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When Laurence woke up this morning, he felt awful. A headache, a stuffed nose, a sore throat... and he was pretty sure he had a fever as well. All the classic symptoms of a common cold.
He had always gotten one without fail in his youth, not a single year had spared him, sometimes he even got them more than once a year, and because of his already poor health, it meant that he was suffering a lot under them, having to spend at least a week in bed waiting for his fever to go down.
Luckily, now that he had the Healing Blood, that wouldn't be a problem anymore. He could just get himself his morning blood ministration and would be as good as new, ready to start work for the day.
So Laurence got up, upsetting two or three cats that had slept on his bed, with the motion, and teetered over to his armchair, where he kept his personal blood ministration equipment for his room. It would be a bit difficult to set it up with his body feeling so weak, but he would manage. Just as he put the blood vial into the structure and was about to insert the needle into his arm, his door suddenly barged open.
“Laurence, what do you want for breakfast to- Wait, what are you doing?!”, Ludwig's voice boomed through Laurence' room and Laurence, having been startled by his boyfriend, just stood there with the needle still in hand, not moving until Ludwig had crossed the distance to him.
“Getting a blood ministration right in the morning? Laurence, we talked about this, you really need to tone down on the blood...” The disappointment in Ludwig's voice was unmistakable.
“I need it.”, Laurence said, his voice a mere croak. “I am sick, Ludwig. I got a fever.”
“Oh?”, Ludwig said and felt Laurence' forehead. “Indeed, you are burning up.”
“So will you let me have-”, Laurence started but got interrupted by Ludwig picking him up.
“Then let's get you to bed right away to take care of this sickness and make you feel better!”
Before Laurence could complain, he was stuffed back in bed, Mary curling herself up on his lap.
“Ludwig, what is the meaning of this?”, Laurence whisper-croaked, apparently his voice decided to fail him completely by now.
“You take too much of the blood.”, Ludwig said. “And you seem to simply have a cold. It won't do your body any good when you heal everything with the blood, it will stop knowing how to heal itself. Besides, when was the last time you took a break?”
“It hasn't been that long.”, Laurence said before breaking in a cough, noticing that Ludwig rubbed his back when it happened. “Ugh, I shouldn't talk too much.”, he croaked, though with a bit more voice. “Anyway, I only took a break...”
Laurence stopped when he had to think about when had been the last time he took a break. It wasn't that long ago, right? However, he was sure he had been able to swim during the last break and the weather in Yharnam very much was winter, with the city coated in a fine powder that looked like someone had poured sugar on the building's roofs.
“Alright, it has been a while.”, Laurence let himself fall back into the pillows and kneaded Mary's fur absentmindedly. While he certainly felt like he should take a break, he would like for it to be a break where he wasn't feeling like shit.
“See? Just stay in bed and let me take care of you.”, Ludwig said.
“What about the church hunters?”, Laurence murmured, trying to not overstrain his voice too much.
“They can live without me for a day or two.”, Ludwig said. Laurence frowned, for his sickness normally never went away before a week was over. However, the latest hunt had just been and they wouldn't need to call out another so soon. “Let's rather focus on what you need... you should drink enough.”, Ludwig eyed the jar of water on Laurence' night stand, “Yes, water is good, but tea would be better. I will send Florence in with some tea soon. You can drink it while I prepare your breakfast. Because you have a cold, a nice chicken broth should help you out.”
Ludwig got up and smiled at Laurence. “And I will make sure to make it extra salty for you.”
“Thank you...”, Laurence said, though he was pretty sure he wouldn't taste anything anyway. He watched as Ludwig left the room and then focussed again on kneading Mary's fur, the cat purring at the continued care. She was warm and soft and made him feel a tiny little bit better.
When he had been allowed to have a cat back on Byrgenwerth, he surely would have managed to get over all his sickness days with much more ease.
With nothing to do, not feeling super tired and having to wait for breakfast anyway, Laurence continued to run his hands through Mary's fur, until there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.”, he said, figuring that it probably would be Florence, for Ludwig had told him he would send her with tea. Not much later, the door opened and Florence entered with a tablet filled with a tea can and a tea cup. “
“Vicar, Luwig told me you are feeling unwell?”, she asked as she walked over to his bed. “Oh dear, you look like you sport quite a fever.”, she added after taking one look at him.
