It had been a few months since he'd reported back, and while Hugue really didn't care about what AX wanted, he did have a reason to go back to Vatican once in a while. Reports be damned, he made it to his teacher's private quarters. "Master?" He asked, not sure if the man was there in the first place.

Elsewhere, William's brows furrowed slightly as he swiped a hand across his damp forehead. Honestly, he had already opened a window and it was still terribly warm in the room. Sighing heavily, he settled the large book he had been absorbing back flat on the desk and pulled off his reading glasses slowly. Pinching the bridge of his nose, the professor closed his eyes against the dull ache in his skull and groped blindly around for something amidst the paper stacks scattered on the large desk.

"Master?" Hugue repeated, starting to think William wasn't in. That wouldn't have been anything new; the Professor spent most of his time in his labs anyway. The swordsman shrugged and removed his cloak, tossing it over a nearby chair. He frowned slightly as he studied the place. William had apparently forgotten what the word 'organizing' meant, judging from the piles of papers. He put his sword away and removed his coat as well, figuring he could clean the place.

Back in William's office, the door was opened without knocking, and the person entering stopped by the door, staring in for a few seconds. "Damn it, William, you're sick. Back to bed. How many times do I have to drag you there? I'll get Kate if you don't move, NOW!" Father Havel certainly wasn't too amused to find the Professor in the office, as William was, indeed, sick.

Hazy blue eyes shot open instantly and focused blearily on his friend. One eye crept upwards slowly before the Professor closed his eyes again and rubbed at his temples. "Vaclav, I have work to do! I'm at least three days behind on Lady Caterina's paperwork, I can't find the right book I need to fix this blasted thing... I don't have the time to lie around in bed all day!" He settled his glasses back on his nose and snatched up the book again, more to cover his face than to gather information. His head was beginning to pound and he fought down a wave of irritation. "If you're so concerned for my health, you can bring me some tea and aspirin and leave me be, I'm fine."

"Yes, you actually do have time to lie in bed," Vaclav replied, walking over to the desk and grabbing his friend by the shoulders. "Considering if you don't go to bed now, you'll be so sick in a few days you won't be able to do anything. We're going." He didn't stop to listen to any complaints, but just coldly dragged William up and out of the room.

Hugue was in the middle of cleaning when the door opened, and he turned to look, expecting it to be William. What he wasn't expecting was his Master looking quite pale, and Father Havel practically dragging him along. "...Master?" He asked.

William glared daggers at Vaclav even as he gripped tight to his wrists, trying not to wobble on his feet. A bead of sweat slid slowly down his cheek and he suppressed a shudder. "Vaclav is being unreasonable, as usual..." It slowly dawned on him as to the owner of the voice and he focused his eyes on Hugue. "Ah... hello, dear boy... I trust you've been..." He closed his eyes suddenly and pursed his lips, clinging to the taller man's wrists and trying to make it look like he wasn't. "Well... Vaclav, kindly stop spinning us in circles..."

"Thank God," was the first thing Vaclav could come up with. "Here, you have him, Hugue. William has had fever for a day now, but he refuses to rest and I can't keep an eye on him all the time. Somebody has to do the paperwork."

Hugue stepped closer and placed his hand on William's forehead. "You're warm," he said. He then nodded to Vaclav, taking a hold of his teacher. "I will look after him."

The Professor planted one hand on Hugue's shoulder to balance himself and gently shrugged the hand off his face. He immediately regretted the move, as his head twinged violently and his vision blurred. "I'm ALIVE, Hugue... Living things tend to be warm, I even have a pulse, imagine that! Just... give me a moment to sit down and I'll be just fine, Vaclav only overreacting again..."

"No," the blond replied, unceremoniously dragging the older man towards the bedroom. It was quite normal for William to forget about eating half of the time or neglect to take care of himself in general, but Hugue hadn't exactly been expecting to find his Master sick. It just figured that the man had been working even while sick. "Bed," he added, pushing William down on the bed, then started to remove his clothes, ignoring any resistance.

"Overreacting, yes I'm sure," Vaclav called from the door. "He hasn't eaten anything today despite the fact that I brought him breakfast and lunch. Just keep him in bed. I have to get back to work now." He left then, leaving Hugue to deal with the stubborn Professor.

William made a small noise of indignation and batted defensively at the hands assaulting his clothes. Pushing his glasses up on top of his head, he struggled to sit up and ignore the way the room was tilting. "Honestly, not even back for a day and you already- Hugue, let me go and let me get some work done for once, before Caterina realizes how behind I am and tries to have me flayed. You'll feel really bad when all you have left to fuss needlessly over is skinned alive- and PLEASE leave that alone!" Sighing heavily, he batted at Hugue's hands again and fell back on the bed.

Hugue picked up the reading glasses and placed them on the nightstand. "You're dizzy," he said, stating the obvious as he returned to removing the older man's clothes, not really listening to his complaints. "I'm sure Father Havel will inform Lady Caterina of your condition," he added. "You need to rest." It wasn't exactly easy to undress William, with the man struggling so much, but in the end, Hugue was stronger out of the two of them. He placed his hand on the older man's chest and held him down gently. "Rest," he repeated, his voice quite calm.

"I'm not dizzy, it's the room that doing all the weird acrobatics... And it's cold in here, give me back my robes." William quieted his voice down, mostly in an attempt to ease the pressure building in his head. Sighing again in exasperation, he wiped the back of his hand across his brow and made a face. "Speaking of informing, shouldn't you be reporting to Lady Caterina?" It was a flimsy, last ditch effort to throw Hugue off of him long enough to slip back into the office and try to find that missing page...

"I'm reporting to you. Isn't that enough?" Hugue's loyalty to AX was, in the end, far beneath his loyalty to William, and he was known to 'forget' about checking in. Thus, his answer was quite the truth - not that he didn't see right through the older man anyway. He finished stripping the Professor, then pulled the sheets over him and touched his forehead again. "Too warm," he said. "I will get medicine. Rest," he repeated again, giving his Master a nasty glare. Then again, the older man wouldn't be going anywhere if he took his clothes with him.

