#cold fic

There was a new taco truck that had opened up near Chase’s place, and the couple had been hoping for a break from work and as much of a date as possible after a busy time back at the hospital. It was Sunday when they finally got around to going — they both had a day off, which was rare in itself, and they were on their way to the truck hand in hand. 

“Do you think taking one of those couples art classes would be a silly date?” Cameron mused, swinging their hands slightly as they walked together. It was a nice day, Spring was starting to bloom and it was looking up to be a pleasant Sunday. Sort of. 

She had a mild headache, which had been there since last night. It wasn’t unusual after a late and overwhelming shift, not even too unusual for it to linger. But, there was also a slight achy feeling in the back of her throat now too. Maybe she just needed to have more water, which she could easily do once they got their lunch. 

“What, like, painting? I’ve never really tried.” Chase hummed back, using his free hand to swipe under his nose. He sniffled slightly. 

“Yeah. Or… cooking classes. I don’t know. Maybe it would be fun.” She glanced sideways, watching him scrunch his nose. 

“You didn’t do art in school?” She asked a second later, as they came to a halt at a crossing. 

“Well, yeah. But not really since then. Yeah, maybe it could be fun. Can we go to one of the ones where they have fancy food and cheese?” 

“Is cheese not a food?” Cameron giggled, tugging his hand gently as the light went green. 

“You know what I mean.” He chuckled along with her. 

She headed to find a bench to sit at once they were there, and Chase queued up at the truck. It was fairly busy, especially since the weather was picking up, but he still felt chilly. This was probably considered a winter’s day in Australia, and no matter how long he had lived overseas, he still got grumpy at the weather. But, today he was determined to have a good day with Cameron. 

After collecting their food, he sought her out on one of the wooden benches nearby. “I hhh—have good news and bad news.” He greeted quickly, rubbing his nose against his shoulder. 

Cameron’s expression gently twisted into a frown as she squinted up at her boyfriend. His eyes looked closed from behind his sunglasses, which only confused her more. 

“I have the tacos. They look really good. The sun is really bright and Ihhh’mm—“

“Oh!” She hopped up quickly, taking both of the tacos from him before the inevitable. 

His eyes fluttered open. He ducked to the side. Two seconds until—

‘Heh’tshhhuh’chuh!’ The blonde spun back on his heel to face Cameron again, sniffling and blinking away a few tears. 

“Thanks. Nice save.” He mumbled, rubbing his nose with the back of a palm. 

“Bless you,” Cameron tilted her head, watching him as he sat down opposite her. “Allergies? Or just the sun?” 

He shrugged, reaching for his drink to take a long sip. “Both?” Chase mused after he swallowed. 

“Did you take anything this morning?”

“No… it doesn’t usually start yet.” He frowned, taking a bite of the taco. “Mmm! It’s good!”

She rolled her eyes, reaching into her bag and handing over a blister packet of pills. “Good job I carry meds every day for just this reason.” She smiled, watching his eyebrows raising. 

“Thank you,” Chase replied, looking somewhat sheepish as he retrieved one of the antihistamines and popped it on his tongue. 

The pair fell into a comfortable quiet after that, eating their lunch and discussing casual things. She told him about work yesterday, and how she met an Australian patient and they talked about her boyfriend. Chase laughed as she mentioned how they’d also discussed how gross she found Vegemite when she first tasted it, and he told her that it’s practically in his blood to love the stuff. They carried on chatting, even after finishing their food. 

There was a quiet rustling of the trees around them as the wind blew, and Chase’s nose scrunched up again. Cameron’s head tilted slightly as she watched him, and sure enough, he ducked into his elbow a second or so later. 

‘Hhh’nnxXxgt! Hhheh’heiiISHiew. Ugh.’ He sniffled afterwards, the second sneeze following the first with a clear vengeance. 

“Bless you,” Cameron pushed the napkins towards him. “Don’t stifle.” 

A pause. 

“We can take the tacos home, if you want?” She offered, despite quietly enjoying the show. 

“Nah,” he used a couple napkins to swipe at his nose, then pocketed them. “I’m fine. It’s just one of the many joys of Spring.” 

She smiled at him, before finishing up her last bite. The food was good, but she couldn’t ignore the growing pain in her throat. Not only that, but her own sinuses were starting to feel itchy… a muted tickle somewhere at the back, which she chose to not listen to for now. A few sips of her drink, and she leaned back slightly. 

“We could get coffee after this,” Cameron mused, about to continue the suggestion when the tickle decided to make itself much more known. 

She frowned slightly, trying to gauge whether it was going to persist into a sneeze. Sure enough, her eyes fluttered close amongst a single hitch, and she brought her elbow closer to her face. ‘Hhh..heh’tTCHoo!’ Blinking a few times afterwards, sniffling. 

“Bless you,” Chase’s eyebrows raised, and he offfered her the last few napkins. “What, are you sneezing in sympathy now?” He teased lightly, chewing on the straw of his now empty drink. 

“No,” Cameron pocketed the used napkins and rolled her eyes. “Just something in the air.” She shrugged. 

“Rain check on the coffee?” Chase suggested, moving to stand. He walked to where the was sitting, and hugged her from behind, peering his head around at hers to steal a kiss. 

She giggled at that, leaning up to meet his lips. “Rain check ‘cause I sneezed once?” She chased his lips for another. 

“No. ‘Cause we both just drank medium sodas, and I’m tired.” He kissed her nose, before standing up straight again. 

“Aw,” Cameron cooed jokingly, turning around but staying seated for now. “We can always do something in the evening.” She reached for his hands to help her up, and stood in front of him. 

“Yeah. We could go out? Or other things.” He cast a mischievous smirk at her, eyebrows waggling suggestively. 

Immediately, her eyes rolled in response and she playfully hit him in the chest. “Let’s go,” Cam hummed, taking his hand and leading them back to collect their trash. 

They were almost back at the house, when she had turned to the side and pitched into her elbow again, with a softer sounding ‘hh’tttchiew!’ Followed by a small round of sniffles. 

Chase gave her hand a squeeze, watching her with concern in his blue eyes. “Bless you… you okay?” 

She looked sideways a him, pushing her sunglasses up her nose slightly. “Yeah, I think so.” Her smile was genuine, whether or not it was a tool to try and stop him from worrying. 

They continued to walk back, with plans to make their way into the bedroom once home, wanting to change from outside clothes to comfortable inside ones. 

