Work Text:
The bed was empty when he woke up. That was normal.
The washroom was also vacant. Again, normal.
He could hear the percolating of the coffee. Extremely normal.
What wasn’t normal was when he stepped into the kitchen to find William hunched over the countertop, head bowed and fingers grasping at the lip of the counter. From where he stood, William looked strikingly pale, paler then what was normal for the mostly indoor reaper. He could also tell William had a slight sheen of sweat over his face. “Will?” he asked, worry crossing his features as he cautiously approached his lover.
William straightened immediately hearing his partner was up though another abnormality was found when he saw William’s looser tie and a few buttons undone on his crips white dress shirt. “Good morning Knox.”
His voice was husky, sounding so unlike William’s crisp clear tone. “Hey, you feelin’ okay?”
“Of course.” he reached to fix what Ronald noted was different. “I simply haven’t had my cup of coffee yet.”
Having left his black leather gloves in his pocket, there was nothing but bare skin as Ronald set the back of his hand to William’s forehead, catching the older reaper off guard. “You’re really warm.” the blonde summarized. “Like, burning, sir.”
Gently smacking Ronald’s hand away, William turned to grab a cup from the upper cabinet. “I’m fine.”
A stubborn man William was and often Ronald wouldn’t try forcing a subject, knowing William wasn’t going to budge. Now, however, William wasn’t taking care of himself (again) and Ronald wasn’t about to back down because of a stubborn attitude. “If that doesn’t fly with you, it doesn’t fly with me. You’re not fine, Will.”
“Honestly Knox. It’s nothing to concern yourself with.”
He tried to push past and continue about his morning, but Ronald snagged his forearm, gripping it tight enough to halt William in his place. “William, please. You look awful.” he said once he got a good view of William. Dark circles, even worse then normal, rested under his eyes, his skin player then he thought with the fever causing redness over his cheeks. He was sweating slightly and Ronald frowned at him. “Please.” he begged. Opening his mouth to protest a third time, he wiped his head to the side, bringing up his free hand to cover his mouth when coughs wracked his body. Ronald let his arm go to let him turn around, William coughing into his hands and away from the interior of the kitchen. “Still gonna say you’re okay?” he asked, gently easing a hand over William’s back.
When the cough subsided, William swallowed, a twinge of discomfort crossing his face. “Yes. I have work to attend to and I don’t intend on—” he coughed again, feeling Ronald imitate the knowing look he often gave Ronald. “If I am to call in sick, who will cover for me?” he argued, hoping that would be enough to deter his lover.
Ronald smirked, fishing his phone from his pocket and unlocking it to quickly show William Eric’s contact number. “Pretty sure this guy is more then qualified.”
William narrowed his eyes at Ronald’s phone, as if the very object was offending him. “I’m sure he’s too busy.”
“Then let’s call ‘im.” he paused before dialling. “Hey, if Eric agrees, will you promise me you’ll stay home and rest?” William crossed his arms over his chest, obviously still stubborn and absolutely sure Eric would decline. “I’ll take that as a yes.” so he rang up Eric.
The elder reaper picked up quickly, just on his way out. “Knox? Wha’ is it? We were jus’ leavin’.”
Ronald set his eyes on William, locking their gazes. “William’s sick and he’s bein’ real stubborn about it. So, you think you can take over Will’s spot for the day?”
Eric turned his head to Alan, holding this arm out to his younger lover to which Alan nestled up next to him. “If the lads sick, o’ course I’ll take o’er fer ‘im. Heh, good luck dealin’ with ‘im Knox. Yer gonna need it.”
“Yeah, thanks. I’ll be gettin’ him to bed now.” with a quick goodbye, he hung up and set William with a smirk. “Well, guess who’s stayin’ home t’day?”
William adjusted his glasses, frowning at his partner. “Honestly, it isn’t as bad as it seems. I’m more then capable of working.”
“Nope.” Ronald shook his head. “Not gonna happen.” he dropped his phone back into his pocket. “And are y’ gonna follow me to the bedroom, or do I have t’ carry ya?”
“Ridiculous. I am fine. I shall not say it again.”