William's mouth thinned unpleasantly as he glowered after Hugue, snatching feebly at the top blanket and dragging it over himself. He seriously considered rising and pulling on a fresh set of clothes so he could make a mad break for freedom... But his head throbbed sharply at the thought and he collapsed back onto the pillows with a small groan. Screwing his eyes shut tight, he lifted his hands back up to his temples and rubbed tenderly at them.

Hugue cursed in his mind, not wanting to spend too much time away from the bedroom; he knew quite well that William wanted to return to work. He had things to do thought, and he settled to hoping the man was sick enough to not be able to get far. He searched for some aspirin, then made it to the kitchen. Some tea and a bowl of soup later, he returned to his Master, carrying a tray. "Need to eat," he said, placing the tray on the nightstand. He dragged a chair next to the bed and sat down. If Father Havel was right, he was better off stalking the older man for a while - not that he wasn't planning on doing so anyway, for personal reasons.

William didn't even need to see the food to know he didn't want it. Giving the blond an irritated look, he shuddered and turned his head to the side. "Can't. I already tried earlier today." He huffed and attempted to turn on his side without jostling his head. "As I've been trying to get across to you, Vaclav, Kate, and, for some reason beyond my comprehension, ABEL... I have a MIGRAINE. Not the plague."

"You have fever," Hugue replied, his voice unmoved. "Father Havel said you haven't eaten anything all day. You need to eat." He stared at the older man firmly, not too amused by the resistance he was getting. Frankly, having to hear that people who had known William longer than him had not managed to get the message across to him worried the blond, since usually William listened to at least Kate if no one else. "I brought medicine," he continued, picking up the tea and the aspirin and offering them to the Professor.

William narrowed his eyes sharply at the tea and shuddered. He really didn't want to take the risk of putting anything into his stomach, lest it cross its arms, glare and send it right back. But he also knew he was beating his head against the wrong brick wall, so he settled for accepting the little pills and tossing them back dry, wrinkling his nose at the tea and waving it off.

The blond placed the tea back on the tray and shook his head. "Eat," he said, still managing to sound calm. Hugue was patient, but his patience had a limit, and his scatterbrained Master seemed to be quite skilled at making him annoyed. "You'll get more sick if you don't," he continued, leaning a little closer and glaring at the older man.

William crossed his arms and scowled back just as darkly. "If I eat, Hugue, you'll likely be mopping the floors afterwards. I told you I tried eating this morning and it wasn't very pretty, now I took the medicine, have some pity and let me alone." Settling back on the pillows, he tugged the coverlet even higher on his shuddering frame and leaned his head back on the headboard, closing his eyes firmly, he set his mouth in a hard line and remained silent.

The swordsman smiled a little and got up from his chair. It was quite hard to get William to shut up, and he figured the older man had to be really sick. He wasn't, however, planning on leaving him alone. "If necessary, I will," he replied, moving onto the bed and sitting on William's thighs. "Need to eat." He picked up the plate and took the spoon, staring at the Professor intensely.

The older man cracked open one eye in surprise at the weight across his legs, and opened his mouth in protest. "I well understand I NEED to eat, but the fact of the matter is that I CANNOT, I've already TRIED, and those pills are already making my insides do the highland fling, so PLEASE leave the food topic alone for a while-" He wriggled slightly under Hugue's weight and turned his face resolutely away from the blond and his damned spoon.

Hugue continued staring at the older man, wondering if he should have been amused or annoyed by William's behavior. He did know that eating was not something you want to do when sick, but William was so overreacting. Sometimes the blond wished he had had the ability to just yell at the Professor, like Kate did, since that seemed to work quite fine, but doing that just wasn't like him. "It'll make you feel better," he said, offering the spoon to the man. He then smiled a little - as calm as he always was, William's little show was just too much. "Stubborn."

The Professor sighed heavily and cracked open the other eye, staring at Hugue out from the corner of his eyes. His mouth pursed harder at the proffered spoon, but his expression softened fractionally. "You seem to really want to have a reason to mop up, Hugue, I don't see why, since you just got back... If I promise to eat as soon as I'm sure I can keep it, will you put the spoon down?"

"If you drink something now," Hugue replied, nodding towards the tea. "You have fever. Should drink something." He put the plate away and moved off of the older man, returning to his chair. Whatever William was up to, Hugue was planning on staying and keeping an eye on him. Father Havel had, after all, told him enough. He leaned back on the chair and relaxed a little while keeping his gaze on the other man.

"Alright, alright..." Snatching at the cup, he thrust out his smallest finger irritably and took a cautious sip. His head gave a sharp twinge but thankfully, his stomach didn't lurch. It didn't mean it wouldn't though. He glanced up at Hugue and nearly rolled his eyes. Watching him like a hawk again. Sipping again, he put the cup back on the tray and sat back against the headboard. His voice quieted down and his face softened considerably. "Satisfied?"

"Yes," came the simple answer. Hugue got up from the chair and picked up a pillow from the bed, then forced the older man to move a little and placed it behind his back. "Now, rest," he continued as he sat back down. He didn't mind stalking William; he hadn't seen him for a few months, and while he did hide it well, he was worried.

William grimaced a little as his sore head was jostled, but he quickly suppressed it. Leaning back on the pillows, he blew a small sigh of relief and pulled the covers up over his shoulder. "You're not very good at masking your emotions from me... stop making that face, it's only a headache."

The swordsman's expression softened a little. He wasn't too good at showing emotion in the first place, but he was aware he couldn't lie to William. "You haven't been taking care of yourself again, Master," he said, studying the older man. William looked pale, in his opinion. He didn't believe for a second that it was only a headache, either. A headache wasn't nearly enough to get the Professor into this condition. "You never do."

The Professor shook his head and waved a hand, the action causing the covers to fall off his shoulders again. "Actually, I've been trying to do the opposite. Vaclav has been bringing me food during the day, and I've been eating just fine, even thought Abel tends to nip in at random. It appears he's had a run in with the kitchen maid again and..." He caught himself up short, smiled a little, and shook his head. "But that's beside the point..."

