#inducing

Clearly, in the initial shock of snorting the powder, Greyson had forgotten the reason they were there. Blushing beneath rheumy eyes, the chef leaned down so he was in Reed’s full view. “Sorry,” he said, voice hitching. “Kind of forgohh – forgot what we were doihh – HRTSSH! NGTSXCHH-ue!”

These two were directed right at Reed, the spray catching his chest and face. Reed groaned in pleasure while Greyson covered his mouth with his palm entirely too late. “Fuck, sorry babe, this shit is really fucking strong. Hh-! HRSTCHHH-ue!”

“Don’t apologize,” Reed said, emboldened. He gently pulled Greyson’s palm away from his face, kissed his boyfriend as hard as he could. “And don’t you dare cover your face.”

It was Greyson’s turn to moan; he pulled away from Reed for a moment, taking in his face. “This really does it for you, huh?” he asked, sniffling. A flush crept over Reed’s face and he looked down, embarrassed.

“I – yeah, I mean, obviously,” he said, a self-deprecating laugh following the admission. “But if you don’t like it baby, we definitely don’t...”

The words fizzled out in Reed’s mouth as Greyson’s face once again crumpled with the need to sneeze. In that moment, Reed changed his tune. For now, it didn’t matter to him whether or not Greyson was into this; it was happening, and hell, Greyson had initiated it – he’d been the one to research ways to make himself sneeze when Reed had admitted to having a ‘weird kink’, had even been the one to buy the powder – and Reed was going to enjoy it. Greyson attempted to tip his head back, but Reed stopped him, grabbing his mess of blonde waves and pulling him in for another kiss.

“Baby,” Greyson panted around Reed’s lips. “I’m gonna -”

“Then do it,” Reed said into Greyson’s mouth. “But I’m not pulling away.”

It wasn’t as though Greyson had a choice; the sneeze powder had had its way with him, and there was little he could do to stop it. “HUHHTSCHH-ue!” Greyson tried turning his head to keep from sneezing directly into Reed’s face, but Reed’s hand stayed firm. When the spray hit him, Reed gasped in ecstasy; he let go of Greyson’s head to sink his nails into the chef’s back, allowing Greyson to dip into his neck for the next three – “HRRTSH! HUHESCHHOO! HTTSHH-ue!”

When the fit finally subsided, Reed could’ve been pushed over the edge with a single touch. He sat back, admiring Greyson’s stuffy-looking face, and took a few deep breaths to calm himself – he wasn’t quite ready for this to be over yet.

“Christ, sorry babe,” Greyson said again. This time, Reed laughed.

“Sorry that I held your head to sneeze on me?” he asked, prompting a laugh from Greyson. “I mean, apology accepted.”

“Yeah… yeah, alright, fair enough,” Greyson said, sniffling again. “I think I finally got it all out, but wow that is… that’s certainly something.” Reed flushed again, and Greyson lifted his chin so their eyes could meet. “You liked it?”

Again, Reed couldn’t find words; he was too busy studying Greyson’s pink nose, his watering eyes, his mouth parted slightly to breathe better. Lost for what to say, Reed simply nodded.

Greyson smiled. “Then I love it,” he said, pulling Reed’s face in for a kiss. When they pulled away, Greyson reached over to the side table to grab the powder again. “This time,” he said, sniffing it in and pushing Reed back onto the bed, “I’m gonna make it cuuhh – HRRSHH!Snrf!Count.”

***

“Are you okay?”

From his side of the couch, Greyson whipped his head towards Reed and pulled his hand away from his neck. “Huh?” he asked, distracted. Reed put the book he’d been reading on the coffee table and raised an eyebrow.

“Long night?” he prodded. “You’ve barely said two words to me since you got home.”

“Oh,” Greyson said, shrugging. “Yeah, no, it was fine just – my lymph nodes have been super fuckin’ sore all day and it’s pissing me off.” Oh.

Reed pressed his lips together, swallowing hard. “Does your throat hurt?” he asked. Again, Greyson shrugged.

“Yeah, kind of,” he said, pulling his phone out of the pocket of his sweatpants and clicking it on. “Not terribly or anything.”

The back of Reed’s brain throbbed – sick, sick, sick it chanted, the least developed part of his evolution seeing immediately exactly what it wanted to see – but Reed forced himself to quiet it. Don’t be a fucking freak, he thought, moving closer to Greyson. It’s probably nothing.

