Alois had come home from the medical wing, although he was still under the influence of rosemary to distract him from the pain. It also meant that he regenerated slower, unfortunately. With his eye mangled, it would be a few days, at least. Perhaps even a week. There was a discussion on the merits of just letting him heal normally without anything to help with the pain, but his husband did not want him to ache and in his delirious state, Alois himself agreed.
The blonde had commandeered the master bedroom and slept most of the day. Ciel would come in and check on him regularly. When he was awake, Ciel would offer to bring him whatever he needed and make sure he was comfortable. In addition, Ciel and their butler would change Alois' bandages. He was a bit of a pitiful sight, but Ciel would never tell him that. Alois was not the kind who appreciated pity. He also didn't appreciate being stuck in his room, but with the drugs in effect, there wasn't much else he could do.
Sitting quietly in the library, listening to nothing but the sound of the ticking of his watch, it had occurred to Ciel that he hadn't the faintest idea as to how much time had passed since he resumed reading. He had sat down and thought he would pass the time this way, but perhaps gotten too swept on it. When he finally did check his watch, it had been almost an hour and a half. He had meant to check on Alois twenty minutes ago, but alas, that did not happen. Reaching over toward the small table next to his chair, the bluenette picked up his bookmark and placed it before setting his book down and standing.
After climbing the stairs and walking down the hall, the man stopped in front of his door and reached for the handle. Hearing a loud crash on the other side, however, his casual way of going about this disintegrated and he swung open the door. There, he saw his husband crouched on the floor, slowly picking up broken shards of what used to be a vase.
"Oh, hey..." the menace greeted without a single shred of surprise. "I really hope that wasn't expensive."
"I have no idea. I think Sebastian bought that." Ciel replied while walking over and crouching down next to his beau. Cupping his hands together, he held them out to the other so that he could place the shards in them. "Are you feeling better?"
"Not really. I'm just tired of sleeping." Alois stated. "I thought I'd walk around a bit, but as it turns out, my depth-perception is a little off. My hip bumped the table pretty hard. Is this how you see things?"
"Pretty much. You get used to it, though."
"You ever bump into tables when you first got your eyepatch?"
"Way more often than I would have liked." admitted Ciel before setting the broken pieces back on the table.
"I don't suppose you're going to scold me for getting up, are you?"
"No. That would only piss you off." The bluenette smiled at the small chuckle he received for swearing. "I'm going to suggest that you stay off your feet as much as possible, however. Take it easy until you're healed. Think of it like a vacation. A terrible vacation where you can't see out of one eye and are high on painkillers."
"And in which I don't get to do anything fun? Shit sucks." stated the menace while wrinkling his nose. "I think it's actually wearing off a bit..."
"How about we move your station to the couch over there so you can watch the telly?"
"Sounds slightly better. At least for a little while. Until that change in scenery gets boring, too."
"That's the spirit." Ciel teased before standing up. Leaning down, he let himself be used by the menace in order to keep the blonde steady as he too, got up from the floor. The Watchdog did not carry him, but escorted him, working as a bit of a tool to help Alois avoid obstacles on his way to his seat. Once he was safe and sound, the bluenette then worked on moving some pillows and a blanket in so his husband would be comfortable.
"Weirdly, being pampered isn't pissing me off as much as I thought." confessed the menace, leaning back on the fluffy pillows as he got cozy on the couch. "I don't like being babied."
"There's a difference between being babied and receiving help, according to a wiseman I once met."
"Oh, yeah? What was his name?"
"Oh, I don't quite remember… I think it might've been something Macken? James, maybe?" A smile appeared on the bluenette's face as his husband laughed. Gathering the broken vase in his hands again, he headed toward the door, stopping to peck his spouse on the lips before he went.
"I'll bring you up some rosemary tea." he added.
"Are you sure you trust me not to break the cup?" Alois joked right back.
"I'll use one of the cheap sets."
"Thanks, babe."
"You're welcome… babe?" Ciel sounded uncertain with the addition of the pet name.
"It sounds so weird when you say that." snickered his beau.
"Sorry… pumpkin?"
"Nope."
"My sweetie… uh… no; my little… angel… dust?" The poor man kept trying until he got to the door.
"Wow."