Hugue frowned slightly. "I see," he replied, back to his usual reserved act. At least he could forget about wondering if this was somehow his fault, no matter how ridiculous the thought had been in the first place. Besides, as pale as his Master was, William was still rambling as usual, which meant he certainly wasn't too sick - at least not yet. The blond glanced at the food on the tray; it did still worry him that William wasn't eating anything. "Rest," he said, giving the older man a demanding look.

"I'm resting! I'm sitting here, far from my very much unfinished work, having an interesting chat with you." William frowned and followed Hugue's glance to the tray, then back to his face. Rolling his eyes slightly, he sighed and shifted back upright. "Alright. You win. Pick up the spoon... and bring me my pipe, if you'd be so kind."

Hugue considered arguing about the older man needing sleep, but then again, just getting him away from work was an accomplishment. He picked up the plate and handed it to the Professor, then got up from his chair. He figured smoking wasn't exactly healthy when sick, but just fever and migraine weren't exactly enough arguments against it. "I'll go find it," he said. The pipe was most likely in William's office, and a trip there would be short enough for the older man to not manage to sneak away while Hugue was gone.

William frowned deeply into the bowl of soup and considered finding some way to ditch it without Hugue noticing. Well, the wastebasket was out... and the potted plants would probably not live long on chicken broth. Sighing in resignation, he dipped up a miniscule portion of soup in the spoon and put it in his mouth with no little amount of dread.

Meanwhile, Hugue made it to William's office - only to find Father Havel by the desk, browsing through the papers William had been working on. He lifted his head and looked at the newcomer, but then returned to the papers, apparently relieved it wasn't William. "He didn't talk you into bringing him work, did he?" Vaclav asked.

"No," Hugue replied. "Just his pipe," he added, making it to the desk and looking at it.

Vaclav pointed at the other side of the desk. "He's sick and shouldn't smoke, you know."

"Yes," the swordsman said as he picked up the thing. He gave the older man a slight nod then and left the room, returning to William's living quarters. Well, that gave him a second opinion about the smoking, at least. He made it to the bedroom, not knowing if he should have been surprised that the Professor was actually still there. "Here," he said. "But you shouldn't smoke. Father Havel agrees with that."

William paused, empty spoon still pressed against his mouth, and frowned irately. "Last I could recall, Vaclav isn't my keeper..." He arched a brow and lowered the bowl. "It seems he's trying to take YOUR job..." Setting the bowl aside with a shudder, he reached out a hand and took the pipe, groping around in the bedside drawer for a match or lighter. "Thank you."

"He cares about you," Hugue said, ignoring the comment about Vaclav trying to take his job. He was, in the end, thankful for Father Havel and Sister Kate keeping an eye on the older man. He wandered over to the window and opened it; while it didn't bother him to stay in the same room with William when he was smoking, the room itself could use some fresh air - and maybe some cleaning as well, Hugue added in his mind while picking up a shirt from the floor.

William savored a slow drag on the pipe and breathed smoke leisurely through his lips. He closed his eyes in relief and leaned back in the bed. A gust of chilly air blew through the window and he shivered violently, burrowing under the heavy coverlet as deep as he could go without disappearing under it.

"Shouldn't smoke in bed," Hugue commented with a criticizing tone while cleaning the room. It certainly looked like nobody had bothered cleaning for the last few months, and after a while he wandered off to get a brush. He could, in the end, just clean the whole apartment and not give the older man a chance to sneak away. Not that that had helped, if Father Havel was still in William's office.

The Professor blew smoke slowly again and gave Hugue a casual glance through half lidded eyes. "Want me to stand up...?" His mouth curled into a small grin as he took another drag and shifted in the bed, the dull ache in his head fading a bit from the medication. "There's a lot of things I do in bed that you say I shouldn't."

"No," the blond replied, his voice unconcerned. He concentrated on cleaning the floor, although William's latter comment did almost make him smile. Almost. "I never said that," he added after a moment, pausing his work to glance at the older man, then returning to his task. He was speaking the truth - he hadn't exactly told William to not do a lot of those things the Professor was referring to.

The Professor snuffed out his pipe and settled it back in the bedside drawer. He really felt rough, but it had been a while since he'd seen the blond, and he couldn't resist teasing. "Oh? I distinctly recall something along the lines of... what was it, now? 'Don't bite so hard', 'Be still', and 'Not in front of Lady Caterina.' Ring any bells, dear boy?"

Hugue smirked to himself, busy sweeping the floor. "That, I might have said," he replied, still managing to sound indifferent. "Although, the last one was about Lady Caterina's room. She wasn't there that time. Father Havel was," he continued. Vaclav certainly hadn't been too amused about it. He turned back to his normal serious self, knowing quite well that this really wasn't the time to be thinking about that. William needed rest. He noted that the Professor had at least put the pipe away. Smoking could, in the end, at least make the headache worse, and Hugue was the one who would have to listen to the whining if that happened.

Tugging the blankets back up over him, William ran a hand across his face and fidgeted some more in the bed. Now that he was forbidden from getting any work done, all he had left to keep him from dying of boredom was to irritate Hugue. He arched a brow. "I don't suppose asking you to bring me a couple of books would be fruitful in the end, would it?"

"Father Havel was against bringing you any work," Hugue said, thankful he had a quick counter-argument available. Asking for books of course meant something work related, as this was William they were talking about. He wasn't too sure about how well he would have managed forbidding it if it had been up to him. Just reading a book couldn't hurt, of course, but... "Your headache could get worse," he added. "Why not just rest?"

William huffed and crossed his arms. "I AM resting, Hugue. I'm lying here in this bed, completely useless to anybody, and it's Vaclav's fault for dragging me out of the office again." As he spoke, the faint spots of color on his pale cheeks flared a shade brighter. He wiped at his forehead in renewed frustration.

"Sleep?" Hugue suggested, not even bothering to stop and look at his Master, although he did catch the sight of frustration out of the corner of his eye. He managed to keep himself from smiling again, as the idea of William actually being completely useless amused him somehow. The older man certainly was that much of a workaholic.

The Professor snorted and waved a hand dismissively. "I slept for six hours last night, at least, I don't need any more, thank you." His head fell against the headboard with a thump, and he fidgeted some more.

