(Author's note: After I was done with the requests, I took a look at the prompts and picked a few that inspired. me. This is the prompt for Day 4 "Hangover", which very much was fitting for Laurence.)

Laurence awoke with a splitting headache.

He groaned as he tried to open his eyes. What had happened? Had he gotten wasted again? He could barely remember anything from yesterday…

"Oh good, you are awake."

That was Ludwig's voice. Laurence forced himself to turn his head and finally opened his eyes. That was indeed Ludwig sitting there next to his bed, and he didn't look happy.

"Laurence, how do you manage to get that drunk with alcohol when in this town the blood ministration is a thing?! I barely feel alcohol anymore."

Laurence opened his mouth to say anything, but right at this moment his body decided to hit him with every drunk related status effect at once. He shot up and murmured "Bathroom" before rushing off.

Ludwig sighed when Laurence rushed off, taking some time to straighten the blankets on Laurence' bed and then walking to the nearest bathroom. Laurence probably would be busy in there for a while and Ludwig knew from experience that Laurence hated it when someone walked in on him having his hangover.

As predicted, Laurence was busy for a while and came out after around twenty minutes.

"How are you feeling?", Ludwig asked.

"Oh, Ludwig, don't ask. There wasn't a hole where there wasn't something coming out…", Laurence murmured.

"I didn't need it in that detail.", Ludwig said and frowned upon seeing Laurence' face, "Hang on, there is a little vomit still on your chin." Ludwig got a handkerchief out and wiped Laurence' chin, which the latter let happen with only a little protest.

"...I don't get why you aren't grossed out by this.", Laurence said, leaning against the wall. His headache was still very present and even though he was sure that nothing was inside of his body anymore, he still felt like he could start puking again.

"As the oldest of seven siblings, you'll get immune to being grossed out by bodily fluids.", Ludwig said, "I had all of it on me at some point in my life. I won't recoil from a little vomit. Come, we need to get you into bed and some water and food into you."

"I am fine with water, but I don't think that food will stay down…", Laurence murmured as Ludwig laid an arm around Laurence' shoulders and led him back to his room, filling a glass with water from a pitcher on Laurence' nightstand and handing it to him. Laurence drank slowly from it, very slowly.

"You'll need to get all the water back you lost.". Ludwig said, "So drink plenty. I am going to get you some food."

"Like I said, I don't think it will stay down.", Laurence said.

"Oh, I am going to make a hangover breakfast for you.", Ludwig said, "And even if it doesn't stay down, you need to get something healthy into your body. After you decided to poison it yesterday. Just how much did you have to drink?"

Ludwig left the room without waiting for an answer, leaving Laurence to lay on the bed, closing his eyes because it was too bright and his head hurt too much. Just how much did he have to drink? Hard to remember when he couldn't remember how he got home. It probably had been Ludwig getting him again, judging that he had sat next to Laurence' bed and waited for him to wake up.

It was true that Yharnamites barely could feel alcohol and the same was true for Laurence. He could drink three bottles of wine and the only consequence would be that he really needed the bathroom. So, if he was drinking alcohol to get drunk, he drank the most heavy stuff.

Cocktails mostly. The strong cocktails. Some of them were even spiked with a bit of the blood for extra effect. And he would need at least five of them to feel an effect. To have a full blown blackout… he must have drunk double that amount.

Oh, no wonder that he was feeling like shit.

Laurence spent the time waiting for Ludwig very slowly sipping from the water glass and trying to calm his stomach down enough so that he could eat whatever Ludwig would bring. It wasn't easy when Laurence' nausea also was tied to the headache he felt. How could he feel so ill just because he had a little to drink?

Alright, it certainly hadn't been a little. Still, it felt unfair. Why was something that made him feel so good such a poison the next day? Wait, there was something like it, the Healing Blood! Why didn't Laurence just take a vial to feel instantly better?

Oh, because of Ludwig. Ludwig was going on and on lately about Laurence being dangerously close to being blood drunk and he should not use the blood that often. Well, with Laurence having gotten drunk, Ludwig would certainly not approve of him taking the blood and risk getting blood drunk as well.