“Is it boring if I just wanna cuddle on the couch and watch TV?” Cameron questioned, taking off her jacket and hanging it up. 

Chase turned to her with a smile, shaking his head. “Only if it’s boring for me to be relieved you asked first.” He chuckled slightly, leaning in for a kiss, but noting how she turned at the last second so that he’d catch her cheek and not her lips. 

“What was that?” His eyebrows raised, and hands were now resting upon hips. 

“What was… what?” Her expression portrayed innocence, but he frowned.

“You avoided my kiss. You’re coming down with something, aren’t you?” He moved to fold his arms across his chest, observing her sheepish expression. 

“My throat hurts,” Cameron admitted quietly, “but, it could be nothing. It’s been a long week. I’m gonna drink some tea.”

“You sneezed earlier.”

“A couple times,” she reminded him, rolling her eyes. 

“You, like, never sneeze.” Chase retorted back, moving to feel her forehead. She humoured him. There was no fever. 

He sighed softly. “Well, either way let’s get changed and watch stupid movies and drink tea.” A kiss was gently pressed to her forehead. “And, hope you’re not getting sick.”

"hiihh...iiIHHhh-! ihHH-KKSSHhhh! huhHH-IISHHIihhHHh! For goodness sake..." Rhys grumbled as the sneezes fell out of him, swiping a hand under his nose with a wet sniff. A cold had settled itself in his nose since the previous night of getting caught in the autumnal weather shift which left him stuck up inside, bundled up on his sofa and with a, mostly used, box of tissues perched on the sofa arm. This could possibly be one of the worst things he'd ever lived through, and he'd been around for quite a few years, being an Ethereal and all. The itch in his nose had been relentless since the moment he'd woken up that morning and there was a scratch in his throat which no amount of cough drops, or tea could seem to quell the ache. And as if his suffering couldn't get any worse, Cain, his ever-loving boyfriend had been pestering him with messages all morning about wanting to meet for lunch, getting increasingly frustrated when he hadn't gotten a reply from the pink haired boy.

Rhys blew his nose for what felt like the hundredth time as he sank back down into the sofa, his eyes beginning to close, sleep finally able to come and give him a moments rest. Well, that was until there was an annoying tone and a vibration on his phone as it started to ring. With a groan they managed to drag themself over to the phone and sighed in frustration seeing 'Cain 🖤 ' flash on the screen brightly. He loved the guy of course but he knew if Cain figured out he was sick the guy would be over in an instant. He was absolutely fine and did NOT need help from anyone. As soon as he pressed to answer the call, there was a cheerful,

"So, you are alive! What's going on with you? You haven't been replying!" Cain chirped over the phone causing Rhys' head to pound even more, pressing his face into his hand and groaning.

"I'm fine... just not on my phone" Cupid grumbled into the phone and he could already sense the next question coming before it even left Cain's lips.

"Are you-?" Cain started before getting immediately cut off by his partner with a sharp-

"I'm fine Cain, just... been a late night," he said, a buzzing in his sinuses starting, this couldn't possibly be any worse of a timing. "You need to st-hheehh- st-stop worryiiIHHHh-! IH'KSSHHhhUUh! snff worryi'g. And don't say a word, it was a single sneeze"

"Rhys, you know you can say if you're sick right? There's nothing wrong with it after all!" Cain replied, his voice becoming gentle and soft-spoken, hoping to ease his poor boyfriend.

"Cain, I love the worry but I'm fine, just tired" He sighed, pressing a hand his nose, giving it a harsh rub.

There was a quiet sigh from the other side of the phone, "fine, if you need anything, let me know, okay?" Cain said as Rhys mumbled out a small yes, a goodbye and then hanging up the phone.

Finally, Rhys tossed his phone to the side and laid down again, pulling the blanket over him again and finally able to fall asleep.

------------------------

A loud knock on the door disturbed Rhys from his sleep, waking him with a start and a small snort. He sighed and staggered up, feeling a little rougher than before he'd fallen asleep. He managed to get to the door and opened it slightly, being greeted by the bright smile of Cain.

"Hey Loverboy! How you feelin'?" He asked, gently pushing the door open and making himself at home, placing a bag of things down on the coffee table.

"Cain- what are you doing here?" He asked, rubbing his head and walking back over to the sofa and slumping down.

"Here to check up on you, of course! You sounded pretty rough on the phone, and my suspicions were, in fact, correct! You ready to give in now?" He asked, beaming brightly over to his boyfriend.

Rhys huffed and rubbed his head with a wet sniffle, moving to gently massage at his sinuses. "I am fine... I just have a small sniffle" he replied, grabbing a tissue and wiping his nose against it.

Cain gave a small hum as he wandered over to Rhys, throwing himself down on the couch next to his boyfriend, whose nose was now definitely starting to match his pink hair. "Are you suuuuure you're okay?" He gently prodded Rhys' leg.

"Yes, I am fine. Cain, I love you, but please, my head hurts and I just want to sleep" He sighed and laid back against the couch, his nose burning with an itch as he snapped his hands to his face, "-iiSSHIUUHhh! hHH-iiKKSSHhh! fuck-" He swore and sniffled wetly, turning away from his boyfriend, a hand pressed firmly against his face as he grabbed a tissue, wiping off his hand and nose from the resulting aftermath of the sneeze.

"Well, bless you~! Angel, are you sure you're okay?" Cain asked, one more time, leaning over and turning Rhys to face him. Still with a tissue pressed against his face, Rhys nodded, and Cain sighed, moving back with his hands up in a surrender. "Whatever you say love, why not try get some sleep? You did say you had a late night"

Rhys didn't need to be told twice as he got comfortable under his blanket and shutting his eyes, dozing off with a small snore rattling through his nose.

-----------------------

It had been a few hours and when Rhys had woken up after his nap, he was feeling far more feverish then when he'd gone to sleep. When he sat up, sniffling and rubbing his nose as he looked around for his boyfriend who, he was certain, was there when he'd gone to sleep.

"HUhhH-hhEEeHh-! HaaAHHh-! -iiISHHUuHhh! hAH'iiKKSSHH! Oh god... hhHHh-NKKSHhh! For gooddess sake..." He grumbled, wiping a hand under his nose and grabbing a tissue to blow into it gently.

His head felt like it was waterlogged, his body was making him sweat as he started to shiver a little. Fever, wonderful, just what he needed. He wanted Cain...

