It was a rainy week and the rain was keeping me from focusing on studying (or that's my excuse) so instead of studying for more than half an hour for my upcoming test, I wrote this over the span of three days.
Also I have one French sentence in here that according to Google Translate means "I love you, my darling." If it's wrong then blame Google, not me. xD
I hope you guys enjoy the product of my procrastination! I'll try to post part two this week, but if I can't then it will be up in the third week of May.
Before you start reading though, please know that the user CrystalRose192 has messaged me and commented on my story Holdin' Me Closer 'Til Our Eyes Meet (You Won't Ever Be Alone) and claimed that it was hers. That story has been posted here for months and posted on Ao3 even longer than on here, she has no claims to the story and it was NOT stolen by me. She claimed it was hers, called me names, threatened to get me banned if I didn't remove my story, and cussed at me until I blocked her and deleted her messages. Please report and block her before she does this to someone else!
Ciel Phantomhive is stubborn.
That much is visible in nearly all of his actions.
From burning his cousin's cake because, "I don't need your help! I can bake a simple cake, I'm not a toddler!"
To that time he broke his ankle while racing Alois because, "It doesn't matter if he runs more than me or not, he's wearing heeled boots. Beating him will be easy, you doubt my abilities too much!"
So why would he be any different when he's sick?
"Ciel, I really don't think you should go to work today. You still have two classes to go to and you already look like you're about to pass out." I frowned, watching the younger student closely.
"And I really think you should stop making assumptions, Sebastian. I'm perfectly fine, just a little tired." the slate haired man mumbled, his voice raspy from coughing so much.
He flinched after a weak cough left his lips, further irritating his sore throat.
"Sure, you are."
"Don't give me that look." he sighed.
"What look?"
"That look."
I rolled my eyes, "I didn't know I was making a look."
"Hm, whatever... Let's just get to class."
That's a clear sign that he should go home early, he's lacking his usual will to fight.
He must really feel awful.
By the time we arrived his appearance had deteriorated more than I expected, the light circles under his eyes had darkened considerably, his nose was red, and his face had an unhealthy flush to it.
Not to mention how much his hands were shaking around his coffee cup, he looked like he could barely hold the half full cup without dropping it!
He put his messenger bag on the floor and set his coffee on the desk after almost sloshing it when it bumped the chair.
I could see a light sheet of perspiration on Ciel's forehead shining under the lights in the ceiling, the light allowing me to see how pink and runny his eyes looked now.
I glanced around the room to make sure no one was looking; two students were going over their notes, one was half asleep on his hand, and one was drawing on her introduction page.
Good, he won't be too mad if no one sees me do it.
"Hey! Stop that!" he whisper yelled, smacking my hand away from his face.
"You stop. I'm trying to see how high your temperature is." I whispered back, holding both of his hands in my left hand, raising my right hand to press it against his forehead.
I frowned, "You feel like the sun."
"Well, I already knew I was hot~" he smirked.
I shook my head fondly, "Not what I meant."
"It looks like it's gonna snow soon and with you already having a fever, I'll be damned if I let you go to work."
"You can't tell me what to do." he glared darkly.
If looks could kill... "I know that, but not only will you be making yourself worse, you might get other people sick."
Will that approach work? "I don't care."
Okay, maybe not. "I will pick you up and carry you home if I have to."
"No, you won't." his eyes widened.
I quirked an eyebrow, "Wanna bet?"
He sunk down further in his seat, lips slightly pouted.
I laughed, he's too adorable sometimes.
"Well, I see that everyone's eager to learn." the teacher, Professor Eric Slingby joked as he walked into the classroom.
"I won't keep you here very long, classes are ending early today due to the snow. All you need to do is pick up your reading assignments from my desk and then you're free to go." he smiled, setting a stack of papers on the desk, "everyone who isn't here today will pick theirs up on Monday."
The few students in class slowly rose to collect their assignments, when I turned to grab my backpack I noticed Ciel waver slightly.
The bluenette blinked a few times, steadying himself on the desk when he leaned down to grab his messenger bag.
"Are you okay?" I asked, resting my hand against his shoulder to steady him.
"I'm fine, just a little dizzy."
I looked at him warily, "Come on, let's go get our assignments so we can leave before it starts snowing harder, it's already starting to stick more."
He just nodded and slung his bag over his shoulder, following close behind me as we walked towards the front of the room.
Normally he doesn't walk that close unless we're side by side...
I picked up two assignments, handing one to Ciel and saying goodbye to Professor Slingby as we walked to the door, coffee cups forgotten on our desks.
When we got outside of the room with enough space to walk side by side I wrapped my arm around Ciel, pulling him closer to me.
He wrapped his right arm around my waist in return and looked up at the falling snowflakes with a small smile on his face, "I love when it snows."
"I like when it snows too, but I could do without the freezing wind." I said, pulling my scarf tighter around my neck.
"I agree on that part. It's bloody cold." he grumbled.
I laughed, rubbing his side through his layers of clothing, "I'm afraid that's the bad thing about New York, my dear. Unless you want to pay a small fortune for parking, you have to walk in every kind of weather."