"Yeah, that's a drug, and you're a demon. I'll keep working on it."
"'Dear' and 'darling' are fine, Poochie." Alois replied, letting out a giggle despite covering his mouth.
"But you're so good at them. I need to learn how to keep up."
"You'll never get on my level, but I accept this and love you anyway."
"I am truly and eternally grateful."
With that, the Watchdog was gone. First, he went in search of the nearest trashcan so that he could dispose of the former vase. Then, he would go in search of Sebastian, as he didn't trust himself with making halfway decent tea. He eventually found the older demon already in the kitchen. Sebastian was smiling at his phone, but quickly put it away as he master walked into the room.
"I have no interest in your cat videos, Sebastian." Ciel informed, putting his hands behind his back. "Would you please make some rosemary tea for Jim?"
Stepping to one side, revealing a timer, his butler replied: "I am already in the process. I thought he might be waking up soon, judging by how many hours have passed since his last dosage."
"Good, good." the bluenette said. He didn't go away after that, however. Instead, he stood their awkwardly, as if waiting for something to do.
"Is there anything else I can assist you with, my lord?" Sebastian inquired, although his face gave the impression that he already knew what was going on.
"I would like to take it up to him in your stead." His master replied while ignoring his butler's smirking. "Is that a problem?"
"Not at all. I was merely curious. I think that it's quite admirable that you wish to take care of your spouse on your own."
"He says that he's bored, so I figured I'd entertain him."
"Of course, sir. You don't need to justify your actions to me." Naturally, the butler found his master's behaviour to be rather amusing.
Ciel Phantomhive had always cared for the well-being of others, although he always had trouble admitting it, directly. Now, as a grown man, the Watchdog was being so direct that it was funny. Sebastian was glad that his master could finally confess, but the fact that Ciel was still somehow trying to act high and mighty about it was a strange conflict in behaviour. Then again, the Phantomhive always was strange and contradictory.
"I'm not justifying. I'm simply stating my intentions." the Phantomhive said.
"Unusual, but not unreasonable, sir."
"If there's something you want to say, then say it." There it is. The irritated face and tone. It's exactly what Sebastian was waiting for.
"Not at all." the butler stated before turning around to face his master with a tea tray in hand. He held it out for the Watchdog to take, and cautiously, Ciel did. The Phantomhive was being very cautious as to not spill anything. "It's rather sweet of you, sir. There are husbands without butlers who wouldn't make the effort for their injured spouses, after all."
"If there are those who do a shoddier job than I, then the world truly is a depressing place."
Ignoring the chuckle from his butler, Ciel slowly but surely made his way back to the master bedroom. Although he was a demon with reflexes beyond that of any ordinary man, he was still worried about the possibility of dropping his tray, so it took him far longer than it really should have to get up the stairs and up to the door. When he got there, he ran into yet another obstacle. He only had two hands and needed both for the tray.
With a huff, he carefully set the tray down on the floor- a very unprofessional and inelegant way of doing things. Still bent over, he reached up and turned the handle before cracking the door open. He didn't want his spouse to see him in such an undignified state, so he didn't open it all the way. Instead, he picked up the tray before opening the door the rest of the way with his foot, but it didn't matter anyway. Alois didn't even look up at him.
The palm of the menace's hand stayed still over his bandaged eye while his good one remained closed. His brow was furrowed and his face seemed strained as a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead. Alois was in a lot of pain, but he would not scream and he would not cry. The blonde was perfectly aware of his spouse coming into the room, as he both sensed and heard him, but still, he didn't look up.
"Tea, darling?" offered the Watchdog, setting the tray down on the coffeetable.
"Mm-hm." the menace replied before letting out a groan. "Fuck… It's really starting to hurt again..."
Ciel already began pouring the menace a cup before answering. "That's what the rosemary is for." he said while his husband sat up. "Go back to sleep, if you have to. Careful, it's hot."
"Thanks, baby." While he seemed just fine a few minutes ago, the menace now seemed run down. The pain was in his head, unfortunately, so it somewhat inhibited his thought processes. Still, he managed to take the teacup and saucer as well as blow on it. He was tempted to risk burning his tongue just so he could have the effects of the rosemary faster, but he decided it would be in his best interest to remain patient.