It was almost as if on cue that the Reaper walked in through the door and looked over to his lover who was sat on the couch looking rather miserable. He chuckled a little bit and went over as Rhys' eyes seemed to light up.

"Well hey there, Cassanova, you look like you've lost a tenner and found a pound" He chuckled as he sat next to the pink haired guy who was shivering and sniffling miserably. Rhys leaned against him with a soft sigh.

"I don't feel good..." Rhys grumbled and nuzzled against Cain, just simply wanting some physical comfort.

“Forgive me, Miss, but is this wise? Going out with such a cold?”

Serafina, currently engaged with brushing her hair, felt her nose prickle at the mention of her condition. She regarded her reflection in the dressing table mirror critically. No flush to her cheeks yet, no illness-induced fog in her eyes. No beading of sweat on her brow, and her lips remained unchapped, not yet having been reduced to breathing through her mouth. All those things were coming for her, she was certain, judging by the state of the man who had gifted her this cold, but as of yet, the only part of her visibly troubled was her nose.

And how very troubled her nose was. For all her attempts to be delicate with it, a morning of dabbing at it with a handkerchief had caused a dark pink to mingle with the usual soft purple of her complexion. It threatened to drip constantly, and her nostrils flared with each delicate sniffle. Two handkerchiefs had already been spent appeasing it, but the relentless running showed no signs of coming to a stop. Nor did the tickling. She gave another damp sniff, scrunching it in a rather unladylike manner.

“Hardly much of a cold at this point. Barely a sniffle. Nothing to… to make a fuss… Ohh… Ahh..!”

Mayna set down the dress she had been laying out and hurried to Serafina’s side, pressing a clean handkerchief into her hand. Her chest swelling as she closed her eyes, Serafina brought the delicate lacey fabric to her nose just in time.

“AahhISHOO! AAHHISHHOO! Oh, goodness…”

She blew her nose carefully, clearing out what the sneezes had failed to shift. The tickle eased a little, temporarily appeased, but never entirely absent. Almost as soon as she lowered the handkerchief, she felt her nose readying itself to begin dripping again. Mayna watched her, eyes full of worry.

“Bless you, Miss. It’s an awful lot of sneezes for just a sniffle. And you saw the state Sir Peregrine was in, and who else could you have caught it from?”

“True enough. The poor thing was utterly miserable when I called on him yesterday. But Peregrine is rather less sound of constitution, and he runs himself ragged with his research. I’ll hardly be over-exerting myself.”

Mayna took up the hairbrush, beginning to style Serafina’s hair into the simple, loose bun she preferred. Serafina watched her maid’s expression in the mirror, a smile tugging at her lips.

“Is that a look of skepticism I see, Mayna? Truly, I’ll be perfectly well. It’s tea with a soon-to-be duchess, not a day’s hike in the rain. Although I’m told Lady Whitburn will be there, and her conversation is… ihhh… just as… hahhh… harrowing…”

The prickling at the back of her nose began to intensify once again, and Serafina allowed her eyes to close, her lips parting, allowing herself to draw in deep, slow breaths. Her own sneezes didn’t give her the same enjoyment as, say, Perry’s, but there was still something satisfying in being able to let them out. Soon she would have to contain them into polite, ladylike affairs, but in the privacy of her own bedroom she let her head tilt back, nostrils flaring, handkerchief at the ready.

“Ahh… Hahh… HhaahhhASHOO!”

Mayna had to quickly release her hold on Serafina’s hair as the sneeze flung her forward. Serafina kept her nose buried in her handkerchief for a moment until she was sure the tickle had been appeased, then straightened once again with a satisfied sigh.

“Bless you, Miss. Are you really quite sure..?”

“Quite sure. I’ll endure sniffling my way through the tea and sandwiches, learn what I need to, and then once I’m home you may fuss to your heart’s content.”

Mayna finished pinning the last of her hair in place, and went to pick up the corset from the bed. Serafina rose, somewhat dreading having the thing put on. It was the tightest she owned, but the dress she had chosen for the day required it. Coming to stand by the bedpost, she raised her arms and let Mayna pull it on, settling it about her waist and chest and beginning to slowly tighten the laces.

“Miss Elena will want to linger. She seems awfully smitten with Mister Rousseau.”

“I can see why. Handsome, well-spoken, intelligent. And he’s resisted Delia’s attempts to claim his affections for herself. Poor Elena. I’ve lost count of the number of men who’ve shown an interest, only for Delia to come swooping in.”

“I hope they’ll be happy, Miss.”

“As do I. But before she gets herself entangled, I have questions. Specifically, how has dear Theodore’s father gone and become so beloved by the court that he’s being made Duke Rousseau? Hard to believe he earned such favour as a mere antiques dealer. No, there’s something else, I’m quite… ahhh…”

“Careful, Miss, let me loosen the…”

“AahhhhHASSHIOO! Snf! Goodness. Apologies, Mayna, that came out of nowhere.”

“Bless you. Perhaps you ought to see if you need to sneeze more, before I finish tightening this? Or perhaps you should choose another dress, one that doesn’t need tightlacing? I’m sure it can’t be healthy with such a cold.”

Serafina’s soft laugh was muffled by her handkerchief. It was already becoming quite soaked, and rather than distract Mayna from her task by having her fetch another one, she merely dabbed away what moisture she could, and gave a series of damp sniffles.

“It’s a cold, not pneumonia. My lungs are perfectly fine. And I think I’m all sneezed out for now. You can continue.”

“Very well, Miss. Breathe out.”

Serafina obligingly let out her breath, allowing Mayna to pull the laces tight with short, firm tugs. She grimaced slightly as she felt her lungs compressed, dreading the next few hours. It would be difficult to manage even her more socially acceptable, controlled sneezes with her breathing so restricted.

At the mere thought, her nose began to tickle again. A light, feathery sensation in the back of her sinuses, quickly spreading through her nasal passages, urgent and itching. She wriggled her nose, and pressed her damp handkerchief to her twitching nostrils, but to no avail. She found herself drawing in a deep breath, chest swelling, her diaphragm pushing against the firm boning of her corset.

“Oh no, Miss, I’m almost…”

“AHhhHISHOO! SHOO! Oh my… I’m sorry, Mayna, have I undone your work?”

“I’m afraid so. Do you need to sneeze some more before I try again?”

Serafina crinkled her nose, dabbing at it again and sniffling. The ever-present tickle remained teasingly out of reach. She sniffed again, flicking lightly at the tip of her nose, then tickling the roof of her mouth with her tongue in an attempt to ignite it into something more, but it taunted her. Just enough of a tickle to threaten a sneeze, not enough to become one.

