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Levi nodded along, “I will, Fiori. Thank you.” He lifted his gaze back to his friend with a more reassuring smile. “This is why I assigned you to him. I know he’s a terrible person, but he’s my brother nonetheless.” He could only hope that after being put in his place, after learning he wasn’t the king of everything, that Johan would ultimately become the brother who he once knew again. “And thank you for taking good care of him.”
Fi mirrored his smile, giving him one last gentle shoulder bump before he was drifting through the crowd again, avoiding as many nobles as possible on his way to the door. He knew Johan wouldn't want to be seen like this, so it only felt right to keep him away from anyone who might. Luckily the hallways were empty and it was a short walk back to Johan's rooms, so only a dozen or so people saw them. He propped the former prince up in a chair before he went fumbling around for gauze.
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Johan held opened his eyes again when he was sat down. He wondered if he had fallen asleep at some point between the ballroom and where he was now. It was difficult to be sure either way when his mind was reeling and his torso hurt like hell. His gaze followed Fiori around the room for a few moments until he remembered his hair. Gingerly, he raised his arm, dragging his hand through the short strands. “I… I can’t even bury my hand in this,” he rasped. “It’s so short.”
Fi's heart gave a pang and he knelt down beside Johan, bandages in hand. "You can, " he murmured gently, reaching up to take Johan's hand in his and guide it higher on his head. The strands there were left longer from the choppy way it had been cut. There was enough to grab a handful of. There were scissors on the ground beside him so he could even out the cut but he wouldn't use them. Not now. "May I take off your shirt?"
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“Oh,” Johan curled his hand around the part of his hair he could hold onto. At least he had been left with that. “And I suppose,” he nodded to Fiori’s request. It felt like the middle of the night, and his muscles aches all over, and he was tired of hurting today. He couldn’t bring himself to care about pride anymore tonight. Not tonight. Tonight he had none, but tomorrow was a new day.
"Thank you." Fi slipped the shirt off as quickly as he could, taking the chance to survey Johan's torso. An ugly painting of dark bruises met his eyes. If he was healing, it wasn't happening fast enough. He'd have to ask Levi for a physician tonight. "Put your hands on my shoulders." He was kneeling in front of Johan, settled between his spread legs. It was the best spot for getting his ribs wrapped efficiently. "And feel free to dig in if it hurts."
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Johan reluctantly let his hand fall from his hair to Fiori’s shoulder, and then the other hand followed shortly after. “Mhm,” he groaned tiredly, shutting his eyes again in both preparation for the pain and an attempt to fall asleep. If he fell asleep maybe it wouldn’t hurt very bad. He wondered about what Fiori had mentioned before the ceremony: where was he going to sleep tonight? “I’m sleeping in my own bed tonight,” he mumbled, believing that after the evening he had, he deserved that much.
Fi patted one of his hands in silent praise and then leaned forward to start wrapping his ribs. He did it as gently as he could, but there was only so much he could do to keep the bindings from squeezing at his bruises. "Stay awake, Johannan." Johan would ragdoll if he fell asleep, and that meant he would bend and jostle his ribs harder than he had since the guards had bruised them up in the first place. "Stay awake and the bed is all yours."
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Johan groaned again in protest, but forced his eyes open enough to stay awake. “I’m awake.” He looked off to the side to avoid eye contact with Fiori. His breath hitched as the process became more painful. “That-that hurt’s.” He hissed through his teeth, squeezing Fiori’s shoulders tighter with every wrap around his ribs.
Fi wished there was some way he could do this without hurting Johan. "I know," he murmured, continuing to wrap his ribs with steady fingers. "I know, and I am sorry. There is no other way to do this." One wrap and then two and then Fi was tying off the bandages and tucking away the knot. "But we are finished now." He made no move to stand or brush Johan's hands from his shoulders, letting him squeeze for a little while. "This should hurt less, in the long run."
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“Gah…” Johan braced himself there in Fiori’s shoulders for a few extra seconds, and taking the time to steady his wavering breath. He nodded faintly, letting his hands fall to his own knees again when he was ready. He felt stiff, like he could barely move any muscle, but he supposed that was the whole point. It did feel slightly better already. “Okay, I’m ready. Help me up to the bed now.”