He nodded, muffling a congested cough into his elbow. He tried to hide it, but I could feel him shivering.
We walked in silence for a few minutes before I felt him lean heavily against me, his left hand moving to clutch my jacket tightly.
I stared down at him in alarm, "Ciel? What's wrong?"
"Everything's spinning."
I stopped walking and tightened my hold on his waist, making sure he wasn't about to fall over, "Close your eyes for a few seconds, see if it passes."
He did as he was told, leaning his head against my arm.
He opened them after a few seconds and nodded, "I'm okay now."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
"I can carry you if you want." I offered.
He snorted, "I'm not letting you carry me over a mile back to our flat."
I sighed, "Okay, just tell me if you change your mind or need to stop."
We only made it one more block before he stopped again.
"You're gonna push yourself too hard." I said, leaning down to hook my arm under his knees and back, lifting him into my arms slowly.
His face turned a darker shade of red, this time not from the frigid air or his fever.
"Sebastian, I can walk home!" the younger male exclaimed, sending him into a painful sounding coughing fit.
"You can barely walk without getting dizzy, I'm not chancing you getting worse." I adjusted him to lean more comfortably against me.
He opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off by another series of harsh coughs.
He curled into himself further, whimpering quietly.
He finally gave in and wrapped his arms around my shoulders and rested his head against my shoulder tiredly.
"If you hurt yourself carrying me that far, it's your fault." he mumbled, voice starting to go hoarse.
"I won't hurt myself. You hardly weigh anything, you're easy to carry."
He simply shrugged, trying to keep his eyes opened.
"You can sleep if you want to." I whispered, kissing the top of his head softly.
He nuzzled his nose against my neck gently, finally allowing his eyes to fall shut.
I smiled down at him as his breath evened out, "I never thought it was possible to love someone as much as I love you."
I heard a quiet groan from the bedroom as I stood over the stove pouring the chicken noodle soup into two bowls.
I grabbed both bowls and carried them into Ciel's bedroom, setting them on the bed stand closest to the door.
"How are you feeling?" I asked, pushing his hair out of his eyes and pressing the back of my hand against his forehead.
He feels a little cooler, but not much.
"Like shit." he mumbled, glancing at the bed stand.
"It's soup." I picked up one of the bowls.
"I'm not hungry."
"You haven't eaten anything today, you have to eat something."
He eyed me for a few seconds, "I'll try."
I smiled, "Thank you."
He returned the gesture sleepily, "But only if you lay with me afterwards."
"That can be arranged."
"It's strange to think of us now compared to three years ago, you know?" he said as he took his first bite of soup.
"The thought of being within three feet of me used to repulse you." I laughed.
"I think you would have rather shared a bed with William before."
I scowled, "I'm not so sure about that. He hates me more now than you did before."
He grinned, "That's true."
"Who would have guessed we would be making out and cuddling two years later?"
"Maybe Alois. He always said I would end up with you." he snickered.
"Claude said we would eventually have epic hate sex."
"Seems they were both right." he winked, setting his bowl aside.
He had only eaten half, but that's probably the best I'm gonna get for now.
"Here, take your medicine and I'll lay with you after I finish eating." I gestured to my nearly empty bowl of soup.
"I always forget how fast you eat." he took the medicine, cringing at the taste and quickly downing several sips of his, still warm, tea.
"Do I eat fast or do you just eat slow?" I teased.
"Kiss my ass."
"I do most nights."
"I should've seen that one coming."
"You can't always see it, but you can feel it."
"I give up." he rolled his eyes, moving his pillow to rest flatly against the mattress, and patting the empty space beside him.
"Impatient." I smirked, walking to the other side of the bed to lay beside him.
"Leave your pillow propped up." I suggested, pulling him foward gently to move his pillow to slant against the headboard.
"But it's so uncomfortable." he grumbled.
"Your nose is gonna stop up if you lay down all the way. Besides if you lay down all the way right after eating it might make you sick."
"I'm already sick."
I shook my head, "You know what I mean."
"Do I?"
"Go to sleep, rude little dog."
"Shut up, demon."
I grinned, "I can't believe we ever called each other that."
"I can't believe that we still call each other that."
"Nostalgia." a quiet laugh left his lips, followed by a few feeble coughs and a wince.
"Are you okay?" I asked, staring down at him in concern.
"I'm fine." he said between a few more coughs.
"Rest. You need it to get better."
"I can't with the pillow like this."
"Hmm, let me think of something else then." I frowned, furrowing my eyebrows as I stared at my lover in thought.
An idea popped into my head and I laid down completely, "Lay your head on my chest. You won't be sitting up, but you'll still be more elevated than you would be laying flat. Plus, I can keep you warm."
He smiled happily, and laid his head on my chest, pressing his body as close to mine as he could, and wrapping his arms around my waist.
"Better?" I asked.
He nodded, "Much better."
"Good."
"You know... It's been a while since I've heard you sing." he whispered, rubbing his nose against my chest affectionately.
And he wonders why I compare him to a cat.
"Has it? I remember singing last week."
"Not to me. You sang in the shower and I could barely hear you."
"What do you want me to sing then?"
