The next morning, Ronald surprised himself by being the first one to wake. Normally William would shake him awake, but he opened his eyes to the sound of someone moving around-who was not the man he had entangled himself with. A nurse who had come to change William's bandages and check on his healing process was speaking.
Of course she was speaking German, so the blond was unable to understand her as he stared dumbly up at her. Groaning, he stretched and reached over for his glasses, pushing them onto his face. "I don't understand German," he muttered, then repeated himself in Italian, just in case she understood either language.
She frowned and spoke in German again, motioning at him, William, and the bed.
"'M not gonna get in your way," he nodded at the bandages and salve in her hand. "Do your job, I'm not going to stop ya," he mumbled, laying back down and resting his cheek on William's shoulder.
The nurse spoke again, tapping him on the shoulder "Go, up." she said in attempted English, pointing to the door, "No see."
William woke up from the disturbance, and he spoke to the nurse in German. "Let my partner stay, please. He was there when it happened and he is responsible for bringing me here safely."
To Ronald, he said: "You'll need to get off the bed so that she may see to me, Knox. Just go and relax in the chair until she finishes."
Ronald groaned. "Bed's warm and comfy..." he muttered, but he obeyed, sliding out of the bed and shuffling over to the chair in the corner of the room.
The nurse huffed in displeasure but said nothing as she set about her task.
William cooperated with her, watching with interest as she unwrapped his hand to examine it and apply more medication. Most of the skin had grown back overnight as he slept, but it was tender scar tissue, right now. It might take a couple more days for it to finish healing and toughen up. He was again thankful for his reaper fortitude. Were he a human being, he would still be in agony and it would have taken weeks for the skin to grow back. He gingerly flexed his fingers into a weak fist when asked, grimacing as the new skin stretched in protest. She nodded and applied more ointment, before dressing the hand with fresh wrappings.
"Oh, that won't be necessary," he protested when she retrieved a syringe from the supply tray and started filling it with medication. "I feel much better."
"It will not fully heal without rest," she insisted, but she set the needle aside. "First you eat, though. You need to keep up your strength, ja? Reapers need fuel to keep the body strong."
She rolled the tray back to the wall. "I will return to administer the shot after they've fed you. No arguments!"
William sighed. German hospital staff was much pushier than British, he'd learned. "Fine. Please have them bring a meal for my companion, as well."
She glanced at Ronald and shrugged, before leaving them alone in the room again. William turned his head to look at the blond, and he managed a dry smirk. "Charming, wasn't she? I would invite you back into the bed with me, but I fear she may come at us with a rolling pin if she catches us lying together again before she can dose me up. You may join me again after breakfast and my shot, if you like."
"I'll be too awake by then," Ron pouted. "She sure was grumpy, though. Acting like I was doing something wrong by sleeping next to my injured boyfriend! Maybe she was jealous of me." He smirked.
"I doubt she realized the nature of our relationship," excused William. "It's more likely that she is overworked; as all hospital staff seem to be, these days. I can certainly relate."
One of said staff came in with two dinner trays and set them down on the rolling bed table without a word. He left then, leaving it a mystery as to what they were being served. At least two glasses of water had been included.
"Well then, shall we unwrap the mystery meal?" suggested William, using his uninjured hand to turn the table and position it over his bed. He adjusted the bed so that the upper part was elevated, and he lifted the lid off of his. A sausage, a roll, and of course, scalloped potatoes were revealed as their lunch.
"I missed this fare when we first arrived in Germany," he muttered, "but I fear I may soon develop scurvy, if I don't get some variety."
"Let me guess-potatoes?" Ronald asked, pushing himself up and walking over to sit on the bed between Will's legs on the other side of the table, so that they could both eat in a relatively comfortable position. He looked at the meals they had been given and groaned. "Do these people ever eat anything else?" he asked, picking up a fork and knife before digging into his meal. "First thing when we get back home-complete diet change. Nothing potato-y."
