weakly shook his head. "'m S'nt M'ch'l th' Ar'ngl. 'm always 'kay. Y' don' have t' worry 'bout me, Gab'l."

[cattygabriel]

I was supposed to avoid him, wasn't I? To make sure neither of us was tempted. I couldn't have left him in that state, though.

Gabriel smiled softly. "You're my friend, and you're injured - due to my nightmare, too. Of course I care. Someone has to run after you when you pull silly stunts like this, after all."

[angelofawesome.livejournal.com]

"M' nightmare too," Michael pointed out. "'skay, really, y' don' have t' 'tend t' care. I'll be jus' fine, righ' here. Jus' restin' for a bit. Not 'cause I need to, but 'cause I wanna see the sights."

[cattygabriel]

Gabriel was speechless for a moment. It was hard to make out what Michael said, but...

"I'm not pretending," he whispered. "Michael, I realise that things are a little... awkward between us, but - during that nightmare, you appeared to think that I hated you." He bit his lip. "I could never hate you."

[angelofawesome.livejournal.com]

Michael sighed and closed his eyes. "'m 'n' arse," he admitted. "Stupid too, 'n' y' always have t' tell me t' shuttup, 'n' yeah 'm stupid."

He felt awful and vaguely wished Gabriel would go away so he could sit here and sleep on the steps. Maybe newcomers would take pictures.

[cattygabriel]

Gabriel chewed on his bottom lip. "I'm sorry. You are an idiot at times, but you wouldn't be Michael if you weren't." He hesitated for a moment before pulling Michael into a hug.

"Tell me when you think you're able to return to your room."

[angelofawesome.livejournal.com]

"I like hugs," michael mumbled, leaning into Gabriel's embrace. "An' I don' need t' go back t' my room. 'm fine."

[cattygabriel]

Part of Gabriel was rejoicing at being able to be with Michael again, to hold his friend and tease him as though nothing was wrong, but he tried to ignore it; he also tried to ignore the fact that once Michael had recovered, Gabriel would have to avoid him again. He held the Warrior a little tighter.

"You're not fine. You're feverish and weak, I'm worried about you, and it will be a lot easier to take care of you if I don't have to go looking for you first."

[angelofawesome.livejournal.com]

"I am fine," Michael protested again, shaking his head a little bit. "Y' can g' back t' 'voidin' me now, kthx."

[cattygabriel]

Gabriel winced. "I don't want to," he said, very quietly. "Michael, I'd hate myself if anything happened to you because of me."

[angelofawesome.livejournal.com]

Michael blinked and looked up at Gabriel with bleary, fevered eyes. "That," he saounded out slowly, "is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

[cattygabriel]

The carpet was very nice, really. He should have scrutinised it before.

"We should probably get you back to your room."

[angelofawesome.livejournal.com]

Michael's eyes narrowed. "Ohhh no, you think you can somehow - I mean - what? Start over. Explaaaaain."

[cattygabriel]

Gabriel could almost make out the individual threads in the carpet. He rubbed his hands together slowly, tensely, before placing them flat on his knees, posture stiff. "We're not having this discussion."

[angelofawesome.livejournal.com]

"So y' think that... that y' gonna... hurt me, s'mehow? Okay, okay, so..." Michael's eyes narrowed in thought as he tried to puzzle this out. His head was throbbing but he ignored it. "Y' think 'voidin' me will not-hurt me. So... y' think that the fact that I love y' and us bein t'gether will be b'd? Then why don' y' jus' say 'screw you Mich'l' 'n' we can go back t' the way things were, 'cause I've l'ved y' f'rever s' I'm used t' y' not carin' 'bout me, which is like, unr... unrequited l've, which is like a major OMG FALL thing, so if I've been like that for'ver, then..."

There was a sharp pain in his head and he instinctively pinched the bridge of his nose to get it to stop. When it faded finally, he muttered, "S'mething s'mething s'mething, I had a point."

[cattygabriel]

Gabriel turned his head sharply. "I do care, but..." Noting Michael's posture, he placed his hands on either side of the Warrior's head, thumbs lightly massaging his temples as he willed healing power into him. "Better?"

It took a moment for him to understand Michael's words. "How would you know - I mean, of all angels, why -" He shook his head, closing his eyes. "I don't want to tempt you. And I don't think you're in the best state to be having any serious discussions right now."

[angelofawesome.livejournal.com]

Had he been in a better frame of mind, he would have laughed at Gabriel's question. Instead he just grinned and said, "Because... you're you, and I'm me, and that's the way it is and should be, 'n' whether we're together or not, y' need t' be you and I'm gonna be me."

[cattygabriel]

Gabriel's lips curved up very slightly. "You're not making much sense. In fact, you sound like you're trying to sing."

[angelofawesome.livejournal.com]

Michael blinked again. "Huh? Ohhhhhhhh, y' dodgin' the issue 'gain. 'K. Fine. Jus' drop it. But I get t' call y' a moron."

[cattygabriel]

Gabriel flushed, releasing Michael and looking down again. "Go ahead. I just..." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I suppose you can't just forget it."

[angelofawesome.livejournal.com]

Finally sitting up was proving to be nearly impossible, and so he relaxed and fell backwards, laying spread out on the stairs. He closed his eyes. "Point. Point is. That if lovin' y' is a sin, I'd be s' Fallen already. 'n' twisted with jealous rage 'n' stuff. 'm hardier than that, 'n' so are you. We're the Hands of God. S'metimes." He giggled. "Depends on how Father's feelin'."