Warm. This was the first thing that flickered across William's brain. Sighing a little in his sleep, he buried his cooling face into something soft and silken and clutched onto its owner, rolling the other underneath him as a pillow and falling right back to sleep.

Hugue sighed, having trouble trying to sneak out of the bed without waking the other man. He had changed his mind about sneaking out unnoticed, mainly because he had noticed that his Master's skin felt cool by now, and he was certain the older man would be better soon. He didn't have more business in the Vatican, and he wanted to be on his way already. It was just proving to be rather difficult to leave with William clinging to his hair.

The older man squirmed a bit uncomfortably to get all the strange angles and sharp bones in a less painful spot and sleepily nuzzled the crook of the blond's neck, one hand twining in Hugue's hair and the other laying flat on his chest.

The blond inched away, carefully taking the older man's hand and pushing it off of his chest. He continued moving away until he almost dropped off of the bed. He cursed quietly and pulled his head away abruptly, hoping he didn't wake his Master. He noticed the remains of his shirt on the floor - the one that he'd ended up ripping when in a hurry to get his clothes off - and pushed the torn fabric towards the older man, figuring the thing had his smell on it.

Frowning slightly at the movement and noise, the Professor reluctantly loosened his grip and rolled onto his side, back to the younger man. Mumbling something slurred and unintelligible, William gripped the sheet and drew it up to his neck, sighing a little and falling still.

The swordsman sighed in relief and stood up, finding himself having to grab the wall for support as he suddenly found white stars dancing in his vision. He shook his head, blaming it on getting up too quickly. He got dressed, drew the dark cloak over his clothes and picked up his sword, then stopped by the bed to place a gentle kiss on his Master's forehead before heading out. He felt a little guilty for leaving without saying a word, but it was better this way. He made it outside the apartment, frowning as he felt a little lightheaded, but continued along the corridor. He turned around the corner and nodded a quick greeting to Father Havel who passed by him in the corridor - and on that moment the world suddenly turned dark, and Hugue slumped to the floor.

"Good morning, H-" Vaclav started, and then promptly spun around when the younger man fell. "Hugue!" He called the blond's name and knelt down next to him. "What on earth...?" He turned the blond on his back and touched his face. Hugue's skin was slightly warm; Vaclav frowned as he quickly studied the younger man. Obviously, Hugue was slightly feverish and had just passed out. "God help you, boy, when William gets his hands on you... Assuming he has the strength to do anything," he muttered as he picked Hugue up on his arms and carried him to William's apartment. He had some trouble opening the door, but after he managed to do so he carried Hugue to the bedroom and placed him on the bed. "William? William, wake up."

"Mmrrph... Too r'ly g'way..." Face pressed firmly into the pillows, William lifted a hand and waved it as if he was shooing a gnat and made another indefinable noise as he continued to sleep.

"William," Vaclav repeated in a demanding tone. "This is probably your fault, so you should take responsibility for it." He reached out to touch his friend's forehead and smiled a little when finding out that the fever seemed to be gone. He then sighed and started removing Hugue's shoes. "William, Hugue passed out. He needs to be stripped. I'd go get a doctor if you'd just wake up."

Hugue. Stripped. Well, why didn't he say so sooner? Frowning deeply, William tossed off the covers and rose upright in the bed, staring at Vaclav groggily before catching sight of Hugue. Eyes widening slightly, he shot a hand out and ran his fingers over the younger one's cheek before pressing the back of his hand on his brow. "Hell, he's burning up..." Frowning even more, he got out of bed and slipped on a robe for the sake of modesty. Climbing back into the bed, he leaned over the blond and tapped his face smartly. "Wake up, you. Now."

"I'll get that doctor," Vaclav said before leaving the room.

"Grah..." Hugue muttered, irritated at being poked at. He shook his head a little and tried to move, thinking he had heard something. He then just lay still, not remembering what had happened and unable to figure out where he was at the moment. His head was spinning and he felt sick, and that was all he cared to realize.

William scowled down at the swordsman and hopped up from the bed, marching into the bathing room to fill a small basin with cool water and grab a few rags. Upon his return to the bed, he set to the task of unbuttoning the blond's shirt and pulling it off of him with a bit of difficulty. "Oh, so you just thought you'd sneak out in the early hours of the morning and maybe I'd forget you were gone for the next four months? Brilliant scheme, only one flaw. You're sick. Get comfortable, you'll be in this bed for a while."

There was more talking, not that the swordsman could have made out the words. It was annoying though, and he waved his hand weakly, in hopes of getting whoever it was to shut up. Thinking was difficult, and he sighed as he felt someone removing his clothes. The darkness from before was threatening to taking over, and he let it happen, feeling too tired to resist.

Shaking his head with a heavy sigh, William got back up from the bed and lifted Hugue gently to shift his weight off of the covers. Drawing the sheets and the coverlet up to the blond's waist, he placed a pillow under his head before dropping his hand into the basin and wringing out a rag, folding it double and wiping Hugue's face with it. Lovely. Well, he had told the boy not to kiss him...

Sweet darkness. Restless dreams he couldn't remember. Someone touching him, and then, someone talking again. Hugue found himself awake but didn't dare to open his eyes. His head left a little more clear, at least, and he settled to listening to the conversation, trying to figure out who was talking. Female voice. Sister Kate, he figured after a while. Well, at least she wasn't yelling...

