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It felt strange to touch someone like this, but Noé was sure that such temperatures were not normal for humans. Vanitas' jet-black strands of hair stuck slightly to his heated forehead as his friend felt it.
“You have a fever,” the young vampire remarked with a worried frown as he put his gloves back on.
Vanitas grimaced as if he had eaten something sour. It was clear that he was just looking for a way to contradict his counterpart. Or perhaps he was simply annoyed by the fact that he did indeed have a fever. Noé's remark had been almost superfluous, though.
They had been wandering around Altus for two days, almost without sleep. Then there was the subsequent battle with two curse bearers, which had completely exhausted them both and which they could only win with the help of Jeanne and Dominique, and on top of that, they had to flee from the vampire authorities in the pouring rain!
It would have been a miracle if Vanitas hadn't fallen sick. Even Noé still felt exhausted.
He looked closely at the man in front of him. His cheeks were reddened, but the rest of his face was pale and covered in sweat, his eyes glassy and tired.
“You look terrible. We have to do something. I'll get some medicine!”
Even before Noé could turn around to go outside, he felt the pull of strange fingers on the hem of his vest. The claws on Vanitas' gloves dug into the fabric, almost tearing holes in it, but Noé could feel the trembling emanating from them.
“I don't need anything...”
The rattle in Vanitas' voice earned him a disbelieving look from the white-haired vampire. Nevertheless, he continued: “All the apothecaries in this area are closed anyway, and...” He coughed. “I’m certainly not going to let you drag some quack here in the middle of the night... It’s just a slight fever, it’ll be gone… soon...”
Vanitas swayed dangerously back and forth as his voice grew quieter and quieter. Noé was only just able to grab him by the shoulders to prevent anything worse from happening.
He carefully pushed the younger man back onto the bed he was sitting on and looked at him with even more concern.
“No way! You rest now and I'll find some medicine for you,” he said urgently, but the human beneath him seemed to be losing consciousness already.
The vampire cursed inwardly. In fact, the only apothecary that might be open at this hour was somewhere on the outskirts of the city. There was no point in trying it in Altus either. Not for a human. So it would definitely take a while, but... He couldn't just leave him there! Could he ask Mademoiselle Amelia for help? But she surely couldn't leave the reception desk for so long. Especially since there was currently a real rush of guests.
With a guilty conscience, he covered Vanitas with a blanket and made his way to the lobby. While he was still wondering whether it was really a good idea to leave his roommate alone, Noé almost tripped over his own feet in surprise when he suddenly saw Jeanne talking to Amelia at the reception desk.
When she saw him, a smile blossomed on the vampire's face.
“Ah, Noé! I was coming to see you! You lost your top hat in Altus! I managed to hide it just as you were fleeing,” she exclaimed, holding out the hat to him. Perhaps with the faint hope of seeing Vanitas for a moment, as well.
But Noé hardly listened to her. As if struck by a flash of inspiration, he suddenly moved, ran towards her, and grabbed Jeanne by the shoulders.
“Perfect! You can watch him!” he said, looking her straight in the face, so close that Jeanne looked at him in shock and Amelia's cheeks took on a warmer color. Not even Lucas' angry face would have fit between them.
Jeanne looked at him perplexed, blinked twice before finally bringing herself to ask, “Watch who?”
When Noé finally noticed how close he was to the woman in front of him, he blushed with shame and quickly took a step back, letting go of her. Nevertheless, his expression quickly became serious again. The two young women could see that action was needed.
"Vanitas has a high fever and only one apothecary is open at the moment. I know it's a lot to ask, but could you watch him while I'm gone? I'll hurry back!
Jeanne nodded resolutely.
“Of course!”
This was not something he had to ask her to do. She would do anything to protect Vanitas, even if it was just from a cold. Not least so she could stay close to him a little longer.
