An Encore for Spring
1,683 words | M/M | allergies
this takes place shortly after Reunited, but you don't have to know anything about the story or characters for this one. minimal plot, mostly snz here. enjoy!
~~~
"hhehhh…hh'hETCHhieww!"
That's the greeting Toby receives at the door of his boyfriend's apartment, who's appeared before him with his fluffy blonde hair all mussed up, clothes disheveled, and his nose a vibrant shade of red. His mouth is still slightly agape, brows pulled together as soft hitches escape his lips.
He's not done. He never stops with just one, after all.
"hhh'hETSchieww! hh'ISHhuu!" A sniffle.
"B-Bless—"
"hh'iiSSHhyewwh!"
"Bless you, Nat," Toby finishes, swallowing hard. "A-Are you…feeling okay?"
There's a hearty sniffle from Nat before he answers. "Mmh. Allergies kicking mby ass," he whines, rubbing at his watery blue eyes. "Maybe I should have called idt off today."
He pouts, and the sight pulls at Toby's heartstrings. It's unusual to see his typically bright, sunshine-y boyfriend look so glum. He must really not be feeling well.
"Awh, it's okay. We were just planning to stay in anyway, right? U-Unless you want me to go…"
Nat responds with a low groan, which progresses into a dry cough and thick sniffle. "Nooo, I wanna spend time with you," he whines. "I just don't want you to have to deal with me being gross."
"I don't mind," Toby says quickly. And it's true, in more ways than one. "I-I mean, I don't think you're gross in the first place, s-so you don't have to worry about that."
Slowly, a smile breaks out across Nat's face. Now he's looking more like his usual self.
He huffs a laugh. "Okay, okay. C'mon in," he says, motioning for Toby to enter.
Toby's only been to Nat's apartment once before, and that was for his birthday party. At the time, there were a bunch of other people there, and the place had been prepared for guests. This is his first time here with just the two of them. It's fallen into a bit of disarray, he notices, as he walks toward the living room. Sweaters left in piles, a discarded pack of allergy pills here, empty drinking glasses there.
And tissues. Tissues everywhere.
Nat winces. "God, sorry, I really meant to clean the place up, I just—hh'ITCHhiew!"
He wrenches his body away from Toby, bringing his wrist up to his nose just before taking in a big, wavering inhale.
"hh'ITSCHhu! tschiew-iscchuu! hhITSchuuew!" Another sniffle, then a sigh. "Well, I've been trying to clean, but that keeps happening, and it's kind of exhausting. So I gave up."
Toby gives him a pitying look, and for a minute, he considers cancelling their plans to cuddle and watch TV and instead spend his afternoon cleaning up Nat's apartment for him. But that idea leaves his mind as soon as Nat makes it to the couch and holds his arms open wide, waiting for Toby to join him.
So he does. How could he say no to Nat in such a state? Cleaning will just have to wait.
Nat pulls Toby into his arms, giving him a quick squeeze before letting go to grab the remote. He keeps one arm draped over Toby's shoulders as he scrolls through Netflix's latest offerings.
It's only been about a week since they officially started dating, and Toby is still getting accustomed to the kind of open affection that Nat offers with ease and enthusiasm. Before Nat, Toby had been living somewhat of a socially reclusive life, preferring to stay indoors and having more friends on his phone than in real life. With his family not being the affectionate type, either, human touch wasn't something he experienced often until now.
He likes it—loves it, really. Craves it. But he's not quite sure how to accept it. So, he sits there a bit stiff, quietly basking in the warmth of Nat's embrace.
…at least until Nat nudges him closer, guiding Toby's head down against his chest with a startled little gasp, to which Nat lets out an affectionate chuckle. Over time, Toby settles in, lulled by the rise and fall of Nat's chest.
It's not long before those lulling breaths become short, uneven hitches punctuated by congested sniffles, and Nat starts intermittently rubbing his nose. That seems to stave off the tickle for a while, though each set of hitches sounds more urgent than the last.
"hhehhh…hihh…mmnghh."
Toby's far past the point of paying attention to the show they're watching.
"h-hehh…ihh—?? hhehhh…"
Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Nat pinching his nose between his forefingers, and he's really, really tempted to tell him to just sneeze if he needs to. He can't imagine saying that out loud, though, so he holds his tongue.
Eventually, Nat's attempt to hold back fails, and his body jerks forward with a stifle.