"So your fault," Kate scolded the Professor. "So the doctor says he hasn't been drinking or eating properly, and that's why he collapsed. If you hadn't gotten yourself sick in the first place, this wouldn't have happened. Oh well, at least keeps you here. You're still recovering, you big idiot, you're SO staying here, William."

William narrowed his eyes and mustered up the nerve to draw himself up and scowl at the flickering, transparent woman. "I already KNOW this, Kate, don't you think I already know what needs to be done and who's to blame for it? I'll take care of the boy myself for as long as he's ill, so the person you need to be speaking with is Lady Caterina." Cutting off his rant, he gave Kate a slightly regretful look and took a long draw from his pipe to soothe his nerves. Frowning, he slid his chair closer to the bed and held the pipe to the side, away from Hugue as he wiped a cold rag over his face and neck, pushing the damp strands of hair out of his face. "I have no intentions of leaving here, no need for the lecture."

"I knew that, William. Just needed to rant at you," Kate replied, sighing. She shook her head, looking at Hugue. "First you make me worried, then that idiot does. When does it end? And actually I should be telling you it's not your fault. Fever isn't contagious you know, he didn't get that from you. But... Stupid boy, if he hadn't been so fanatically taking care of you, which makes it your fault and... Gah, never mind. I'll talk to Lady Caterina about this. And don't you even THINK about working!" With that, she vanished from the room.

Hugue shifted a little, finding the cool touch on his neck uncomfortable. So that's what this was. He tried to piece the conversation together, and then thought about the two previous days. He had been in a hurry to get back to Vatican and had not slept too much, and then... He had to admit that he had been worried about his Master and all he had eaten had been a few bites when he had been cooking more soup for the older man.

The sudden movement from Hugue caught William's attention and he petted his hair for a moment before standing and pouring some cool water into a glass. Sitting back down, he eased one hand behind the blond head and lifted him gently to avoid jostling it and greatening the headache the boy must have had. He settled the rim of the glass against the swordsman's lips. "There must be some sort of virus going around... try to drink this down."

The blond muttered something unclear but managed to drink a little. He found himself thirsty and tried to raise his hand and take the glass, but he found himself unable to do so. He settled to letting the older man handle the glass, drinking every drop of water there was. He then sighed, opening his eyes little and tapping the sheet with his fingers, relieved to find his arms still working even if he lacked the strength to move right now.

Satisfied, the older man refilled the glass from the pitcher on the nightstand and shook a couple of aspirin from a small medicine bottle in the dresser drawer. "I know you won't like this, but you need to take these. It should help ease that headache you'll be having and perhaps help curb some of that fever as well."

"Fine," Hugue mumbled as a reply, not feeling like he had strength to argue, not that he had been in any position to argue when his head was hurting. "...Need food," he continued, remembering what Kate had said about the doctor. His stomach hurt, and he didn't actually want to eat anything, but the weak feeling all over his body told him enough. He was lacking energy more than anything.

The older man nodded and got up, wringing out the rag again and placing it on Hugue's forehead. Smiling a little, he patted the blond's hand before taking off for the kitchen to try to find something. Cook something...? Oh God, no. Last time he tried it all ended in catastrophe. Sandwiches and some leftover soup was in order. Thank God there was still most of the pot left. Pulling a small tea tray out from a cabinet, William placed it on the table and pulled down a bowl and a saucer. How that boy could bring himself to eat was completely beyond him, but the older man wasn't going to say anything about it. After heating up the pot of soup on the stove without much disaster, he set in on making a few sandwiches. Eh, maybe peanut butter and jelly... anything more complicated than that might end up with Hugue finding a finger in his food or something.

Hugue closed his eyes and silently hoped that his Master wouldn't get too ambitious when it came to making food. He smiled to himself tiredly, remembering the last time William had decided to prepare a meal. Well, it hadn't been that bad... It just made for another good reason why Hugue cooked when he was around.

Stacking the food on the tray in an almost passable attempt at order, William lifted the tray carefully and carried it into the bedroom, stooping to set the tray on the blond's lap before sitting back down in the chair. "That stove is possessed, Hugue, I can swear to that... the green button is supposed to glow green, right? So WHY does it glow red? " Shaking his head, the older man sighed and reached across to adjust Hugue's pillow, then settled back and made to light his pipe. "Taken those aspirin yet?"

"No," the younger man replied. "Tired." He stared at William then shook his head, not sure if he wanted to know what the Professor was rambling about concerning the stove. He studied the food on the tray, deciding it was edible and raising his hand to pick up a sandwich - and failing, as he couldn't concentrate enough to even eat. "...Gah..." He looked at the older man, appearing frustrated.

William suppressed a small grin and shook his head, getting up from the chair and seating himself on the edge. "Oh, believe me, I know the feeling. I don't see how you can even look at food, let alone brave anything I attempted to make. On another note, now that you're almost conscious... Quite the dramatic escape you tried to pull off. If you had simply gotten up and dressed, I would have known what you were doing and not said a word about it... sneaking off in the early hours of the morning tends to make some things seem cheapened..." William frowned highly, but then simply sighed and shook his head. Reaching over to lift up the bowl of soup, he dipped out a small bite and blew on it before settling the spoon near the blond's lips.