The steps of the Hotel Chou Chou were old and creaked slightly under her feet as she hurried up the stairs a little faster than propriety dictated. Vanitas was sick? That couldn't be. Had she failed to protect him in battle? Had he overused the power of the book? That thing couldn't be good for a ordinary human.
Somewhat hesitantly, she finally opened the door to the hotel room and saw the man she loved lying there on the bed. His skin was glistening, his face clearly feverish and red, his clothes were crumpled as if someone had hastily hoisted him into bed, strands of dark hair lay tangled and sticky on his forehead, and his chest rose and fell restlessly.
At first she thought he must be unconscious, but when she closed the door behind her and came closer, Vanitas opened his eyes.
“Jeanne…?” His voice sounded hoarse. “Where is Luca? Did you get him to safety? Where is the curse bearer?
Apparently, Vanitas was only half conscious, seemed to be fantasizing. Luca hadn’t been involved in this battle at all. She had left him in safe custody in the castle. A little prince, no, a grand duke, had no business being on the battlefield.
Jeanne was shocked at how quickly the young doctor's condition had deteriorated. Once again, she was painfully aware of how fragile humans were. She had to continue to take care of him, no matter what the cost. A few hours ago, he had seemed quite normal, albeit exhausted, but now he once again appeared to be on the verge of death.
She approached him cautiously so as not to stress him in his condition and stroked his damp cheek.
“Master Luca is safe. The curse bearer is healed. You are in your and Noé's room,” she said gently and monotonously, and would have liked to add, “I am with you, I will protect you.”
Vanitas' eyes wandered restlessly. Despite her efforts, he felt visibly insecure, probably due to his distorted memories.
“Where is Noé?” his voice still hoarse and husky.
“He went out to get medicine. He'll be back soon,” Jeanne replied in a deliberately reassuring tone, hoping it would help.
She wasn't good at being gentle or comforting others. She had been a whirlwind even as a child, and later, as Borreau, she had to fend for herself. If she knew anything about caring for others, it came from the distant memories she still had of her parents or the kindness Master Luca had shown her since she became his chevalier.
But the sight of Vanitas broke her heart, and so she vowed herself to do her best not to treat him as harshly as she had back in Gévaudan. She knew how to survive. She had proven that to him back then. Now she just had to show that she could also be caring. Just for the hope, the tiny hope that he might accept her feelings when they burst out of her one day, and they would certainly do so at some point.
She sat down on the edge of the bed and touched his forehead, only to pull her hand back in alarm a moment later. He was burning up!
“Wait here!” she said as she jumped up, as if he could have gone somewhere, and ran to the bathroom to fetch a washbowl with water and a washcloth.
After sitting down again, Jeanne dipped the cloth into the water and wiped Vanitas' temple with it, feeling him flinch. Now a little more carefully, she cleaned his face and the sweaty nape, until her gaze finally fell on her own mark of possession on his neck. A faint feeling of guilt came over her, but she couldn't help feeling butterflies in her stomach as well, because there was a kind of visible connection between them. Something that no one could take away from her so easily, at least not until one of them died.
Should she put the cloth on his forehead again? Vanitas had closed his eyes again, which made her unsure whether he was still conscious. Jeanne could only watch as her beloved's chest continued to rise and fall rapidly. Hopefully Noé would be back with the medicine soon! And hopefully he wouldn't get sick too, because it was still raining outside, as she could see from the fogged-up window.
A shiver emanating from the young man in front of her snapped Jeanne out of her thoughts.
“Vanitas?”
“It's so cold... Close... Close the window!” she heard him murmur softly. The vampire looked at him with concern. The window had been closed the whole time. Her gaze wandered searchingly through the room and lingered at the other end.
“I'll get you Noé's blanket.”
With these words, she jumped up and took the second blanket in the room to cover Vanitas with it as well.
“Better?” she asked.
But he continued to tremble and just shook his head. His face was contorted with pain and half buried in the pillow as he turned away from her and hunched his arms and legs protectively.
Jeanne thought about what to do and slowly began to panic. Nothing seemed to help! When she finally had an idea, she blushed bright red.