“I seem to be safe for the moment. Apologies, I’m afraid I’m making things difficult for you.”

She braced herself firmly against the bedpost, keeping her handkerchief pressed to her nose, unsure if the damp fabric was helping her efforts or not. Mayna began tightening the corset once more. Swift, sharp tugs, compressing her midriff, crushing the air from her lungs.

As if her cold was determined to undermine her, the tickle in her nose flared to life once more.

“Ahh…”

“Miss, just hold it off a moment, I’ll finish quickly!”

Serafina closed her eyes, pressing a finger beneath her nostrils. They flared urgently, damp to the touch, and the feathery sensation within was relentless. Serafina was unused to denying herself satisfaction, and holding the sneeze back was maddening. She let out a soft, breathless whine, fighting the urge to drag in another deep breath and let it all out.

“Finished!”

Mayna stepped back to admire her handiwork, and, seeing Serafina’s face, hurried to fetch her a clean handkerchief. Serafina regarded her expression in the mirror, her breath beginning to hitch urgently. With the corset so tightly laced, there was no drawing in deep breaths to fuel the oncoming sneeze. Just quick, urgent pants from the very top of her lungs, making her chest heave. Still, her figure looked wonderful, and the hitching only emphasized that.

“Ah… Hh… Hah… Hihh… AaHSHHFF! TschFFF! Hah-SHFF! HahhSHHMFF!”

It was even more unsatisfying than the usual way she sneezed in company. Rapid, breathless, useless outbursts, damp and fittish and doing nothing at all to appease her cold-stricken nose. She groaned and gave a series of desperate sniffles, and nodded her thanks as Mayna presented her with a clean handkerchief, taking the spent one for washing.

“Try to blow your nose, Miss. It might help.”

As Mayna busied herself with the dress that was to go over the corset, Serafina sat down gloomily at the dressing table, folding the handkerchief over her nose and blowing softly. She was unable to even draw a deep enough breath for that, blowing in quick puffs that cleared some of the fluid from her nose, but did nothing to satisfy the lingering itch. When she lowered the handkerchief, her nose was even more flushed than before.

“Best see to that before I put the dress on, I don’t want to get powder all over it.”

She rummaged through her cosmetics drawer, taking out one of her many powders. Her nose twitched at the mere sight of the powder puff, and once again, her chest began to heave, straining against the tight confines of the corset. Holding her breath, she applied it to her nose in quick dabs. Even without inhaling the powder, the soft, ticklish touch against her increasingly raw nostrils set them quivering.

“Hmm.. Ahh… Iehh… HCHMFF! HSHFFF! CHFF!”

She twitched and scrunched her nose like a rabbit, sniffling desperately, pressing a finger beneath it, but the tickle would not be satisfied. Her eyes, growing teary with irritation, narrowed, and she continued to strain against the corset, letting out a desperate whimper as the tickle spread into every corner of her nasal passages.

“Hahh… Ah! Hah! HhhSHFF! KSHFF! Hm… Hff… Hah… HaSHFF!”

Panting to catch her breath, Serafina nuzzled her nose into the handkerchief, removing what powder she had managed to apply, fingers rubbing through the cloth in an urgent attempt to appease the itch. It was no good. Nothing was going to satisfy it, except…

“Ahh.. Ah! AH!”

She couldn’t have stopped it if she tried. Eyes squeezing shut, nostrils flared wide, lips parted, she flung her head back, dragging in as much air as her compressed lungs could manage, corset creaking with the strain of containing her, until…

“AhhhhHAAHHSHIOOO!”

SNAP!

The sneeze flung her violently forward, leaving her dazed, sniffling, panting, and satisfied at last. And breathing a little easier. Grimacing, she felt the side of her corset. Sure enough, the seam had torn wide open, unable to withstand the violence of her sneeze. She groaned, blowing her nose once more, looked up as Mayna approached.

“Bless you, Miss. Perhaps another dress?”

The moment you woke up you’d curled into a tight ball. Your tired mussels protested, but the warmth of where your body had laid as you slept helped the almost numb coldness of your feet. Your nose was practically numb too, so you ducked under your covers. You let out a pathetic little groan to yourself, knowing it was only a temporary reprieve, and that you’d have to come up for air in a matter of seconds. ‘Why is there no efficient way to warm your face?’. Surely enough as your lungs began to protest you had to raise your head and decide how to face the cold of your apartment. Your apartment, where you’d planned to spend your day off doing various lazy, self-indulgent tasks, had a faulty air system at times. And while your landlord had promised to have it worked on before it got cold, the weather seemed determined to prove him wrong.

All you wanted to do was go back to sleep so you couldn’t feel the cold. You considered taking a shower, to feel the full body warmth. However, the thought of getting out, and dealing with wet hair would probably result in you staying in for hours. The resulting water bill was not something you’d want to have to explain to your roommate. ‘How was he coping with the frigid conditions? He's probably layered in his classic sweaters… the cold never seems to bother him as much as it did you, though he wasn’t one to complain regardless…’

The shower was ruled out, but the thought of warm steam on your face gave you another idea. A warm cup of coffee would definitely feel great. You took a deep breath and braced yourself before throwing off your blanket and getting out of bed. You hastily pulled on your thickest sweatpants and pulled a chunky quarter-zip sweater on over your sleep shirt. The oversized collar covered the mouth as you zipped it up. All that was left to to guard you from the cold was tugging on a pair of thick socks and stepping into your slippers. 

You hugged your sides, practically waddling down the hall. The warm smell of coffee broke through the cold. You shuffled over to the pot on a mission. You heard a small giggle from the kitchen table and darted a bemused glance at him as you picked up the pot and hastily filled a mug before making your way to the fridge for your coffee creamer. After splashing it in, you put it back in the fridge, briskly closing the door. You leaned against the counter with a huff, half tempted to slide to the floor and curl your legs in. With two sleeve-gloved hands, you raised the mug to your face, letting the steam curl up and blanket it. You took a deep inhale, finally regaining some sensation in your cold nose.