The swordsman replied with a simple "hmm" before concentrating back on his task. The bit of the floor he was currently swiping didn't actually need much more cleaning, but it kept him busy. He was prepared to having to listen to the complaining for the rest of the day, anyway - or more, if the older man's condition didn't improve soon.

"Honestly, Hugue, you've taken part in keeping me from any sort of progress... the least you could do is look at me and say three sentences every ten minutes. Haven't laid eyes on each other in months and you don't have a thing to say beyond scolding and griping about my work habits..." Crossing his arms tighter across his bare chest, he glared at the blonde before turning his face away. The chilly wind breezed through the window again and made William shudder, but he stubbornly refused to pull the covers back over himself.

The blond paused his work for a moment and turned to look at the older man. "I could," he replied, standing there and studying the Professor for a moment before returning to work. Hugue never talked too much in the end, and it did show whenever he was talking to William, considering the man babbled enough. It didn't bother him; in the end, he happened to like listening to the older man.

"But you don't plan to... I see." Sighing heavily in resignation, he pushed his hair back and looked around before leaning over and rummaging around under the bed. He froze entirely when his fingers bumped into what he was looking for. Pulling out a rather large book, the older man smiled slightly and plopped it into his lap. His voice was still tinged with sarcasm even as he flipped through the pages. "Well, you can entertain yourself with housekeeping. I'll fend for myself, no need to worry about that."

"Fine," Hugue replied, making a mental note to check under the bed for any random books William tended to forget around the place. Guess it couldn't hurt for the older man to find something to keep himself entertained with, for now at least. It would become Hugue's problem if the headache did, as the blond suspected, get worse, but for now, it did mean a moment of silence from the older man's part, and a moment for Hugue to actually clean the room.

Halfway down a particularly interesting page, William's vision blurred and his head swam. Suppressing a small groan, he rubbed at his temples for a moment before glancing up shiftily at Hugue. Well, he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he might be right. Huffing again, he lifted the book up at eye level and pretended to be reading. In reality, he had his eyes screwed closed and his hot brow resting against the upside down pages.

The swordsman stopped to glance at the older man, but then shrugged and continued cleaning for a moment. He left the room for a moment to take out the trash, then stopped next to the bed, knelt down, and fished out a few books lying under the bed and the nightstand. He picked them up and stopped to take a good look at the older man before getting up. "Trouble concentrating?" He asked, his voice almost smug.

William scowled into the book and screwed his eyes shut even tighter when he felt room spinning. "Not trouble at all, my boy, actually, I found one of the pages I was looking for... " Alright, he was lying through his teeth, but Hugue didn't have to know. Forcing his eyes open, he stared intently at the upside down letters and moaned faintly. The blurred script seemed to swirl around itself and it caused the dull ache in the Professor's head to flare violently back to life. The book dropped from his limp hands onto the bed and he pressed his palm to his brow.

"Told you it could make the headache worse," Hugue said, picking up the book and adding it to the pile he was removing from the room. He felt just evil enough to let William suffer enough for him to take the books to the bookshelf, but he returned right afterwards and sat on his chair. He pressed his palm over the older man's forehead and frowned. "You still have fever," he said. "Should drink."

William gave the younger man a deeply annoyed look, but left Hugue's hand where it was for the moment. "Oh no, not this again, Hugue, I drank something a few minutes ago, and no, I still can't eat anything, so don't bother to ask me... And I was still reading that!"

The blond shook his head. "You weren't," he replied. He also highly doubted William had actually drank anything lately, as he had been in the room most of the time and hadn't noticed the older man doing so. The cup on the tray nearby also looked like it hadn't been moved. He ran his fingers through his Master's hair gently, then stood and went to close the window. "You should sleep."

William rolled his eyes. "I'm not tired, I got plenty of sleep last night. Why am I sitting here when I could be sitting at my desk and getting something done? I'd be getting just as much rest on top of finished paperwork, two birds with one stone-" He broke off and hissed tightly between his teeth, covering his eyes with a hand.

Hugue shook his head again. "You are in no condition to work," he said, stating the obvious. In William's case it was necessary, though; the man would have gone to work half-dead if given the chance. He learned against the wall next to the window and studied the older man for a moment. A migraine, his Master had said earlier. Hugue turned and closed the curtains, just in case the light was making William more uncomfortable.

The sound of the curtains being pulled shut gave William pause and he creaked open his eyes for a moment. The faint light in the room blurred and darkened even more in front of his vision and he felt the sharp pain in his skull fade to a dull, aching throb. A soft sigh of relief escaped his mouth and he leaned back in the bed again. "Ah... thank you... that's much better."

The swordsman nodded and returned to the chair. He was still planning on cleaning a little more, but a break was in order. Besides, William's condition had ended up getting worse, so he figured sitting there and letting the older man ramble at him for a while would be a good idea - at least until he got sick of it and decided to just knock him out to get him to rest. "Sick. Should sleep," he said, knowing well what William had said about sleeping. It still didn't hurt to try.

The Professor closed his eyes and shivered again, not thinking to pull the covers back over himself. It felt like the temperature in the room had dropped at least ten degrees and the back of his neck and forehead was still beading up with sweat. "I'm not tired... just a headache..." He reached up a hand and brushed a strand of damp hair out of his face, closing his mouth firmly.

"It might help," Hugue suggested, not that he had been much of an expert in the medical field. He reached to touch the older man's arm and drew his finger over the Professor's skin. William felt warmer than he should have been, and Hugue sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. Which was a mistake, as his mind wandered too easily. His nights had been quite cold lately... "The soup's cold," he said suddenly, getting up from the chair. "I'll go warm it." He picked up the plate and left the room.

William's brows furrowed slightly at the loss of contact before he frowned even more. Hugue was going to heat up that soup and try to make him eat. The mere memory of food made his stomach knot up in dread. Wiping at his face with the back of his hand, he cracked open one eye and stared intently at the door, wracking his addled brains for a way to avoid the forced feeding that he was sure was going to come.

Hugue wandered back in after a while, also bringing with him a new cup of tea, although William hadn't even nearly finished the first cup. He placed the things on the tray and sat down again. He folded his arms and stared at the older man demandingly, not bothering on commenting on the matter, as he knew he would just get the old excuses.

