Lucian woke up in bed, yawning loudly before he rolled over a pillow...
Uhm, a man.
Eugene groaned as Lucian's weight constricted his lungs a little bit. An alpha on top of you is like an adult tiger lying on your chest.
"Lucian," Eugene called out, tapping Lucian's shoulder while wriggling away from him. "Too heavy..."
Lucian closed his eyes tight, making himself heavier by anchoring his whole body to Eugene. "No."
The blonde man's patience seemed to thin out as he pushed Lucian away with a low grunt. Lucian rolled back to his original place with a small thud, the bed creaking slightly from the impact and weight. The younger man groaned in complaint.
Eugene fixed his pillow first before glaring at Lucian. "It's your fault for being an idiot," he murmured, diving his face back onto the pillow. "I'm going to sleep some more. Don't disturb me."
Lucian sat up straight. "Hey, is this how you treat someone you like?"
"Yes, especially in the morning... Just behave, darling," Eugene replied in a muffled voice, his face still buried on the soft pillow.
Lucian clicked his tongue before stepping out of bed, his bare feet landing on the slightly cold floor without any sound. He grasped another thick, long robe to coat himself with it. "Why is it so cold today?" he murmured, rubbing his arms to keep himself warm despite the low temperature.
Lucian went out of the bedroom and settled himself on the window bench to look outside. The window was covered with thick, white fog, prompting Lucian to use his palm to wipe some mist off the glass. Seeing the wet pavements and raindrops pattering down the public street lamps, he immediately understood that it was actually raining outside last night.
He frowned. "Will Mr. Williams meet up with us in this kind of weather?"
Nonetheless, he still took a bath quicker than usual, given that the water was especially colder today, before wearing his formal attire, which represented his stature in life.
He was planning to have their breakfast outdoors. Thus, he only noticed just now that Eugene was still not around. Lucian knocked on their bedroom door first before he peeked his head in. The human-sized bulge there proved that Eugene was still sleeping beneath the blanket.
Lucian slowly approached the bed before he carefully pulled the blanket from Eugene's head down to his chest. He was surprised to see Eugene's reddened face and parted lips. The blonde man was breathing heavier than usual and was sweating like crazy.
Lucian's hand automatically flew to Eugene's forehead, checking the alpha's temperature. His expression turned serious.
"Eugene, you're burning with fever," he whispered, his hand stroking the man's forehead down to the bridge of his nose. "Wait for me; I'll go get you some warm water first."
Eugene only replied with a soft groan.
Lucian then worked himself up by warming up a basin of water while also preparing ingredients for a soup. He was thankful that they bought medicines beforehand, so he proceeded to prepare Eugene's new clothes.
He went inside the bedroom again to check Eugene's temperature. "It's getting hotter than before," he muttered in distress. Lucian used a clean and dry towel to gently wipe the sweat off Eugene's face. "How did you come up with a fever, anyway?"
Lucian pursed his lips as a grave thought came into his mind. 'Please tell me it's not what I'm thinking of.' He shook his head to throw off such negative thoughts as he went out of the room to check on the heated water in the kitchen.
Seeing that it was warm enough for Eugene, he poured the water from the kittle into the basin. He used another clean towel for this.
He carried the basin inside their bedroom before carefully putting it on top of the table. He submerged the towel in the warm water first, then squeezed it tightly for the excess water to flow out before finally wiping it over Eugene's face. Then he wiped his neck down to his collar. Lucian did not hesitate to completely remove the nightshirt from Eugene's feverish body, his expression solemn and serious.
'Is this how my mother felt at that time—No, I should stop comparing this situation to what happened to her,' Lucian argued with himself, his eyebrows furrowing.
He continued cleaning Eugene before dressing him up. He did not feel shy at all. For Lucian, what Eugene has, he has too. Hence, there's no malice in his actions. This helped him remain quick in helping Eugene put on his clothes.
Eugene was well-behaved all throughout, so it wasn't difficult for Lucian at all.
After that, Lucian proceeded to cook a soup for Eugene.
...
Eugene's eyelashes fluttered a little bit before he slowly opened his crystal-blue eyes. His body felt so hot that he immediately removed his blanket to find relief from the foreign heat in his body. He frowned upon realizing that he couldn't freely move this time.
Lucian then came inside. He stopped by the door in surprise. "You're awake. Just in time. I prepared a soup for you to eat, and then drink your medicine after finishing it, okay?" he said, striding forward with a tray in his hands.