“Wow… they should put you in a coffee commercial.”, Danny’s playfully mocking voice interrupted your moment of relief. You deadpanned over the rim of your mug as you took a sip. “What? I’m just saying, I didn’t make it good enough to warrant those dramatics.” He grinned at you as he spoke, his head tilting slightly. He was trying to break through your sour mood, but you weren’t here for it. “Sorry, I'm kind of freezing cold” you snapped at him, feeling only half-regretful. "Hey, not my fault your body can't heat itself." He quipped back, his smile unwavering.  "You're the one with a freakish body, you walking furnace!" a smile began tugging at your lips as your voice raised. He laughed loudly, making you break and join him. 

You sighed and rested your forehead on the rim of your mostly empty mug. "I'm… so cold." "Yeah, I'm sorry. I called and all they said was they can't do anything about the heating today." You could hear a sympathetic smile in his voice. "Let's watch a movie or something, I can share some heat.", he offered consolingly. You lifted your head, staring at the window across from you as you considered the offer. It would certainly work faster than your plan of going to your room and burying yourself in blankets. You tilted your head, offering him a small smile and nodding. 

He got up and clapped an arm across your shoulders, giving your arm a triumphant squeeze.  As you walked with him to the living room, you grumbled again at his chipper mood -and thanked him for the coffee. He just ran his hand up and down your arm creating some warmth. You made your way to the basket of throw blankets. "Get the biggest one- that green one." You pulled it out and turned around to hand it to him. 

"-What are you doing?". Upon turning around you'd been met with his bare abdomen as he tugged his sweater off, pulling the hem of his long-sleeved t-shirt up with it. "It'll be warmer, -trust me." He pulled off his sweater and straightened the shirt before taking the blanket from you. He handed you the remote to the TV and draped the large blanket across his back, holding the sides out with his hands as he lay across the couch facing out with his arms extended. "C'mere." He beckoned you towards his opened arms. You pulled off your chunky sweater, not that he'd asked, but you understood the logic. The heat would travel faster through two t-shirts. 

You quickly settled alongside him, tucking your arms up so you could still work the remote. He adjusted your hair slightly so he could still see over your head, then wrapped his arms and the blanket around you snugly. You sighed at the warmth of his chest against your back already working its magic. You fumbled with the remote a little before managing to point it at the TV. Some corny medical drama lit up the screen, a familiar comfort watch for you. "This good?" "Yeah, fine by me. …You comfortable?" he lifted his head slightly to catch your eye peripherally, seeing the corner of your lips curl up. "Getting there. …Thanks, Danny."

He secured the blanket around you before beginning to run his warm palms along your upper arms, creating some additional heat. Your muscles, which had been tensed from the moment you woke up, began to relax. You pulled the blanket up over your nose for a moment, clasping your cold hands together against your chest. 

You inevitably huffed and pulled the edge of the blanket from your face. Another pitiful groan escaped you as you breathed in the frigid air. "Something wrong? Do you get out, make a run to the… ?" Danny's voice was soft and his hands had stilled. "Hah, no, I just…" You sighed again, feeling silly. "...my nose is cold. My entire face is- but I can't warm my nose without smothering myself.". He chuckled softly, the sound echoing through you.

"You can turn over, I mean all the heat's right here behind you." You giggled this time. You set the remote down and began shifting to face him. He raised his free arm, readjusting the blanket over you and leaning back slightly more. You rested the side of your face on his chest and his arm curled around you. His large hand spread across your back, trailing across it slowly. You were more focused on warming the tip of your nose, nuzzling slightly as you settled in. The warm, clean, sweet musk of him surrounded you as your eyes fluttered closed. You unfurled your hand, resting it against his chest. "Oh-" a small sound escaped him "-you are cold.", he said in a slightly teasing tone. "I’m sorry-" "Don't be. Here-" He took your hand and brought it to his hip. He tugged the hem of his shirt up so your hand landed directly against his warm skin. "Have at it." He chuckled as you hesitantly relaxed your hand so it was flush against his back. His arm draped over you again and he tucked his chin over your head. 

With your face tipped down he wouldn’t be privy to the color casting your cheeks. You adjusted your arm to a more comfortable angle, your cold hand coming to rest on the center of his back. Your fingertips found the dip in his back along his spine, absentmindedly tracing along it. A small shiver ran through him. His skin prickled and his back curved slightly as he adjusted. You were reminded of just how intimate you were currently being. But neither of you felt the need to acknowledge it. It helped that you weren't face-to-face. 

You were soaking in his warmth and your eyes had drifted closed. Your legs had become tangled in his somewhere along the way, keeping him locked to you. "D’you want to take a nap? You're welcome to…" The soft rumbling in his chest was so comforting. "Yeah, I might… could you keep talking?" You heard a small breathy laugh and a smile when he spoke. "Alright…" he paused to think. "Ooh- Lemme tell you about the coldest day in Frankenmuth…"

He rambled on in a lighthearted voice punctuated by the occasional laugh and his hand gesturing against your back when he got to an animated moment. The recollection entailed a story of a much younger him and his best friend Sam making bets about how long it would take for things to freeze, resulting in some ridiculous consequences for them both. You didn't catch all of it, as your consciousness phased in and out.

You didn't realize you'd fallen asleep till a particularly obnoxious ad on the TV pulled you out. Your face scrunched up in annoyance and attempted to burrow further. Danny was warm as ever, and his breaths expanded his chest in a slow even rhythm. Even his heartbeats were relaxed. He must've fallen asleep too. Your eyes fluttered closed as your mind wandered; Had you missed some hilarious twist ending to his story? Had there been other stories? how long had he rambled on till he was sure you were asleep?

Soon enough, you needed to come up for air. When you extended your neck, you ducked your head back so you didn't bump his chin. You blinked as a soft breath hit your face. His sleeping face, merely an inch from yours, came into focus. 

Dark, dense lashes rested against his high-peeked cheeks. God, I'd kill for those lashes… why do boys always get pretty lashes… the apples of his cheeks were dotted with scattered freckles that trailed across the strong bridge of his nose. They're so random… they don't even follow a normal freckle cluster pattern… he had one on his lower lip too… just at the bottom, slightly to the right, from your perspective, right where the brighter pink that ran down the center of his lips curled over the edge. Your fingertip trailed along his chin, just under the slightly darker edge of his lip, landing near the freckle. Danny’s lips pursed briefly, causing you to freeze. He seemed undisturbed otherwise. 

When you pulled your hand away his lips twitched again. His face inched closer in search of the lost warmth. Your hand hovered for a minute before you laid your warmed palm on his cheek. The tip of your pointer finger grazed over his earlobe, soft, peach-fuzzed, and surprisingly cool to the touch. You imagined warming it between your lips, but of course, dashed the thought nearly instantly. 