William winced for a moment, still completely dry of any sort of defense against the younger man. He was tempted to try a sheepish, hopefully disarming smile, but he knew that if it wouldn't work on Kate, it definitely wouldn't work on Hugue. The only tactic he could think of was intimidation. He used to be able to get his way with the blond most of the time, back when he was younger and slightly easier to stare down. Crossing his arms firmly, he blasted Hugue with his very best scowl and thrust up his chin. "I'm not touching anything on that tray right now, boy..."

"...At least drink something," the swordsman replied, his voice bordering frustration even if he still managed to keep his usual emotionless tone. Or so he hoped anyway. William's reaction had been exactly the one he had been expecting, and he really didn't know what else he could have done for the older man, outside getting a doctor. Things weren't exactly that bad yet, he hoped. That, or contacting Kate, but although that would have gotten William to do as he wanted, Sister Kate's bedside manners were probably a lot less gentle than his.

A glint shone in the older man's eyes when Hugue asked him to drink. To anybody else, it would have sounded like a flat out order on the swordsman's part, but he could tell that it was the closest that Hugue would probably ever get to pleading. He lowered his arms and softened his face a little, shaking his head slightly. "All right, you win... I'll drink what I can, but no more than that." Picking up the cup with a frown, he lifted his smallest finger in a habitual gesture and took a slow sip, keeping his eyes locked on the younger one's face.

Hugue leaned back in his chair, relaxing a little after actually getting the older man to do as asked. His expression stayed emotionless, the only thing giving away anything being his eyes. Those who did know him saw the worrying, and William certainly knew him, quite well. "You should still try to sleep," he said, not actually feeling like making conversation, but he had to say something, even if it was a wasted effort. His gaze wandered away from the older man, as he studied the room, trying to find something he could have concentrated on doing. Sitting there and staring at William until he gave up and actually slept could have worked, but right now, Hugue had his issues - and sitting there watching his half-naked Master was included.

Taking another slow sip of tea, William stared intently at Hugue for a while. The boy really thought he couldn't read him like a book... Rolling his eyes slightly, the Professor lowered his cup and placed it back on the tray, lying back on the pile of pillows. "Would you kindly stop fidgeting and do something? You can either mop the floors and dust the cabinets, or you can get over here and lay down, either one works for me."

The blond started at the older man for a second, making up his mind quite easily. He got up and moved to the bed, climbing over the older man and settling to lie down next to him, on top of the covers. Just lying there was good enough for him for now, and besides, if he were to stay there and pretend to sleep, maybe William would take the hint and try to nap a little as well. He glanced at the Professor then closed his eyes.

The Professor stared at Hugue like he'd lost his mind, but held his tongue for a moment. He knew exactly what he was up to and it certainly wasn't going to work. Hugue wasn't covering up his emotions any better than he was before, and William saw through him like he was looking through a sunlit, glass door. The corners of his mouth quirked slightly and he gripped tight to the coverlet, yanking it out from under the swordsman with little trouble before rolling on his side and flinging one leg across the other body and dragging the covers over them both. Sliding one hand under Hugue's arm, he gripped his shoulder gently and slid the other hand under the edge of his shirt to trace his fingers chastely over the blond's ribs. Pressing his hot face into the curve of the younger man's neck, he went limp as a rag doll and sighed in satisfaction. "Haven't had such a large pillow in a while." Slender fingertips prodded teasingly at the ribs they were stroking and the older man smirked a bit, despite the punishment that the pressure in his head was raining down on his pain receptors. "And warm too..."

Ending up as a pillow wasn't exactly what Hugue had expected, but if William was willing to lean on him, there was still a change he could get the older man to rest a little. Besides, being stuck there meant William wasn't sneaking off anytime soon. "You're the one who's warm," the swordsman pointed out, shifting a little to get into a more comfortable position. Being that near to his Master wasn't of course the greatest idea, the issues considered, but his self-control was better than that - for now. "Sleep now?"

The Professor rolled his eyes, the movement unseen from hi current position, but he smiled slightly. This could work to his advantage. It would definitely keep him entertained, in any case. Tickling his fingers in long, broad strokes up and down the younger man's side, William hummed a low, drawn out sigh and wriggled on top of him to get more comfortable. Finally, after one sharp hipbone jabbed him in the thigh, he simply grasped the blond's knee and pushed on it, settling his weight between the taller one's knees and across his body. "Ah, sleep? Eventually, yes, when I feel able to..."

"If your head hurts, you should lie still," Hugue replied, somewhat regretting his decision to lie down now. At least while cleaning he could have kept his thoughts elsewhere. The damned Professor was obviously bored, and there happened to be only one thing around for entertainment. Knocking William unconscious suddenly also sounded like a good idea. He shifted his position again, appearing annoyed now.

"I'm lying still now, dear boy, now that you aren't poking me in the thigh..." William's eyes were half lidded and his voice had lowered considerably in decibels and tone, coming out in a rolling purr. He smirked wider, mouth pressed against the swordsman's neck, and he migrated his roaming hand to ghost over Hugue's chest. It never failed to irritate the hell out of him...

The blond twitched a bit, not wanting to move since William was comfortable where they were now, but this was trying his patience. He grabbed the older man's wrist and held his hand still. "I never was," he replied coldly, then sighed, irritated. "You're sick. Act like it."

William cocked an eyebrow and nipped sharply at his neck. "Correction. YOU said I was sick. I said I had a migraine. There's a difference." Wiggling his fingers over the spot that his wrist was held immobile, he firmly grasped the nearest bit of flesh he could reach and pinched lightly.

"A migraine," Hugue repeated, staying still for now. "Sick enough to not be able to work." He looked at the older man for a moment, then closed his eyes, just feeling like resting for a moment. Dealing with William certainly made one tired. He idly wondered what the Professor really wanted, outside bothering him, not that there was much William could've done, his condition considered.

"According to YOU... and Vaclav and Kate and Abel, I can't work. It's very interesting how everybody else knows how I feel and I'm completely oblivious." Despite the chill in his choice of words, there was no bitterness in his voice. Only a softer and deeper tone, mostly for Hugue's benefit than anything.

