Work Text:
Freddie had been feeling increasingly sick the last few days. His chest had started to ache, and he felt increasingly more sensitive than he typically did. Showing up to work and beinf around Captain Klenzendorf only made him more aware of how he felt. He desperately wished away the feeling, knowing he could be killed, but he loved the other man. He loved Fritz Klenzendorf.
It all started one day at work. Freddie was trying to focus on work, but when he looked at Klenzendorf, his heart felt like it was going to burst. He felt a tickle in his throat, then a cough. Out of his mouth came a white rose, flecked with blood. He could feel where the thorns ripped his throat. It hurt, and he could feel tears in his eyes. As they spilled down his cheeks, he noticed Hauptmann staring at him. When the other man called him into his office, he followed.
"What's wrong, captain?" Freddie asks softly, unaware of the difference in his tears.
Klenzendorf quickly answered his question, "Who is it, Finkel? Who do you long for? It's clear you long for someone, judging by your tears and the flower you hacked up. It looked pretty painful. I'd confess if I were you, you could die, and star tears can cause blindness."
Freddie nodded, more tears spilling. "Well, I will confess sfter work. Thanks, sir," he told the other man. The other man asking this felt like some cruel joke from the universe- he longed for the other man to be his. As he talked for a minute, he felt the familiar pain and tickle of the flowers in his throat. He coughed and coughed, and finally, a flower came out of his mouth. This time the white rose appeared red, completely covered in blood. He quickly apologized and threw the rose away.
Klenzendorf took a sip from the flask he always drank from at work. He constantly sipped on whiskey, but it seemed as of lately he had been drinking more and more- sometimes enough to get intoxicated at work. Freddie softly sighed, thanking the other man for his time, then leaving to get work done.
All day, Freddie thought of Klenzendorf. When he went home to his shitty apartment and lay in bed, all he could think of was the other man. The more he thought about him, the more flowers he coughed up. He laid in bed, when suddenly he began to hack up flowers.
Freddie had no clue how many he hacked up. It felt like hundreds, tearing his throat with each cough. Blood began to pool onto the bed from the flowers he hacked up. He coughed and coughed, then started to sob. He didn't have the energy to get up, much less to check the phone when it started ringing.
As he lied awake with the pool of blood under him, a thorn from a flower got caught in his throat. He felt a suffocating feeling, realizing he was choking as he couldn't move or breathe. He didn't realize that the phone continued to ring, or that the person on the other end was incredibly worried. He didn't even realize when he passed out.
When Freddie regained consciousness, he was in a clean bed with a towel to catch any blood that came out of his mouth. He quickly realized he wasn't choking, and then realized this wasn't his apartment. His throat was aching. He sat up and looked around, a groan escaping his mouth. When he saw Klenzendorf, his eyes widened.
Klenzendorf looked down at him, his eyes worried. "Oh good, you're awake. Have a nice rest, Finkel? You were out for quite some hours. I was worried you weren't going to recover. When I found you, you were face down in a pool of your own blood, choking on a flower. You should save your strength, I don't expect you to work tomorrow. I'll get a doctor to look at your throat later, for now I'll take the couch and you can have the bed." Suddenly, the captain chuckled. "I know it's inappropriate for me to have you over, but I was worried when you didn't answer. You normally answer within a few rings even in the middle of the night. I wanted to ensure nothing bad had happened to you," he spoke. Freddie found such comfort in his voice.
"Oh, alright Captain. Thank you for saving me, I-" Freddie started, but paused as if to think. "I really appreciate it. You saved my life," he replied to what he had bren told. When Klenzendorf offered him some bread and water, he slowly ate and drank, thanking the other man. He felt safe with him.