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There were days when all Lio felt was pain.
Phantom pain, the doctor called it. Apparently even if your limbs grow back, having them be burned off still made it count as such.
It was a common symptom of being an ex-Burnish, he had said.
And because of that one sentence, he refused to bother Gueira and Meis with his pain. After all, it was his fault they were caught. His fault that they too probably dealt with phantom pains as well. If he had been smarter he would have looked harder for tracking devices. If he had been stronger and broken free of the ice faster-
...But that was in the past and he couldn't focus on that. Besides, the two of them never brought up their own pain to him. If they could work through it, he could too. He had to be strong, even during the worst times. He was their boss, their leader.
…
...He didn't feel like their boss right now though.
When he had woken up that morning, the pain had been there yes; but he could still work. He had been able to do his job still, heck he had helped Meis break down the door of a burning building despite his arms feeling like they were being burnt off his body. He had helped a man twice his size walk out of that house even when his legs screamed in agony.
It had been painful , but the pain he had dealt with earlier that day?
That pain was nothing compared to now. Now, he could barely move his arms without wanting to scream in pain. Every breath was a struggle against the false, burning, painful fire under his skin.
He felt as if he was still trapped within Kray's monstrous mechanism.
He felt powerless against this pain.
And by Promare did he hate it.
"Lio?" Galo quietly opened the door to their room, peeking inside as he called out his partner's name.
A low moan answered him from a pile of blankets on their bed. He only grew more concerned as he got closer to the bed, noting that Lio's breathing was strained. "Lio, are you ok?"
Lio spoke so quietly, he missed what he said the first time. "What did you say?"
This time, Lio turned his head slightly towards where Galo was standing and wheezed, "It hurts…"
Oh. He hadn't noticed today was one of those days. He had thought it wasn't too bad today, since usually Lio stayed at the firehouse on these sorts of days.
It seems he was mistaken though. Not that he was really surprised that Lio had worked through the pain, that was the sort of person he was. Whether it was getting up after his limbs burned off or apparently being frozen multiple times, if Lio felt like he needed to do something he'd do it.
He stood there for a second, hesitant, before he made up his mind and spoke. "I'm gonna try something Meis taught me, ok? He said it helped with Guiera's pain."
When Lio nodded he sat on the bed, then maneuvered Lio until he was sitting up against him. He put 2 pillows under his feet, elevating them slightly.
Then, he quietly started to gently massage Lio's shoulders, then making his way down his arms - first the left, then the right. As he did so Lio let out a shaky breath, before he leaned into Galo's chest.
He repeated this pattern for quite a while, Galo's hands massaging little circles into Lio's muscles as the sun slowly disappeared into the night.
Lio's breathing became steadier as the night went on, his features becoming less pained as Galo continued. He leaned his head onto Galo's shoulder, causing his hands to still on Lio's own shoulders.
For a second Lio opened his eyes and whispered, "Thank you."
Then, he closed his eyes again - falling asleep against Galo's chest. He let his hands fall from Lio's shoulders before they found themselves back there as he gently moved Lio into laying against the bed. Speaking from experience, falling asleep while sitting was the worst!
After he was satisfied that Lio wouldn't wake up sore he laid down as well, grabbing Lio's hand as he settled down.
Usually he cuddled Lio with as much as he could, but he'd settle for just holding his hand tonight.
There was always tomorrow.