Hugue moved abruptly and sat up. "Then go try to work. You can't even read a book," he told the older man, almost reprimanding. William felt quite warm, and Hugue doubted it was all because of a migraine. Rest was the only thing he knew would be of any help right now, and all things be damned if he couldn't keep William in bed. Then again, he added in his mind, perhaps he didn't want to go THAT far to keep William in bed. Not when the older man was sick.

"I would... however, you put away all the books I need at the moment, along with my clothes so I wouldn't try to get back out of bed, a nice touch, I might add..." He shifted nonchalantly to accommodate Hugue's new position and rested his head on his chest. Moving the hand he had pressed to the young man's shoulder, he dipped his fingers slowly down his spine before rubbing at his lower back.

The swordsman sighed, really wondering why he even bothered trying to reason with the older man. Whatever William was saying was no use anyway; Hugue had noticed that the Professor had been having trouble reading. Letting him to go to work was out of the question. "I need to wash your clothes," the blond replied, a valid excuse for taking them. "Quit that."

"Wash them tomorrow. You just got back." Grinning slightly, he pressed harder against his spine as his other hand resumed tracing over his ribs. He shifted again, resting his weight comfortably back between the younger man's thighs. "Quit what? Not doing anything?"

"That," Hugue said, catching the older man's hand. He didn't mind being caressed, but there was indeed a limit to everything, and Hugue's patience was well past the limit. William's touch was making him more bothered than necessary, and besides, he reminded himself, the Professor was, or was at least supposed to be, sick. "You should rest."

The hand pressed against his lower back slid slightly higher up before tickling back down and dipping just under the waistband of his pants. "I distinctly recall you telling me that... at least ten times now... and I reiterate: I am indeed resting. Enough with the complaints, you aren't fooling me."

From that, Hugue moved away suddenly, in an attempt to get away from his Master's touch. Enough was enough. "That is not resting," he pointed out, moving to sit by the older man's legs. "You have a migraine. Doesn't that mean your head hurts?" He continued, his voice showing irritation now. William was probably enjoying the scene, but Hugue didn't care about motives anymore. His self-control couldn't take much more of the teasing.

The Professor blinked and "How so? I'm not at my desk, I have no books or machinery in my hands." Rolling over on his side, he rested an elbow on the pillows and gingerly propped his head up to avoid reawakening the beast. He settled for simply staring at Hugue. He forced his face to remain calm, but his eyes glittered in amusement. "Why Hugue, your face is red..."

"...It's warm here," the younger man muttered, glaring at the Professor. It wasn't a complete lie - he had been lying next to William, after all, who in turn happened to be warm. He took a deep breath, managing to restore the normal indifferent expression on his face. He stared at the older man for a moment, then shook his head shortly. "Doing anything else than resting might make your head hurt."

William raised his eyebrows and gave the man an odd look. "So, no work, no reading, I can't eat, can barely drink, can't sleep and certainly am not allowed to get out of the bed. Ever hear of cruel and unusual punishment, my boy? It's a crime, you know..."

"Get out of bed?" Hugue asked, folding his arms. "Master. You can't even stand on your own." There was a hint of a smile on his lips as he stared intently at the older man. Things were certainly a lot easier for him to handle when he wasn't touching William. "Punishment for not taking care of yourself."

The older man huffed and remained silent for a moment, then promptly reached out and flung an arm around Hugue's waist, dragging him back over to his side of the bed with surprising strength. "Get back here, it's cold, and if you won't let me work, you can make it up to me by being a good, warm pillow. Stop squirming."

"Fine," the swordsman mumbled, even if the position was not something he preferred ending up in. He sat against the headboard and adjusted his position to allow William to lean on him. "But only if you promise to rest," he added then, wrapping one arm around the older man's shoulders.

"Eleven! And I'm not giving you another answer again!" Rolling his eyes again, the Professor slid both hands under Hugue's shirt and resumed petting his sides, nuzzling at his collarbone slightly.

Hugue frowned, squirming a little. "I said, stop that," he said, grabbing William's hands with his free hand. He was stronger, although keeping the older man's hands from getting all over his body with just one hand available for stopping him was somewhat hard. "Resting does not equal to petting me."

"Alright then..." Halting his hands, he nuzzled a little more at the crook of the blond's neck. Well, if petting him wouldn't work, there was always the other thing... Lifting his head, William smirked and blew in Hugue's ear before giving his neck a good, rough bite.

Having not expected that, Hugue jumped away from the older man, shifting to sit on the bed again. If he was beyond the limit for his patience already, there went the self-control. "I..." He started, then went quiet, grinding his teeth. If his face had been flushed before, now he certainly was bright red. "Can't." He muttered, glaring at the older man again. He was certainly feeling those months he had been away, and the idea of a cold shower sounded quite great. That, or making William really realize that he was supposed to be sick.

'Aha... I've got him.' This was the first thing that popped into William's mind. And somewhere in the back of his aching head, he had managed to come up with an idea. Suppressing any gesture that might ruin the whole scheme, the Professor sat up in the large bed and reached out a hand. Lifting the bowl of soup, he forced down a shudder and grimace, perfectly masking his true feelings about the situation, and put a spoonful of it in his mouth. Well, it didn't make his stomach very happy, but at least it didn't protest too much. Taking another slow bite, he set the bowl down and drank a sip of the tea, a little more than he had before. Watching Hugue out of the corners of his eyes, the older man placed the cup back onto the tray then lifted his hand. His mouth lifted subtly at the corners as he slowly crooked one finger, beckoning to the blonde at the far end of the bed. "Come here..."

The blond obeyed and moved closer, although he knew he wasn't supposed to. What he was supposed to do was take care of William, and maybe entertain him a little, but this was too close to ending up as what he was trying to avoid. Not that he really wanted to avoid it - at least not usually. "...What is it, Master?" He asked, staring into the older man's eyes.

William tilted his head a fraction and beckoned again, leaning back against the pillows and ignoring the bitter chill in the room. Eyes half lidded and smiling slightly, William lifted his chin and stared right back, voice dropping again to the smoother, deeper tone that irritated the blond so much. "You know exactly what it is, boy, now come..."