"For once, your usual staple of pizza, beer and burgers sounds quite appealing to me," said William in a subtly teasing tone. Still, it was food. He cut up his sausage and he spooned up some potato on his fork, before adding a slice of the meat to it.
"Sounds like a date to me!" Ron grinned, shoving a mix of food into his mouth and chewing it. "Seein' as w' can'—" he swallowed, "—really go on a proper date now, and working the field together is kinda a lousy date, anyway."
"Mm, I must agree," mumbled William after swallowing a bite. He dabbed at his lips with his napkin, his manners impeccable despite the setting. "I initially intended for our first date to include something elegant…classy. However, the more time we spend in this conflict, the less interested I am in such a rigid setting."
He smirked ruefully, surprised by his own thoughts. "It seems so unlikely that I would prefer to a more simple setting. I can hardly tell whether it's you rubbing off on me, or being so world-weary that I've grown tired of constantly maintaining this strict code of rigidity."
"Well, I hope I don't rub off on ya too much. I'd rather not date myself," Ronald joked, "and I wouldn't mind a fancier date once in a while."
"Most definitely," agreed William. "Rest assured, we will have outings of that nature…but honestly, the first thing I'd like to do upon returning home is to try and relax. I may require your assistance learning how to do that, however."
"Easy-I got you to relax at the sauna, didn't I? At least 'till some jerk stole your towel." The blond grinned and leaned over the table to plant a kiss on Will's nose when he leaned forward to gather more potato on his fork.
William gave a little start, unused to such easy, chaste displays of affection. He felt a flush rising in his cheeks and he scoffed at himself inwardly.
~Oh, honestly. After some of the things I've done with others, how can a peck on the nose possibly make me blush?~
But he couldn't stop it, so he made a show of dabbing his face with the napkin to wipe away imaginary crumbs. "Then I suppose I can trust you to help me again, when this is all over. I wonder what I could give you in return, though."
"Well, I wouldn't mind being paid in kisses~" Ronald teased cheerfully, "I also accept hugs or midnight cuddles in bed."
William tried to picture himself doing such things. "I…may need some tutelage on that, as well," he admitted. It sounded easy enough, but he was at a loss for when to give hugs, and he tended to consider such things inappropriate in public. The "midnight cuddles", as Ronald put it, he could manage. Learning when it was all right to hug and to be hugged, however…he was unused to either of these simple, loving actions.
"I have foggy memories of my mother hugging me," he tried to explain. "Always when Father wasn't around to see it. It may take time for me to learn how to…exchange affection simply for the sake of doing so."
"Just...let your emotions for me out." Ronald suggested, "I may be a social butterfly, but I know you aren't. I'm fine with affectionate actions staying private. We'll go at your pace. Mine is faster because I have dated before. I've never been held back like you have, and it would be unfair of me to push you. Just know-you can kiss me when you have the urge to. Same with hugs or holding hands."
William looked down at Ronald's hands, and he hesitantly reached out to take them in his. The grip of his injured hand was weak, but it was the intent behind it that mattered most. "I shall do my best, Mr. Knox."
"You can call me 'Ron' or something more casual off the clock, you know." He chuckled. "Save the formalities for working hours."
Having not even realized the lapse, William found himself chuckling as well. "Ah, old habits, I'm afraid. I imagine normal people don't go around calling their lover's by their surnames. Then again, I have never indulged myself in any sort of committed relationship, before."
He looked at the blond and he cracked a smile. "I really am a stiff sort, aren't I?"
"It's okay. You're still quite handsome, and you re willing to try for me. That is totally more meaningful to me than you know." The blond smiled.
William relaxed a little. It was a new experience, to be humble. "I daresay I am a work in progress. I hope you don't find that a discouragement."
"If I did, why the hell would I have wanted this with you?" Ron pointed out. "It may make me frustrated sometimes, but I'm sure things about me make you frustrated, too. Plus, Once upon a time, I was just as much as a serious relationship virgin as you."