Hugue leaned forward a little, taking the spoon into his mouth even if he found the situation stupid, yesterday considered. "I was not escaping," he replied dryly, somewhat annoyed by the older man's rambling. He took a deep breath and attempted to pick up the sandwich again, managing it this time and taking a bite. "I kept telling you that you need to eat," he pointed out, placing the sandwich down. "Need to eat."

"Yes, and look who's laid up in bed, weak from dehydration and not eating anything himself? So," William frowned even more and crossed his arms in an exaggerated, yet oddly accurate imitation of the younger man. "Eat something and rest."

The blond wasn't going to reply to that one, especially since William happened to be right. He had, in the end, been too busy to try get the older man to eat to remember to eat himself. "...I'm eating," he muttered and took another bit of the sandwich, staring at the bowl with the soup with a bored expression. It was edible enough even if he still found himself not wanting to eat, and he nodded at it in hopes that the older man would take the hint and give him some more, then glanced at the nightstand. "Water."

Nodding, William took the cup and tilted it against Hugue's lips. Once emptied, he refilled it from the pitcher and set it back on the dresser as he blew off another spoonful of soup and offered it to Hugue. He softened his expression and reached out with his free hand to brush a bit of dampened hair from the younger man's face.

The swordsman ate the soup and leaned his head against the pillows. Eating wasn't on the list of things he would've wanted to be doing right now, but it was helping his fatigue, which was the desired effect. He felt a little less weak by now, and he picked up the sandwich again, taking another bite and then looking at the older man. "More?"

Grinning a little, the Professor wiped at Hugue's face with the rag before dipping the spoon back into the soup and managing to get a few more bites into him before tilting the glass of water to his mouth again. "Well, at least your appetite is pretty good. Once you eat, we'll let it all settle before you take those pills. Taking medicine on an empty stomach is a big mistake..."

"Not hungry. Just wise enough to know what to do if dehydrated," the blond mumbled. He was sure William would end up giving him a good lecture later, but right now, he wanted to regain his strength. He stared at the plate, admitting to himself that his stay in the Vatican would end up extended after all. "Give the medicine?" He asked, turning his head towards the table.

William frowned a little at Hugue's refusal to eat more, but shrugged and picked up the glass and the pills. Reaching out with one hand, he placed one of them in the younger man's mouth and pressed the glass to his lips. "Now back to the topic in question... What's the reason for stealing off into the night when you could have just... got up and left without having to be sneaky about it?" He shook his head with a little sigh and placed the other pill on Hugue's tongue, lifting the glass again.

Hugue swallowed the medicine, hoping it would ease the headache and deal with the slight fever he had. He picked up the remains of the sandwich and stared at it for a moment, not interested in eating it, but he then ate the rest anyway. His stomach still hurt and eating hadn't made things any better. "It's morning. Not night," he corrected his Master. "And because you deserved it."

"Ahuh, just like you deserve having to lay here and put up with me all day. And it was still dark outside when Vaclav carried you in, so that still counts as night for me." Smirking a little, the Professor dipped the spoon back into the soup and blew on it before offering the bite to Hugue.

The blond shrugged, then stared at the spoon for a long while before giving in and eating it. He wondered how well William was going to do with the not working part, now that he was on his feet again. His doubted his Master had the patience to just sit by the bed like he had done. "Should rest more," he said, shifting on the bed a little to find a more comfortable position.

"Hmph, should say the same for you." The older man placed the spoon back into the bowl and set it aside, lifting the tea tray and placing it on the dresser. "I'll give you more later, too much at once can make you sick, even if you do need to eat." Wringing out another rag, William leaned across to brush Hugue's hair out of his face and wipe over it gently, sliding the cool, wet cloth down his neck and over his chest.

"I'm trying to rest," Hugue mumbled, closing his eyes and relaxing a little as he felt the cloth against his skin. It felt cool and a little uncomfortable since he was feeling a little cold, but he didn't complain and the let William do whatever. At least the current task kept the Professor occupied for now. He squirmed some more, not content with his position. "Another pillow?" He asked.

"Alright, just let me get one from the closet..." Putting the rag back into the basin, William hopped up from the chair and stepped over to the small, highly unorganized closet and rummaged around for a few minutes before he managed to dig out a slightly battered looking pillow. He gently eased the younger man up just enough to slip it under him before he noticed Hugue shivering a little. Frowning, he pulled the covers up to the swordsman's neck and undid a few buttons on his own shirt as he slid under the covers next to him and drew close, stroking his hair soothingly. "Well, nothing else for me to do for the moment. Try to get some sleep."

With William next to him, Hugue couldn't have cared less about the pillows. He crawled closer and rested his head against the older man's shoulder, moving a bit until he found himself comfortable. "Yes," he replied, nuzzling the Professor's shoulder, hoping he would be forgiven for trying to sneak out. Some sleep would hopefully take the weak feeling away, and he settled there, falling asleep after a while.

The only reason William even woke up before nightfall was the slant of the sunlight through the window boring through his eyelids and making them water a little. Frowning, he attempted to cover his eyes with a hand, but found it was occupied by being wound in blond hair. Oh dear... he hadn't intended to go to sleep on the boy...

Hugue was still fast asleep; he had not slept too much on his way back home just a few days earlier, and it was finally catching up on his body. Not having to worry about his Master only added to it. His dreams were a lot more pleasant this time around, and he mumbled something in his sleep, a slight smile on his face.