Fi's lips pressed into a thin line and he shook his head. The scissors were already in his hands as he stood, walking behind Johan to assess the damage. Levi had done a piss poor job of things, that was for sure. There wasn't a single strand of hair that was the same length as the others except near the bottom where it was really too short to tell. "I need to fix your hair."
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“Don’t make it… too short,” Johan hoped. It already felt so short, he couldn’t imagine it being any shorter. Then again, before today he’d never thought it would even be cut in the first place. He placed his hands in his lap, gazing at the indentation on his finger where his prince ring had once been. That had been stripped from him at the ceremony, along with any other piercings he had on his face.
FI hummed noncommittally, fingering the shortest strands of hair with a considering look. He had to make Johan look presentable, and that meant he'd have to take some length off the top so he didn't look like a lopsided mess. "I'll leave you enough to run your hands through," he promised, "but… it is a mess. I will have to even it out, that means cutting."
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“If you must,” Johan sighed out a short yawn and let his eyelids fall heavy again. Not completely closed, but just enough his gaze was out of focus. “Finish quickly, I won’t be able to stay awake for much longer.” It was a struggle not to let his head fall forward or back. Even with the weight from his hair cut off, his neck felt too weak to hold his own head upright.
Fi hummed to acknowledge him and dove in, snipping away for the scissors. It wasn't the best haircut, but it was workable and, true to his word, he left enough at the top for Johan to bury his hands in if he needed or wanted. He tapped his jaw occasionally to urge him into tilting his head this way and that, but never grabbed his chin to turn him. He pulled away when he finished, patting Johan's shoulder. "Up. You must be tired, do you need help getting to bed?"
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"Mnh, No," Johan replied, gripping the sides of the chair to push himself up. It prove to be more difficult than he'd intended, wavering halfway between standing and sitting. He clenched his jaw with discomfort, eyes shutting tightly. He'd broken ribs before, on the battlefield, but he didn't remember them being this painful. Perhaps because he had other things to distract himself there. "If you would, maybe," he shuddered. Certainly after a good night's rest he would feel better, maybe even have the strength to plot his way out of this.
Fi hoovered anxiously at his side when Johan stood, clenching and unclenching his fists to keep from helping when his help clearly wasn't wanted. His arms were around Johan in a second when he couldn't even stand up fully, one hooked below Johan's to hold him steady. "If I would what, Johannan?" He helped Johan shuffle to his feet, easing him across the room to the bed.
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"Nevermind." Johan shook his head, sinking down onto his mattress. His words had been a simple request for Fiori to help him up, but with the request accepted anyhow, he decided he didn't want towaste any breath explaining himself. He held his breath as he shifted under the covers, and released it as he leaned back. It'd been such a long day. If only he could fall asleep tonight, and when he woke up in the morining Levi would still be gone.
Fiori tucked the blankets in beneath him so they'd have a few layers of separation and then flopped down beside him on the bed. He'd given Johan the nicer bits of the covers, all he had left for himself was a sheet and a thin blanket, but he didn't complain, he just turned his back to Johan and settled as comfortably as he could. "Sleep well, Johan."
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Johan answered him with silence. He shifted his head to the side, gazing at the navy curtains hanging from his bed frame. It was quite a familiar sight, having fallen asleep beside it every night since he was much, much younger. He drifted off into sleep quite shortly after Fiori settled in beside him. His breathing evened, and his pained expression seemed to soften ever so slightly.
Levi pushed open the bedroom door to peer inside. At the sight of his friend already in bed, he briefly wondered if he should just come back early tomorrow morning. "Fiori?" He whispered and stepped inside, closed the door behind him. "Are you awake?"
Fi gave him a considering look. Johan seemed younger when he was asleep, but then again most people did. He was surprised Johan had been able to drift off so quickly in such a vulnerable position. Even with an injury like that, Fi was sure he would have stayed up half the night tossing and turning.
He sat up when the door creaked open, grabbing at his hip for a sword that wasn't there until the light caught Levi's face and he allowed himself to relax. "I am, my friend. Come in, take a seat, we have much to discuss."