He paused and thought back. "Or...maybe just a dating virgin, I should say."
William nearly chuckled at the comparison. He briefly realized that Ronald was figuratively "popping his cherry" in regards to the subject, and that gave him another surge of amusement that made him twitch. He clenched his injured hand too hard and he gasped with pain, abruptly sobered.
"That's…very unpleasant," he grunted, shutting his eyes. He took a slow breath, trying to manage the discomfort.
"Then be careful!" Ron insisted, looking at the wrapped hand. "Honestly, Mister Spears, you must learn to take care of yourself!" he joked in a mock-tone of Will's business voice, then he smiled. "Or I'll start worrying about you."
"I shall try to keep that in mind," gritted William, waiting for the pain to ease. Once it did, he picked up his fork and knife again to resume eating. "I'll be counting on you to stay sharp as always, Ronald. I intend to put in the request that our mission statement be revised so that we may further investigate the matter of the missing records. We'll have to be even more careful than before, should the board approve my request."
"Well alright, but if that old geezer kicks our ass to France and back, I'm blaming you!" Ron grinned. "But, if ya want, I can help fill it out for you here and then go turn it in today. Saves time while we wait for you to heal that hand up. And the medical staff here seems less open to the idea of visitors sticking around too long."
William nodded, and he swallowed his food before answering. "That would be fine. I'm afraid my penmanship will leave something to be desired, until my hand finishes healing and the strength and coordination return to it."
He had little trouble eating with his left hand, but writing with it was another matter. "In my briefcase at our hotel room is a folder full of blank management forms," he explained between bites. "If you would be so kind as to retrieve it and bring it here after we eat, we can begin on that and get it out of the way."
"Sure. Gives me a chance to shower, too. So I can come back and not smell like sweat and battlefields. Want me to grab anything else while I'm out?" The blond offered, scooping more food onto his fork and shoveling it into his mouth, "Fresh clothes, something to eat, or anything outta your bag?"
"A set of fresh clothes and underwear would be wonderful. I believe I have one clean uniform left." William looked down at his current uniform with a grimace. They hadn't changed him into a hospital gown because of the condition he'd been in, but it was just as well. Another day of rest and healing would restore his hand enough for him to take care of his own basic needs again and have a shower.
"I may need to order yet another uniform. We seem to go through them rather quickly."
"Totally not our fault! This is war." Ron smirked. "Okay, I'll grab you fresh clothes, then. I'll request a new uniform for you when I submit your report for ya, and... yeah, all that official jazz."
He shoveled in the last bite of his breakfast and wiped his mouth with his napkin, before standing up and stretching. Spotting where his shoes had been kicked off to, he grabbed them to put on. "I'll have my phone with me. Call me if you think of anything else for me to do or grab before I get back here to help with paperwork."
William nodded and watched him go. He finished his meal and pushed his tray aside before getting up to use the bathroom. The nurse was back when he finished, and he groaned inwardly. She obviously intended to medicate him again.
"I know that I need my rest," he said as diplomatically as possible, "but my companion and I have important things to take care of, Miss. If you could just wait until he returns with my things and we've had the chance to fill out the necessary paperwork, I'll gladly submit to the medication."
She huffed slightly. "Stubborn men. I will give you thirty minutes to complete whatever forms you want to fill out, once he returns. After that, I'll bring orderlies with me, if I must."
William sighed and nodded, climbing back into his bed. His hand was throbbing, but it wasn't so intense anymore as to be distracting. He honestly couldn't recall ever having suffered so many injuries in such a short time. The nurse left him, and he tried to relax as he waited for Knox to come back.