“Unfortunately yes.”, Laurence replied, accepting the tea cup he gave him. The tea was still steaming which felt like a blessing on his stuffy nose.
“I brought you some sage tea.”, Florence put the tablet down on Laurence' night stand, putting the jar of water on top of it as well. “Though I wonder why you haven't cured your illness with the holy blood.”
“Ludwig told me that I shouldn't take it for just a little cold.”, Laurence said, taking a sip from the tea. For most people it would be far too hot, but he always liked to drink his tea as hot as possible.
“Understandable. Besides, you got into a habit to take far too much of the blood.”, Florence said. “Not that I can't understand it. There is quite a rush whenever I have it... it's so hard to control yourself sometimes. I am glad to see that you try to be better with it.”
Well... if Ludwig wouldn't have come in, Laurence very much would have taken the blood ministration. And even though he had promised Ludwig to not take one daily anymore, he still had done it in secret... he just... often didn't feel well when he didn't take the blood. There was this sense of longing which only vanished when he got a blood ministration.
Alright, maybe he really had a blood problem, but regardless, as long as Ludwig would mother him, he wouldn't be able to get one in anyway.
“Thank you for the tea, Florence.”, he instead said. “I assume you already cancelled all my appointments?”
“Not yet.”, Florence shot up. “Let me take care of it right away.”
“Cancel them for the whole week.”, Laurence said as she left, being sure that he would be stuck in bed for a while. Once Florence was gone, he sighed and continued to drink the tea. At least it was warm and made his throat feel a little bit better.
Laurence drank three cups of the tea and then planned to nap, only for his body to tell him he had failed to go to the bathroom after waking up and he didn't make it any better by drinking so much tea. While he very much didn't feel like walking all the way there, he was fighting a losing battle, so he pulled himself up, gave Mary a stroke with his hand and then walked towards the door, feeling a bit like one of the infected with how much his body was wobbling. Just as he had reached the door, it opened and Ludwig stood in front of him.
“Laurence, I brought your- What are you doing out of bed?”
“I need to use the bathroom.”, Laurence whispered, a total contrast to Ludwig's booming voice.
“Are you sure you are able to make it there on your own? You look like you could faint any given minute...” Ludwig entered the room and put the tablet he was carrying on the table while Laurence supported himself at the door frame, catching his breath. Before he could reply to Ludwig that he didn't have a choice, he felt himself being picked up.
“I will carry you there.”, Ludwig said, gently cradling Laurence in his arms, who turned a bit red in the face and it wasn't because of the fever.
“Ludwig... what if someone sees us like this...”, he murmured.
“Then I just tell them that I'll help our sick Vicar out.”, Ludwig beamed at him. “Now let's get you to the bathroom before we need to change your clothes.”
“It isn't that bad...”, Laurence murmured as Ludwig carried him to the nearest bathroom. Laurence half expected that he wanted to come in with him, but Ludwig waited outside until Laurence was finished and left the bathroom after having washed his hands.
“Now let's get you back to bed and feed you your soup.”, Ludwig said and picked Laurence back up again.
“Why are you talking to me like I am a small child?”, Laurence asked on their way back. Last time he checked, he had been an adult for almost fifteen years now.
“Old habits die hard.”, Ludwig replied. “I used to take care of my younger siblings and whenever they got sick, I talked to them like this because it made them feel better. They were more calm when they knew what would happen next.”
“Well, I am not five years old anymore.”, Laurence said, letting himself hang limp in Ludwig's arms. “Besides... I used to be sick a lot as a child, so I can't be surprised anyway...”
“I am not trying to talk down to you or anything.”, Ludwig said, opening the door to Laurence' room. “But if you feel uncomfortable with it, I'll stop.”
As Laurence got put back into his bed, he considered Ludwig's words... Actually, it was kind of comforting. “...You don't need to stop.”, he said and leaned against the backrest of his bed, fluffing up a few pillows while Ludwig prepares his breakfast. Even though he couldn't smell much, he could smell the soup, for Ludwig must have used some strong smelling herbs in it. Even the smell made him feel better... surely after the soup was inside of him, he would feel better as well.
