Fi let out a little sigh of relief when he saw that the door was still standing, though he felt a bit silly about it as he unlocked it and walked inside. It wasn't like Johan could break it down or anything. Really he should be more concerned about whether Johan had managed to break himself. His eyes skimmed across the room as the door swung shut behind him, only settling once the prince was in sight.
Johan had pushed himself out of bed to sit front of the fireplace, settled into the chair with his eyes closed. Hearing the door open, he turned his gaze towards Fiori. “You’re back,” he croaked, breath straining. His lower eyelids were noticeably puffy, and less noticeable in the amber light: his eyes bloodshot. Despite himself and the tousled bedspread slightly more decrepit than when Fiori left, Johan appeared to have kept his promise.
Fi nodded, wandering closer with a small frown on his face. Johan looked bad. Pained. He only got more worried as he stepped closer and caught the little details. He hadn't been like this when Fi left. "I am, and… you are hurting again. Why?" It didn't seem like anyone had come in to hassle him, but he could be covering bruises. "Did somebody hurt you? Are… are you worse?"
Johan shook his head. “If somebody came to hurt me, they would probably want me dead. I’m not dead. My injuries just bother me more at night.” It certainly didn’t help that he didn’t stay completely still while Fiori was gone. He swiveled his head back around to watch the flames. He’d been used to his aching jaw every night, but his bruised ribs were new.
"Oh." Fi hadn't considered that before, that people might want Johan dead, but thinking about it made something ache in his chest so he brushed the thought aside. "Is there some way for me to help?" He took a careful step forward, hovering at the edge of Johan's reach to give him space. "I will not be here for long, but I would like to do what I can while I am still around."
“Where are you going?” Johan tilted his chin up a little bit with interest. He liked the idea of getting out of the room, a change of scenery might ease some of the dry boredom. That was just as painful as the bruises on his ribs. “I might tolerate going with you if it’s someplace interesting.”
Fi laughed softly. "I do not think my companion would like that very much," he answered, a bit of humor in his tone. "And I am sure you would not tolerate me for long anyway." He gave Johan a small smile, a tad apologetic. This room was nicer than your average cell, sure, but it was still a prison.
Johan glared at Fiori while he contemplated his answer. “You’re right,” he said dryly. “If it’s with you, anywhere we go wouldn’t be half as enjoyable as it could be.” The companion Fiori spoke of must be Leviticus, and he wasn’t very interested in seeing him either. “One thing you could do, though…I’m tired of staring at the fire, and the empty walls, and everywhere in this room. I’d like to have another visitor while you’re gone.”
Fi's smile dimmed a bit at confirmation, but he brushed past it with a soft laugh. Johan's request was more important anyways. He didn't deserve to be cooped up like an animal, but having somebody in here who might be sympathetic to him–who might be willing to help–would certainly pose a problem. "I would like to let you," he replied, after a few seconds of consideration. "But it will depend on who you have in mind."
“My brother.” Johan’s expression softened for but a moment. “Mikhail.” He hadn’t seen his little brother since before he was attacked in the baths, and he wondered what Leviticus might have told him to sever their relationship. Next to Cora, Mikhail was his favorite person. He didn’t want to lose the relationship they had just began to develop. Not so soon.
"Oh." The suspicion left him like water flowing down a river and he nodded. "Of course." He'd never met Mikhail before, but it shouldn't be too difficult to bring him here if he mentioned Johan had sent him. Levi had said the two were close, and Johan's request confirmed that. "Do you know where he might be right now? I will need to bring him before Leviticus fetches me."
One corner of Johan’s lips, the corner unaffected by his scar, quirked up in a soft smile. “Probably in his room. His door is right next to mine.” He gestured to the direction with a light toss of his head. Mikhail was most likely asleep at this time of night, but he would be busy with tutors any other time during the day. “Depending how long it takes him to wake up, timing shouldn’t be a problem for you.”
Fi winced slightly, shoulders curling in almost imperceptibly at the suggestion. "I do not know how well he would react to me waking him from slumber, Johannan." He glanced from Johan to himself, cataloging the differences. He was bigger, foreign, a complete stranger to the youngest prince. The kid was more likely to think he was an attacker than anything else and the last thing he wanted to do was frighten him. "Could you wait until tomorrow to see him?"
Johan let out a sigh through his nose, supposing it was foolish to let himself get his hopes up. “He’ll probably be busy tomorrow. Either with tutors, Leviticus, or training outside.” His smile, as small as it already was, began to fade. “But. If he can visit tomorrow, I guess I can wait.” Johan seemed to be much more agreeable at night when sleep wasn’t far off. Especially with his painful injuries.
"I will talk to the crown prince tonight," he promised, wishing he didn't feel quite so pained as he watch Johan's small smile dim and die. "And I will have Mikhail visit you tomorrow. There will be time for you to speak with him then." He took a small step closer, carefully reaching over to help Johan to his feet. He kept the touch light. Perfunctory. "For now you should sleep. It will help you heal."
Johan blinked over at Fiori’s hand, weighing his dignity against the painful experience of standing on his own. He accepted the help. “It’s bad enough I have to filter my whims through you. Now Leviticus has to allow me to visit my own kid brother?” He scoffed, but it trembled weakly along with the rest of his breath. Wincing, he remembered the bruises on his torso. They were easy to forget and really didn’t do his abdominal strength any favors.