Ronald ran back to the hotel and first thing; he hopped into the shower. He rather enjoyed feeling clean; no longer having the grime of the war clinging to his skin. But he didn't dawdle and waste time. Once he was done he dried off and dressed himself before gathering everything he needed to grab for William. Finding the man's underwear, however, gave him a moment of pause as he held up the simple yet practical pair of white and blue pin-striped boxers. He flushed, trying to imagine the man in them-and only them. The man was just so modest with particular things. pants...fine. Towel...fine, but walking around in his underpants? Seemed the man refused to do so. It was a shame. Ron would enjoy the show.
He shook his head of the thoughts and shoved them in the bag with everything else he was collecting. Then he left again, heading back to the hospital and pausing again to stop in a little cafe on the way. Luckily, one of the customers in line behind him knew a little English and helped him place his order for two coffees and a few cinnamon-powdered doughnuts.
Finally arriving back at William's room, arms loaded with a bag, coffee, and a suit bag, he grinned. "Brought you coffee and a snack to share!" he announced, setting the coffee and treat down on the table before moving to set everything else down in a chair and hang the suit bag on the peg on the wall.
William sniffed the coffee appreciatively before taking a cautious sip. It was still quite hot, and it had an undertone of hazelnut in it. "Mm, thank you." He opened the bag to see what sort of treat was in it, and he smirked at the large, cinnamon pastry as he pulled it out and unwrapped it.
"You managed to find something without potato in it. Well done."
"I know, it's a miracle!" Ronald laughed, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling his legs up to cross in front of him Indian-style. "I hope your coffee tastes alright. Had someone in line with me help translate the order. He wasn't perfect at English so I don't know how well the orders went coffee wise." He grinned and pulled the rolling bed table over to set out the paperwork they needed to fill out. "I definitely prefer having you to help with the German talking."
"At this point, I daresay we cannot be terribly choosey," remarked Will as he tore the pastry in half and offered part of it to his companion. "Well then, let's get started on this whilst we eat. The sooner we get this paperwork turned in, the sooner we can get back on the Undertaker's trail after I have been released from this facility."
Ronald nodded and took a sip of his own coffee before taking out a pen, "All right, let's get this boring thing over with. Date...Already know that one..." he muttered filling in the day's date on the form.
William waited until Ronald finished filling out the basics, and then he walked the younger man through the wording on the parts requiring an explanation for the request. It took a while, and they finished their pastry and coffee by the time it was completed. Once he painstakingly signed his name at the bottom above Ronald's, William sighed and lay back on the bed, closing his eyes.
"Tomorrow," he murmured. "The moment they give sanction. My hand is much better. I should regain full use of it by then, and if we succeed in solving this mystery, Ronald, you will most certainly gain that promotion you've been after."
"Only thing better than a promotion would be getting to take my boyfriend out to celebrate said promotion." Ronald hinted with a wink as he slipped the paperwork into a manila folder to be handed in, "My treat-and, maybe more of a fancy date with fancy dancing. -Not that I'm getting ahead of myself or anything."
William opened his eyes to look at him, and he admired Ronald's youthful, attractive profile. "I would never have imagined you to be the sort to enjoy such a date, but I'll be happy to accommodate your wish."
Before he even realized what he was doing, William sat up and cupped the back of Ronald's head to kiss him on the lips. He supposed he should have known better, given how quickly a simple kiss exchanged with the younger man tended to wear down his self-control. He stroked Ronald's tongue with his and he forgot all about the lingering ache in his hand. He allowed it to go on until his mind began to conjure some rather vivid images of himself doing all manner of scandalous things to the blond, and then he decided enough was enough.
Pulling away, he stared into Ronald's eyes and spoke in a breathless voice. "A dance is but one of many things I look forward to sharing with you, when this is over."
The blond's cheeks were cherry red as he blinked at the man who'd just kissed him. "I-" he cleared his throat and tried to calm his racing heart, "Casual dates aren't reason enough for something fancier...but we aren't just casual, we're serious. Any type of date would be fun with you, Will. And...any type of dance... even horizontal ones..." he flushed again, regaining the color that had started to fade from his cheeks.