He must have turned to fast or this illness suddenly caught up with him; whatever it was, he stumbled, forced to lean against the doorway for support. The world spun around him, forcing him to close his eyes. “Will!” Ronald gasped, instantly supporting his fallen lover. “C’mon Will, don’t pass out. Let’s get you to bed.”
“I…I don’t…” though physically he fought to object again, but mentally he was exhausted. He slumped against Ronald, one arm slung over the blonde’s shoulders while he helped Ronald the best he could in escorting himself back to the bedroom. “I’m still…capable of working.”
“Yeah, sure.” Ronald huffed.
Though older, Ronald was the stronger of the two from all his work with his heavy scythe which meant practically dragging William back to the bedroom wasn’t as difficult as it would have been otherwise and once they were in the close vicinity of the bed, he dropped William onto it. “Undress. You’re gettin’ back into your pyjama’s and sleepin’.” William tried glaring, tried being stubborn but found his body working on its own accord. It was a slow process but eventually he was undressed from his suit and dressed back in his white and blue striped pyjamas. “There.” Ronald said. “Feeling better?”
“No.”
“Then lie down.” he gently pushed on William’s chest, the bed still unmade from when he got up. William looked down at the bed, Ronald’s insist pressure on his chest finally urging him to lie down. Ronald bit back a grin at the almost pout on William’s face, pulling up the blankets to William’s chin. “There. How’s that?”
“Awful. I have work to do, and—” he spoke, moving to sit up until Ronald gently pushed him back down.
“Eric is takin’ care of it, don’t worry.” he said, smiling. “Please, relax for today, okay? Let your fiancé take care of ya.”
“You’re staying here to take care of me? That’s absurd. You’ll have work you’ll need to do and I’d feel awful if you were put behind because of me.” Ronald frowned, forgetting momentarily he had actual work to do. “See? Therefore we both cannot afford a day off.”
“Hey, this isn’t a day off.” he pressed again on William’s shoulders when he, again, tried to get up. “This is a sick day. Today, you’re allowed to relax and do nothing, and if I get set back on some paperwork, I’ll make do. Right now, you need me and I’m gonna make damn sure you’re taken care of.” his fingers raked gently through William’s raven locks, a move William often did to him when he was upset to soothe him. Hopefully it had the same effect on William, and from the drooping eyelids, it seemed to be. “There, relax Will. Don’t worry about a thing.” he smiled, removing William’s glasses from his nose and placing them on the nightstand, neatly folding in the arms.
“That’s impossible to do…” he breathed, his body slowly relaxing into the mattress.
“You’re doin’ a good job now.” he lent down, pressing a soft kiss to William’s forehead. The bangs that had been previously brushed to their normal business style were back in natural wisps over William’s brow, a style Ronald was quite fond of. “I’ll be right back.” He walked backward, watching William to make sure he didn’t bolt out of bed before disappearing into the ensuite bathroom. Truthfully, a part of William’s mind screamed at him to get to work, to power through the sore throat, the coughing and the general stuffiness of a cold, but the rest of him, with even the mere thought of being looked after and having a day to rest, won out. His eyes fully slipped closed, unaware of anything until he felt something cold and damp dropped across his forehead. His eyes opened then and Ronald was smiling down at him. “Cold cloth for the fever.” he explained.
“Thank you.” his eyes closed again, taking a deep breath only to be cut off by another coughing fit which had him jolting up.
Ronald rubbed his back again, catching the cloth that was thrown off. Eventually when William settled to his back again, Ronald replaced the cloth and asked, “want some water?”
“Please.”
“Okay. Be back in a sec.”
William lay there, cussing his own body for making him ill. He didn’t have the time to be sick nor did he like the idea of someone doing his work for him, despite knowing Eric was more then capable of handling his position for a day. “Here’s your water Will.”
His eyes flicked from the roof to Ronald, his dry throat aching for the water Ronald was handing him. His warm fingers curled around the glass, relishing in the cold of the liquid and ice cubes. Greedily, he drank down the contents of the glass, allowing Ronald to take the empty glass from him. “Thank you, again.”
“Yeah, no problem.” he kissed his cheek. “How’s your head?”
“Things are still slightly off kilter, but it’s bearable.”
“Good. Now I want ya to get some rest, okay?”
“Sleep, right?”
