Julian x Apprentice

Chapter 6

The next morning, you woke up to him fidgeting in bed. The sun had risen, and it looked to be about mid-morning, though the light seemed unusually harsh today.

"How long have you been up?" you asked, voice still groggy from sleep. Rubbing your temples, you turned and looked at him. He had a soft smile across his face, as if he'd been watching you sleep.

"Not long, I assure you." Though by his body language, you could tell this wasn't the entire truth.

"And how are you not hungover?" You head throbbed with movement, stomach rolling as you faced him. You buried your face in his chest, trying to escape the morning light. You were frustrated that you felt so sick, and yet he seemed more chipper than usual.

"Lyubimaya, have you forgotten? I sailed with pirates for nearly a year, they drink rum for breakfast." He seemed particularly reminiscent of the memory. You thought it might have to do with the heavy burden of the plague resting on his shoulders at present. Even you didn't remember what it felt like to be carefree anymore.

You just groaned as he pet your hair, trying to alleviate some of the pain you felt. Though moving away from him was nearly the last the thing you wanted in that moment, your stomach lurched as a wave of nausea hit you. Leaping from the bed, you hastily unlatched the window and leaned out it to vomit onto the alley below. He was there in an instant, holding your hair out of your face, softly patting your back. Feeling marginally better, you slumped on the wall below the window, sitting on the floor.

"Gross," you groaned, sincerely hoping no one was in the alley to see your still naked form lean out the window.

"Come, let me take care of you." He picked you up bridal style, carrying you into the bathroom. He was a doctor, through and through. He started the bath, turning the hot water on all the way. He let you down to rinse your mouth out with water, rinsing some of the bad taste and morning breath away. The bathroom was by no means as fancy as the palace baths, but it was stocked with some different scented soaps. Once the bath was filled and steaming, you got in while he sat on the edge. He used his hands to get your hair wet, picked up a bottle of soap, and sniffed it before pouring some into his hand. His fingers working the soap into a lather on your scalp felt heavenly, and nearly worked away the headache you had before.

"You're not going to come in, too?" You wanted to be close to him again, thoughts from the previous night skittering through your mind. You wanted to take advantage of your borrowed free time, allowing yourself to be uncensored within the walls of the guest room. He eyed the space in the tub, gauging whether or not his gangly legs could fit without being cramped. You tugged his arm a bit in an attempt to get him into the water. He complied, though he looked a bit squished sitting cross legged. You decided to take a risk, sitting on his lap so he could stretch his legs out more comfortably. Taking turns washing each other, you relished the feeling of being cared for. Making sure to take the time to look after him too, taking special care to heal the small rope burns on his wrists from the night before. When you attempted to heal the bruises and bite marks littering his neck and chest, he made a grab for your hand.

"No, please, leave them." He requested with a small smile, kissing your fingertips. "They'll motivate me, to find a cure faster. A reminder of what to look forward to." You looked at your own body, checking to see if you had any marks from last night, too. You could vaguely see hand prints on your hips where he held you the night before. He was right, now that you'd had a taste of him, you couldn't wait to explore him more once you could go back home to the lab. Living in the palace was nice, but to say Count Lucio was demanding would be an understatement. Sometimes you could hear him screaming at Julian through the halls, something about running out of time. The thought of him actually losing his temper made you shudder. Who knew what the Count was capable of when backed into a corner?

Pushing the thoughts from your mind, you decided to cherish the time you had here with Julian. You leaned your back into his chest, relaxing into the warm water. He wrapped his arms around you, holding both each of your hands in his.