The older reaper smiled slightly. The kiss had pushed his thoughts into the same direction, so he couldn't rightly blame Ronald. "I look forward to that particular dance, as well," he assured him. But priorities were priorities, and right now they had a case to investigate and possibly a new fugitive to track down.
William lay back again and he sighed. "You should look around while I'm still hospitalized," he decided. "You may find some interesting things around town, before we move on to locate the Undertaker again."
"What do you mean?" Ronald frowned, "You mean...for the investigation out in the war-torn mortal realm, or here in our realm?"
William shook his head, eyes still closed. "No, I meant our side…and not for investigative purposes. Spend a bit of leisure time…see some sights and shop, if you like. I for one have no plans to return to this place, once all is said and done. Perhaps years down the line, when the memories of what we've witnessed in this part of the world have faded to a more bearable level."
"That's what I thought...but I was surprised to hear you suggest it." Ronald confirmed, "I guess a part of me still expects you to be all boss while we are here on assignment. I'll turn in this paperwork first, but I think that should be fun and slightly frustrating." he grinned.
William shrugged slightly. "Good work should be rewarded, Knox. I think you've earned a bit of sight-seeing, before we must get on the road again. Enjoy this respite while you can."
He opened his eyes to look at Ronald again. "If you should happen to come across a cuckoo clock, let me know. I've rather wanted an authentic German one for years. Mother used to have one."
"...Isn't that one of those clocks that has the annoying little bird that pops out every hour or whatever?" Ronald asked, "I've never actually seen one before, but I heard about them."
"Some have birds, others have figurines of people or even skeletons. You can customize them to choose what hour they come out." William sighed again as he thought of the one his mother used to have. He wasn't even sure why he wanted one for himself, given some of the painful memories of childhood. There was one constant good, though, and that was his mother.
"I doubt I will find one exactly like hers, but it would be…nice…to own one myself."
"I'll look around some clock shops, then." Ronald nodded, standing up and leaning over to kiss his cheek, "Mind if I stop by a pub for a few drinks tonight?"
"Drinks are included in leisure time," agreed William, a bit surprised that Ronald would ask permission for such a thing. He seemed to really be trying to step up and be responsible—another sign of how he'd grown. "Please, feel free to enjoy yourself; but do practice some moderation, Ronald. I would rather not leave tomorrow with you suffering a hangover."
"Then-before I leave I need you to teach me how to order a scotch and tell people that I have a boyfriend." Ron grinned, "Just in case someone seems to be interested. I don't want to be stuck with them not understanding 'no'...oh! isn't the German word for 'no' like...'nine' or something?"
William nodded, barely suppressing a soft chuckle. "Indeed. Should anyone approach you sexually, say: 'Nein danke, Ich bin getroffen'. To ask for a scotch, you say: 'Ich bin haben Scotch'."
"...Nine donkey, itch bin gitroffing?" Ronald tried, cringing as he knew it didn't sound right at all. "I failed that, didn't I?"
William coughed into his hand. "As beginning tries go, I suppose that was better than some." He couldn't quite hide his subtle smile as he repeated it for Ronald again. "Try to be a tad more guttural with your inflections. Also, try to remember to say 'danke' after receiving a drink or food. It means 'thank you'."
Ronald sighed and sat back down, "Okay, give me some lessons on the phrases before I go and you get a fresh dose of drugs from the grumpy nurse."
William closed his eyes again and recited a few key phrases for his companion, repeating them and making Ronald do the same, until he was sure that he could speak them clearly enough to be comprehended. He fell asleep again by the time he finished, exhausted once more. He mumbled an apology to Ronald, not even consciously aware of it.
Ronald smiled and leaned over to kiss his lips, "You just rest and heal up, sleeping beauty," he teased the exhausted reaper. "I'll see you again later." He kissed him one last time before he stood up and left, nodding at the nurse who shot a glare at him as he left.
"Man, normally the ladies love me..."