After Ludwig poured the soup from the pot into a bowl, putting the lid on the pot again, he dunked a spoon in it and carried it over to Laurence' bed. There, he sat down and took the spoon himself, filling it and offering it to Laurence complete with the words: “Laurence, say aaaah.”
“That's getting too ridiculous, Ludwig.”, Laurence crossed his arms and cocked his head a tiny little bit. “I can eat on my own. How about you prevent the cats from annoying me while eating? They are already interested...”
It was true, Mick, Mary and Amy had come already to sniff at the bowl. Ludwig gave Laurence a sheepish smile. “I am sorry, Laurence.”, he said and handed him the bowl, then got up and scooped the three cats in his arms. “But tell me if you need help.”
“It's just a cold.”, Laurence said, adjusting the bowl on his lap and grabbing for the spoon with his left hand. “Like you said earlier. I won't need help eating. I just am too weak to take care of myself for a while...”
Thanks to his trip to the bathroom earlier, the soup had already cooled a bit, but Laurence didn't mind if it would have been hot. It was cold outside anyway and even though his body felt hot, he felt so cold from the inside, did he have the chills already? The warm soup was a blessing for his freezing body and his sore throat. Ludwig had kept his promise and put more salt into the soup, so that Laurence could taste quite a bit of it. It probably would be too salty for anyone else, even himself when he didn't have a cold, but for this exact moment, it was the right amount of salt. It helped to make the herbs stand out also.
While Laurence chewed on a piece of chicken meat, he looked at Ludwig, who had decided to entertain the cats with a game to distract them from the food. All three of them were hunting a long string, one that looked like it came directly from Ludwig's boot. On closer inspection, it really came from it.
“I have toys for them.”, Laurence said, his voice feeling much smoother thanks to the warm meal.
“I don't mind.”, Ludwig simply answered. “My shoelaces are sturdy. They can chew on it for a bit.”
Laurence shrugged and continued his meal. After he had emptied the bowl, Ludwig came over to take it and was in the process of filling it up again, but Laurence stopped him. “I can't eat that much when sick.”, he said. “I am already full.”
“Well, you ate more than usual.”, Ludwig gave Laurence a smile. “I will keep the rest warm for later then.”
“Yes, that would be the best...”, Laurence murmured. “I think I want to nap for a bit...” He already felt his eyes getting heavy.
“Then I will look after you later.”, Ludwig promised and Laurence heard how the door shut when his eyes ultimately fell shut and his body tried to sleep through the sickness.
Ludwig returned later to check up on Laurence... with a couple of Laurence' favourite books. While he would have liked to just sit down in his armchair and read them himself, his headache had returned and it didn't get better when a sneezing fit overtook him after waking, which turned into a coughing fit, leaving Laurence gasping for air while Ludwig rubbed his back.
After Laurence' body had calmed down, it still told him that he better move as little as possible and so he cuddled himself in the blankets of his bed while Ludwig read to him.
Ludwig wasn't a good reader at all. He was slow, stumbled over words and sometimes had to read the same sentence several times to deliver it right. In truth, Ludwig was terrible at reading, especially aloud and normally Laurence would have pulled his hair at this style of reading. Ludwig had once said to Laurence that it always looked to him that the words are missing letters or mixed up and that he really tried to not riddle his reports with too many mistakes. Laurence had to admit to himself one day that reading and writing just wasn't Ludwig's forte. Some of the spelling mistakes even were pretty hilarious.
While Laurence truly had trouble with Ludwig reading so slow and snatchy, he very much admired that his boyfriend took the trouble upon him to read to Laurence, even though Ludwig knew he wasn't good at it. It made Laurence' heart feel quite a bit warmer, even though he didn't even manage to get through one chapter in an hour.
“Maybe I should try a different book.”, Ludwig said after he finally got through chapter one of an adventure novel. He put the book aside and grabbed for another one. Laurence grabbed for the cup of tea on his night stand, for Florence must have brought new tea while he slept and it was nice and hot again, and waited for Ludwig to pick a book.
