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Pierce had started to grow concerned when he hadn’t been able to find Ein in any of their usual meeting places. Ein was always there before he was, eternally an early riser even when he had no reason to be awake early.
It was very unlike Ein to sleep in.
Pierce finds himself knocking on Ein’s front door, shifting to the side to wait for the wolf to answer.
Only for Ein to not reply.
Okay.. Now Pierce was really worried.
“Ein? Buddy, you in there?” Pierce calls out, hoping that Ein was simply ignoring the knocking because he was trying to avoid everyone else.
Still no answer.
Pierce takes a small breath, trying to remain calm despite his creeping unease at Ein’s unusual silence as he pulls his keys from his pocket, easily finding the spare key Ein had given him a few months back and unlocking the door.
Stepping inside feels like stepping right into a horror movie, the unnatural silence feels almost suffocating in the familiar space.
Ein hates the quiet.
Pierce wants to call out again to hopefully encourage Ein to show some sign of life, but he refuses to be that dumbass horror movie character.
He walks over to the stairs, every step probably far more cautious than necessary but Pierce isn’t taking any chances.
He carefully creeps up the stairs, remembering the way Ein moved around to avoid every creaky floorboard, left side here, right side there, skip the step that always creaks.
He reaches the second floor and immediately makes a beeline to Ein’s bedroom door, warily raising a hand to knock. The sound rings out in the heavy silence, causing Pierce to wince slightly.
Still nothing.
Pierce lowers his hand, moving to grab the handle. He opens the door slowly, still cautious as the haunting silence rests heavily on his shoulders.
Ein’s bed is a wreck, the blanket unceremoniously thrown to the side like he had gotten up in a hurry.
A small noise from the bathroom draws his attention to the slightly cracked open door, a familiar frustrated whine echoes slightly. Pierce had learnt to associate that particular noise of frustration as the one Ein used when he wanted to throw something through a wall.
Pierce lets out a small relieved breath at the sound, tension draining from his shoulders as his worry subsides a bit.
“Hey Ein, are you feeling alright?” He asks, walking over to the bathroom door, pausing right outside as he waits for Ein’s response.
“Hey Pierce..” Ein half heartedly grumbles and Pierce grimaces slightly at how hoarse his voice sounds “Define, alright”
Pierce huffs a small laugh as he pushes the bathroom door open, finding Ein in a shaky miserable puddle next to the toilet. Pierce makes a small sympathetic noise at how exhausted Ein looks.
He walks over to Ein before crouching down next to the wolf, resting his hand on Ein’s back.
“Rough night?” he asks softly, gently pulling Ein into his arms.
“Hangover” Ein replies, not even trying to fight the movement as he leans slightly into the contact.
Pierce winces in sympathy as he runs his fingers through Ein’s messier than usual, slightly sweaty raven curls.
“Would you like me to make you some tea?” He asks.
“Sounds good..” Ein murmurs, his eyes slipping closed.
Pierce shifts slightly before standing slowly, picking Ein up in a bridal carry, moving as carefully as possible in a small attempt at not worsening Ein’s nausea.
Ein lets out a small groan as he curls against Pierce’s chest.
Pierce walks out of the bathroom and past Ein’s bed, which upon slightly closer inspection needed to have the sheets changed. Pierce grimaces slightly, understanding exactly why Ein had gotten up in such a hurry earlier.
Pierce keeps walking, out of the bedroom and over to the couch in the movie room. He carefully rests Ein on the soft cushions before turning to the closet that stores all the blankets in the house, easily locating and pulling out Ein’s favorite.
He also grabs one of the very comfy pillows before returning to the couch, gently lifting Ein slightly to slide the pillow under his head before draping the soft blanket over Ein.
Once he’s sure Ein’s comfortable he walks over to the kitchenette to brew tea, the air filling with the smell of ginger.
Once the tea is ready, Pierce picks up the snack tray they always use for movie nights, placing it on the counter. He places the teacups on the tray, quickly followed by a small pack of crackers and a water bottle.
He carefully picks up the tray and returns to Ein’s side, placing the tray on the table before he sits next to Ein.
Ein squints his eyes open, looking at the tray before he reaches for the water. Pierce picks it up, opening the bottle as Ein shifts to sit up slightly. He passes the bottle to Ein and watches him down the bottle like he hadn’t seen water in years.
Pierce chuckles softly, ignoring Ein’s half hearted glare as he reaches for the TV remote.
He passes the bottle cap to Ein as the wolf reaches for it. Ein closes the mostly empty bottle and places it on the floor in front of the table before flopping back onto the pillow.
Pierce looks through random documentaries, trying to guess what each one was about by the pictures alone.
“The spider one is kinda good” Ein comments, a slight teasing lilt in his tone.
“Absolutely not” Pierce grumbles, pointedly ignoring Ein’s giggling as he completely passes over any documentary with a spider in the picture.
He pauses on one with birds and shrugs, pressing play before he places the remote on the table.
Over the course of the documentary, Ein shifts closer until Pierce just lets out a fond sigh, wrapping an arm around Ein and lifting the wolf so he can grab the pillow, dropping it behind him on the couch before he shifts onto his back, dropping his head on the pillow.
Ein wriggles to get comfortable, eventually settling curled against Pierce’s side, the soft blanket wrapped around his shoulders.
“Better?” Pierce asks, a small fond smile creeping onto his face as Ein’s eyes flutter closed again.
Ein hums, wrapping his arm around Pierce as he nuzzles closer.
By the time the documentary is over, they’re both fast asleep.