It might have interested William to know that the object of his search plans was deliberately laying out a clear trail for him and Ronald to follow. The retired ancient knew what he was going up against, and while he was confident it wasn't anything he couldn't handle with the right strategy and tools, he hadn't survived so long by doing anything in halves. A little help from Dispatch might prove to be useful, even if the agents he'd run into only served as meat shields.
"My, my, that would be a shame, though," he mused as he worked over his next dollie. "Pity I had to knock Miss Sutcliff and her young companion down a peg or two, as well."
He thought of the redhead in question. "Hmm, yes. Such a shame to mark up that pretty face again. Ah well…Sutcliff seems to enjoy a spot of violence, now and again. I think she'll get over it, don't you?"
He looked down at his subject, and he remembered that he wasn't finished with him yet when the body didn't move. "You're a terrible conversationalist," he accused.
He began to whistle a little tune as he reached for another instrument to resume his work on the cadaver. As abhorrent as Dispatch found some of the things he'd done, it was all small potatoes compared to what his quarry was doing. There were worse things than demons and zombies in the world.
The next morning Ronald shuffled into William's hospital room, suffering a slight hangover, "...'morning..." he groaned, flopping over the foot of the bed atop William's feet. "Found you a shop that has the bird clocks... I think someone spiked my scotch with something stronger last night..."
William was just sitting up to collect his clothing and change into them. He eyed Ronald dubiously, and his thoughts started going to a dark place. "Is that a metaphor for you overdrinking, or do you truly believe someone slipped something into your drink?"
Seeing as he rarely frequented clubs or bars himself, William had no personal experience with the matter…but he had heard of instances where someone drugged a victim to have his or her way with them whilst they were unconscious. If such a thing happened to Knox, he would find the responsible party and make them wish they had never laid eyes on him. His own protective thoughts startled him a bit, and he blinked at the younger man.
"I only had two drinks." Ron moaned, holding up two fingers. "Normally I have at least five... I went back to the hotel when I felt off... woke up this morning on the floor by the bathroom door feeling like I had gotten shit-faced." He turned his head and looked up at William, "Either the drinks in this bloody country are stronger than hell, or I got something extra in one of my drinks..."
William sighed in relief. If someone had intended to take advantage of the attractive young agent, they'd missed their chance. Thank goodness Ronald had the wit to get himself home safely as soon as he started to feel a bit off.
"Well, perhaps we can stop for a Bloody Mary on our way out," suggested William. He'd found the drink to be one of the best cures for a hangover and fatigue, though he was not normally an advocate of "hair of the dog" treatment. He gathered up his clothing and he went into the little adjoining bathroom to change into them. "Or perhaps some breakfast would do you well," he called out as he unfastened his hospital gown and slid his underwear on.
"Why not both?" Ronald muttered, rolling onto his back and looking up at the light fixture above him, "How's your hand feeling? Skin grow back and look normal yet?" He paused before pushing himself up and taking the cup of water sitting on the table that William had probably been drinking before he woke up. He sipped it and lay back down, closing his eyes, deciding not to go do the pub scene like that again while in Germany. Maybe if William came with him to help watch drinks, he'd go, but alone; nope.
William flexed the fingers of his recovered hand. "It appears whole again, and much of the weakness has passed. It may take a week or more to recover full strength, but my coordination is back and it will do."
He pulled his pants on and buckled his belt. "A drink and a light meal will be fine for both of us, I think. We shall see what we can find, once we leave here. I've seen the inside of this hospital for longer than I care to."
He finished putting on the uniform and he tugged his gloves on, before donning his hat and stepping out of the bathroom. It was odd; the more he wore the outfit, the less it bothered him. He might have even liked it, were it not for what it represented. He had to at least give the SS credit for dressing sharply.
"Well then," he said softly, staring down at the sight of Ronald sprawled on the bed. The young man's eyes were closed, and he was in a rather convenient position for Will to practice a bit of taking advantage of, himself. With a slight smirk, the taller reaper bent over to kiss Ronald on the lips.