I wonder if he's gonna pick something really sappy or-
"Sing Anaconda." he giggled.
"And here I thought I was gonna sing a slow, romantic song that would make you fall so deep in love with me that you couldn't imagine your life without me." I joked.
"That's impossible. I'm already deeply in love with you and can't imagine a life without you."
Aww! How did I ever get someone so sweet?
"I think being sick makes you gentler." I ran my fingers through his hair, twirling the soft slate strands between my fingers, earning a quiet sigh of contentment.
"I'm not gentle. I'm a fierce and ravenous beast, fear me." he smirked, eyes falling shut as he leaned into my hand.
"I'm terrified. I hope the ravenous beast doesn't eat me."
"Oh, really? I figured you'd like that."
"Such a perverted child."
"I'm two years younger than you."
"When I was your age I was never so naughty. Kids these days have no respect for their elders."
"Hm, well I suppose elder is right, isn't it?"
"Elder than you."
"Whatever. Hush now, dog. Your voice is ruining my massage." he cracked an eye open to stare at me, making his sentence that much more comical.
"Then be still, you keep moving and throwing me off, brat."
He simply scoffed and closed his eyes again, small smile on his plump lips.
"When you're better we should go ice skating." I broke the silence.
He hummed quietly, "That would be nice, I haven't been ice skating in a few years. I'm not very graceful in case you haven't noticed."
"You're graceful in your own ways, just not very coordinated. Don't worry though, I'll keep you from falling."
"You always keep me from falling."
"Settle down with me. Cover me up, cuddle me in. Lay down with me and hold me in your arms." I started to sing.
He opened his eyes and watched me silently.
He's always said it's one of his favourite songs.
By the time I stopped singing to him, he was blinking repeatedly to keep his eyes open.
"Tired already?"
"Mm?" he hummed, already half asleep when I spoke.
"Je t'aime ma chère." he whispered, words slightly slurred.
"I love you too, my dearest." I wrapped my arms around him protectively.
I was awoken several hours after falling asleep by a sudden loss of warmth.
I blinked in confusion, looking at the time on my phone. 3:09A.M.
I glanced to my left realizing that Ciel was not only no longer laid against my chest, but completely gone.
I sat up quickly and rushed to the bathroom when I heard the sound of retching.
I got to the half closed doorway and pushed it open to reveal the slate haired student hunched over the toilet, hair sticking to his forehead and sweat shining on his neck, a small wet spot on the middle of his back where sweat had slowly begun to drench his t-shirt.
His face was as pale as the snow that still fell in large flakes outside, only contrasted by the circles beneath his eyes and the dark pink flush on his cheeks.
"Oh, Ciel." I sighed sadly, kneeling down beside him and placing my hand on his back.
He said nothing, only leaned forwards to heave into the toilet once again.
He took slow, shaky breaths, lip trembling slightly as he continued to avoid my eyes.
"Please look at me." I used my hand to guide his chin up so he'd face towards me.
His eyes were brimming with tears, and he had one arm wrapped around the side of the toilet while the other was clutching his abdomen tightly.
I pulled him into my arms gently, making sure not to move him too much and upset his stomach further.
"It's okay. You'll be okay." I rocked us side to side slowly, one arm wrapped around his waist, the other carding through his hair.
"How about we get you back to bed?"
He nodded, head pressed close against my neck where I could feel his warm breath against my skin.
I flushed the toilet and picked him up, stopping in front of our bed and frowning when I saw the sheets damp with perspiration.
Our other sheets are still packed in one of our boxes from when we moved in...
They're in the very back of the closet, it would take forever to find them.
"Are you okay with sleeping on the couch? The sheets need to be washed." I said, setting him in his favourite arm chair and moving to gather a pillow and a few blankets.
"That's fine." he whispered, coughing weakly.
I decided to heat some water in the microwave to make him some tea while I readied the couch.
"Will you still sleep with me? I don't want to sleep alone."
"Of course I will. Here." I offered him the tea cup I had just taken the tea bag out of, adding honey instead of sugar.
"Thank you." he drank from it, sighing in content when it soothed his sore throat and took away the taste of vomit.
His eyelids drooped slightly, mug held looser in his hands.
I took it from him before his grip could loosen enough to drop it and set it on the coffee table in case he needed it again.
I set him on the couch, it was clear he wasn't planning to move on his own, and laid down beside him, pulling the thin blanket over us.
He doesn't need anything thick over him right now.
I forgot to get him a clean shirt! "Raise your arms." I commanded, sliding my own shirt over my head and taking his off afterwards, replacing it with mine.
"What about you?" he whispered.
I smiled, "I'm fine, don't worry."
He blinked his eyes opened again for a few seconds, rolling over to straddle me before going limp on top of me.
I almost panicked before I realized that he had just relaxed, not passed out.
"There. Now you're warm too."
Always so caring, something I never realized about him until two years ago, "Thank you."
We laid awake for almost an hour, Ciel trying his hardest to fall asleep between cramps, nausea, and coughs, and me trying to stay awake until he falls asleep so I could make sure he was okay.
When he finally fell asleep I found it hard to follow after him until almost 5:30.
There's no way either of us are leaving the couch until noon...