“Can I…?” Reed asked, miming touching Greyson’s lymph nodes. His boyfriend nodded, barely paying attention, while Reed gently placed his fingers on either side of his neck. Inside his chest, Reed’s heart thumped hard and fast; he hoped Greyson couldn’t feel it in his fingertips.

“Well, they’re certainly swollen,” he said, keeping his voice light. “Are you feeling okay other than that? You seemed fine, uh, last night…”

At that Greyson grinned, wolf-like, and abandoned the phone to crawl damn near into Reed’s lap. “Sneezy, for sure,” he teased, kissing Reed’s cheek. “But yeah, fine other than that.”

Reed flushed. “If you weren’t feeling well yesterday, you could’ve told me,” he mumbled, embarrassed. “We could’ve waited to do… that.”

“Mmm, I don’t think we could’ve waited,” Greyson laughed, nuzzling into Reed’s neck. “But also, I felt fine last night. And I’m fine now, baby, like I said it’s just a little sore throat – no need to worry.” He swung his legs over Reed’s lap then, prompting his boyfriend to rub his aching soles.

“Fuck, you’re good at that,” he moaned, eyes closed. Reed hummed an inaudible thanks, and Greyson let one eye pop back open. “You better hope it’s nothing,” he joked. “Because you’re fucked if it’s not.”

They both laughed then – Greyson in earnest and Reed hollowly – until Greyson suddenly wrenched to the side. “Hh-! HRTSHH-uhh!”

Reed felt his mouth go dry as Greyson absently wiped his nose on the back of his hand. He shifted in his seat, the thought of Greyson’s soon-to-be cold once again bringing to the forefront of his mind the most animal part of him. That carnal part grabbed at his consciousness and threw him back to the night before – to holding Greyson’s head in place as he sneezed into his face, over his chest, and onto his neck – making his head spin and his blood move rapidly southward. Reed stood and excused himself to the bedroom.

Fucked, he thought, close to panting. Sure.

***

“Oh, you poor thing, you look awful.”

Placing his knife bag on the kitchen counter, Greyson coughed out a laugh at his boyfriend’s concerned face. “Thangks,” he said, placing a swift kiss on Reed’s cheek. The look of concern painted across his boyfriend’s face prompted Greyson to place a warm hand on his cheek. “It’s just a cold, love, ndo ndeed to freak out, okay?”

Nodding, Reed pulled out a bar stool and motioned for Greyson to sit. “I made curry,” he said, bowling the stewed meat and vegetables over rice. “You have to eat a little something at least, okay?”

“Thangk you, baby,” Greyson said, taking the bowl. “I’mb starving.”

As Greyson tucked into the meal, Reed leaned back against the kitchen island and took his boyfriend in. Reed had known when they woke up this morning that Greyson was sick, much as the chef was wont to admit it, but now, post-shift, he looked markedly worse than he had when he left. Pale, bloodshot eyes, and red-rimmed nostrils; he was the picture of cold-ridden. Greyson was always an exceptionally good-looking guy, especially in Reed’s eyes, but like this… well, Reed was having a difficult time keeping himself from pawing at his boyfriend in this state.

“Hh-!” Greyson’s breath hitched suddenly. “HRTZCHH-ue! Snrf. ’Scuse mbe,” he said, then, looking up at Reed’s face, he amended his statement. “You’re welcombe,” he smiled.

Reed pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. He’d told boyfriends about his kink before – at thirty-five it would’ve been hard to get away with keeping it completely to himself all his life – but none had ever responded quite like Greyson. Mostly, they would ignore it or pretend they had forgotten Reed had told them at all. Some would pander to him – begrudgingly, it often seemed – but never had he ever had someone seem so… down to be a part of it. Reed wasn’t sure how to respond to Greyson’s immediate boldness around something Reed assumed was so foreign to him. It felt good, honestly, to be seen and acknowledged and indulged… but he wasn’t a hundred percent sure how to respond to Greyson’s lack of timidity regarding kink. It was new territory for him.

He decided on a light joke. “You’re a brat,” he said, rolling his eyes and moving to clean up dinner’s leftovers. Greyson shrugged.

“I’mb out here giving my boyfriend exactly what he wants and I’mb a brat? Rude.” He dissolved into a short fit of coughs then, turning away to aim them into the crook of his arm. Reed glanced up from the dishes.

“You okay?”

“I’mb good,” Greyson managed, clearing his throat. “I fear I mbay be passing away, but other than that I’mb good.”