Blinking sleepily, one corner of William's mouth quirked and he rubbed affectionately at the younger one's hair, squirming a bit closer and lightly petting Hugue's hip with his free hand. Well, it was quite a welcome sight to behold, the boy smiling in his sleep. Wasn't long ago that he would wake up howling...

The younger man shifted a bit then lazily opened his eyes after a while. "Mm...?" He felt comfortable, and his sleepy mind figured out quite quickly where he was. There was, after all, only one place where he allowed himself to feel comfortable. "...Master?" He asked, trying to suppress a yawn and failing. He was still half-asleep and didn't bother to wait for an answer, but instead nuzzled closer and closed his eyes again.

Grinning a little wider, the hand migrated and tickled chastely across Hugue's lower back. Leaning forward, he pressed his mouth to the blond's temple briefly before reaching up a hand to draw his knuckles over his brow. "Well, you're cooling off some... starting to sweat it out now. Thirsty?"

"Mmmm," Hugue mumbled, too tired for a proper reply, but he was in agreement. He nodded, hoping the older man understood. At least he was feeling less weak than before, which was some improvement. He pushed the sheets away, not caring if he didn't happen to be wearing anything.

Chuckling, William managed to drag himself upright and pick up the half empty glass of water on the nightstand. Pouring it full from the small pitcher, he set it back down and slipped his free hand behind Hugue's neck, pressing the brim of the cool glass against his lips as he tsked teasingly at the swordsman. "Wakey wakey... you won't bat an eye tonight if you sleep any more."

Hugue raised his hand and took a hold of the glass, drinking the contents. He attempted to sit up afterwards, succeeding in doing so after some trouble, as he still ended up feeling slightly dizzy when holding his head up. His mind cleared after a moment though, and he looked at the older man. "Food?" He asked.

"Alright, give me a minute to heat up some more soup, then," The Professor nodded and slid from between the rumpled sheets, picking up the tea tray and walking off with it. Upon reaching the kitchen, William noticed that he'd used the last of the bread to make those sandwiches. Frowning, he dug into the pantry and found a pack of crackers. After heating up the pot of soup he had covered up previously, he placed the steaming bowl back on the tea tray and placed the jars of peanut butter and jelly on the tray along with a knife, picking it up and returning to the bed.

By the time William made it back to the bedroom, Hugue wasn't there. After the older man left, he dragged himself up and, with some difficulty, managed to make it to the bathroom. He had first wanted to take a shower, but just ended up sitting there and trying to clean himself. He frowned, studying his hair; it was out of order, and he mumbled a few curses, not seeing a hairbrush anywhere.

"You stupid boy, you're going to kill yourself like this..." William sighed and set the tray down on the bed, knowing full well that Hugue was close enough to hear him. If the younger man felt anything like he had, the first thing he would be after was a bath. He was right. Poking his head into the bathroom, he sighed again and stepped close, pulling Hugue up from his perch and holding him close to keep him from falling as he fiddled with the knobs and filled the tub with warm water. "Idiot boy... you could have said something before you decided to get it into your thick head that you were perfectly able to move on your own." It took several minutes for the tub to fill, but once it was finished, William lifted the blond up with little trouble and placed him in the tub.

"I'm fine," the blond muttered, leaning against the edge of the bathtub and closing his eyes. Not having to concentrate on sitting up on his own felt a lot easier, and he sighed silently, hating to admit any weakness. He had been watching after his Master for two days, though, so it would have to be fine to allow the older man to take care of him for a while, then. "Just get me that food. And wash my hair."

"Yes, just fine, I'm sure. I'll just have to carry you around the apartment for my health." Shaking his head in dismay, William bent to rummage around in the cabinets under the sink, pulling out a slender bottle of hair wash and a plastic cup and dragging up a foot stool to sit on. "Wait a minute before you get that soap in the water, it will build up in your hair and make it feel oily." Dipping the cup into the tub, the older man eased Hugue's head back and poured the hot water into his hair several times before pouring a bit of shampoo into the hollow of one hand and massaging it into his hair and across his scalp.

The swordsman muttered something as a reply then took a comfortable position, ignoring whatever the Professor was explaining to him about. He happened to know quite well how to wash his hair, and right now, he wasn't going to listen anyway. Feeling the older man's fingers working on his head felt quite pleasant, and he closed his eyes, relaxing. "Mmmh..." He nuzzled William's hand and yawned.

Despite his irritation, the older man smiled a little and tipped Hugue's head back again. Dipping the cup back into the hot water, William rinsed the suds away and rubbed his fingers through the wet tresses and rinsed once more before pouring more hair wash into his palm and working it back in. After the second rinse, he gripped the blond hair and gently squeezed the excess water from it before shaking off his hands and rising from the foot stool. "Wait here for a moment..." After walking out, he returned a moment later with the tea tray full of food and set it on the floor next to the tub. "Go ahead and eat, I can handle this."

Hugue opened his eyes and looked at the older man lazily then smiled a little. "Much better," he said, reaching to pick up the bowl with the soup. It had cooled down and wasn't exactly hot anymore, but he didn't care. The crackers on the tray looked edible enough as well, although he figured it was better to leave them for later and just eat the soup for now.

