La Maison 5: Darkness (Complete: mxm BDSM)

Arc 2 Chapter 13.1

Gabe groaned, rolling stiffly onto his side. He blearily opened his eyes, with difficulty as they seemed very reluctant.

"Morning sunshine," came Laurent's smooth voice. Gabe only managed a vague 'blurp' in reply.

Laurent dropped the smugly cheery morning persona straight away and rushed to Gabe's side.

"Bambi? What's the matter? Are you sore?"

"I'm okay," he managed to get out, although his voice sounded like his vocal cords had been through a wood chipper.

"You aren't. Stay there, don't move."

Laurent rushed out of the room and Gabe was happy to follow the direction when he discovered trying to shift onto his back made the skin of his butt feel like it had been lit up. Instead of a pleasurable wash of pain, all that did was make his head feel like it was imploding, and he groaned again, dropping his head onto the musty-smelling pillow.

Laurent was back moments later, and Gabe yelped when he heard Leeanna's voice and realized she could see the stripes across the meat of his ass. She just chuckled though, used to all sorts in this house.

"Mister Laurent, you can stop panicking. Our Gabe just has a cold."

It didn't feel like a cold. Gabe's throat was burning and his head was collapsing under the pressure, but he let Laurent carefully pick him up and place him back down with a pillow under his butt, and wipe his sweaty face and neck clean with a cool cloth. Leeanna was back a few minutes later with a tray.

"Drink this while it's still hot," she said, gesturing at the teapot, which smelled of spicy tea. "Add the honey and take these tylenol. I'll bring you some broth in a while. You'll need your strength for your audition."

"Oh no." Laurent span around when she'd left the room. "You're too sick. We'll rearrange."

"It's not as simple as that, Laurent," Gabe said, his voice scratchy. "One does not simply tell the London Philharmonic that you want to rearrange an audition. You just do it."

Laurent glared, as if his stern eyes could force Gabe to submit. And for pretty much any other thing, they could. But Gabe had already been handed a highly unexpected lifeline on his old dream. He recognized that his horrible nerves were coming from the reminder that, whatever he'd been convinced of in the recent past by Sawyer, he did want it. It was literally what he'd worked towards for over a decade. Even if he was terrified, or he changed his mind later, he couldn't walk away from the opportunity to at least try.

Laurent sighed when it became clear Gabe wasn't giving in.

"Fine. But I get to look after you when we get home."

"You're coming with me?" Gabe's voice was hopeful, even through the prickling.

"If you'll have me. And it's lucky you're not having to sing."

Gabe laughed, but it hurt, so he took a sip of the soothing honeyed tea.

He let Laurent help him get ready. It was the only option when his arms felt like lead and his neck could barely hold his head up. He felt marginally more alive when he'd had Leeanna's broth and dosed himself on every cold remedy she had in her repertoire, but he was still thankful Laurent insisted on ordering a car.

When they arrived at the venue, he was almost feeling positive. He would do his very best to honor the faith they apparently had in him, and just maybe he'd walk away with a job and a chance to see some of the world.