"I do know," Hugue muttered, having to fight to stay in control of himself. He shook his head a little, his hair falling onto to his face. A couple of months suddenly felt like a very long time. He leaned closer and kissed the older man on the forehead, quite aware that it felt warm. He lay down then, pressing his face against William's chest. "And I shouldn't. You shouldn't, Master," he told the older man, nuzzling a little. "I..." He trailed off, moving his hand to trace the older man's side. Something in the back of his mind pointed out to him that it was too late for that cold shower. He had to do something before going crazy.

Somehow, the gesture took the Professor by surprise and seemed to take quite a bit of the tease out of him. One minute they were bickering and scowling at each other, the next, he had a lap full of the younger man with his face pressed against his chest. Smiling a little, he leaned over and stroked his fingers across Hugue's back, pressing his mouth to the top of his head. "Why shouldn't you, then?"

"Because you're not well!" Hugue snarled before shifting a little and ripping the damned covers out of the way. He hadn't thought of finding the Professor's nightclothes before and finding him there in his underwear suited him just fine. He pressed his face against the older man's chest again, almost cursing the fact how comfortable and warm he felt there. An idea occurred to him then, and he smirked to himself. "Master," he said. "A migraine, yes? That means..." He slipped his hand onto William's crotch. "This might actually help."

William's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden change in Hugue's behavior, but he couldn't say that he didn't have it coming to him, so to speak. His mouth dropped open for a moment before he closed it again and grinned, squirming under Hugue's hand just to rile him up even more. Pulling the younger man's shirt out of his trousers and up his back, he raked his nails lightly across the exposed skin and petted his hair. "Caught on, finally, have you?"

"No," the blond murmured against the older man's chest. "I knew all along." He got up a little, just enough to rip he shirt away from his body, then stopped to stare at the Professor. "Don't move," he ordered, leaning to nibble on William's neck then advancing lower. He felt guilty, knowing he wasn't supposed to be doing this since William was sick, but the older man had it coming. All that damn teasing was enough to make even Hugue, as cold as he always was, snap. He cursed the other man in his mind, but he didn't care anymore. This had to be done, and if William ended up in any worse condition afterwards, he deserved it.

The fuzzy edges around the corners of his vision seemed to sharpen as all the blood that had been pounding in his temples instantly fled south. The Professor completely ignored the order to be still and shifted against the headboard, spreading his legs a little more and petting whatever skin he could get his hands on. "Oh... I just thought I had neglected to let you know..."

Hugue mumbled something unclear as a reply, stopping his advance momentarily to get the older man's underwear out of his way. He idly considered how far he should go, then decided it didn't matter too much. Just being there was enough. "Neglected, indeed," he muttered, shifting to lie between the older man's legs. He had to take a moment to push his hair out of the way, and he cursed for not having it tied back. He gave up after a short moment and just leaned down, placing a kiss on the older man's thigh.

William's breath hitched in his throat and he shivered. Whether it was the chill in the room or the hot breath on his leg, he couldn't really say, but it really didn't make any difference. Not in the slightest. Exhaling slowly, the older man threaded his fingers through Hugue's hair and pulled it out of his face, rubbing absently at the nape of his neck while the other hand traced thin scars on his back.

The swordsman paused to look up at William, a faint smile on his lips. He then lowered his face, admiring the sight for a moment. He wasn't actually sure if what he had heard about sex helping with migraines was true, but it right now, it wasn't his problem. If this really helped, good; if not, then at least Hugue got what he wanted. He shifted his position just a little, moving his hand onto the older man's erection, then slowly took the tip into his mouth.

A tight hiss escaped clenched teeth as the older man forced himself to remain still. Clamping his mouth shut, William's fingers slid deeper into the blond locks and rubbed against Hugue's scalp soothingly. If his own head was aching, he certainly didn't feel it now...

Hugue relaxed a little from the feeling of the Professor's fingers caressing his hair. At least he could be certain that William was enjoying it. He ran his tongue along the hard length while slipping his hand between the older man's legs, rubbing gently.

Biting down on his lip, William squirmed a little and shivered. When he felt a hand slide between his thighs and rub just *there*, his head fell back and cracked against the headboard with a dull thud.

The blond glanced up just to check William was still with him then continued, this time taking more of the organ into his mouth and sucking carefully. He shifted a little while doing so, moving his free hand to work on his own pants, as he was getting somewhat uncomfortable by now. Hell, he had been uncomfortable for a good while; it was just getting intolerable now.

William blinked away the bright dots that had appeared before his eyes and stared down at the younger man. His face was alarmingly pale, save for the glowing spots of fever on his cheekbones. "Ah... you might find it... EASIER if you... just-shift up and... Well, perhaps not easier, but a lot more pleasant..."

"I'll manage," Hugue mumbled, his voice quite unclear due to what he was occupied with. He sat up a little anyway, somewhat frustrated with his pants and ending up ripping them a bit while trying to get them out of the way. With that problem out of the way, he concentrated more on his current task, taking as much of the length into his mouth as he could.

"Hugue, I wasn't intending for you to simply MANAGE- Mmmmhhhh..." Whatever he was about to say was cut off when Hugue flicked his tongue against him, just so. Nibbling on his lower lip, the Professor mustered up all the willpower he had and gently detached the younger man from him. Grabbing the swordsman by the arms, he tugged Hugue up and into his lap, attacking his neck and collarbone with nips and kisses. "I don't know... whether I should be offended- or just wounded..." Ignoring the fuzzy feeling in his head and the throbbing in his lower regions, he sucked hard on the side of the blond's neck and admired the livid spot of color that was left. "That you'd think that all I wanted was a quick release, and would leave you to just MANAGE." The last word came out harsher than he intended, and he pulled tenderly on Hugue's hair, baring his throat and suckling on the tender skin there. One hand slid tight around his waist to prevent him from squirming away as the other tickled down his belly.

The younger man shivered a little under the touch, but he shook his head. "Master, it's... fine," he replied quietly. "You could just let me," he mumbled as he shifted on William's lap, to keep his weight off of the older man. He hadn't actually thought of his Master wanting anything - and if anyone there wanted a quick release, it certainly wasn't William. Hugue leaned to nibble on the older man's ear, trying to make a quick decision what to do.