“How to pick up Fair Maidens.”, Ludwig read. “What a pretentious title... Let's see.. Chapter one... Oh dear, are you alright, Laurence?”
Laurence had spit his tea all over his blankets when Ludwig had picked up the book, because not only was this a book that Laurence absolutely hated, it had been Gehrman's favourite book. He had put it into his bookcase in his office one day... so that he would never forget... Ludwig must have grabbed it as well when he picked out Laurence' favourites.
“Sorry, Ludwig, I didn't want to scare you.”, Laurence said and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his pyjama. “That book... was Gehrman's favourite...”
Ludwig looked down at the book on his lap and realization flashed over his eyes. “Of... of course, I remember... he was always reading this book. His copy was in a much worse shape, that is why I didn't recognize it... I normally recognize books by their cover and not their title...”
That only further cemented Laurence' theory that Ludwig and letters had decided to be common enemies, but that wasn't the point here. The presence of the book was such a grim reminder of the fact that his friend had vanished... before Laurence could properly apologize to him.
“I am sorry, Laurence, I know he is a touchy subject for you. I will pick a different book to read, but first we should change your pyjamas and blankets. They are full of tea. Wait here, I get a wash cloth.”
“Of course...”, Laurence said, putting the cup of tea back on his night stand, staring at the book that Ludwig had so innocently picked out. Gehrman had been Laurence' usual care taker when he was sick, so many weeks spend on the couch in the little cottage he inhabited with his dad, so many days where he had held Laurence' hair out of the way when the latter puked out his guts (again), so many instances where Gehrman had picked him up and laid on a more comfortable surface when Laurence had passed out again, treating any wound that got inflicted during the fainting.
If he would still be there, would he step in his old caretaker role and make sure that Laurence felt better soon? Or would he just tell Laurence to get a blood ministration and call it a day? Laurence would never know, for he never had managed to locate Gehrman (not that he didn't try to find him once and again...)
Ludwig entered the room again with a wash cloth as well as a new cover for his blankets. Glad for the distraction, Laurence stumbled out of bed and let Ludwig take care of him, let himself undress and clean up where the tea had hit his skin and once he was in a new pyjama, he sat himself in his armchair with a woolen blanket that Florence had knitted for his birthday once and waited until Ludwig was done with changing the tea sodden cover.
It was a good thing that no cats had been present during this small slip-up or Laurence would have had a few scratches as well as result.
He looked down at his arms at this thought. For a cat owner having scratches was normal, it happened while they played or when they tried to climb on him or when he was a casualty when they fought. His arms were completely clean from any scratches or scars from them. Because of his daily usage of the blood... Laurence hadn't even noticed how dependent he had become on it...
“Alright, Laurence, you can get back into bed.”, Ludwig said. Laurence got up, shivering on the short way over to his bed and was more than glad when he could cuddle himself in the comfort of his feather blanket again. “Let me read another book to you...”
Much later that day, when the sun had long set and snow swirled outside the window, Laurence' cold had taken a turn for the worse and he just wanted to go to sleep and hope that it would be better the next day... if his cough would even let him sleep!
Ludwig had brought some more tea to soothe his throat. He also had asked if he should bring some cough medicine, but Laurence declined... he knew what was in these things and that would completely knock him out. Besides, because of the holy blood, Yharnam barely sold common medicine anymore, pretty much every clinic had switched over to blood ministrations (of course they were under church control) and the ones that didn't only saw very few patients.
An earlier version of Laurence may have felt guilty about this, but the Laurence that lived in the here and now was long over feeling pity for them.
Laurence tried to drink at least one cup of tea before he would settle down to sleep, which was difficult when his body got racked by coughs again and again. Finally, after what felt like hours, probably only had been ten minutes though, his throat stopped tickling for the moment and he felt ready to just lay himself down and pass out.
...Maybe he should have sent Ludwig to get the cough syrup...
Ludwig insisted on staying with Laurence for the night, so that he could take care of him immediately should something happen or should he need help. Laurence knew that Ludwig wouldn't change his mind, but he didn't allow Ludwig in his bed, for he didn't want for him to catch Laurence' cold. Ludwig probably would try to take care of Laurence despite being sick (and of course he wouldn't take the blood for such a minor illness), so Laurence didn't feel comfortable with getting his boyfriend sick as well.
