two people sleeping in each other’s arms, a tangle of limbs and blankets and sleep-mussed hair. it’s early morning still when one of them blinks awake with a foreboding prickle in their nostrils and, not wanting to wake their partner nor let go of them just yet, tries their utmost to keep the building sneeze at bay for as long as possible. fighting to keep their breath slow and steady, scrunching and squirming their nose around, finally pressing a fist to their septum hard enough to hurt, a last ditch attempt at control. no such luck. resigning themself to defeat, they still try to keep the sound and movement to a minimum as not to startle their loved one awake. one stifle, two, three, their body tensing and jolting slightly with each but at least they’re keeping quiet, maybe they’ll actually manage to -
“hh? -NGX!’ˢʰʰᵉʷ”
their partner stirs then, sighs, burrows deeper into their shared warmth with a drowsy:
“mornin. wha’r’you…?”
“I’m - hh’shhieww! - sneezing. sorry. didn’t mean to wake you.”
“s’alright. bless you. feeling better?”
an experimental sniff. a little wet perhaps, but blessedly free of tickles. for now.Â
“that’s good. five more minutes?”