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[shamrocked-.insanejournal.com]

WHO: George, Michael and Patrick probably eventually Raphael
WHAT: Fussing over George
WHEN: Early Monday morning? After this at any rate.
WHERE: Eventually in George and Patrick's apartment.
WARNINGS: Aftermath of torture



Patrick had been at Clio's, though he wasn't sleeping. He was exhausted in every way, but he started up at her dim ceiling and he hoped. And then his phone went off and Patrick yelped before jumping to answer it. It was a text from Michael. He had George. He was bringing him home.

After a quick goodbye (and several kisses) to Clio, Patrick ran out the door to his car without even putting his shoes on. He was home in record time and he even managed to beat Michael and George. He sort of moved all the clutter under the coffee table and made George's bed all ready for him.

He was not prepared for George's appearance. Michael kicked at the door and Patrick swung it open to find George more bloodied than he had ever seen him. At least, in so far as he remembered. Patrick swallowed roughly and then he went without being asked to microwave some soup and fetch some water.

Michael placed George in his bed and went to call his brother. He could heal George somewhat, but Raphael would do so far better than he. "Stay awake, George," Michael cautioned him before he stepped out of the room to leave a message for his brother.

Patrick rushed in with a glass of water. "Oh, Georgie." His lip wibbled, but he refused to cry yet. "Here, You need to drink. Do you need me to help you?"

Comments

[monster-slayer.insanejournal.com]

It was hard to stay awake, especially lying on his nice, soft bed in the safety of his apartment. The weight of being afraid for himself and Wrath was gone (he was still afraid for Wrath, but there was absolutely nothing he could do for her right now) and he wanted badly to just close his eyes and sleep.

Still, he wasn't sure he wouldn't just fade out and die if he did that, so he kept his eyes open with some effort. He did his best to smile up at Patrick.

"Yeah," he said, his voice not much more than a croak. "Not very mobile."

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Patrick was trying not to focus on the smell of bloody coming from his brother as he leaned down and held the glass to George's lips. He held his brother's head up as well, so George could drink.

"Making you some food too. You look like you could use it. Jesus, George. What did they do to you?"

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"Not up for much chewing," George said. He had reached the point of hunger where he no longer even felt hungry. "Maybe some applesauce."

At the question of what had happened to him, George closed his eyes for a moment. "Lotta burning."

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"Applesauce and broth, or you'll go into sugar shock." Patrick was honestly afraid that anywhere he touched George, he would hurt him.

Michael re-entered the room and he leaned over George. "I left a message for Raphael, but I believe he is working. I will do what I can."

Patrick knew Michael wasn't the same kind of healer that Raphael was, but he was still an angel. Maybe if George was considered a prisoner of war, Michael's powers would work better!

The angel laid his hands on George's chest, as gently as possible. Then he closed his eyes and prayed. Softly and without opening his eyes he said, "Saint Patrick, do stop wriggling."

Patrick did. He waited, stock still, and he even forgot to breathe as strange light started to emanate from Michael's hands.

[monster-slayer.insanejournal.com]

George did his best not to flinch as Michael touched him. He'd not felt much in the way of gentle contact in the past few days. But Michael had chosen a decently intact piece of skin.

George closed his eyes as Michael's hands started to glow. It wasn't going to be like Lucifer, this was Michael. George inhaled sharply as what felt like a small, electric jolt ran through him, and then he was overcome with a feeling of warmth and well-being. He relaxed onto the bed.

When Michael was done, George was far from good as new. He still hurt, he was still burned, and he certainly wasn't in any shape to go rescue Wrath. But he wasn't going to die, either.

"Thanks, sir," George murmured.

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Michael nodded and he went to go finish what Patrick had started in making food, without saying a word.

Patrick watched him leave and then he sat down on the side of the bed and he reached out to smooth George's hair. "I don't know what to say, Georgie. I'm so glad you're back. I was freaking out and I made a mess in the living room. Are- Are you okay?"

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"I'm alive," George said, letting his head roll to the side to look at Patrick. "And I'm home. I'll be all right." He sighed. "Lucifer's still got Wrath."

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Patrick frowned then and he just kept petting George's hair. "So- So she was there with you?! I thought she was with Envy. Georgie, I'm sorry. Did you see her?"

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A sharp laugh escaped before George could stop it. It was not totally sane.

"Yeah, I saw her. Lucifer got a two for one deal." George closed his eyes and reached up to hold Patrick's hand. "We were both idiots."

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"No," Patrick shook his head, incredibly disturbed by that laugh. The last time George had been like that, he had hid in his apartment for days and talked about shadows getting him or something. Not that hiding for days wouldn't be the best thing right now.

"George, you were trying to protect each other. Both of you." Or so he assumed on Wrath's part. He had delivered her the letter and if she had disappeared after that, it made sense. "You're not idiots for wanting to do that."