You hadn't been this close with anyone in a while. You were content being single, no one you’d met had sparked any interest recently, but that didn't mean you didn't feel touch-starved at times. All your thoughts paused as he shifted again. The bridge of his nose aligned with your brow bone, his lips resting on the tip of your nose, warm and soft. Oh, how you wanted to melt into him and press your lips to his. It was just the sleepiness and rare instance of physical comfort, you knew that. And he was asleep, probably thinking about someone else as his lips puckered slightly to peck at your nose. ‘Was he seeing someone?’ You hadn't seen anyone over a lot or noticed any repeat names that would allude to it. It's just unconscious. And as nice as it was, you felt yourself pulling away. You didn't want it if it wasn't his intention. You held his face gently as you shifted yours away.

His eyes began to flutter. A sleepy smile began to form but faded as his eyes fully opened. He'd registered your recoiling, and your hand braced on his cheek, tied together with your eyes widening slightly as he'd opened his. He shifted his head back to give you room to breathe, since you'd apparently been sharing the same air. He cleared his throat, "You feeling better?" Even his first thought being to check on you made it that much harder. You offered a small smile "Yeah, much better." His smile spread as his hand smoothed up and down your back relaxedly. "Good, m'glad." "Thanks for spending your morning on me, 'm sorry if you had things you planned to get done…". His lips pulled to one side as he shook his head, waving off your apology. "Any plans I'd had for today went out the door with this storm and our aptly timed heating malfunction. Besides, there are worse ways to spend a day…" his voice was light and humorous, and you giggled with him briefly. "Yeah, maybe we should do this more often…" You replied in the same unserious tone. 

He let out a soft "hmh", simply smiling at you. His hand shifted from your back, moving between you. He reached to gently graze his knuckle across your cheek, shifting a few hairs that had landed there. It surprised you, despite you remembering your hand was still resting on his cheek. “Yeah… we can do this again.” Your heart was pounding in your chest. You hoped he couldn’t feel it.

You cleared your throat. "D’you… have any thoughts about lunch? I should make something -haven't had anything other than coffee yet." “Hmm… I’ve been wanting to try and make that soup from that tiktok you sent me.” Aw, he’d saved it. “The creamy cauliflower and roasted garlic one?” You could practically feel your stomach about to grumble. “Yeah, I think the person also had a grilled cheese with it?” he recalled. “Oh god. Yes. Kitchen. Now!”. He laughed and nodded. “Let's get on it.” You remembered your body was barricading him from leaving the couch. You dropped your hand from his face, bracing it on his chest briefly as you untangled your legs. The bone chilling air of the apartment outside your little cocoon had not changed. When he retracted his arms to allow you to get up it swarmed you, quickly permeating your t-shirt. You got up and quickly tugged on your sweatshirt hoping to lock in some of his heat. Another layer of warmth enveloped you as the large green blanket was draped over your shoulders. Danny stepped around you without a word and proceeded to don his sweater. You watched him for a moment before closing your mouth and heading toward the kitchen. 

You secured the blanket around your arms before getting out your large soup pot and placing it on the stove. Danny preheated the oven before getting out a baking tray and beginning to prepare the cauliflower and garlic for roasting. You connected your phone to the speaker and queued a few songs before placing the phone on the counter next to him as an offer to add his own. Once his tray was in the oven the two of you began prepping the rest of the stock ingredients. You usually cooked and ate separately to accommodate your different schedules. But you both loved cooking, and recipe sharing was commonly mixed into your regular texting. It was a pleasant but unfortunately infrequent occasion when the two of you got to cook together. And these days he was gone for longer and longer stretches of time with his band having taken off. 

The stove had warmed the kitchen slightly and the smell of roasting cauliflower and that delicious melting garlic filled the air. Danny was standing at the stove stirring the pot as you buttered some bread and sliced the cheese for your accompanying sandwiches. When the oven timer dinged he removed the the tray and emptied the roasted items into the soup. You got the hand blender and plugged it in before handing it to him to blend the soup together. The sandwiches only took a few moments and soon enough you were both filling your bowls and grabbing your sandwiches. 

“Back to the living room?”, he offered, looking to you. “I’m kinda tempted to just stay here, the oven’s still warm…” you looked down at it. He paused for a moment, biting his lip, secretly endeared. “...Sounds good.” He started gingerly sitting down, with his back against one half of the stove door, and his plate in his lap. You practically beamed, before sitting next to him, shoulder to shoulder. You giggled a bit at the ridiculousness of the situation as you both took your first bites. The soup was amazing, creamy, savory, and instantly warming you from the inside out. Danny had dipped his sandwich in his soup and made a pleasured groan upon taking a bite. You smiled at him. 

“...Thank you.” He turned his head to smile back at you, “Thank you, great recipe find!”. You chuckled, “Not just for the soup, and all your help today… thanks for being here, really.”, you looked down at the food in your lap. Danny’s smile softened at your shifting tone. “Ofcourse I’m gonna be here, where else would I be?” he leaned his knee into yours playfully. “Well I- I know you could afford to live somewhere nicer… and yet you- you continue to stay in this shitty place, god knows why, and basically pay half my rent, since you’re away so much these days…” “Do you… miss me?”, Danny broke his attentive silence. “What?” your eyes snapped up to meet his, that hadn’t been where you intended that to go. “When I’m gone all the time...”, he offered for clarification. His eyes had a noticeable earnesty to them. “Well, yeah of course, but that wasn’t- that’s not the point- I mean, like why are you still here?”. It didn’t come out right, you realized that immediately after the words left your mouth. Danny blinked, before averting his eyes. “Hard to find good roommates,” he shrugged, his voice casual once again. 

He resumed eating his lunch like nothing happened. Well, nothing did happen. Not that you could put into words. But you felt the weight of a rock in your stomach. And the questioning, which had started as an expression of gratitude, was intended to ease your guilt of him taking care of you, and staying in this shitty broken apartment with you. All the interesting places he got to go now, but he was always practically giddy to be back after a long stretch. Like he somehow missed this... 

Oh.