Ludwig decided to sleep in Laurence' arm chair instead, putting the woollen blanket over himself, settling in, his black hair not in a ponytail but falling upon his shoulders, looking like black silk. Ludwig had such beautiful hair, that was what Laurence thought when he looked at him and then decided to close his own eyes to get his much needed rest.
When Laurence awoke it was still dark, still the middle of the night. He felt so hot... had his fever taken a turn for the worse? He certainly didn't feel well... laying in his bed, breathing heavily, interrupted by a few coughs occasionally. Laurence rolled from his back on his side and hoped that the awful feeling in his throat would go away and that his fever would calm down soon, when he had another feeling deep inside of him...
The blood. He felt like he needed the blood. He hadn't been able to take it during the day, for Ludwig wanted for him to stay clear of it for a while... but he couldn't do this, he felt himself shivering and it wasn't from the chills, he felt like his body would dissipate if he didn't put the blood inside of it right now, his breath was going quicker and he just needed to get up and get a blood vial... just a tiny one... just a little drop, that was all...
“Laurence, where are you going?”, Ludwig asked, making Laurence aware that he wasn't in his bed anymore but had started to walk towards his cupboard. Ludwig came over to Laurence and laid his hand on his forehead. “By the blood, you are burning up. You shouldn't walk away in the middle of the night with such a fever. If you need to go to the bathroom, I can help you out.”
Laurence shook his head, that had not been the issue. He wanted... he tried to get the blood, despite him promising to Ludwig to not take it... he really had a problem apparently...
“Felt hot. Wanted to get some cold water.”, he rasped out, his throat feeling like gravel.
“You get into bed right away and I get you a cool wash cloth.”, Ludwig said and led Laurence back to bed.
Laurence laid himself back down and pulled the blankets over him when Ludwig left. Now., his mind said to him. Now you can get a drop of blood. Ludwig will never know it.
Laurence didn't move. Instead, he focused his thoughts on the cat that slept with him and pet its fur. He didn't even notice which one it was, he just needed something, anything to distract him from this need.
When had Laurence gotten so dependent on the blood? He used to have a blood ministrant monthly, for he had to cure his chronic anemia. It turned into a bimonthly one, then a weekly and soon... soon he had done one daily, for it wasn't only the healing properties of the blood, but also the rush of it... it made him feel good, made him forget his troubles, put him on some high...
No wonder Ludwig was concerned about him. That surely wasn't healthy. Though, how should Laurence get rid of this awful feeling, the feeling that something was missing from his body, something that he desperately wanted to replace?
Just as the cat he had petted screamed in protest for he had struck his nails in it, Ludwig entered again and looked a bit confused at the offended ball of fur that left the room.
“Laurence, I brought a cool wash cloth.”, he said and laid it on Laurence' forehead. “That should help you cool down, so that you can go to sleep again.”
Ludwig wanted to leave and sit back down in the armchair, but he stopped when Laurence tugged at his sleeve.
“Ludwig? Could you read another book to me?”, he requested.
Ludwig gave Laurence a big smile. “Of course.”
Even though it took ages for Ludwig to get through the one chapter he wanted to read, even though he fell over every second sentence and had to double-check on every other word, it distracted Laurence from his need. He would just focus on Ludwig and his non existent reading skills and nothing else. Ludwig would help to keep him grounded.
He soon fell asleep again.
Of course Laurence wasn't healthy the next day. He never had managed to cure a cold in a day without the help of the old blood. The same could be said for the day after the next day. Ludwig continued to take care of him, by giving him food (still mostly warm soup or stew), reading to him, delivering the cats to him so that they could warm him and getting tea into his system, hoping that he could sweat and flush the sickness out.
On the fourth day, Laurence felt finally better, though now he had a different problem... now his nose wouldn't stop running and he pretty much had blown his nose with four different handkerchiefs now.
“How are you feeling, Laurence?”, Ludwig came in with his bright smile and put Laurence' tea on the nightstand. “Here is your new dose of tea. Drink plenty.”