‚No, I can't possibly do that again!‘
She slapped her hands to her cheeks in embarrassment to dispel the thoughts that had involuntarily popped into her head.
‚No! No! No!‘
She stood up and banged her head against the wall to stop herself from dwelling on the idea, but was abruptly interrupted when she heard another cry of pain and a shudder from him. Her gaze became determined.
“I'm sorry for doing this again,” she sighed guiltily and took off her jacket, skirt, and boots. Wearing only a blouse, stockings, and underwear, she crawled under the blanket to him and snuggled up against his back.
“How is it now?”
Vanitas didn't answer, but his trembling slowly subsided, although his breathing was still rapid. Jeanne gently stroked his upper arm, wondering whether he found it unpleasant or not.
It was warm under the blankets, and Vanitas' scent had a soothing effect. Jeanne's eyelids were also beginning to feel heavy when she suddenly heard a murmur.
“...a...idn...wa...”
Only when the murmur turned into a quiet sob did Jeanne prick up her ears in alarm. She immediately let go of him. He began to writhe and finally turned toward her, his eyes closed.
“Vanitas?” “... idn't... want... I didn't want that...” came from his lips, barely intelligible. Jeanne's concern grew immeasurably. Her heart seemed to break for the second time this evening.
“What? What didn't you want?” she asked quietly.
“Lu...!”
Hadn’t she heard that before? Was it a name? Who was “Lu”?
Vanitas opened his eyes, only halfway, and looked at her, but he didn't seem to really see her. His gaze wandered upward and focused on something for a moment, as if he were just looking at her light hair, before his pupils lowered again.
“Luna... I'm sorry...!” he finally sobbed.
She looked at him in shock for a moment before giving him a pained look. Jeanne wanted to be respectful, but she just couldn't stand to see him like this any longer! She pulled him into her arms, where he immediately snuggled up to her.
„Everything is alright. I am with you...,” she said softly as she stroked his back up and down.
„Lu...,” the black-haired young man repeated, and Jeanne's gaze became sad.
“I'm afraid I'm not the person you're looking for... but I'm here with you...” she assured him as he nestled into the crook of her neck and took a deep breath.
“Jeanne?”
His voice was just a whisper, but she gave him a slight smile, relieved that he had finally recognized her.
“Yes... I'm here.”
There was no reply, but Jeanne noticed that Vanitas' breathing had finally calmed down. She could hear it because he was clinging so tightly to her, even though he wasn't saying anything anymore. A few seconds later, the man in her arms was fast asleep again, so soundly that the vampire could hardly move. It was really quite warm under the blankets, next to a heated human who was still fully clothed. Almost uncomfortable.
But only almost... Being able to be so close to him, she was willing to put up with a little sweat.
To distract herself, she let her thoughts wander. Not for the first time, she realized how little she actually knew about the man who called himself Vanitas.
She didn't even know his real name, his past, his plans for the future, or even what he was thinking, and yet she was sure that she could only love him, sure that he was a good person. Love was crazy, wasn't it? Would she ever find out more?
The more she immersed herself in her thoughts, the heavier her eyelids became until she too fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, Jeanne was awakened by the loud click of the door opening. The light in the room was still on when Noé suddenly rushed in, completely out of breath, causing Jeanne to jump out of bed in alarm. Vanitas rolled over to the side, grumbling.
“I've got it! The medicine!” Noé shouted a little louder than would have been appropriate at this time of night. Only when he had caught his breath did he notice that Jeanne was sitting on the bed next to Vanitas, wearing very little. For a moment, the two white-haired vampires stared at each other in confusion before Jeanne herself realized her situation and blushed.
“What are you doing?” Noé asked, seemingly clueless.
Jeanne hurriedly pulled on her skirt as she replied, “I was just keeping him warm. Nothing happened! He's asleep now.”