Ronald chuckled. “Yeah, sleep.” William didn’t need to be told again as he closed his eyes once more. Ronald stood there, waiting for about a minute before William’s breathing evened out and he could tell his overworked lover was fast asleep. When he saw that, he let his smile fade, a frown replacing it. he walked back to the kitchen, setting the empty glass on the counter as he berated himself. The signs had been there, he’d seen them. Early in the week, William had been complaining, mostly to himself, about headaches and at first, Ronald didn’t think much of it. Headaches for William weren’t uncommon but when the man had to pause like he was dizzy, that should have been the first sign. Throughout the week, William slowly complained of symptoms of a cold that he ignored, even last night when he heard William get into bed with him, he already had a cough, but again, he ignored it. He looked down at his hand thinking about that. Was he really cut out to be married if he ignored the warning signs of a cold?
Sighing to himself, he turned toward the stove, wondering if William would be up for some chicken noodle soup. That was always good for colds. A nice warm bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. The only issue with that was, he wasn’t a good cook. There wasn’t much he could make except some toast and eggs. Looking at the time, it was too early for soup anyway plus William was sound asleep. He didn’t want to wake him just to eat when he was probably sleeping off most of what ailed him, so he decided to wait.
William had woken once from 7:00 a.m to 12:43 p.m. and it was only for more water. Apparently the headache and dizziness he had experienced was on the way out but, as shown when he had to sit up for his water, any vertical movement caused it to come back somewhat so Ronald gave him the cold medicine he found in the cabinet mirror in their washroom. Though already despising the taste, William took the two pills without complaint. They were also probably part of the cause of William’s deep slumber.
When he looked at the time to find their lunch hour nearing its finish, he debated calling for help on the food situation. “Alan?” he asked hopefully when the ringing ceased.
Alan pressed a finger to Eric’s lips as he answered, “of course. It’s my phone.” the blonde gave him a pouting look to which he only smiled.
“Well, yeah…good point.”
“Do you need something?”
“Kinda. I need help.”
Alan cocked his head, sliding off Eric’s lap again to the blonde’s disappointment. “Is William alright? Does he need the hospital?”
“No, thankfully. But, uh. Um, I’d ask Eric for help, but since he’s taken over for Will for the day, you’re my only hope.”
“With what?”
“Cooking.”
“Cooking?”
“Yeah. I can’t cook to save my life, and yeah, I know I should learn, but I wanna learn without killing William because my chicken soup was made with arsenic instead of broth.”
Alan laughed. “Alright. I suppose I can help you if the boss allows me the extra time for lunch.” Eric waved his hand, allowing Alan the extra time. “I’ll be over in a few.”
“Thank you.”
They hung up and Ronald waited patiently by the door. Once he heard the first knock, he swung it open causing Alan to freeze mid-knock. “Oh, ah, that was quick.”
“I was waiting for ya. Now c’mon. I need help and Will’s gonna wake up any minute hungry.” he dragged Alan to the kitchen then stepped back, eager for Alan to get to work for William’s sake (and his own).
“Don’t you want to learn?” he inquired as he got things ready for the soup.
“Kinda.”
“Then come over here and let me teach you how to make a basic recipe.”
Tentatively, Ronald stepped up next to Alan and had actually learnt a bit to making a decent meal. When it was all said and done, there was a perfectly good and warm pot soup made by the both of them. “Thanks agin Al.” Ronald said, walking Alan to the front door. “Didn’t think I could do this without ya.”
“It’s not a problem.” he shrugged. “Besides, I want William to get better just as much as you do. Eric as well. When he’s up again, tell him we wish him well.”
“Yeah. Will do.”
They said their goodbyes and Ronald returned to the kitchen. Gathering two bowls, he poured an equal amount of soup into each bowl with minimal spillage (sorta). He returned to the bedroom to find William sitting up, pressing the cold cloth Ronald refreshed earlier to his forehead. “Hey.” he said quietly, nudging the door open with his foot. “How ya feelin’?”
“Like I’ve ben hit by a truck.” he replied in that stuffed up, hoarse voice.
“Well, I got soup.” he said lifting the two bowls. “Hungry?”
