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It’s late in the morning, Ras is still asleep. He usually is. Lloyd wakes up way earlier than him to train and whatever else masters do.
Ras just stays in bed until he needs to get up. There’s not much to do around here anyway, not when he despises everyone here. Including Lloyd.
A shift stirs him awake, his ear twitching as he hears a small mumble.
Huh… he’s hugging something. What is that- is he hugging a pillow again??
Oh. He hopes Lloyd didn’t see that. That’d be embarrassing. It happened once and Lloyd took a photo.
Ras opens his eyes slowly, looking down only to see a mess of blonde hair and green horns.
It’s just Lloyd? That’s weird, Ras doesn’t usually wake up with him there. Maybe he overslept.
Ras puts his hand on Lloyd’s side, shaking him slightly to wake him up.
Lloyd doesn’t react for a moment until Ras shakes him again, but more rough. He mumbles into Ras’s chest as he tries pushing Ras’s hand away, “stop.”
”I’m just trying to wake you up,” Ras scoffs, voice groggy from sleep. He look behind himself at a clock on the nightstand. “It’s 12.”
”I know…” Lloyd groans. He pulls back enough to rub his eyes as best he can, he doesn’t seem to want to bend his arm too much. And is that a bandaid on his fingertip?
“I already got up to go get bloodwork done,” he explains.
Oh, that explains it. Lloyd must be tired.
Lloyd pulls his other arm out from under Ras, showing both of his ring fingers with bandaids. “And they got pricked of my hands.”
“Why? They only take it from one,” Ras asks.
”My left hand is dead.”
”Oh.”
“So I think it’s better to chew on my left arm,” Lloyd adds. “I guess it’s harder to bleed.”
Ras shakes his head. “No, blood adds flavor. Give me the right.”
Lloyd stares at Ras for a moment, contemplating ‘why Ras, of all people?’ before he sighs. “Well then, neither arms. Cause they took blood from the right one too.”
Damn it… he’ll just find somewhere else to bite.
Lloyd puts his face back in Ras’s chest, only draping one arm over his side and tucking the other close to his body. Meanwhile Ras’s arms return around Lloyd as well.
They lay there for a few moments, Lloyd stroking the fur on Ras’s back absentmindedly while Ras tries to go back to sleep.
Until he notices, Lloyd seems pretty weak. It’s obvious.
Ras MIGHT’VE done research on Lloyd’s condition, therefore he knows blood draws can cause flares.
So… Lloyd will most likely stay here all day… that sounds comfortable.
”The tests are probably gonna come back normal…” Lloyd thinks out loud, burying his face deeper in Ras’s firm chest.
Ras opens his eyes, glancing down for a moment, questioning Lloyd’s disappointed tone. “Is that not good?”
Silence fills the air for a few moments before Lloyd speaks up again quietly.
”No, I want to know what’s wrong with me.”
Lloyd sounded vulnerable there.
Ras hums in understanding. He can get that. Being different in some way and not knowing why.
But Ras forced himself to get over it. Maybe Lloyd should as well.
“And now I can’t even get up,” Lloyd continues complaining, “I’m gonna be stuck here all day, just… being useless.”
Is he venting now?
Ras isn’t sure how to respond to that… does Lloyd want him to lie and say he’s not useless? Because he definitely is.
The tiger tries running his paw up and down Lloyd’s back comfortingly.
“If it helps, there isn’t much to do anyway,” Ras notes.
”Yes there is!” Lloyd retorts and lifts his head up. “I was supposed to…”
He trails off, trying to think of something that isn’t just chores like watering the plants, which Mr Frohicky already offered to do. Or train the kids, which Zane took over for today. Or anything else Lloyd pressures himself to do when he doesn’t even need to.
“… Huh,” Lloyd realizes, a small smile on his lips. Everyone chipped in so he can take the rest of the day to recover.
“I guess today is my free day.” He drops his head onto Ras’s neck, nuzzling him gently.
It’s weird to be able to relax all day for once. He feels guilty, but then again, what can he do? He can’t stand for more than a few seconds.
Ras turns his head to rub his cheek against Lloyd’s head in return, messing the blond hair up more before they both settle to continue sleeping.
A whole day in bed… sounds nice.