"It may not sound very tasty, but smearing some of that jam on those crackers is actually quite good." Picking up a bar of soap, the older man dipped his hands back into the bath and put a bit of pressure on Hugue's shoulders to get him to lean up a little. Once he'd rolled his sleeves up over his elbows and worked up a good lather on his palms, William rubbed his fingers slowly across the nape of Hugue's neck, then worked them down and kneaded across his shoulders. Once he finished there, he rinsed off the soap and lathered his hands back up, rubbing down the blond's back and sides even as the water sluiced up past his forearms.

"Hmm," Hugue mumbled as a reply, placing the empty bowl away and sitting still for a moment, letting the older man wash him. He felt quite content and made a mental note to get his Master to do this more often, even if the thought instantly made his mind wander into other things that could be done in bath. He suppressed a smile; that was so not going to happen right now. Some other time maybe... He leaned to pick up a cracker, adding some jam on it and eating it.

William chuckled and petted Hugue's hair before letting go and pulling the stool around. Sitting back down, he dipped his hands back into the clouded water and soaped his hands back up, reaching up to rub his fingers across the scarred torso. A mild frown creased the older man's brow whenever his hands brushed over a particularly deep looking mark but he shrugged it off as his hands slid below the water again. "I trust you got some rest, at least? Before you tried dragging yourself in here?"

"I did," the blond replied, reaching for another cracker. They tasted good enough; so part of it might have come from the fact that he hadn't eaten much on the past few days, but he didn't pay attention to details. "You make it sound like I'm as sick as you were the other day, Master" he added, giving the older man a look. Hugue didn't consider his condition to be that bad in the end. A little bit of food, some rest, and good care from his Master, and he was feeling a lot better - or so he kept telling himself, at least. Part of it was true, but he was still in no condition to return to his duties.

"Oh, you aren't quite that bad off. But if you keep pulling these stunts, you will be. Why do you think Kate and Vaclav were threatening me with physical violence whenever they caught me in my office. Overexert yourself, and it will sneak up on you." Rinsing off his hands, William rose and got a few towels, placing them on the sink before sitting back down on the stool and lifting the tray to rest in his lap, spreading jam on several crackers for the swordsman.

The swordsman gave the older man a half-smile before picking up a cracker and eating it. "So, I don't get to go to the bathroom on my own anymore, then?" He shook his head and took another cracker, amused by his Master's worrying. He hadn't been that bad himself the other day, even if he had been worried - or had he? Hugue discarded the thought and ate yet another cracker. The water was getting cool, but he didn't care. That, and the earlier warmth had made him drowsy.

William scowled and lightly tugged on a stray lock of pale hair before taking the tray and towels and stalking back to the bedroom. He tugged the sheets and covers aside on one side of the bed and spread out a towel on the bed before returning to the bathroom and draping the largest towel over his forearms and reaching into the tub, unmindful of the water drenching his clothes. "You go where you like, so long as your legs have the strength to get you there and back. Until then, you'll have to deal with me." Lifting Hugue bodily from the tub, the older man carried him back to the bed and sat him down on the warm towel and took the third one to rub vigorously at the wet skin to keep him from chilling.

"Master," Hugue pointed out. "Your clothes will get wet." He didn't object to getting dragged back to bed, though; having someone to lean on was nice, even if he was certain he could have walked by himself. "Change them?" He stared at the older man, then took the towel from him and started drying his hair. "I can do this myself." The fever was gone, he hoped, and with any luck, he would stop feeling weak every time he got up soon.

"Well, they needed to be changed anyway. And since we've both been confined in here, might as well put on some night clothes." Unbuttoning his drenched shirt, William stepped over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of sleep pants. Once he'd peeled off the shirt, he slid out of his damp slacks and slid on the loose trousers. Rummaging in the drawer of the nightstand, the older man managed to procure a comb and he climbed into the bed and settled behind the blond, starting in on combing his hair.

Hugue dried himself quickly and pushed the towels away, then drew the sheets over himself to keep himself from getting cold. When the older man returned to the bed, the swordsman picked up the pillows from the bed and stacked them behind his back, settling into a half-sitting position and leaning against his Master. Although he wouldn't ever have admitted it, he liked having the Professor fix his hair.

Smirking a bit, the Professor gathered a bit of blond hair into his hand and worked through the occasional tangle gently, careful not to snag any and pull anything. Once he'd worked through the tangles, he separated the mane into three parts and began twisting Hugue's hair around itself into a loose braid in practiced motions.

The blond rested in place, feeling content. It did save him the trouble of doing this himself, and ignoring the fact that he was supposed to be sick, he allowed himself feel a little spoiled. Well, he certainly deserved it after everything. He stared at the ceiling, not bothering to comment anything. He stayed still while William braided his hair, thankful for the fact that the older man was doing so; his hair had been open for two nights already and during his nap earlier.

After a few minutes, William had pulled Hugue's hair into thick, neat braid. Leaning over, he opened the drawer to the nightstand and rummaged around for a few moments before finding a small rubber band. Looping the tie around his fingers, the older man twisted it snugly around the end of the plait and reached out to the blond's temples to smooth back any loose hairs with his palms. "There... that should just about do it."

The swordsman shifted his position and studied his hair for a moment then nodded approvingly, satisfied with the result. He then pressed his head on the older man's lap and closed his eyes. If he was supposed to rest more, he might just as well get comfortable.