“In a minute.”, Laurence replied, sniffling. “My stupid nose won't stop running... I think I need another handkerchief soon...” Just as Laurence had finished speaking, a sneeze happened. He held the handkerchief in front of him to catch the brunt of it, but the warmth on his face and the red on the handkerchief made it clear that his nose hadn't liked the constant blowing this morning at all. “Fuck.”, he growled.
“Woah, you got a nosebleed!”, Ludwig looked rather shocked while Laurence just sighed.
“And? That happens to me all the fucking time even unprompted. Rather give me a new handkerchief, it's all over my hands already...”
Indeed Laurence' battered nose had already bled through the already sodden handkerchief he had held and now the blood dripped all over his fingers and down on his pyjama. Ludwig handed him a new handkerchief which Laurence pressed against his nose where blood and snot intermingled. A fairly unpleasant sensation.
“At least all the snot gets out.”, Ludwig said as he steadied Laurence, making him hold his head slightly downwards, so that the nosebleed wouldn't clog his respiratory system and would hopefully stop soon.
“Could have done without the blood...”, Laurence said. “Wait, don't I have to pay into the swear jar?” He remembered the two swears that had slipped earlier.
“I wanted to give you a pass because you aren't feeling well.”, Ludwig said. “But for the next one when you are healthy you have to pay double.”
“What even is the point then?”, Laurence murmured, folding the handkerchief so that the bloody side would point away from him and catch the rest of the blood with the clean side.
“Once your nosebleed has stopped... I wanted to ask you away, would you like to take a bath?”, Ludwig asked as his hand went through Laurence' hair which made the latter extremely relaxed, forgetting to catch the nose bleed and bleed all over the blankets. “Ah sorry, I forgot that happened to you...”
“A bath sounds fine.”, Laurence replied. “I need to get one anyway, I have blood all over my face and hands...”
Not only that, Laurence hadn't got a proper bath for a few days now and he felt all sweaty and gross because of the fever. At least it had gone down today, even though it wasn't completely gone. Why were his colds always so persistent?
Ludwig helped him out of bed, but didn't carry him this time, for Laurence made it clear that he would like to walk on his own, now that he was better. Ludwig still laid a hand around his shoulder and walked with him towards the bathroom, the small little personal one, which housed a sink, a toilet and a bathtub, which was big enough for two people. Laurence unlocked it with his key and stepped in, Ludwig closely behind him.
“I already let the water heat up.”, Ludwig said. “It should be nice and hot, like you enjoy it.”
“Thank you.”, Laurence sat down on the closed toilet and waited while Ludwig filled the tub with water. While he waited, his nose started to run again, so he pressed his sleeve against it and wiped it. He would need to put on a new pyjama anyway.
While Laurence and Ludwig waited for the tub to fill, Ludwig organized a new pyjama for Laurence, locked the door behind him when he returned and got towels from the shelf in the bathroom ready. Once the tub was completely filled, Laurence got up and fumbled with the buttons on his pyjama. Ludwig was over in an instance and helped him undress. Once Laurence was completely naked, he entered the bathtub and sighed when the warmth, heat even, engulfed his body and soothed his aching nose and chest.
Laurence didn't expect for Ludwig to get into the tub with him, so a surprised noise escaped him when his boyfriend entered as well.
“How can you sit in this heat without batting an eye?”, Ludwig asked, fanning himself with his hand. It seemed to be a little too hot for him.
“Because I love the heat.”, he replied and leaned himself against Ludwig's large frame, closing his eyes when he felt his boyfriend's embrace. He could stay in the hot water like this forever...
However, Ludwig didn't let him enjoy the moment for eternity, for Laurence had to get cleaned up, especially the blood that was still smeared over his hands and chest. The water hadn't managed to get rid of everything, for it already had crusted and was now caked over his body.
Though, it was very nice to get washed by Ludwig as well. Ludwig didn't talk much, just sometimes prompted Laurence to give him a certain limb or move in a certain way. He was gentle and with each stroke of the wash cloth, Laurence felt cleaner and a lot better, watching as the red streaks of his blood appeared in the water before fading and settling at the ground. While it felt a bit weird basically sitting in his own blood, there was so much water in the tub, it was diluted enough.