“Danny…” His name left your lips in a soft, sympathetic tone. He lowered his spoon to look at you. “You miss me…” it wasn’t a question, but he slowly began to nod yes. You'd already said your part; 'Well, yeah of course', but maybe it warranted a rephrasing. "I miss you too… I know I don't exactly show it, but I just… don't want you to feel bad. I'm so glad you're out there living your dream- I don't want you to feel any pressure to tie yourself down…" "I don't feel tied down. I just wish- I don't know, I wish you could be there for all of it sometimes… but I don't want you to feel any obligation either. I was thinking about us getting a better place, but I don't want it to seem like some power trip if I'm paying… you know I've thought about flying you out while I'm on tour, like a million times- but I didn't know if you'd accept, and it felt kinda selfish, ‘cause… I just wanted to see you." 

His words were echoing around in your brain, namely the ‘us’ of it all… He’d said it, like you were a package deal, like a single indivisible unit. And his fears weren’t unwarranted, paying a fraction of his rent to stay in what would be his apartment wasn’t ideal. Being at his will when it came to housing, despite knowing he’d never use it against you, was a nerve-wracking thought. But he wanted you, the two of you, somewhere better. Knowing his character, you knew he truly wanted it for you, not just his own comfort. Or maybe it kindof was, maybe he’d at least feel better knowing you were in a better apartment while he was away. The thought of him worrying about you was… unfamiliar, and some unhealed part of you wanted to reject it. Moving together seemed like some sort of promise, certainly a commitment. But just a commitment to remaining roommates. 

“...Where were you thinking? -If we were gonna move.”, you finally spoke. His face formed a tentative smile, “Wherever you’re comfortable, could just be a different part of town, closer to your work? -since mine’s always moving.” You let out a small laugh at the last comment, and his smile widened. You felt the warmth of his words fill you and took another bite of your food while you considered. He smiled down at you from your peripheral, leaning his head towards yours. “So, …you’d consider it?”. You let your head lull to the side, resting against his as you smiled down at your legs stretched out side by side. “I’ll consider it.”

~

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think!

Eddie swayed his hips to the beat of the song as he hand-washed the few items they had that weren't dishwasher safe in the sink, rings sitting on the counter beside him. His phone was softly spitting out one of his current favorites and he was mumbling along, trying to keep quiet so Steve could rest.

Poor Steve had been down for the count the last few days with a nasty cold that had left him utterly exhausted. He scrubbed at the pan he'd made breakfast this morning in as he mulled over the last few days of meds, tissues, sleeping, soup, meds, and more sleeping.

Of course, Eddie was over the moon at getting to take care of Steve. Anytime he got to take care of Steve was a win in his book. His boyfriend was like a walking poster child for hyper independence and Eddie secretly blamed the Harrington parents for that.

Pulling the drain and letting the sink water gurgle down into the abyss, Eddie sighed. He paused his music only to hear sniffling from back in the bedroom. Straining his ears, Eddie swore he heard a catch of breath just before-

"HeNX'T!"

"Don't stifle!" Eddie called out instantly, though his tone was fond as he dried his hands.

As he headed back to the bedroom, Eddie spoke again, "You want a sinus infection? That's how you get a sinus infection." He crossed his arms and admired the sight of Steve sitting up in bed with a tissue folded over his nose.

There was a light blush over Steve's face, skin still lightly tanned from summer. "Sorry. Habit. Snf! What were you doing out there? I thought you fell asleep with me?"

The quiet softness as well as how his voice seemed to grate against his throat, making Steve wince a little had Eddie moving over to the bed to sit with him. "Aw, I'm sorry. I woke up and started cleaning up a little is all. Thought I'd let you sleep as long as you could. Seemed like you needed it. How you feeling now, handsome?"

One of Eddie's hands was coming up to brush Steve's bangs back up out of his face, carding lovingly through his hair as well as pressing to his forehead. "Better than I was, honestly, but I th-hih-! ohh no... heh-ih!"

It was like Eddie's whole world was slowing down as he watched and felt Steve's expression crumple into a pre-sneeze show. His brows rose then collapsed into a pleading sort of pinch while his nostrils flared, mouth hovering open.

"E-ehhddieh-! EhX'TSHH! ID'SHuh! Hh...! ugh d'noh..." Steve collapsed forward, head jerking downward to sneeze towards their laps as his face flushed with color. He was scrambling for a tissue, but Eddie was already plucking and handing him several.

"Bless you, sweetheart, jeez." Eddie leaned forward to kiss Steve's forehead and then the top of his head. "You sure you're feeling better?" He teased, trying not to squirm as Steve blew his nose into the wad of tissues.

A little sniffle came from Steve as he finally pulled the tissues away from his face. "Uh-huh. Just think it's moved to my head. I'm all-" He gestured vaguely to his face and head with a pointed finger and sniffled again. "What's that word you use?"

Eddie made a strangled little sound and rested a hand on Steve's knee. "Stuffy?" He suggested helpfully, praying his boyfriend was searching for a more vanilla term.

"Sure. That." Steve replied with an amused little grin and Eddie knew right then and there that Steve was feeling better if he was getting one of those smiles.

Without warning, Eddie leaned in to press a soft kiss to Steve's lips before pulling back. "Brat." He took a moment to pretend to examine him, going so far as to thoughtfully tap his chin for dramatic effect. "You feel up to watching a movie on the couch with me?"

Steve looked amused at first, but he was quickly looking more and more distracted. "Yeah, I... I think I can manage- that..." His eyes went unfocused as he tried to respond to Eddie's question and Eddie knew pretty quickly what was going on as his eyes flicked to Steve's cherry-red, chapped nostrils that twitched and flared.

"Hiih... IXX'TShhuh!" Steve lurched forward towards their laps again with his powerful sneeze that had tears springing to his eyes. "Ugh, sorry. That might end up happening... more- heh...ihh-hh! ISSHHuh! God, sorry." 

. . .

Twenty minutes later found Steve curled up in Eddie's lap on the couch with Princess Bride playing on their television. Eddie was playing with Steve's hair as his head rested on his shoulder, legs sprawled over his lap.

They were both covered in a blanket and Steve had the box of tissues in his lap, one in his hand which he kept dabbing at his nose with. Eddie was doing his best to pay attention to the movie, but if he was being honest with himself he could quote the whole thing from start to finish just by where in the musical score they were.

So instead he doted softly on Steve who was sleepily watching the movie. Not much energy to do anything else as Eddie pressed soft kisses to his forehead, hair, eyebrows, and even the bridge of his nose once.

Though that had made Steve's eyes well with ticklish tears and his nostrils flared as his breath hitched softly, "E-Ehhddie, that's gonna... huh-! m-make me s-sneeze..."