He propped the folding table on top of Eugene's lap before placing the tray there. A bowl of hot soup assaulted Eugene's dull senses.
"Why...?" Eugene's voice was abnormally husky, his throat so dry he wanted to just pour one jug of cold water inside his mouth. His eyes were unusually misty and heated. He had to squint at the soup as the smoke from it blocked his eyesight.
Lucian knew that Eugene felt weak at the moment, so he initiated by hand-feeding the sick alpha. While his right hand was holding the spoon, his left hand was gently caressing Eugene's cheek to see if his temperature was still high. After making sure that he was not getting hotter anymore, he removed his hand from the man's cheek.
"You have a fever. As to the reason why, I don't know yet. Just focus on getting better first," he answered patiently, blowing slightly on the soup before serving the spoon towards Eugene's lips.
Eugene obediently parted his lips to take in the spoon. After gulping the soup, he looked at Lucian aggrievedly. "I'm sorry," he whispered with a small pout.
Lucian stared at the pouting alpha. His expression turned from solemn to that of amusement. A soft laugh escaped his lips. He raised his hand to squeeze the tip of Eugene's beautiful nose. 'So cute, ah. Meng!' he exclaimed in his head before giving Eugene a reassuring smile.
"It's fine. Don't be too stressed about it." Then he continued feeding the sick blonde noble with utmost sincerity.
Eugene was touched and elated by Lucian's act of service, so he did the best that he could. When Eugene finally finished the bowl of soup and was now done drinking his medicine, Lucian readied a coat for himself.
Eugene tilted his head in wonder. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to invite a physician here to check on your condition. It's better to seek professional help before it's too late," the bronze-skinned man answered seriously. "Stay here and don't use too much of your energy. I'll come back as soon as possible."
"What about Mr. Williams?"
"I don't think we'll be able to meet him in this weather; he's also probably not in the mood for the meantime. I'll send a letter to their residence to inform him that we could just meet once you're totally fine," Lucian said with a smile. "If you want to meet him as soon as possible, then do your best to get better."
Eugene nodded. "Okay."
Lucian rubbed Eugene's golden hair first before walking away. Eugene was left in bed, feeling sleepy. And so he dove back into his pillow and covered himself in the thick blanket.
He woke up again after he heard two voices conversing inside their bedroom. Eugene's blue eyes gazed at Lucian's figure together with a good-looking doctor who's just about their age.
The physician, Henry Davis, looked back at his sick patient. His stare was slightly filled with envy. After all, his biggest crush was actually sleeping in one room with this blonde alpha. However, he was smart enough to hide it and still act civilly with Eugene.
"Let's start the check-up, shall we? He's already awake," he said, his eyes drifting to the gorgeous bronze-skinned man beside him.
Lucian nodded. "Please do so."
Physician Henry Davis placed his medical bag closer to the bed where Eugene lay. Lucian also walked towards Eugene to help him sit up properly.
"Eugene, this gentleman right here is named Henry Davis. He's a physician from our dukedom, and I coincidentally met him as an apprentice of an apothecary who resided near our apartment," Lucian whispered to Eugene with a gentle smile, his voice so low that only the two of them could hear it. He then looked at Henry. "Sir, this person is my friend. His name is..." Lucian paused to contemplate whether or not to reveal Eugene's identity. After all, Henry already knew his real identity as Lucian Montague.
Eugene seemed to have an idea of Lucian's current predicament, so he subtly shook his head at Lucian's probing gaze.
"... Johanne. His name is Johanne," Lucian continued in a firm tone.
Henry nodded politely at Eugene. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Johanne." His gaze went back to Lucian, and a smile appeared on his lips. "I met his Grace on one of his shopping sprees," he said, his brown eyes glinting in joy. "I had to carry ten paper bags for that," he added with a soft laugh.
"You initiated it," Lucian replied with a grin. "Don't blame me."
Eugene shifted his gaze from Lucian to Henry, a sour and bitter feeling welling up in his chest. A pout unconsciously formed on his pale lips as he scooted closer to Lucian. 'So what if they met each other before? Lucian sleeps in the same bed with me anyway!' he thought to himself, forming a smug look in his face.
A sick Eugene is a petty Eugene, after all.
Henry did not dally anymore. He continued his medical routine of checking up on his patient. He checked for Eugene's pulse, temperature, and other vital signs. He also asked some questions about Eugene's whereabouts, which consisted mostly of strolling back and forth from the plaza to the apartment for the past few days and also staying up late last night to attend a wake.