His husband simply sat in the chair that was slightly off from being directly across from him and waited. The bluenette wanted to know if his husband needed anything else, or simply wanted company. Perhaps it was strange to watch his spouse drink, so he tried his best to find something else to look at around the room.
"It's good." stated the blonde. "Well, for rosemary tea."
"Not a fan?"
"Not really, but it makes my head stop hurting, so I won't complain. I do feel a bit bad to be the only one getting tea."
"One of us has to be the sober one, I'm afraid." the bluenette replied.
"Why? What happens if we're both high?"
"I don't know, actually? What would that be like?"
"Clumsily making out for an inappropriate amount of time?" suggested Alois.
"Possibly." Ciel answered with a nod, being able to imagine that happening. "One of us needs to be the responsible adult, though."
"Mmn." The menace made a sound in acknowledgment while he drank his tea. He was past the point of politely sipping. He just wanted his head to stop hurting. While pouring himself another cup, he could start feeling the tea's effects and while this was a good thing, it did make it difficult to maneuver.
"Want some help?"
"I've got it." Alois informed despite spilling more tea than he really should have onto the tray. "Hey, before I forget: can I have your pillow before I go to sleep?"
"My pillow?" echoed the Watchdog with an arched brow.
"Yeah. The one from your side of the bed that you sleep on."
"Why?"
"Because I can't fall asleep on top of you and I need something to hug, obviously. It's uncomfortable."
"But why my pillow?" Before Alois could explain, Ciel figured it out and nodded, gesturing like he had just uncovered the obvious. "You want to smell it, don't you?"
"Guilty as charged~!" his beau confessed.
Ciel simply rolled his visible eye, finding amusement in Alois' strange fascination with his scent. He exited the front room of the master suite and entered the bedroom, regardless, only to reemerge with his pillow tucked under his arm.
Truth be told, there was nothing strange about Alois doing this at all. It was a regular thing he did. Sometimes, he would even borrow some of Ciel's nightshirts. Alois found his husband's scent to make him feel safe, secure, and calm, so it was worth occasionally borrowing the man's belongings. In this case, there was the additional factor of Alois' sleeping habits. He slept with Ciel in the same bed, cuddled up next to him. Ciel was Alois' pillow as well as a sort of stuffed animal. Alois needed something to hug in order to sleep soundly, and since Ciel himself could not fit on the couch with him, he would have to settle.
When he finished his tea, he laid back down on the couch and got comfortable. Letting out a sigh through his nose, he could feel himself getting a little woozy. Lazily, he held out a hand and grabbed his husband's, prompting Ciel to sit on the floor.
"Will you stay until I go to sleep?" the menace asked, closing his eye while the other kissed his forehead.
"Yeah." Ciel replied. "I'll be here. Poor thing..." He chuckled while his spouse let out a whine.
"I'm pitiful."
"You're not pitiful, you're injured. Are you saying that you were lying when I hurt my arm?"
"I feel pitiful." Alois corrected himself.
"I'll be here to look after you while you get better. Also, I'll help clean up if you break any more vases."
"Thank you. I love you."
"I know." Ciel answered, pestering the other while Alois wrestled his hand out of the bluenette's. Then, Alois' next decision was to plop his hand on the very top of his husband's head and tangle his fingers in his hair.
"Your hair is really soft." the blonde stated.
"Aaaaand you're high."
"Mm-hm." the menace hummed in acknowledgment as his body gradually grew heavier. Then, with his hand still on the Watchdog's head, he fell asleep and most likely would not wake up again for a few hours. While his spouse could move at any time, he simply chose to stay put while and watch some TV. If someone came in and saw him, he might be made fun of, but he's gotten to the point where he doesn't mind anymore. As long as it was with Alois, there was no way he could be embarrassed.
A/N: I'm having trouble coming up for material for the others, so to stall, here's this. I feel like I mostly want to talk about Daniel and his family. I have LOTS of material on that. I think I might just do that. Give him his own mini-arc.
Audrey is the hardest, I think, because he's relatively drama-free. He's also kind of isolated, somehow? He changed after Preston died. I think it might have shaken his place in the group, a bit, just from the circumstance.
I'm working on it, though. School has started, so I might be slowing down again. You know the drill.
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