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"Perfect," Levi strode over to Fiori's side of the bed and took a seat. He glanced over his brother's form. "He's asleep already?" He blinked curiously. His brother had always been a light sleeper, usually on his back, but it typically took him longer to actually fall asleep than just laying down. The guards' beating and the ceremony must have taken a larger toll on him than he thought. In that case, if he was so exhausted, they wouldn't have to worry about him making much use of the knives hanging on the walls. At least not tonight. "Well, what specifically did you want to discuss tonight?"
Fi pushed himself up into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he tried to gather himself. "Yes. He could barely stay awake while we were wrapping his ribs which is… part of what I wished to speak to you about." He tucked the blankets right up under Johan's neck, covering him. "He needs medical attention, and soon. I believe his ribs are bruised, with possible bruising to his internal organs alongside his more superficial wounds. He needs a physician, and quickly."
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Levi grimaced as FIori described his brother's injuries. He had considered having his brother lashed for his crimes, and he would have needed to see a physician for that too. But he hadn't meant for Johan to be beaten and betrayed by his own guards like that. Oddly, that seemed more cruel than a whip. Slowly, he nodded in agreement. "He's a terrible, terrible person for what he did. A part of me believes he deserved what the guards did to him. But as much as I don't like it, he's still my brother. If for nothing else, he'll need to get well in order to undergo the entirety of his punishment. Does he need the physician tonight or can it wait for tomorrow?"
Fi nodded. It was clear that this was all very personal for Levi, that even being in the same room as his brother hurt, and that made sense. It would be the same rage he felt if he had been forced to confront his uncle the night they fled. Recognizing that was strange. Johan looked so innocent, so friendly. Forgetting what he had done was dangerously easy for Fi, who had never known him before, who had never suffered at his hands.
He nodded. "It can wait. You could, if you wished to be cruel, drag it out for several days, but… I believe you are better than that. I had a few ideas about his punishment, if you don't mind me proposing them."
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"I could. Strangely, it's a nice thought to make him suffer." He tilted his head back and forth while studying Johan's form, almost considering the option. A lot of terrifying thoughts and ideas went through Johan's mind that Levi didn't know about. Until he saw Johannan's brooding candlit expression overseeing the two men who dragged him out of bed, he had no idea how much Johan hated him, and how capable he was of plotting such an atrocious plan against his own family. He shuddered. "But yes," he continued after a moment, tearing his eyes away his brother back to Fiori. "I'll refrain for the better. What punishments do you have in mind?"
"We have not set a time limit for this, so I am assuming that this punishment is meant to last until he had learned his lesson. If that is so, I think we should… give him opportunities to test if he is improving." He glanced up at Levi, checking his reaction. "All controlled, of course, so nobody would be in any danger. If he fails, we have him punished. Something humiliating, I think, so very public, very personal. The best idea would be to cut whatever hai he had grown out and then have him flogged. Which… leads into another question I have. How far am I allowed to push with punishment?"
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Levi nodded along, "Yes, that's a very good idea. He shouldn't know about the tests or else he'll play along and do what is 'right' without his understanding changing at all. He's very wily. I believe he'll put on a show just to get out of this punishment as soon as possible." He kicked his shoes off to the floor, pulling up one leg into the bed as he shifted into a more comfortable position. "And you are allowed to push as far as you desire. Just don't… kill him, or seriously incapacitate him." He swung his other leg back and forth, the sole of his foot skimming the floor. "Oh. And overall, if you can, be more stringent with him than were with me. He actually deserves his fate, and I think it will put him in his place. Perhaps you could give him a job?" He lifted his eyebrows at the suggestion, curious to hear Fiori's response.
Fiori nodded. "Yes, I don't doubt that he will begin plotting as soon as his wounds are sufficiently healed. These will need to be kept quiet, but I believe they will be an effective measure of his development so long as he doesn't see them for what they are. His eyes flicked back to Johan and then to Levi and then to his hands. He'd been fiddling with his scar again, rubbing over it again and again and again. He nodded when Levi set out his boundaries, then winced and nodded again at his request. "I will do my best to be… cold, I suppose, but… I do not excel at it. I will admit that my instincts for any person are to care for them, especially when I have been entrusted with a great deal or responsibility for them. As much as I would like to fancy myself a fighter, it is in my nature to nurture." He shrugged. "Though… a job may work. What did you have in mind?"