This time, Reed did laugh. “You are so dramatic,” he said, wiping his hands on a cloth and moving to sit beside his boyfriend. Greyson smiled.

“You love it,” he said, picking up one of Reed’s hands and gently kissing his palm. He did love it, despite himself. Reed had staunchly refused to date within the food and beverage industry previously, simply because of the drama that surrounded it – drama that Greyson absolutely loved to be a part of. But with him, for some reason, the drama didn’t bother Reed. It was just who Greyson was, and Greyson wasn’t the type of person to hide who he was; if there was anything Reed envied in Greyson, it was that.

The warmth in Reed’s stomach spread as Greyson’s warm lips pressed against his hand. Maybe Greyson was just… different than other guys. Maybe he was finally Reed’s perfect match.

Reed felt his face flush. “I do,” he said quietly, placing the hand on Greyson’s face. Warm, but not feverish. “Kiss me.” Reed leaned in then – only for Greyson to turn his head.

“Baby, I don’t wannda get you sick,” he said when he saw Reed’s furrowed brow – the upset look quickly morphed into one of bemusement.

“Honey,” Reed said, choosing his words carefully. “I, um… I don’t know if you remember a couple of nights ago, but I think that ship may have already sailed.” Greyson pressed his own eyebrows together – then raised them when he remembered.

“Oh,” he said, making a face that somehow perfectly encapsulated the word oops. “Shit, I forgot about that. I mbean, that was before I started feeling shitty, so you should be finde, right?”

Internally, Reed weighed his options for response; after a moment, he settled on the truth. “I… I think you’re contagious before you start, um. Showing symptoms,” Reed said. Greyson’s face fell, and he rubbed his nose hard with the back of his hand.

“Shit,” Greyson repeated. “Well, uh… hopefully your immbune system is fully ramped up then – hh...hhhIGTSZCHH-ue! Fuck, excuse mbe,” Greyson stood up from the barstool and grabbed a paper towel from the kitchen, blowing his nose as quietly as he could manage.

Reed’s breath quickened as he said, “Bless you.” Greyson nodded.

“Thangk you,” he said, tossing the paper towel. He shot his boyfriend an apologetic look, rubbed the back of his own neck, embarrassed. “Sorry if I give you this, hondey.”

Without thinking, Reed barked out a laugh. “Greyson,” he said, “if anyone has ever been asking for it when it comes to getting sick, it’s me literally holding your face to my face when I know you’re about to sneeze. Let’s… I mean, let’s be honest about that.”

Greyson coughed out a giggle as well. “I mbean, when you put it that way,” he said, taking Reed’s hand and pulling him in. “I guess there’s ndo real reason for mbe not to do this.” He kissed Reed then, slow and deep, his tongue slipping between his boyfriend’s lips like a secret. A moan escaped Reed without him meaning it to.

“Baby,” Greyson said into Reed’s mouth. “Will you take care of mbe? I don’t feel we­hh… huh..!” Greyson’s foreplay was suddenly cut off then by his breath hitching. “Onesec -” he breathed, turning away from Reed to crumple into his elbow.

“HRRTZCHH-ue! Hh-! HhhESTZCHH-ue!” Greyson coughed for a moment before turning back to Reed, an apologetic look on his face. “Sorry ’bout that,” he said, sniffling.

Reed was, again, at a loss for words. “Bless you,” he said again, his voice barely a whisper. Greyson grinned.

“Mban,” he said, clearing his throat. “I fuckigg love this. Easiest foreplay of mby liii – HRTZCHH!” This time, Greyson hadn’t had time to turn away; Reed felt the mist of his boyfriend’s sneeze lay over him like a light blanket as he shivered with desire.

“Fuck,” Reed whispered, pulling Greyson in for a hungry, desirous kiss. Greyson was only too happy to reciprocate; he yanked Reed’s shirt over his head and licked up his torso, sniffling when he got to the base of his boyfriend’s throat. Reed couldn’t take it any longer; he pushed Greyson to the ground right there in the kitchen, stripping himself and his boyfriend down to nothing in record time.

Before they could go any further, Reed pressed his lips to Greyson’s once again. When they pulled away, Greyson was smiling, amused.

“Well, if you weren’t goigg to get sick before,” he said, coursing his fingers through Reed’s short, dark hair, “you certainly will ndow.”

Reed, consumed by desire, began kissing along Greyson’s neck, his torso, his hips. Before going any lower, Reed turned his face towards Greyson’s, his face flushed with lust.