Henry helplessly smiled. "You had a fever due to built-up stress and fatigue," he diagnosed, taking out a bottle of medicine and a piece of paper from his bag. "This is the prescribed medicine for that; I'll also hand you the proper dosage of it. Make sure to follow the right time for drinking it."
"Hmm." Eugene only hummed lazily. He even purposefully leaned his head on Lucian's shoulder, acting so weak and delicately that the gentleman beside him even initiated rubbing his back and pulling him closer. Eugene was so happy because of Lucian's gestures that he forgot he was supposed to treat the physician as a threat to his love life.
Physician Henry Davis then picked up his medical bag, although the look he directed at Eugene was filled with jealousy, before he bowed with politeness. "Then I'll be going now. If something wrong happens, please don't hesitate to contact me." After saying that, he shifted his eyes to Lucian. "Your Grace, 'til we meet again."
"Of course," Lucian replied with a small nod. His expression was neutral, with no hint of any strong emotions. His fingers, though, continued drawing circles and other shapes on Eugene's sensitive back. He even pinched some parts of Eugene's waist, which had Eugene writhing and groaning some times. Talk about public displays of affection.
Thus, Henry had to just gulp his throat from this dog food before walking away with heavy steps. 'What's an alpha doing with an alpha?' he hissed under his breath with slight resentment. Nonetheless, he knew he couldn't do anything about it. Lucian was his crush, but he was aware that having him as a lover and a partner would be an entirely different story.
He had no choice but to back off. For now.
Eugene, on the other hand, was finally relieved that the intruder was gone. He moved himself to hug Lucian's side. He peeked at Lucian with a sheepish smile. "Lucian, I feel cold. Hug me, please?" Crystal-blue eyes sparkled mischievously.
"Are you usually this clingy when you're sick?" Lucian's stiff face softened as he caressed Eugene's heated cheeks. "You still have a fever, though?" he teased.
"I'm only like this to you," Eugene answered, burying his face in Lucian's waist. "Just let me hug you a little longer," he added softly.
Lucian hummed, and he did not reject the older man's request anymore. His right hand rubbed the blonde alpha's broad back while his other hand played with Eugene's soft hair.
They stayed like this for a few more minutes before Eugene spoke in a small voice. "Have you eaten breakfast already?"
Lucian paused, and as if backing up Eugene's question, his stomach growled. Eugene, who was so near Lucian's body, obviously heard it well.
The older patient raised his head to face Lucian with furrowed eyebrows. "It's almost noon!"
"I had to take care of you. It's fine. I can manage this much," Lucian answered, pressing Eugene's nape closer to his body so he wouldn't glare at him anymore. "I'll just eat a lot for our lunch."
Eugene grumbled, his fingers curling up on Lucian's shirt. "You better do that. If you get sick because of me, I'll..." Eugene paused, his lips pursed. He nuzzled against Lucian's waist before he continued talking with a soft murmur, "... Don't make me worry, Lucian."
The bronze-skinned man stiffened at Eugene's remark, his hands stopping for a moment before he moved them again. A fond smile appeared on his lips. "Alright."
'It's not hard to like you at all,' Lucian thought, his golden eyes softly taking in Eugene's figure beside him. The golden hair, the pink cheeks peeking from his waist, the broad shoulders that would sometimes shudder under his touch, the perfect waist, the long legs, the soft voice murmuring on top of his skin... Everything about the alpha was so pleasing to Lucian's eyes that he subconsciously tightened his hold on Eugene, pulling him even closer than before.
The sudden motion resulted in Eugene being completely on top of Lucian. His face was now pressed against Lucian's chest, and his abdomen was right on top of Lucian's...
Heat crept up on his cheeks—a different kind of heat than his usual fever. This caused Eugene to glare at the suspect, his lips pursed tightly. 'Lucian, you dare call me a pervert when you're like this?'
Lucian tilted his head upon seeing Eugene throw him accusing stares. "Hey, why are you looking at me like that? I'm not poking you," he whispered. But the sensual content of his whispers made it even more embarrassing for Eugene.
"Are you saying it's already this big without even an erection? You bugger of an alpha!" Eugene snapped at him in annoyance. 'He must've done this purposefully! He's challenging the height of my mighty sword!'
Lucian laughed out loud. 'Oh, Eugene. Why are you suddenly so cute when you're sick? How did a cool and attractive alpha like you turn into this?' He pinched Eugene's cheek out of 'cuteness aggression'.
"So petty," Lucian murmured, a hint of teasing in his gentle voice. He then pulled up Eugene so that their faces were right in front of each other, their chests pressing together. Now, Lucian could also feel what Eugene felt earlier. A smirk appeared on his lips. "You're not that bad, either."