[monster-slayer.insanejournal.com]

"She told me she kind of loved me," George said. He reached out and tugged at Patrick's sleeve, trying to pull his brother onto the bed. He wanted to huddle next to someone, damn it. "And this is what it got her."

[shamrocked-.insanejournal.com]

Patrick was quite willing to crawl into bed beside his brother, especially after missing the other man and freaking out about his safety for days.

He wrapped his arms around his brother and just hoped it wasn't going to hurt him. "George, this isn't your fault. This is Satan and Lucifer's faults. You- You can't blame yourself, okay? Look at everything else you give to her! She's happier, George. And she will be again." Patrick knew Wrath telling George that was a big deal but he didn't want to react to it if George wasn't going to talk about it first.

[monster-slayer.insanejournal.com]

George curled up around Patrick and closed his eyes, breathing in the scents of his room and his brother and his home. He was home, he was going to be all right. He just had to make himself believe it.

But Wrath, she was still there, she was still-

"The Sins!" George hissed, trying to sit up and utterly failing. He clawed at the air. "They need to know she's still there."

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"Oh shi-" Patrick jumped and he reached out to touch George's shoulder. "Lie down! I'll get you a phone or a laptop or something, just rest, okay! We'll tell them, just a second!" Patrick jumped off the bed and he retrieved his phone so George could post something to the sins. Then he went back and curled up on the bed again.

"Do you want me to do this, or are you fingers okay enough to do it yourself?"

[monster-slayer.insanejournal.com]

"I can do it," George said, meticulously typing a message out. His arms were in terrible shape, but his fingers were mostly intact, especially after Michael's help.

That done, he lay back on the bed next to Patrick, eyes closed. "Y'know, I was kind of hoping to avoid this little Hell civil war if I just went instead of Wrath. I figured no one would end up as collateral damage that way. And now I just hope they burn Lucifer to the fucking ground. Does that make me a bad person?"

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"No, it really doesn't," Patrick said quietly. He snuggled into his brother and he reached out for George's hand again. "I want him to burn for what he did to you too."

Michael stepped back inside with a bowl of applesauce and another of broth. "You need to eat."

"Do you want help with that too?" Patrick asked carefully.

[monster-slayer.insanejournal.com]

"Yeah, probably," George said, letting himself be propped up. "Tell me if I'm inhaling this, I don't want to eat too fast and throw up."

He knew he wasn't going to have much self-control once his body realized that there was actually food and he could have it. He reached for the applesauce, hoping the bland flavor wouldn't trigger quite as big of a 'must eat now, eat everything' reaction.

"So. Um. I'm sorry."

[shamrocked-.insanejournal.com]

Patrick sat, waiting to slow George down if it was needed. He didn't really want to do so, but he would.

Michael patted George's shoulder gently and said, "you are always forgiven," before leaving the room again.

Patrick watched him go and then he let out a breath. "George, as much as I would rather you not have gotten hurt, I'm not mad at you. I very nearly did the same thing."

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"Yeah, about that," George said, looking at Patrick fondly. "Don't do that. Ever. Okay? I can't...seeing you being hurt over something that you weren't even involved in would have killed me."

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Patrick nodded and he leaned in to kiss George's hair. "Clio said much the same thing and I am not going to break that promise. George, do you...need to talk about what happened there? I can listen." He didn't so much want to hear, but George had listened to him go on and on about the things he had suffered so he was hardly going to refuse to listen to George now. "While you eat of course. Slowly."

[monster-slayer.insanejournal.com]

"I don't know," George said. He slurped more of his applesauce. It was the best applesauce he'd ever tasted. "Yes? No? The Antichrist tortured me for a while. He wasn't very good at it."

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Patrick kissed George's hair again. "I wish-" He licked his lips and then he gave up trying to find words. "I don't know what I wish, but I'm sorry. The Antichrist is a prick. I saw what he was saying to Wrath the other day."

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"Wrath has the worst bosses in the world," George said, putting the spoon down as a wave of nausea hit him. His stomach hadn't quite adjusted to food yet. "I wish I could save her from that."

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"She is who she is," Patrick said, patting George's shoulder. He wished he could save George from what he was going through now. "But she really does. She'll be okay though. She's tough as nails."

If Patrick had known Wrath had been crucified in front of George, he probably wouldn't have said that.

[monster-slayer.insanejournal.com]

That wrung another not-quite-sane laugh out of George, and he thumped his head back against the walls.

"No metaphors about nails or fire for a while, okay?" George asked. He reached for more of the applesauce."

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Patrick grimaced and he reached out to try to stop George hurting himself before his hand fell short. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't know. But uhm...what I meant still stands. She's strong. And she says she loves you. That is pretty big stuff for her."

[monster-slayer.insanejournal.com]

George opened his mouth to tell Patrick that he'd sort of told Wrath he loved her too, but couldn't get the words out. Maybe it would be easier when Wrath was back. For now, it felt like something he had to keep secret, something that had to stay in that room between them.