“I suppose.” his stomached growled forced a blush of embarrassment and for him to change that answer. “Yes.” he muttered, setting the cloth on the nightstand next to his glasses.
Ronald sat next to him, folding his legs under him. “Here.”
William took the bowl, stirring the soup with the provided spoon. “Looks good.”
“Try it.”
He watched William do just that, sipping from the spoon. He paused to maul over the test before giving an approving nod. “It’s good.”
“Well, good. Alan helped me make it.”
He paused, brows coming together. “Humphries was here?”
“Yep. I called him actually.” he shrugged. “He helped make it since I didn’t wanna botch your ‘feel better’ soup.” he took another bite. “Oh, he and Eric say get well.”
“Ah, well, I thank him.”
They ate in silence, Ronald watching William in case the food didn’t sit well with him, but the only reaction he had when William finished was a muffled yawn behind his hand. “Go back to sleep.” he urged, taking William’s bowl. “You need it.”
“I suppose…” he replied, lying back down, bringing the covers up around him.
Ronald quietly left the room to deposit the empty bowls in the sink before returning to the bedroom. Like before, it didn’t take long for William to be dead to the world and honestly, Ronald wanted nothing more than to lay next to him; so he did.
Carefully, he took his position on his side of the bed, turing to face William. It was so rare to see that face in such a relaxed state, even if the cause was because of a cold. Ronald could only guess (or rather he knew) how William ended up ill. He was a workaholic and the saying always stood ‘you’ll work yourself to death’. Since that wasn’t really possible for William anymore, he instead worked himself sick. Again, he felt guilt in the pit of his stomach. He knew William was working too much but did nothing to discourage William. What sort of husband lets their partner work themselves to this sort of state? A horrible one and they weren’t even married yet.
His eyes trailed to the ring around William’s finger, the engagement ring he gave a week before Christmas. He was thrilled then to be marrying the man he’d fallen hard for but now, he felt like he didn’t deserve William.
Reaching out, his fingers brushed a strand of hair from William’s face which accidentally stirred the man awake. Apparently William was out like he thought. “Ronald?” he asked, his voice dropping to a whisper to avoid straining his already sore throat. “I’m sure you have better things to do.”
Ronald smiled, trying to hide his feeling behind it. “I like watchin’ ya sleep. Don’t get to see that face often.”
William slid his arm from under the blanket, resting his hand on Ronald’s cheek, soothing a thumb just under is eye. “What’s wrong love? I know that tone.”
Ronald winced, shifting his eyes from William. “Nothin’. You’re the sick one. Don’t worry about me.”
“Sick or not, I will not tolerate you hiding things from me. What’s bothering you?”
Ronald swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling dry. He forced himself to meet William’s eyes. “I’m not gonna make a very good husband.”
William arched an eyebrow. “Pardon? Who said that?”
“I do and I know it.”
“You do?”
“Yeah.” childishly, he took William’s hand still resting on his cheek to play with his fingers. “You got sick ‘cuz you weren’t takin’ care of yourself very well and I didn’t do anythin’ to help and even when you were showin’ signs of bein’ sick, I still didn’t do anythin’. I shoulda jumped on you the moment ya complained of a headache.”
William closed his hand around Ronald’s still playing with his fingers.”Ronald, look at me.” Slowly, their eyes met and William softened his own. “Love, please don’t blame this sickness on yourself nor should you discredit yourself like you have. You’ve done countless things for me and one of those things you’ve done is have patience with me. I know I’m not the most easy-going man but you’ve put up with that. As for me being ill, you’ve also done a lot preventing it for this long. You've made sure I have lunch when I normally work through it, you’ve made sure I get to bed at decent hours and you do make me take breaks as often as you can get me too. You’ve done a lot for me, Ronald and don’t you dare ever think you haven’t.”
Ronald blinked then scooted closer to William, burying his face in the crook of William’s neck, smiling when William’s arms wrapped around him. “I love ya Will.”
“I love you as well, Ronald.”
“Now why don’t you get back to sleep, okay?”
“Only if you sleep with me.”
Ronald pulled back just enough for a full on kiss on the lips. If this got him sick as well, then he didn’t care. He knew just as he did with William, William would look after him and knew, as he squeezed William’s hand with the engagement ring, they’d always be there for each other.