A small smile tugged at the Professor's mouth as he reached down to pet Hugue's hair for a few moments. The smile turned into a small frown as his palm slid over the younger man's cheek and William put his hand on his brow lightly. "You've cooled down quite a bit but you're still a little warm. Scoot up a little so I can get a thermometer."

"Mmm?" Hugue muttered, feeling a bit sleepy. He raised his hand and put it on William's, noting that the older man didn't really feel much cooler than his own hand. "Not needed," he mumbled lazily. "Slight fever, will go away after resting. Leave me be."

The older man frowned a little more and sighed, reaching down to ease Hugue off of him and back onto the pillows as he got up and headed for the cabinet in the bathroom. "That's what I thought too, at first. Now look at me. House arrest!" William's voice floated from the near vicinity of the bathroom as he plundered through the cabinets. Once he found it, he picked up the various items that had fallen to the floor and headed back, thermometer held aloft.

The blond frowned and turned to his side, his mood dropping a notch. Oh well, he figured the older man would return after a moment anyway, even if it was with the damned thermometer. Hugue was convinced he wasn't in that bad condition anymore, and checking if he still had fever was absolutely not necessary. He pulled the sheets over his head and pretended to be sleeping.

William saw the large bulge hidden under the sheets and sighed. That boy was definitely going to make this difficult. Pursing his mouth in determination, the older man reached down and gripped Hugue by his exposed plait and tugged gently. "Hugue, you're not asleep, stop sulking and open your mouth, it will only take a minute."

"Trying to sleep," the younger man muttered, his voice muffled by the sheets. He squirmed away from the Professor, not about to give in to the request, even if it was ridiculous to not do as told. It was not needed, his insisted in his mind, and if his Master would just let him sleep for a moment, it would go away.

When William saw that gentle coaxing wasn't going to work, he set his jaw firmly and raised a brow at the swordsman. Reaching out with one hand, he jerked the sheets down to expose Hugue's face so he could see him and he sat back on his heels on the mattress, crossing his arms firmly and scowling, voice clipped and no-nonsense. "You can open your mouth or bend over. But I'll be using one of my own devices if you decide on the latter."

Hugue turned to his back and gave the older man a firm glare. He wasn't about to give in that easily, and he knew well enough that even when weakened, the Professor was no match to his strength. Hugue's body might have not been well, but the cybernetics worked normally. He also wasn't planning on opening his mouth for a retort, as knowing William, the thermometer would've ended up in his mouth on that moment. Thus, he just lay there and glared.

The older man glared back and slid closer to Hugue, biting down on his irritation at the blond's stubbornness. "Hugue, if you insist on acting like a child, I'll treat you like one," He warned, flexing the fingers of one hand for emphasis on his threat.

"This is pointless," the blond hissed from between his teeth. He turned his head to the side and stared at the wall, appearing bored. He sighed in his mind, knowing well that he should have just given in and let the older man do as he pleased. It was all a matter of principle now - he didn't want it to happen, and he could make his own choices.

William blinked once, then nodded shortly, coming to a decision of his own. His patience had been tried enough. Reaching out abruptly, the older man gripped Hugue by the upper arm and dragged him across his lap, pressing the heel of his hand firmly into his lower back to hold him there as he snatched the sheet aside and let his hand fly, landing a volley of fast, rough smacks across the swordsman's upturned backside. Once he'd turned Hugue's rear a fetching shade of pink, he paused and shook the sting out of his fingers. "Going to open your mouth?"

Hugue's first thought was something close to 'what the hell'. It was not like what William was doing actually hurt, but the swordsman just couldn't figure out whether he should have been feeling amused or mortified. He decided on the former and hid his smile, then crossed his arms under his chin, appearing bored. "No."

A faint crease appeared between the Professor's brows as he stared down at Hugue, instantly noticing something firm poking his leg. Forcing down an amused grin, he set in on another beating, letting his hand rain down on him even harder. After a few moments, he paused again just long enough to switch hands and launched in for a third round before the sting of the last blow had even faded. "Figures... that you'd turn this... into debauchery."

The swordsman cleared his throat, having somewhat hard time wiping the smile off of his face by now. So he hadn't actually known before the older man started hitting him that it would turn him on, but he certainly knew now. "I'm not turning anything... into anything," he replied, squirming a little on the Professor's lap, his groin rubbing against the older man's thighs. He kind of wished William would have been naked as well, but it didn't matter too much.

Letting go of the younger man's lower back for a moment, he picked up the thermometer and caught him just as he was closing his mouth on the last word. Sliding the thin piece of glass into his mouth, William made a small sound of triumph and moved continued the beating. "Keep it under your tongue," He snapped halfheartedly as his palm continued to swing. Once his hands and shoulders began to ache, he halted and studied his handiwork. Oh, he was quite a lovely shade of scarlet... Grinning, he leaned over to pluck the thermometer out and read the temperature. "Hm... still a degree or two over normal."

The blond didn't bother resisting anymore, even if he still didn't want to have his temperature checked. It didn't matter anymore; William had won, on some level. On a another level, Hugue was so winning and enjoying it. He lay still and let the older man do as he wished. His behind was stinging, but it wasn't like he cared about the slight pain. He glanced at the older man over his shoulder as the thermometer was removed and smiled a little. "See? Not necessary."