"What do you mean, 'not that bad'? I'm probably bigger than yours," Eugene retorted defensively, his eyes so sharp that Lucian felt like the older man wouldn't let him off if they wouldn't show their lengths and compare them to each other.
So he coaxed the blonde alpha, "Alright, alright. Yours are bigger than mine. Let's not talk about this anymore."
Eugene raised an eyebrow first before he finally let the matter drop off. He buried his face on Lucian's neck to sniff his scent.
"I remember you staying alone at your mansion before. If you're sick like this, then who takes care of you?" Lucian asked carefully. After all, this might be a sensitive topic for the orphaned man.
Thankfully, it seemed as though Eugene didn't mind Lucian bringing up this topic at all. He even chuckled a little bit; his voice came out slightly muffled as he was still buried in Lucian's neck.
"Who else would it be? Of course I had to take care of myself. My temperature would just go back to normal after drinking medicines and having enough rest, anyway," he answered nonchalantly. "And it's not like I'm sick every time. It's probably because we skipped working out these past few days," he added to tease Lucian.
After all, Lucian Montague was the one who refused to work out again after experiencing muscle pains a day after their first workout. Now, Eugene used Lucian's refusal as an excuse to skip his daily workouts as well, focusing on gathering intel instead. He's like this when he's in his workaholic mode.
"Hmm," Lucian hummed thoughtfully, completely ignoring Eugene's taunts at his laziness. He then stared at Eugene's fair neck, which was exposed in front of his face. He gently pulled Eugene's head away from his own neck so that they could talk face-to-face. Lucian held Eugene's chin up, taking in the confused look on the older alpha's face.
"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Lucian tilted his head with a small smile, his thumb caressing the edge of Eugene's lips. "The next time that you get sick, make sure to inform me, okay?" he whispered softly, pressing his thumb deeper on Eugene's lower lip. "Wherever I am, whenever you can," he added.
Eugene's lips quivered under Lucian's sensual touch. His eyes were filled with a mixture of confusion and a sliver of hope.
"Lucian, this..." Eugene whispered back with bated breath. He doesn't want to assume. He doesn't want to find himself just being delusional. But this, this probably meant something, right?
Lucian's thumb reached deeper inside Eugene's mouth as the older alpha talked. Lucian used this opportunity to gently rub the man's lower teeth. "Yes?"
The blonde man pulled himself away from Lucian's probing and curious fingers. His face, neck, and ears were flushed. "You know that doing something like this is not what friends normally do, right?"
"I am aware." Lucian nodded calmly.
"Then?" Eugene waited for him to talk, but the bronze-skinned alpha was only staring at him with his unusually deep golden eyes. "Lucian, please talk. I don't want to misunderstand—mmph!"
Hungry lips suddenly crashed into Eugene's soft lips, pumping out a small gasp from him as Lucian devoured his mouth like a wild wolf. Eugene's crystal-blue eyes shook as he stared at Lucian's face, passionately kissing him. He wanted to scream, to celebrate, and to tell the world that he had won the jackpot. But at that moment, he couldn't think clearly anymore.
And so he responded to Lucian's kiss out of instinct. The hungry kiss turned into a slow, passionate one. Eugene tried to assert dominance by pulling himself up. He was now hovering on top of Lucian. Lucian had to lift his head up to make their kiss comfortable. He had no problems with Eugene leading the kiss now. He even lovingly wrapped his arm around Eugene's waist to support him.
With Lucian sitting up straight on the bed and Eugene on top of his lap with his knees placed on both sides of the younger alpha's waist, their sloppy kiss continued. They would sometimes pull apart to breathe, but the other would be so impatient that they would dive in again without giving the other enough time to take more air.
"I like you too, Eugene," Lucian whispered in between their kisses. He pulled Eugene's waist closer to his chest. "I like you." His confession was uttered with utmost sincerity and clarity, despite the fact that he's almost out of breath.
Eugene's eyes were now slightly wet from both Lucian's overwhelming confession and the breathtaking kiss. He gasped before immediately answering back, "I like you too, Lucian." He kissed the bronze-skinned man again. "I like you so much," he whispered before wrapping his arms around Lucian's neck to deepen their kiss, their tongues grazing and fighting with each other.
He was so happy right now. So happy that he did not care about his fever anymore. At this moment, he could only thank the heavens for giving him such a blessing today.
Oh, to be kissed by someone you like.