The door opened and Laurence had to hiss and shut his eyes because he could feel the creak of the door as a sharp pain in his head. He opened one eye and saw Ludwig entering, with a tablet balancing on one hand and a bucket in the other hand.

"I prepared some vegetable soup and I brought a bucket if it doesn't want to stay down.", Ludwig said, putting the bucket down next to Laurence' bed and putting the tablet on the table in the room, so that he could help Laurence sit up.

"Do you need help with eating or can you do it on your own?", Ludwig asked.

"I should be able to eat on my own.", Laurence said. Ludwig brought the tablet over and Laurence took the spoon on it in hand, waiting a little bit before eating, because he still didn't trust his stomach. "Keep the bucket ready…", he said once he dunked the spoon into the soup.

To his surprise, the soup wasn't revolting to him. Ludwig had taken great care to cook it as mild as possible and only had added vegetables that Laurence liked. It even was salted to his liking, which was too much for everyone else, though if Laurence remembered correctly, very salty meals were the key to curing a hangover.

Still, Laurence didn't manage to finish the whole bowl and had to stop when half of it was still there.

"Maybe I can get the rest down later.", he murmured, "But I am sure if I eat one more spoon, I will puke again."

"I am glad that you at least managed to eat that much.", Ludwig took the tablet and put it on the table. "Well, Laurence, can you tell me why you decided to get drunk this time?"

A good question. But also a scary question. Laurence didn't really know why. He just sometimes had the urge to drink his brains out. Maybe it was stress. Maybe it was something else. Maybe it was because he was lonely. Or maybe it was because…

"I don't know…", he said and then added, "But sometimes… Ludwig, do you ever have the fear of your time running out?"

"Time running out? Laurence, what are you talking about?", Ludwig frowned at Laurence.

"Well… one day we all die, most of us will grow old first, but… what if… what if you don't grow old before you die…?"

"Laurence, are you telling me you are afraid to die?", Ludwig said, "You realize that poisoning your body isn't the way to go when you are afraid to die before… you grow old. You could easily fall down the stairs in that condition and if you break your neck, no healing blood in the world can get you back. We can't raise the dead, Laurence."

"I know…", Laurence said, "It was stupid, forget about that. I just had a lot of stress lately."

"...Laurence, is there something you want to tell me?", Ludwig asked and his brown eyes gazed into Laurence' eyes. Laurence hated how much he looked like a puppy with this pleading look on his face.

"No…", Laurence said, "There is nothing. I need to sleep a little more…", Laurence averted his gaze from Ludwig and stared at the wall, then added, "Will you be there when I wake up?"

"Of course.", Ludwig was quick to reassure him. "I won't leave you, Laurence. I will never leave you."

"Thank you…", Laurence murmured, giving Ludwig a tiny smile.

He was so grateful for having Ludwig, that was why Laurence couldn't tell him the truth.

His time might be over a lot sooner than he thought.

That last autopsy… it hadn't been a normal autopsy. In fact, most of the body had landed inside of Laurence. An autopsy that had turned into a meal.

Which had been the reason why Laurence had decided to drink his brain out. He remembered now.

Because he was running out of time, and when he turned, IF he turned, Ludwig would have to be the one to lay him down.

Laurence would make sure that Ludwig never knew about it until it was too late. If it would be too late.

Hopefully he could reverse his time running out.

(Author's note: Aaaand it turned into angst. Wtf, that was supposed to be a little sickfic, not existential dread from Laurence' side. I assume I was in angst mood while writing...

I actually looked up what kind of food to give people who are having a hangover and was delighted to see that it should be VERY salty, what my Laurence likes anyway. Yes, Ludwig is the oldest of seven siblings, but I still have to develop them... I am sorry, Ludwig, one day I will write you as more than Laurence' boyfriend. I already have my headcanons for you ready.

Next sickfic will be posted tomorrow and it will also be Bloodborne.)