Even fast asleep, Michael wasn't letting him go. Edwardo shifted slightly to get more comfortable, and Michael changed positions too. They were in the master bedroom, and Michael had refused to lay down until Edwardo was in the bed with him.
Eddie didn't mind. Cuddling was a great way to spend an afternoon, and if it helped Michael get the sleep he so desperately needed, then all the better. Essie had joined them too of course, making the three of them a 'Michael Sandwich.' He couldn't tell how long they'd been laying there, but Edwardo knew that he and Essie had chased away a few nightmares already. He alternated between rubbing Michael's back and stroking Michael's hair, and when Michael started to get restless he'd give him a squeeze and hum a few bars of a lullaby.
Edwardo couldn't let himself fall asleep yet, either. Cozy as things were, if he took a nap now, he wouldn't be able to get to sleep later, and he wouldn't be as rested as he needed to be for work tomorrow. Still, despite circumstances, this was nice. Michael smelled like his shampoo, and was practically stuck to him like Velcro. In his arms, Michael was getting restless again.
Edwardo tried soothing him again, but it wasn't working this time. Michael started making whimpering noises as he desperately tried to fight off… something.
"Stop…" Michael mumbled, struggling against Edwardo's embrace. "Stop…! Stop… laughing…!"
"Michael.. Mi Dolcito wake up. It's just a dream, nobody's laughing at you. Wake up."
Edwardo tried shaking Michael's shoulders gently, trying to snap him out of the nightmare. Even Essie was getting worked up, woofing softly at the commotion.
"Stop… laughing…! STOP!"
Michael sat bolt upright, struggling to catch his breath as beads of sweat formed on his brow. For a moment he couldn't figure out where he was. It was dark. Warm… Soft… Was someone calling his name?
"Michael, you're okay. It was just a nightmare, I promise." Edwardo reached out and pulled Michael into his chest. "It was just a bad dream. You're safe here. You're okay."
Slowly Edwardo's words soaked in as Michael finished waking up. It was just a dream, that same nightmare he'd been having since Ryan's accident. He was in Edwardo's bed, not in a warehouse. There were no piles of boxes with shoes sticking out, no puddles of blood, no laughing bystanders… He was in Edwardo's bed, with Edwardo. Essie was here too. He could feel her licking his hand. He wasn't in that warehouse anymore. He wasn't trapped in that moment right now.
Edwardo started stroking Michael's hair. "Mi Dolcito, it was just a dream. Do you want to tell me what's wrong? Do you need to talk about it?"
Michael yielded to Edwardo's embrace, letting himself relax. He shook his head. It wasn't like Eddie could magically make the bad dreams disappear. Sure, when they first started dating he was distracted enough they went away most nights, but it was stupid to think he was still bothered by what happened when he wasn't even the one who got hurt. And in a few days when the court case started, he would have the opportunity to make sure the people who did it end up behind bars for a very long time…
"Michael, I can tell this is bothering you a lot. It's clearly bothering you enough to affect your health. Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"
Michael shook his head again. "You'd think I'm crazy…"
Edwardo tilted Michael's chin up so he could look him in the eye. "I have never once thought you were crazy and I'm certainly not going to start now. It hurts me to know that you're hurting. If there's anything I can do to help, then I want to do it. Even if it's just you telling me what's bothering you. If you don't want to tell me, then I have no problem paying for a therapist, but you have to talk to somebody. You can't possibly handle everything on your own all the time."
Michael thought about it. He knew Ryan was going to therapy, and it seemed to be working for him. The problem was that Michael didn't want to admit things had gotten to the point where he couldn't deal with it by himself anymore. Edwardo was frustratingly right. He needed help.
"It's okay if you're not ready to accept help yet either," Edwardo continued. "In the meantime, how about I show you what I do when I'm stressed about something, hm?"
Michael nodded, and allowed himself to be led out to the atrium where Edwardo kept his workout equipment. He was still in his pajamas, but Edwardo took him over to the punching bag that was set up in the corner. Edwardo then wrapped Michael's hands with some strips of cloth that had been hanging on a hook nearby.
"Okay, so you stand like this, and hold your arms like this," Edwardo physically manipulated Michaels body through the motions, "And when you impact, you want your fist to land like so. That's just the basics, but you're less likely to hurt yourself that way."
Michael nodded, checked his stance, and slowly repeated the motions a few times. "Like that?"
"Yes! Perfect! Now, pretend the punching bag is what's making you stressed. Project whatever you want to on it, and beat the shit out of it."