"Oh, is it?" Eddie practically purred as he lifted a hand to gently tap the pad of his pointer finger against the side of Steve's nose. "Hadn't noticed."

"IHIshhiiew! IXt'Hue!" Steve exploded moments after the tap like that was all he needed to be set off. Eyes watering, bright red nose twitching and shining ever so slightly around the chapped rim. "Ugh, snf! you're a menace, Munson. Absolute snff! menace. Those good for you? Or should I nix the tissues and use you instead?"

A shudder ran through Eddie at Steve's words and he groaned, letting his head tip back. "That's playing dirty, Stevie, and you know it. You can't dirty talk me while you're sick and sneezy." Then came the soft feeling of plump lips traveling over his throat and the subtle brush of a damp nose tip against his Adam's apple.

Eddie would deny at all costs the noise that garnered from him.

It did get Steve to chuckle, though. "Like you tapping my nose isn't playing dirty. You made me sneeze. That- hhh... oh h-hang on... gonna- hihh..."

This time Eddie didn't get to watch Steve's build up, but he could feel it. Every stuttering inhale pressed up against him, the way his fingers curled against Eddie's shirt ever so slightly, and how Steve tucked into his shoulder with a final wavering. "Hihh-ih!" Before finally pressing his face into Eddie's neck and shoulder as he sneezed, "IHHxT'Shuh! Ohh- snf! shit, I forget what I was saying." He admitted, chuckling a little again as he pressed a tissue to his running nose.

Meanwhile, Eddie was getting his heart rate under control and running his fingertips lovingly along Steve's back up and down. "Bless you, pumpkin. Okay, I promise-" And Eddie made a little X over his heart with his free hand. "No more teasing my poor boyfriend's nose unless he asks or he's all better, deal?"

Two days after the birthday party, and three days into a hideous cold, Victor is no longer pretending to be healthy. He’s wandering aimlessly around the house wearing a face mask and a rumpled yukata, carrying a box of tissues under his arm and groaning dramatically whenever anyone is around to help lament his suffering.

This is a massive relief for Yuuri - during the birthday party that Victor had painstakingly arranged, he’d clearly been sick, but hadn’t been willing to admit to it until he was practically unconscious. The day afterward, he’d pretended to be fine during the brief periods of time he’d been awake, but had spent almost the whole day sleeping. The anxiety and guilt Yuuri felt had combined poorly with his hangover, and had made the day after his birthday a miserable one.   Today, though, Victor is clearly articulating his problems. Yuuri doesn’t have to guess how he’s doing - he knows. It’s so much easier this way - he’ll have to tell Victor that, at some point. Because he knows it’s easier for Victor to know what’s going on in his head, too.

Right now, though, he has to attend to Victor’s physical needs. He sounds like someone’s poured cement into his sinuses, and it’s hardened completely. Despite the desperately nasal pronunciation of just about every syllable, he can barely even sniffle - every attempt results in a pitiful squeak. He’s breathing through his mouth in short, painful puffs that are repeatedly interrupting with fits of ticklish coughs.

That can’t be comfortable, but there’s an easy solution on the Katsuki property.

“Vitya, do you want to take a dip in the onsen? It’ll loosen up your congestion.” Midway through Yuuri’s sentence, Victor starts blowing his nose, which means he hadn’t heard a single thing that Yuuri said. Yuuri repeats it while Victor rubs his ear. He quickly moves from his ear to his nose, which is flaring as if he’s about to sneeze - but nothing happens, despite pinching it and rubbing it to try and coax the sneeze out. “That mbight help,” he says, folding his used tissue into a neat square, then plucking another from the box to blow his dripping, swollen nose. “You’ll have to come in with mbe though. I’b too tired to trust myself not to fall asleep in the water.” “You just want to see me naked,” says Yuuri with a smirk.

After a small coughing fit, Victor says, “you say that like it’s a bad thing.” ~`~`~

An hour later, they’ve showered and entered the onsen. Despite the warmth of the water, Victor is still shivering, prompting Yuuri to wrap his arms around his husband to try and warm him up.

Despite the steam drifting off of the water, every breath Victor tries to take is loud and labored. His nose, which is bright red and flecked with scraps of dead white skin, is glistening with a combination of hot spring water and mucus. He tilts his head back and rests it on Yuuri’s chest. As he breathes in the steam, his sniffles start to get a little wetter and looser, and his nostrils start to flare. He scrubs at the understand of his nose, muttering “itchy…” to himself.

Damn it. Yuuri hadn’t thought of this. While the steam will likely make Victor less congested, it’s probably going to make him sneeze, too. If those sneezes are spraying will mean some annoying clean-up before they open the hot spring to the public in the morning, but Yuuri is more concerned with Victor’s comfort. Yesterday, he’s said that sneezing hurt his throat and gave him a headache - today, he’s been too stuffed up to do it much. Is this going to hurt, or is it going to be a relief? It’s too late to go back now. Victor takes a sharp breath, then jackknives forward in a violent “HEHSHIEW!” that leaves him coughing and sputtering into a curled fist. He blows his nose into his hands, then fires another sneeze - “AHEH-KIEW!” into the crook of his elbow. He frowns at whatever he expelled, then wipes it off into the handkerchief he’d brought with him. Then, Victor sniffles like he’s trying to absorb the whole hot spring into his sinus cavity, then leans back onto Yuuri’s chest, whimpering. “That hurt…” he groans, massaging the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry,” says Yuuri, kissing Victor’s damp forehead. “Are you are least a little bit less congested?” “Mm…a little, but it’s still…hhehh…ehhh? Heehh?” His breath hitches, and he waves in front of his face with his hands, as if that will coax out the sneeze. “Ehheh? Huhehhh…Heh…oh mby god Yuuri mby nose is on fire—hhehhhh….HEHCHOO! ASHOO! HEKCHH!! HACHHIIH!! EH-HEHHKKCH!”   After a seemingly endless volley of sneezes that leave Victor limp and shaking, he grabs the handkerchief and blows out what looks like all the liquids in his entire body. Yuuri hands him the water bottle they’d brought to avoid dehydration, and Victor drinks the whole thing in under a minute. “It’s very possible I burst a blood vessel from all of that sneezing, but at least I can breath through my nose now,” Victor says in a scratchy, drained voice. “Thank you, kotyonok. SNIFFF! You’re too good to me. Snff…snnff…hhhechhiew! Ugh…I guess I’ll probably keep sneezing as long as I’m in here—eshiew!hhECHIEW!”