Ronald's eyes snapped open, his cheeks heating. He'd expected William to tell him to get up, or at the most, nudge his shoulder or leg. A kiss was the last thing he expected.
But he enjoyed it; smiling into the kiss as he brought his hands up to brush his fingers over William's cheeks. "And sweet kisses to start, I see."
William pulled back a little to stare down at him. "In our situation, I think it's advisable to take our little pleasures where and when we may."
His voice was slightly husky, and he rather lamented his decision not to sleep with Ronald until after they were finished with these missions and home again. With a little sigh of regret, he straightened up again. "Come, let us leave this place and be on our way. I'm more than eager to get out of these walls."
"Help me up." Ronald said, reaching up so that the other reaper could take his hand and pull him to his feet. Once he was up-right, he took a moment to straighten his uniform before nodding, "Breakfast time...hopefully it'll help with the after-effects of last night."
"Absolutely," agreed William. They left his hospital room and made their way through the corridors to the elevators. He couldn't stop glancing at his companion as they boarded the lift and selected the ground floor. The little kisses they'd shared wasn't quite enough. As soon as the doors closed and they began to descend, William decided to give Ronald a more thorough taste of the things he could look forward to, when this was all over.
Reaching up to take off his hat so that it wouldn't collide with Ronald's, William closed in on the blond and trapped him against the support rail, placing his hands on either side of his head. He captured his mouth with his and he kissed him much deeper than before, invading his mouth with his probing tongue. His body pressed flush against Ronald's and he made a low sound of approval in his throat, stroking and thrusting with his tongue as his lips animated against the younger man's.
It was a bit ridiculous, really. He couldn't seem to get enough of him. All the self-control in the world didn't seem to be enough, when it came to Ronald Knox. Perhaps when they finally got the chance to bed one another for the first time, this nagging urgency to touch and kiss him at every available opportunity would lessen a bit.
Ronald gasped in surprise as his boyfriend unexpectedly pinned him to the wall and assaulted his mouth with passion. Normally, he was the one to do the surprising. But William had somehow perfected it. His lips and tongue making Ronald's knees go weak.
He felt as if he'd been dethroned as king of flirting by the one man in their division who never flirted-ever. He was putty in William's hands-and he loved it! A thrill ran through his entire body as an embarrassingly loud, erotic moan escaped into the kiss.
William pressed more firmly up against Ronald, swallowing the muffled sound of his moan. He knew that he should probably stop before someone else got on and caught them in the act, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. He caught hold of Ronald's hands and squeezed them, his tongue eagerly dancing against the younger reaper's. Just as he was beginning to contemplate the possibility of stopping the elevator to do more than ravish his companion's mouth, the lift stopped and the doors began to open with a cheerful ding.
William released Ronald's mouth and hands, stepping back from him hastily as the doors opened to admit one of the staff. William put his hat back on and gave the man a nod of greeting, cheeks warming tellingly with mortification. Thankfully, he'd broken the kiss before the hospital aide could see what they were up to. His pulse was still racing and he was still catching his breath. The new occupant pressed the button for the second floor, and the doors closed again. William glanced sidelong at Ronald as the elevator continued its trajectory, and a faint smirk adorned his lips. Ronald looked dazed, his lips kiss-swollen and a bit slack.
Well, at least he'd managed to give the blond something to think about.
Ronald pushed himself away from the wall of the lift and stepped closer to William, panting slightly. Wherever that had come from; he liked it, and he was going to portray that.
He slid his hand over and gave William's rear a firm squeeze. The older reaper barely refrained from jumping in response, glancing back at Ronald with a brief, bare twitch of his lips before facing forward once more to watch the numbers blink on the display. The aid parted ways with them on his floor.
Breathing a sigh of relief that his confinement was over with, William began to walk to the exit, his steps moving a bit faster than usual in his eagerness to leave the hospital.