As surprised as Noé seemed to be by the situation, he quickly regained his composure. There were more important things to do now! While Jeanne got dressed again, except for her boots, he approached the bed and looked down at Vanitas, who was just waking up.
“Vanitas, how are you feeling? Can you sit up?” Noé asked.
Still grumbling, Vanitas followed the request without answering. His gaze wandered around the room. “Jeanne? Why are you here?” he asked, seemingly puzzled, but his gaze reflected that he could remember something. Vaguely, distantly.
“She helped me look after you. Now take your medicine. It will help you!”
The younger man huffed. “That was completely unnecessary... I don't need any...” he muttered quietly to himself, but then stopped. His mind seemed to be racing. Jeanne wondered if he could remember something after all, but decided it was more important to give him the medicine now.
Noé fetched a glass of water and held out a tablet to Vanitas.
“Here!”
Vanitas just glared at his roommate.
“I told you, I don't need any...!” he hissed, but stopped again.
Noé wondered why the young doctor suddenly looked at him so anxiously, not noticing that Jeanne was standing behind him, glaring warningly at Vanitas.
With slightly trembling hands, Vanitas finally took the tablet with the glass of water. A long sigh followed. He hadn't even noticed how thirsty he had been, and somehow he suddenly felt better. Was it because of the medicine, or because the two most important people in his life were with him right now? Surely Jeanne would have to leave soon. It must have been his current weakness that made him unable to resist casting a longing glance at her.
Noé looked back and forth between the two.
“It's late, Jeanne. Why don't you ask Mademoiselle Amelia for a room for tonight?” the young vampire offered. His smile was warm.
Jeanne also looked back and forth between the other two and finally smiled. She wanted to look after Vanitas a little longer.
“Yes, I'll do that. Then I'll see you at breakfast?”
“Um... yes...” Noé yawned and didn't even look at them as he trudged over to his bed and simply collapsed onto it. Vanitas and Jeanne watched him, blinking in amazement as they saw him fall asleep in a matter of seconds. Unbelievable. On the other hand... Noé had rushed through the city half the night, despite all the exhaustion, just to help Vanitas. So it was hardly surprising that he was tired, right? The relief must have overcome him as soon as he found his roommate awake.
Jeanne looked shyly but with a relieved smile at Vanitas.
“I'll be going now.”
Before she could say anything else or turn to leave, she felt a gentle tug on her jacket. Vanitas held her back, but did not look at her.
“Jeanne... Thank you.”
She shook her head reassuringly. “It was nothing.” It had been natural for her, but her thoughts faltered when she saw him bite his lip, an angry expression in his eyes. Had she gone too far? Was he angry because she had gotten too close to him? Or because she had overheard him talking about a certain ‚Luna‘?
Who could that be? A loved one?
Suddenly, a spark of jealousy stabbed her heart, but she tried to shake it off. If there had been someone like that in Vanitas' life, then that relationship must have been in the past. She sat back down on the edge of the bed.
“Can you remember anything?” she asks quietly so as not to wake Noé.
The young doctor shook his head, but his ears were glowing a red that couldn't have been caused by fever alone.
“I'm sorry,” he began, just as quietly. “You shouldn't have to look after me here too.”
Jeanne looked at him for a long time with an unreadable expression.
“You act as if this is one-sided…” she remarked, almost dryly. “But you protect me just as often. Whether with the power of your book or sometimes just with your words. It’s time I started to return the favor,” she grinned.
Only now did the younger man's eyes manage to look at her again, if only for a moment.
“The rooms are expensive,” he said, his voice still rough. “You can stay here a little longer...”
Jeanne's smile broadened into a radiant grin. Without waiting for further words, she crawled under the covers with him.
“H-hey, that's not what I meant!” he hissed quietly, but she put a finger to his lips to silence him.
“I'll leave before Noé wakes up,” Jeanne replied, snuggling happily against him. A resigned sigh followed from him, along with a tiny smile.
“Good night, Vanitas.”
“Good night, Mon Lapin.”