William twitched a little when Hugue exploited that tender spot under his ear and slid his hand lower, fondling him leisurely. Returning his mouth to his neck, he nibbled down the jugular to pause at his collar. Swiping his tongue over the hollow of his throat, he roved even lower and clasped his lips on a nipple, pinching the other sharply. "Mmhh, I'll let you do as you please as soon as I finish my lunch..." With that, he squeezed the younger man closer to him and continued what he'd been doing.

"Gah..." Hugue clenched his teeth together to keep himself quiet. He pushed his hand against the headboard for support and closed his eyes for a moment, letting the older man do as he pleased. The blond couldn't take much more, though. "...Can't..." He mumbled, squirming away from the Professor's hold. He shifted on William's lap a little, pressing his crotch against the older man's and slipping his hand between them, to stroke them both.

The Professor chuckled breathily at Hugue's impatience and trailed his fingers down the blond's back to tease over his backside, Pressing his lips to the younger man's ear, he nipped at the lobe before breathing lightly against it. "So impatient... And RESPONSIVE. It really has been a while, hm?" Groping playfully at his bottom, he shifted and grinded against him briefly and shivered pleasantly at the sensations.

The swordsman considered for a moment what to reply, but in the end said nothing. Anything he could have said would have gotten countered with something, as outtalking the Professor was impossible. That, or getting him just to plain shut up. Besides, thinking of a witty reply meant he would have had to pay more attention to talking and less to what he was doing, and while his damned Master could do that without trouble, Hugue couldn't. The older man's skin felt hot against his and just being there was too much for him right now.

Smirking a little against Hugue's neck, the older man fondled him a little more before slipping one finger inside and brushing tenderly at the tight ring of muscle. William didn't do anything more but hold his hand there when he pressed his mouth to the blond's temple and drew his thumb over the younger's lips in a silent question.

"Agh," Hugue mumbled, not having expected that. He tensed a little then tried to relax, not that he wasn't too far from being able to relax anymore. His fingers wrapped tightly over his own erection, William's forgotten for a moment, but Hugue needed something and now. He threw his head back, biting his lip to keep himself from calling out, but the word "Master" escaped from his lips anyway as he came. He muttered a curse, slumping against the older man for a second. He had been supposed to be taking care of William here, not... this. He took a deep breath, then shook his head to get his hair out of his eyes. "I'm sorry, Master," he muttered. "It's... Been a while."

Shivering violently, William grit his teeth and firmly tightened the reins on his self control, methodically stroking pale blonde tresses. His other hand remained still right where it had been. Then the words sank in and for the second time in the past couple of hours, the Professor stared down at Hugue like he'd gone mad. "Good Lord, Hugue, I've never seen anybody who would apologize for that... Take a moment to get your wind back..."

"I apologize, because I was supposed to be taking care of you," the swordsman replied after taking a deep breath. With the little problem he had been having gone, he was back to his normal composed self - if being suddenly a little more talkative than usual didn't count. He raised his hand to touch William's face and smiled a little. "Right now, your needs should come first," he continued then placed a short kiss on the older man's lips before moving away and glancing down. "I owe you something."

William shook his head and planted his fingers on Hugue's mouth, turning his head away slightly. "As tempting as it is, kissing isn't exactly advisable at the moment." Moving his hand from the younger man's backside, he fell back on the pillows and rested his head on the headboard. "But I did say you could have your way after..." He smirked a little and absently swiped a hand across his face.

Hugue shook his head shortly. He didn't really care right now but then again, William was right. He shifted to lie down on his side and nuzzled the older man's chest, biting his lip a little while doing so. He was feeling a little tired, but there were things that needed to be done before resting. He returned his hand to where it had been before, wrapping his fingers around the older man's erection. "And after this, you rest," he mumbled, looking straight into William's eyes.

The Professor fidgeted slightly and rubbed at Hugue's scalp again, tickling his fingers over his neck. "Already am resting..."

"I meant sleeping," the blond mumbled before occupying himself with finishing what he had started. He took the tip of the organ into his mouth again and sucked gently while caressing the length with his fingers. The tiredness was threatening to take over, but Hugue had been in far worse situations when tired - and with any luck, he would actually get William to sleep after this.

William gritted his teeth and fidgeted. The fingers on him were quite pleasant, true, but Hugue's attentions to that one spot with his mouth was... Exhaling heavily, the older man leaned his head back and pressed his lips tight to smother any noise.

The blond kept a steady pace with his caresses, pleased with the response he was getting, although he did tend to curse William in his mind. The Professor was more experienced and could take a lot longer than the swordsman - a small fact sometimes capable of driving Hugue insane. He could only hope William lacked that willpower right now.

The older man bit his lip and his brows furrowed slightly. It was incredible, but the temperature in the room dropped another ten degrees. A rush of heat danced along his nerves, but it wasn't enough to do anything but make him shiver uncontrollably. The blond's mouth unexpectedly hit that particular spot again and his head thunked back against the headboard when he came. He was too cold and ill and didn't have the will to torment the younger one for now.

It had, in the end, been easier than Hugue had expected. He finished his task then moved away, swallowing. William still smoked too much, he noted to himself from the taste. "Any better, Master?" He asked, raising his hand and drawing his fingers over the older man's cheek. "You should rest now."

William nodded slightly, still not trusting himself to speak. The corner of his mouth quirked at Hugue in a reassuring manner as he slid his fingers back through his hair and let his hand fall. For some reason, the trembling in his body still hadn't dissipated and his eyes were still hazy. Pressing his hand to his mouth, he stifled a yawn and pulled weakly at Hugue, dragging him on top of him, tugging blindly at the coverlet.

Hugue smirked, having won at last. He allowed himself to be dragged and took a comfortable position next to the old man, pulling the covers over them both. "Sleep, Master," he whispered, petting William's hair absently. He sure needed a moment of rest himself, and he closed his eyes.

William was almost gone before Hugue even told him to sleep. Muttering something soft and unintelligible, he mustered all his remaining energy and rolled over on his side, burrowing close into the warmth Hugue was giving off. Maybe after a while, the shivering would go away.