As soon as he stepped outside, he paused and took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air. Looking across the street, he spotted a promising looking cafe and he nodded at it as his companion joined him. "Let's try there, first. If we find nothing appealing on the menu, there are plenty of other places to try."
Ronald nodded and bumped Will's shoulder with his own as he started towards the cafe, "And here I thought you weren't ready for secret public flirting." He teased, "That was a nice surprise."
"I have my moments of spontaneity too, Mr. Knox." They began to cross the street to the cafe. "And if this experience of this war has taught me anything, it is that even we aren't immune to dying and any given moment could be the last. That realization makes it easier to put aside my conservative nature once in a while and enjoy opportunities when they come."
And he did so thoroughly enjoy each opportunity he'd taken advantage of, when it came to Ronald Knox.
"And I'm glad for that, at least." Ronald grinned, "If anything good comes from this nasty war... personally, at least..." He jogged forward and pulled open the door for William like a gentleman.
William thanked him softly, surprised by the gesture. He might have found it strange, generally associating the act with courtesy for the opposite sex—but then he recalled that he himself had opened doors for work associates of both genders, on more than one occasion. They stepped inside and looked around for a seat, and they chose a booth and sat down to look at the menu. Fortunately, this establishment had English translations beneath the German names and descriptions, so he did not have to translate for Ronald.
"Bangers and mash," William observed with surprise as he looked over the breakfast selection. "It seems the owners of this cafe are used to getting tourists from the isles."
He was, however, thoroughly sick of potatoes. "I think perhaps I shall skip that in favor of bacon and eggs."
"Anything that isn't potatoes and wursts." Ronald agreed, "...Mm, pancakes...Maybe some of those...with a side of eggs...and bacon...and a roll..." he listed off his thoughts to echo his appetite.
"And perhaps a keg of beer to go with all that?" suggested William dryly. "Honestly, I sometimes wonder if you have a hollow leg...but order whatever strikes your fancy. We could perhaps request a to-go container if it turns out to be too much, and you can snack on it later."
"Too early to drink." Ronald shrugged, "I'm getting orange juice. Also," he paused to smirk over his menu, "You haven't seen me pack it away after a night of drinking. I totally got it. And your leftovers if you can't finish."
Shaking his head at Ronald's startling appetite and metabolism, William set his menu down and ordered for them when the server came by. At least there wasn't a worry of any food going to waste, if he found himself unable to finish his meal.
It was a little longer wait for the two reapers, given the size of Ronald's order, but soon their table supported a feast that could feed the average family with grown kids.
Ronald didn't hesitate to grab his fork and knife to begin digging in, tasting each component of his breakfast in turn before grabbing syrup and smothering it.
"This place makes a mean pancake!" he grinned, his cheeks full of food.
William couldn't decide whether to be appalled or amused at Ronald's eating habits...but he'd seen it before, so he chose to keep his admonishment more on the teasing side—which was so unlike him that he wondered if he truly was going mad. "Indeed, and you might enjoy them better if you take the time to taste and chew them."
He cut into one of his eggs and ate a bite with much more grace than his companion.
"Hey, I do taste 'em!" Ron shrugged, "and its better than those tiny mouse bites you take!" He turned the teasing around onto the man across from him before taking a drink of his juice, "Trust me, though, if I don't eat fast we'll be here all morning, and we have work to get back to, and I don't like overtime." He winked before starting to eat again.
"Hmm, fair enough."
William concentrated on his own meal and he tried to ignore the way Ronald scarfed his down. As he ate, he realized that were it another reaper, he would have gotten up and moved to another table in disgust. Somehow he was able to tolerate it from Knox, and he could only assume that it was because of how close they'd grown since starting this mission. The prospect of having sexual relations with him certainly didn't hurt, either. He resisted a grimace when Ronald gave him a puffy-cheeked grin again. As unattractive as he found his juvenile eating habits, he supposed he could just overlook them in favor of the more pleasant qualities that drew him to the younger man.
-To be continued