William made a sound that sounded suspiciously like 'harumph', and swatted the blond's rear once more as he shook the thermometer and stuck it in the drawer of the nightstand. Sighing a bit, the older man tilted his head with a smirk as he studied the red streaks on Hugue's bottom, raw fingers tickling over the tender skin. "Still. Best to be sure."

"Enough of that," Hugue said, taking the older man's hand and pressing his face against it, then kissed it. "Still going to hit me, or...?" He asked, squirming some more on the Professor's lap. Hugue would have preferred the latter option, even though he couldn't think of much reason to object if William happened to want to hit him more. He nuzzled his Master's hand then looked up questioningly. "Well?"

William frowned a little and petted his thumb over Hugue's mouth for a moment. "I ought to give you the same protests you gave me yesterday but..." His lips curled up faintly at the corners and he leaned over to press a light kiss on the younger man's reddened rear before turning him over onto his back. Pressing his hands firmly to Hugue's hips, William lowered his head and slid his mouth gently over his erection.

The younger man gritted his teeth; ending up on his back right now wasn't most comfortable position, although it did feel rather interesting. He grabbed the older man's hair with one hand and tried to press his hips up a little. His skin was feeling hot, not that it had been the fever anymore. "Then do," he mumbled. "I don't care."

The older man chuckled and pulled away long enough to slip a hand under Hugue's sore bottom. "Yes you would." The pressure on the younger man's hip grew firmer as William increased the pressure of his mouth around the blond's erection.

"Would... not," the blond muttered, speaking of truth. Well, if him planning reacting similar to what the older man had done last night counted, should William protested. Then again, Hugue considered his condition much better then what the Professor had been like yesterday. He closed his eyes and lay still for a moment, enjoying the feeling, then pushed against the older man's mouth. "Master..."

William smirked a little around his mouthful and fluttered his tongue against a spot he personally knew that Hugue enjoyed. "Mmhm..." He hummed teasingly, indicating that he doubted the blond's truthfulness. Opening his throat up carefully, the Professor slid the hard length to the back of his throat and swallowed slowly.

Hugue mumbled something unclear, tightening his grip on the older man's hair. He frowned and glanced down, shaking his head weakly. He wasn't in good enough condition to try holding back, and if William wasn't going to get on with things soon, all they would get to do would be this. "...Get on with it," he muttered from between his teeth, not too amused to find himself shaking.

William frowned at the tremors and looked up at Hugue's face in concern. The frown quickly melted into a smug little look once he came to the conclusion that it wasn't the fever and he pulled back, giving the blond's rump a squeeze as he did. Turning his body around, he leveled his face with the younger man's hips and turned Hugue onto his side. "There... this will work a bit better."

"Hm?" Hugue opened his eyes and studied the Professor for a short moment. It didn't take him too long figure out what his Master wanted though, and he smirked, adjusting his position a little. He pulled the older man's pants out of the way and stopped to grin for a second. Seems what they had been doing had had its effect on William as well.

With no hesitation, the older man tilted his face and resumed his previous task just as intently as before. One hand slid across Hugue's tender buttocks and petted soothingly as the other tickled over the front of his thighs. As far as he was concerned, even if the swordsman's fever had gone down, it didn't mean he wasn't still sick. Best not to go all out and risk making anything worse.

The swordsman pressed slightly to the older man's caresses while setting to the same task himself, starting by running his tongue over the length before taking the tip into his mouth. He was leaning on one hand, but he slipped his other around the Professor's waist and stroked his back tenderly. Concentrating was somewhat difficult, as he was close to his limit, but he was determined to last at least for a while.

William's eyes closed slowly and he sighed a little, pleased, as he repeated that fluttering motion with his tongue and closed his throat back over Hugue's erection. As he worked the younger man's flesh with his mouth, the hand on his rear shifted and a finger stroked lightly over his opening but didn't do more than stroke there gently considering they were dry.

Some gentle teasing was more than Hugue needed, and he tensed, stopping for a moment and turning to look at the older man's face. "Not that," he muttered. "Can't take much," he added quietly before returning to what he had been doing. He wrapped his fingers around the base of the organ and sucked harder, doing his best to get the Professor to enjoy it.

Fidgeting a bit uncomfortably at the pleasant pressure, William removed his finger and resumed stroking his skin, increasing the pressure of his own mouth and moving his other hand up to fondle him in a sensitive, but less dangerous area.

Even when the Professor's touch wasn't as on his most sensitive areas anymore, Hugue shivered under the older man's fingers, cursing in his mind. Then again, no-one in the world made him react like his Master did, and he smiled a little then continued his caresses. He knew he couldn't take it for another minute, but he was planning on getting the older man as close to it as he could before he'd have to give up himself.

A faint line appeared on the older man's brow as he fidgeted a little more and pulled Hugue down again to swallow firmly. Under normal circumstances, he'd probably have had more stamina than he was showing, but given how tired he was... How tired they BOTH were... Pulling his mouth back a little, William slid the firm flesh back in his throat and swallowed hard.

The blond squirmed and pulled his head away for a moment, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against William's thighs. His control was gone, and he pressed against his Master almost violently as he came, gritting his teeth and barely managing to suppress the need to mumble the older man's name. He then sighed, relaxing against the sheets. "...Shall I finish?" He asked quietly.

After another brief moment of licking Hugue clean, the Professor pulled back just enough to breath and primly swiped his thumb over the corner of his mouth. Continuing to stroke his hands over the blond's backside, he pressed his lips against his hip and nodded.