"Sins say they're gonna get her back," George said. "...I don't know if I like them."

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"They are kind of...sin-like," Patrick admitted. "But of course they'll get her back. I wouldn't want to be on their bad side. She'll be safe soon, alright? And you're safe now. And I love you. You're going to be okay." He needed George to be okay. "Should I be distracting? I can be distracting or- or I can listen more?"

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"Turn the TV on?" George suggested. The little TV across from his bed would be distraction enough. "I'm gonna sleep and I don't want to be alone so could you stay?"

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"Of course," Patrick jumped up to flick the television on and then he curled up beside his brother again. "I love you, okay? And you didn't do anything wrong. And I'm so glad you're home." He wrapped his arms around George and planned not to leave his side until George said.

[angelfisher.insanejournal.com]

Raphael knocked politely on the front door because that's what people did. Even when jumping in for George, he liked to hold with conventions. What could he say, he was traditional. This whole thing with George and Lucifer and everything was ridiculous, but he had promised Wrath he wouldn't betray her for helping them. Doing this for George was some way of making up to her that the Lords of Darkness knew what she did. And Raph would never leave one of his saints suffering anyway.

[who-is-like-god.insanejournal.com]

Michael went to open it, able to feel his brother on the other side. "It is good you came," he said to Raphael. "I did what I could but it wasn't much. Just enough to keep him from death. He's very hurt, Raphael." And Michael led Raphael on through to the bedroom George was slumbering in.

[angelfisher.insanejournal.com]

Raphael nodded to Michael, letting out a small breath when he saw the state George was in. "These saints, all so self-sacrificing," he sighed, walking over to George and sitting gingerly on the edge of the mattress. He picked up George's hand and stroked the back of it, starting with reducing his pain. "George, it's Raphael, can you hear me?" he asked, not knowing if George was asleep or unconscious. He glanced at Patrick and reached out his free hand to touch his shoulder and wake him.

[monster-slayer.insanejournal.com]

George jerked awake, wide-eyed and confused. For a long moment he had no idea where he was or what was going on, and he very nearly took a swing at Raphael in his terror. When the realization that he was home and safe finally started filtering into his mind, he relaxed back against the sheets.

"Hi, Raphael," George said, his voice rough from sleep (and screaming, if he was being honest).

Sorry if y'all were waiting for me, I didn't realise!

[shamrocked-.insanejournal.com]

Patrick woke as well, not that he had been sleeping well. He had woken up every time George had moved so he could try to calm his brother down.

"Hey," he said, utterly relieved that Raphael was here. "Thank you so much for coming."

it was half that, half exam. all good! =)

[angelfisher.insanejournal.com]

Raphael gave them that benevolent angel smile and gently patted the back of George's hand. "You're in a bit of a mess, aren't you? It's okay, you'll be alright in no time." He started working on repairing George's flesh. "What on earth possessed you to go running in like that?" he chided lightly, no real anger behind his words.

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"I wanted to save Wrath," George said, looking at his chest in fascination as the burns and knife wounds knit themselves together slowly, leaving behind the shiny pink color of newly-grown skin. "To keep her safe from Lucifer. But she had the same idea about me."

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Patrick watched as his brother healed before his eyes. He wanted to give Raphael a big kiss for what he was doing, but he didn't know if that would be appreciated. Instead, he sat awkwardly and tried to smile though it probably looked more like a grimace.

Michael poked his head into the room. "Alright?"

[angelfisher.insanejournal.com]

Raphael glanced around at Michael and nodded. "Yes. Almost done." He could work instantaneously if he wanted, but he was in the habit of using his bedside manner and he liked to make sure it was happening properly. There was something satisfying about the process.

"George, you should know what Lucifer is like by now. Give him an inch and he'll take your head." Maybe angels were a little more ruthless than saints were when it came to these things.

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"He was gonna take someone's head," George said, shrugging (he could shrug now, that was very nice). "And I'd rather it was me than my girlfriend. Or my brother." George gave Patrick a Look.

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Patrick looked appropriately sheepish. "I did try to jump on the grenade there, as it were."

Michael's eyebrows went up at the mention of a girlfriend, but he wasn't cruel enough to ask George about it right now.

[angelfisher.insanejournal.com]

"How very unlike you both," Raphael said dryly, raising an eyebrow at Patrick. "You never change, do you." He finished his work and stood up, shaking his head.

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George sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed experimentally. He didn't feel quite normal, an array of aches and pains still making themselves known, but he figured that was probably a side effect of being so injured that he almost died. He smiled up at Raphael.

"Hey, awesome. You should be a doctor," he teased.

Circe and I just loled so hard at George

[shamrocked-.insanejournal.com]

Patrick snorted and he breathed a relieved sigh at seeing George sit up. His brother was okay. He was going to be fine.

Now they just had to get Wrath back.