Fi winced at the way his breath stuttered out of him, taking extra care as he helped Johan down onto the bed. Seeing him like this felt strange, like an invasion of privacy. A man like Johan should never look so vulnerable and yet here he was, letting Fi tuck him into bed like a child. His hands, which had been smoothing down the blankets, stopped. "It is easier with his blessing. You know this." The words were a welcome distraction from his thoughts as he sat, far enough from Johan that the prince could stretch out if he wanted. "But I do not have to ask if you do not want me to. There are other ways of arranging a visit."
Johan waited for Fiori to finish tucking the blankets around him, staring elsewhere with an indignant frown, before he lifted his arms out from under the blankets. “If you ask him, he’ll likely say no. I’m sure he will think I want to corrupt Mikhail’s mind and turn him against his country. Psh.” He rolled his eyes. “Mikhail is impressionable, sure, but I’m not that type of monster.” With his absent tone and far off look, he was reassuring himself of his moral values more than anything. Mikhail was innocent, unable to do wrong.
Wasn't he though? Johan had already betrayed one brother, it wasn't such a big leap to worry that he'd hurt the other too. Even if Fi didn't think he would, he wouldn't begrudge Levi for being more cynical. "I believe that you are not, but your brother has been given reasons to believe otherwise. I do not think he is so wrong for trying to protect your smallest brother from a similar fate to his." He drummed his fingers in his lap idly. Sitting still all day had never sat well with him, he needed to spar—to move. "Can you honestly say you would not hurt him if doing so would grant you your freedom?"
(I have a very rough, possibly outlandish, idea for something that could happen way way later after Johan shifts into a better person. What if in order to take steps to defeat Fi’s uncle, Johan is sent to Usige to infiltrate? I dunno if he would be too recognizable with his scar and be immediately killed, or if he would be valuable to his uncle/the military as a hostage. I’ve been wondering what Johan would do in Usige)
“My freedom?” Johan blinked at the suggestion. He would do anything for his freedom, but hurting Mikhail in the process? That complicated things. “I-I don’t know,” he stammered. “I don’t even know what kind of situation that would be. I don’t even want to think about that.” He stared down at the blankets, silent while he thought about his answer. “Mikhail’s my little brother. I would never hurt him.” Besides, Mikhail posed no threat to him.
(I think that's a pretty interesting idea, tbh. Maybe he could pretend like he was defecting to Fi's uncle's side of the fight and offer himself up as a valuable advisor who knows about Levi and the Widonian military? That way we don't have to worry about him being recognized and he has an easier time getting close to Fi's uncle and influencing his decisions? Also, I kind of figured that like… once Usige is under Fiori's rule he kind of invites Johan to live with him b/c they've grown pretty close in that time, that way he can exist in both the Usige Fi's uncle envisions and the Usige Fi himself hopes to build. Idk lol, just something to think about.)
"Leviticus was your older brother and you hurt him." His voice was gentle as he pointed it out. He didn't want to upset Johan, he wanted to help him understand Levi's point of view. "I do not think you would hurt your brother, I trust that you love him, but you cannot say it is unreasonable for Leviticus to doubt that love. These things I wish to give you–visits and free time and hobbies… they require trust. Trust he cannot give you yet." His eyes flicked to Johan, taking in his reaction with a mix of hesitance and curiosity. "You understand this, yes?"
(Ooh true, I like that a lot! Definitely something that would be interesting to work towards. Does Fi’s uncle know Levi is back on the throne and that Johan is the one who faked his death?)
Johan scowled. “Leviticus is different. I don’t care about his need to trust me as long as he doesn’t get in the way of Mikhail and I’s relationship.” It made sense that Leviticus lost his trust in him. He’d guessed a further rift would be driven into their sibling relationship if either failed or succeeded in his plan. That’s why Leviticus was never meant to return. He raised his gaze up to Fiori, the rest of his head unmoving. “I understand. Which is why you won’t ask him about Mikhail visiting me, right?”
(He's definitely heard the news, but he probably assumes that Johan tried to have him killed and didn't stick around long enough to make sure the job was actually done. I doubt he knows about the whole Levi being shipped off to Usige and then returning thing.)
Fi sighed quietly. "Johannan… as much as I want to do… I cannot help you unless you cooperate. That means you need to earn some measure of trust from him, whether you like it or not." Johan was never going to escape this punishment if he didn't realize what he'd done was wrong and try to fix it, but he was too resentful to even start thinking about it and Fi could only gently suggest things so many times. "But… for now, I will not ask him about Mikhail. I will work that out myself, as you have asked."
(Alrighty cool)
Johan crossed his arms over his abdomen in an act of, perhaps petty, discontentment. “Has it occurred to you that I don’t want or even need your help?” Although his weary acquiescence up to this point suggested otherwise. “I can get myself out of this mess on my own…without Leviticus’ trust,” he scowled down at the blankets. “Even so I appreciate your willingness to arrange me a visit with my brother,” he added in a hushed, reluctant mumble.
Before Johan could contradict his expression of gratitude with another backhanded comment, Levi knocked on the door.
Fi sighed, a weary reply on the top of his tongue, but the knocking at the door took his attention and he was over in a flash, opening it with a small smile. His body language relaxed as soon as he saw Levi. With Johan he tried to stand up straight and hold himself stiffly, project the confidence he so badly needed, but with Levi all that melted away and he was left comfortable and cheerful. "I assume it is time for us to go?"