A couple of deep breaths later, Hugue returned to what he had been doing, pushing the Professor to lie on his back. He took as much of the older man's erection as he could into his mouth and sucked hard, moving his hand between William's legs and fondling his skin. It couldn't take that much longer, he figured, as the older man wasn't in perfect health yet and, he hoped, couldn't control himself too well yet. William did have an annoying habit of taking a longer time sometimes...

Gritting his teeth a little, The older man reached down and petted Hugue's hair, careful not to muss his damp braid. He squirmed every so often whenever the blond's mouth hit him just right and after a few more minutes, he clenched his jaw and shuddered, muscles tensing as climax took over.

Hugue finished and let go off the older man, glancing at him at he moved away and turned to lie down on his back. He was about to say something but ended up swearing in French as he heard a knock from the door and Father Havel's voice calling for the Professor.

"William?" Vaclav called from the other room. "You in? There are a few papers that absolutely need you to look at them..."

The Professor blanched and yanked the covers over Hugue with one hand, attempting to adjust his sleep pants with the other. Sucking in a deep breath to cool himself off, he pressed a quick kiss to the blond's palm and reversed his position to lean back against the headboard. "Yes, Vaclav, I'm here, come in."

A few seconds later, Vaclav showed up to the bedroom door. "Good then." He held up a couple of papers. "Her Eminence needs you to check these. Something's not right about them, apparently. They are needed tomorrow morning, so if you can check them sometime tonight, it'll be fine." He then smiled. "Is Hugue feeling any better? I'm guessing you've been here all day since I haven't seen you around."

"Master hasn't eaten anything," Hugue commented, back to his usual and calm appearance. "Brought me food, but he's forgetting to eat. Bring him something?" He was right, of course; his Master wasn't being any better remembering to take care of himself than Hugue had been himself for the last few days.

William nodded a bit eagerly at the chance to get his hands on a bit of work, even if it was just dull AX documents. He gave Hugue a small look of annoyance and shifted under the covers, sneaking a hand over to give the swordsman's inner thigh a light pinch in reprimand. "I haven't forgotten to eat, I just haven't had the opportunity..."

"That's what you always say," Vaclav replied with a mock glare. He then looked at Hugue. "And then you wanted to sneak out on him? I swear, sometimes William just needs you as a babysitter..." He gave his friend a slight grin. "No offence, of course. You're just... forgetful. Well, you just check the papers; I'll make sure to get you plenty of food." His eyes then caught something white on William's cheek, and he raised an eyebrow. "...William?"

Hugue shook his head, not really having an excuse for the accusation of trying to sneak out. He did know that sometimes the older man seriously needed someone to look after him. Father Havel promising that food would be taken care of was enough for him right now, though.

William huffed a little and scowled mildly at Vaclav then at Hugue. "Bah, we've already had this discussion, I don't expect to get an answer..." He shook his head and extended his hand to collect the papers Vaclav was holding, then caught the elder man's eye and moved his hand to his face. "What?"

"Um," Vaclav mumbled. He didn't really have any idea what had been going on just a moment before he had shown up, but what was that? He handed the papers to the other man, and decided it was simply best not to ask. "Nothing. You just... make sure Hugue rests, if he's planning on taking any missions anytime soon. I'll go get you some food."

The swordsman was still thinking about needing to stick around home more to keep an eye on his Master, so he missed what was going on, and now looked at the older men, a little confused. He then glanced at William and stared at the Professor's face for a second then smirked, finally realizing what it was that Father Havel was apparently not interested in figuring out.

Wiping at his face, William looked down at something damp on his fingers and his eyes widened slightly, mouth quivering in an attempt not to grin. Clearing his throat lightly, the Professor gave the swordsman a look as he rubbed his fingers together and nodded at the older priest. "Ah... yes, food sounds good Vaclav, thank you."

Vaclav gave his friend a blatant stare until he caught himself a few seconds later. "...Right, yes. I'll be back soon, then." With that, he escaped from the apartment. He definitely didn't want to know details about what that had been, although William, in his usual oh so innocent style, had managed to make things quite clear.

"I think he didn't want to know about it, Master," Hugue said, managing to not sound too amused. He smiled slightly and pressed his head against the older man's shoulder. "Rest?" He asked, making himself conformable. He was a little tired, in the end, and he closed his eyes. Since someone else was making sure William would eat something, Hugue figured he could take a little break.

William grinned and stroked his fingers absently across the younger man's arm. "Oh, I know he didn't. Lucky he has the sense to knock or he would have had a stroke long before now..." Shifting a little and reaching over to the nightstand, he located his pipe and dug a match out of the drawer, lighting up and taking a slow drag. "Try to get some sleep. You're still warm after all..."

The swordsman mumbled something as a reply, not minding if the older man was smoking. He did consider pointing out that William shouldn't smoke in bed, but he decided not to ruin the moment. Besides, even if he did complain about the smoking, leaning on his Master's shoulder while the older man sat there and quietly smoked made him feel like home. He sighed contently and drifted off to sleep.

The older man smiled faintly and slipped an arm around Hugue's shoulders, smoothing a bit of loose, blond hair back neatly. Savoring another lungful of smoke, William released his breath slowly and glanced at the pile of paperwork in his lap. Well, he'd have to race through it in the morning to meet the deadline... for now, he had better things to do.