A faint humming slowly became audible as Basil stirred, consciousness lethargically returning to him. His body hurt, but that was becoming a usual routine for him. He moved to bring his hand to his head to brush aside the bangs that had fallen onto his face, only for it to be stopped short. His eye blearily opened, the light of the room flooding his vision as he waited for the fuzziness to clear. Panic rushed through his body when he saw his hands had both been tied tightly to a wooden chair, firmly held in place by duct tape. His legs were the same story as he wriggled in a panicked attempt to free himself.
The bindings weren't budging and he was too worn out as it was to struggle much more, he decided to survey the area. The first thing that became apparent to him was the many plants that littered the room. He was placed in front of a large window, a table sat underneath holding numerous ferns and succulents. There were a few standing lamps placed around them, most likely to give them extra light. He saw a small, unkempt bed to his right, there was a red flannel draped on top haphazardly. He recognized it instantly and began to sweat nervously.
To his left was a door, he could see a beam of light streaming through the underside and could hear the sound of running water and random faint thumps. He fidgeted in his bindings, feeling helpless to do anything but wait for his captor. Thoughts began to run through his head of what might happen to him, causing his breathing to increase. He could feel himself begin to panic and tried to calm himself down, his fingernails digging desperately into the wood of the chair.
The sound of the faucet squeaking in the other room followed by the sudden halt of the water jolted him upright, he bit his lower lip anxiously, his sharp teeth drawing a small bead of blood. He listened closely and could hear a shower curtain being pulled open, followed by the sound of a towel being shaken off. He began to scan the room once more to desperately search for anything that could possibly help him escape. The door slowly creaked open, the light flooding the room only momentarily before being shut off.
A man stood in the doorway awkwardly, one hand holding his arm tightly while the other held the towel that was draped around his waist. His blonde hair was down this time and still damp. "Ah... I wasn't expecting you to be awake yet..." His voice sounded shaky and nervous as he finally addressed Basil, his eyes refusing to make eye contact. "I'm... sorry." He finally looked up to study Basil, his cheeks turning a tinge of pink when he noticed the smaller man was blushing, his amber eye fixated on the stranger's figure.
Basil realized he was staring, his cheeks heating up a strange shade of green and red, he turned his head away quickly "I'm... I'm sorry! I didn't.. mean to stare..." He bit down harder on his lip, blood pooling up, slowly running down his chin in a thin streak. The other man's eyes grew wide and he stepped in front of him, crouching down to study his face.
"Oh... You've made yourself bleed... Does it hurt?" His voice was soft and caring, as if he was talking to a child. He gently reached a hand up to touch Basil's cheek, only to have him flinch away, his eye snapping shut as if he were expecting to be struck. A look of shock and hurt filled the stranger's face as he slowly brought his hand back down and away from his face. He stood up carefully, as if he was trying not to scare Basil. "I'm... I'm going to get dressed. I'll... Yeah..." He seemed to give up on talking and hurriedly grabbed a few articles of clothing that were laying around and shuffled into the bathroom.
Eventually the bathroom door opened once more and a more dressed man walked out, he was wearing the same outfit Basil had seen him in when he met him the first time. His hair was still down, most likely due to still being a bit damp. He stood before Basil, looking away from him, his nervous expression seemed as if he had something to say but was unsure. They sat in silence for an uncomfortable amount of time, both being too nervous and shy to say something first.
"My name... is Lawrence..." The stranger finally announced, causing Basil to jump a little from the sudden sound. Lawrence was giving an attempt to smile, but it looked forced and awkward, his shoulders were stiff and his body language felt uncomfortable.
"O-oh... My name is... Basil..." He tried to match the other man's hesitant smile, his legs shifting uncomfortably against his bindings. He noticed Lawrence's expression change when he said his name, his eyes shifting quickly away from him, a subtle blush tinting his cheeks.
"That's... a really nice name.." He scratched his cheek, his smile looking more genuine. Basil just stared at him in confusion, not sure how to react to a compliment, and definitely not one from someone who had kidnapped him.