After Ludwig was done with cleaning up Laurence, he got his earlier wish fulfilled and was allowed to just sit in the bathtub, leaning his head against Ludwig's chest and get his hair stroked by the man he loved. Only shortly before they had to leave the tub did Ludwig intervene again, by washing Laurence' hair.
It had been so relaxing that Laurence even forgot about his cold while in the warm water, but once he was out, heavily shivering because of the cold air, he got reminded about it. Ludwig wrapped him in a towel immediately and helped to dry Laurence' body and hair, then helped him into the fresh pyjama he had brought.
“Stupid cold.”, Laurence murmured. “When will it finally leave me in peace?”
“Soon probably.”, Ludwig said as he let Laurence back to his room. “You look a lot better already. And this was all your own body and not the blood. Besides, you finally took a break again, so I am not exactly mad at your illness...”
“It is nice to spend so much time with you...”, Laurence had to admit. He was really working too much. He should make sure to take at least one day off each week to spend with Ludwig entirely.
After Laurence was tucked in bed again, Ludwig left to prepare his meal. Expecting some more stew or soup, Laurence poured himself another cup of tea and entertained the cats that gathered around his bed with a string that was knotted to a wooden stick. They surely had fun with this game, even though two of them had a little quarrel when they hit each other instead of the string.
All three of the cats present turned and ran towards the door though when Ludwig returned. “Woah, you guys better get out.”, Ludwig said and pretty much banished the cats from Laurence' room, blocking the cat door as well. “Or they won't let you eat in peace.”
Laurence' ever running nose was a blessing when it came to the food, because for once he could actually smell it and it smelled so good, his mouth actually started to water.
“I thought you must be tired of stew or soup.”, Ludwig smiled. “And since you feel better today, I made you another dish. Baked salmon with mashed potatoes and peas on the side, all topped off with a sauce hollandaise. Enjoy.”
“Thank you, Ludwig.”, Laurence said as he dug in, amazed at how well he could taste again and that Ludwig had put the exact right amount of salt he liked into the dish. It was truly wonderful and made him feel a lot better.
Laurence mostly took a nap for the rest of the day until Ludwig came back to him. With him feeling better, Ludwig decided to come into bed with Laurence and join him while Laurence read one of his books, being well enough again to read on his own.
Laurence smiled as Ludwig cuddled against him, soon falling asleep probably from the exhaustion of taking care of Laurence and having to keep up his job. Laurence purged the light not much later and decided to sleep as well.
Three days later Laurence woke up and didn't feel sick at all anymore. He checked his forehead and he surely had no fever anymore, he didn't feel the need to cough and while his nose felt sensitive, it was neither stuffed nor running without pause.
He got out of bed and walked over to his wardrobe, putting on his usual church robes. No sense laying in bed anymore, he could get back to work.
As Laurence put the church robe on, he noticed something in its pocket. He felt for it and found a blood vial. He held it between his fingers and stared at it.
He... wasn't sick anymore, so he wouldn't need it anyway... but... hadn't he been off the blood long enough for now? Though, should he take so much of the blood anyway?
Maybe later, Laurence decided, putting the blood vial back into the pocket. He had survived without daily blood ministrations in the past, he had survived this week. Maybe he should try and really tone down on the blood... even though he didn't feel strong enough to put that particular blood vial into his desk and lock the drawer with the key.
The door opened and Ludwig came in: “Laurence, what do you want for breakfast today? Oh, do you feel better?”
“Loads.”, Laurence answered. “I will get back to work today.”
“That's great.”, Ludwig came over and ruffled his hair, making Laurence melt in his touch. “See, it was just a cold, you did survive it, even without the blood.”
Laurence winced at the mention of the blood, thinking about that blood vial he would carry around with him. Time for an experiment... if he would manage to go a whole day without using it, he would consider it a success. For now, though...
“But I still would like that breakfast of yours.”, he said. “Can you make me a rice omelette?”
“Gladly.”, Ludwig said and left the room, leaving Laurence' alone, who sat down on a chair and felt the blood vial in his pocket.
“Only one day...”, he said to himself, hoping that he wouldn't fail.