Michael seemed to contemplate the equipment for a moment as he considered how to put a face on everything that was bothering him. In the next instant, so quick that if Edwardo had blinked he would have missed it, Michael's face contorted into an expression of rage even Edwardo was taken aback by.
Michael's punches came hard and fast. Edwardo was quick to move to spot him so the bag didn't swing too much. Shouts of frustration and shouts of encouragement answered each other back and forth, with Essie offering her own excited barking to the mix.
Gradually, ever so gradually, Michael slowed as his energy ran out. His impacts became softer and softer with each swing, and it wasn't long before he had to pause to catch his breath before he could strike again. He sank to his knees, hitting the punching bag a few more times with the side of his fist. Eddie and Essie were quick to check and make sure he was okay as he pressed his forehead against the exercise equipment.
"You… were… right…" Michael panted. "That… helped…"
Edwardo sighed in relief. "I told you it would."
Michael stood up after he caught his breath, dusting himself off. "Can I… make a confession?"
"Of course you can. I'm all ears."
"I… really, really, really, really want you in the courtroom with me."
"And I really, really, really, really want to be there with you too. I know you might still be mad at me, but I want you to feel like you can lean on me when things get tough."
Michael very somberly hugged Edwardo's midsection. "In that case, can I ask for something really selfish?"
Edwardo returned the embrace, rubbing Michael's back. "Ask for anything you want."
"Can I stay here…? Not like a moving-in thing, but just until the court case is over…? I'm by myself most of the time at my place, and I really, really don't want to be alone and even when you're working Essie is still here and… and… and I don't want to be alone…"
"And I have no problem with you staying. Otherwise, I wouldn't have offered in the first place. If you want it to be temporary, then it can be temporary. I've got plenty of guest rooms, and if you want to you can sleep in my bed with me. Fair warning though, I get up very early for work."
"I'm used to getting up early. I'll live."
"Alright. So, do you want to go get some of your things now, or do you need to rest a little first?"
--------------------
Scott sighed in exacerbation as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"To be fair," Ryan pointed out, "it's not that bad. It's not like I broke anything."
With Ryan's heat having ended late evening the day before, Scott was at the physical therapy clinic bright and early with breakfast from his parent's bakery for them to enjoy together before Ryan got started on the day's exercises. Now, Ryan had handled his heat alone okay for the most part but…
"I know it's not as bad as it looks, but you know I can't help but worry, right?" Scott busied himself with getting their breakfast unpacked. "I feel bad that I couldn't have done anything to prevent it."
Over Ryan's heat, he and Scott had made sure to have video calls several times a day. It was both to combat the loneliness, and experiment with phone sex. The phone sex had definitely been fun. The issue at hand was, in the midst of his hormone crazed episode, Ryan had forgotten he couldn't walk. One of the nurses had mistakenly put his water just outside of his reach after a bath on the second day, and he fell out of bed when he tried to go get it. Ryan currently had some sizeable bruising on his knee and shoulder, and he was wearing a wrist brace since he strained it when he tried to catch himself.
"I'm bound to get a few more bumps and bruises before this whole recovery thing is said and done," Ryan said levelheadedly.
"I know that. I just worry."
"And I know you worry because you care. I promise I'll be more careful. This was just an accident."
Scott leaned in to give Ryan a kiss. "Come on, let's eat. These are still a little warm from the oven, and I'm sure the staff here is keen to start on your therapy session."
Ryan happily complied, savoring the warm pastry Scott went through all the trouble of getting for him. It wasn't that the food available here was bad, it certainly wasn't as bad as hospital food, but there was something about sharing a meal with someone you loved that made it taste better. It also helped that Scott's dad was an expert baker.
"My trial starts next week, right?" Ryan asked after they were about halfway done with the treats Scott had brought.
"Yeah. We still need to get you a suit or something to wear. You'll want to look nice. Well, nicer than usual." Scott added that last part with a wink.
"So, does that mean you'll wear a suit too?"
"Naturally."
Ryan raised his eyebrows and gave Scott a cheesy grin.
"What?" Scott asked with a laugh.
"Just thinking about how sexy you'll look in a suit. Well, sexier than usual." Ryan winked.
Scott couldn't help blushing when Ryan got flirty like that. "Let's just say, if you're feeling up to it, I'll put my best one on just for you when we get home this afternoon. I need to send it to be cleaned before I wear it to the courtroom anyway."
Scott's comment was enough to make Ryan's eyes sparkle in anticipation for the rest of the day.