The air in the room fell silent once more and Basil could see out the window that the sky was changing in hue, brightening up as the sun slowly began to rise. He felt the vines inside him shift around, reminding him they were there. Lawrence noticed he was staring behind him and turned, sighing wistfully when he saw daylight breaking.
"Oh... It's already morning... " He turned back to face Basil "I'm sorry... I... " His voice was nervous, as if he wasn't sure what he was going to say, he brushed a loose strand of hair behind his ear and shrugged "You must be tired... It was pretty late when I..." His voice trailed off and he shuffled his foot awkwardly.
Basil noticed his demeanor changing and decided to speak up "Ah... It's ok. Really... I'm... I usually sleep during the day anyway.." He attempted to smile comforting to reassure Lawrence, he could tell he was a little... unhinged.
It seemed to work earning him an apologetic smirk "Heh... That's good... Do you... Would you like something to help you get to sleep? It's just some tea..." He seemed sincere and Basil weighed his options. On one hand he could get drugged or something, but he wouldn't want to make this guy upset, on the other hand did it really matter at this point? He was pretty sure he wasn't going to get out of this alive, and even if he did he still has this horrible plant parasite to deal with.
"Sure... I enjoy tea..." Basil replied softly, smiling gently. Lawrence walked past him to what Basil could only guess was a kitchen area or something of the sort. He could hear the clinking of tea cups and water running into a kettle. It was silent for a while, the only sounds were the soft bubbling of the water beginning to boil and the random shuffle from Lawrence.
Finally the whistle of the pot filled the air, he could hear the other man gasp at the noise and quickly remove the kettle from the burner. It was quiet again as he allowed the tea to steep fully and cool, Basil could feel his eye become heavier and he started wondering if he would even need the tea to fall asleep.
He let his eye shut fully and rolled his head softly to his shoulder, the tiredness taking it's toll on him. "Ah... did you... are you awake?" The noise startled him awake and he saw the blonde man standing in front of him, holding a tea cup nervously. "You really must be tired... I... Uh... you should still maybe... drink this.." He held it towards Basil and he just stared down at it, wondering if Lawrence was aware he couldn't take it.
"My hands are..." Basil's voice faded and he noticed a small smile form on the other man's face. He looked calm and deep in thought.
He crouched down in front of him, resting one hand on Basil's thigh causing him to blush harder and look away. His cold, cerulean eyes were staring straight at Basil's face as he hovered closer "It's ok... I can take care of you... You're helpless right now..." He glanced back towards his many plants "You need me..." a dreamy sigh escaped Lawrence's lips as he murmured on.
He slowly removed his hand from Basil's thigh, bringing up to gently cup his captive's cheek. Basil didn't flinch away this time, his body felt stiff as sweat began to bead up on his forehead. Lawrence brought the cup to his lips, tipping it carefully so as to not spill it. The liquid was still warm, but drinkable and it tasted sweet and earthy, it tasted unique, not like any tea he's ever drank before.
Lawrence watched, fixated, his eyes studying his throat as he swallowed the tea down. His hand slowly glided down his jaw to rest against his collared throat, pressing gently enough to feel it move, but not hard enough to choke him. Basil's drinking hitched at the sudden change and he stopped drinking, he started to feel strange as Lawrence withdrew the cup, setting it on the floor nearby.
"What... What kind of tea was that...?" Basil questioned, his speech slightly slurred as the room became blurry and distant. He could see the calm smile on the other man's face, his body seeming to blur as he stood. His head felt heavy and he slowly let it drop, feeling as if a large weight had been placed upon him. A low ringing sounded only momentarily, but quickly faded out, as if the plant was feeling the effects of the drug too.
He could hear footsteps in front of him and some random shuffling, then something warm and soft being placed over his legs. "Sleep... Well... Basil..." He heard the other man's voice, but it sounded far away and slow, as if he were slowly drifting away from him. His body felt warm as his thoughts went silent as he drifted off.