"hehh…hh'nght!"
The movement jolts Toby's head upward, and a shiver runs up his spine. Nat seems to notice his reaction.
"S-Sorr…hehh…hhngxt! hh'ENnggchh! Gah, I'mb sorry."
"I-It's okay," Toby stammers, wincing at the way his voice cracks on the first syllable.
To his disappointment, Nat tries to shift away. Instinctively, Toby grasps for Nat's shirt, not wanting to give up their closeness just yet.
Nat turns to him with a sly smile. "Hey, I'll be right back, okay? Just getting a tissue." He ruffles Toby's hair. "So cute."
Toby can feel his face heating up. He returns to an upright position, pressing his thighs together and fixing his gaze at the floor as Nat blows his nose.
While he's waiting for Nat to finish, he takes a steadying breath. Act natural, he tells himself. He's still struggling for composure when Nat resumes his position with his arms open wide. Toby hesitates, but the brief flicker of uncertainty in Nat's expression makes him quickly put aside his internal struggle and settle back into his spot on Nat's chest.
For the next little while, they enjoy cuddling and watching TV without disruptions. Well, mostly, aside from Nat's near-constant sniffling. They're about 30 minutes in when Nat abruptly shifts away, causing Toby to slip out of his arms with a soft noise of confusion.
"S-Sorry, I…" Nat manages to explain between shallow, rapid hitches. "I…f-feel a fit comi-hhing on…"
At that, Toby's mouth goes dry.
"hhehh…hheh'iTSCHhiew! h-hehh…iihh'itschew! tschiew! tschiew! chhiew! O-Oh God-hehh-hh'issh-isshuu-isshuu-itschu-ihh'ITSCHhhiew! Ugh, f-fuck—"
As the fit picks up, it sounds like he can't even get a breath in between sneezes. Despite feeling a little dazed himself, Toby musters up the presence of mind to place a supportive hand on Nat's back.
"Y-You okay…?"
Nat responds with a sharp, urgent breath before crumpling forward with another rapid fit.
"hh'ITSChieww-itschhu-itchu-tschu-tchiew-IITCHhieww! I-I can't—hheh—st-st'ttschieww! Stop—hhITSChiew! S-Sneehhh-hESChiew! sneezing, ugh…"
Heart racing, Toby leans in closer, rubbing circles on Nat's back. "Aw, babe…u-um…b-bless you, s-so much…"
Nat shivers under his touch, still hitching wildly as he tries to distance himself.
"W-Wait, I'm g-gonnasneezeagain-hii'ITSCHieww! iTSCHieww! itschu-itschhu-itsschiew-chiew-hh'EETSchiewww!"
Toby's teeth sink into his tongue as he bites back a moan that tries to escape his throat. Looking for a distraction, his eyes land on the tissue box that Nat retrieved earlier. He picks it up, waiting until there's a small pause in the fit to cautiously offer it to him, but Nat shakes his head.
"N-Not done…hhh'iihh'iITSchhu-itschu-tschiew…ihhh'tschhu…hi'ITChhhiew! hhmng…hh'hETSCHiew! Ah…hhh’ITSCHUuu…hh’hhitschuu…hh'TSsscCHhiew…hhehh…hehhh…hhhETSCHieww!"
Once the fit finally seems to have slowed down, Nat accepts the tissue box and grabs a handful, burying his nose deep in them for several minutes. When he's cleaned up, he shoots Toby a pitiful look, eyes still red and streaming.
"Gonna be like this all day, I think…"
That hits Toby right in the heart. He scoots closer to Nat, closing the distance until their legs are flush and wrapping an arm around his taller frame.
"That, um…s-sounds like it really sucks, I-I'm sorry," Toby soothes, trying to keep his voice even. "Can I get you anything? I assume you already took medicine today…?"
Frowning, Nat nods. "It hasn't really been helping lately, though."
"Oh…" Toby trails off, unsure of what to say.
Nat collapses back into the couch with a frustrated groan. "I probably need to try something else…gah, sorry. I didn't mean to be such a drag today." He glances over at Toby, eyes glimmering with the remnants of allergic tears. "I promise I'm usually more fun to hang out with."
"This is fun-" Toby starts, but quickly catches himself, "I-I mean, I always have fun spending time with you, no matter what. And besides, you can't help it. S-So you don't need to be sorry. I just wish I could do something to make you feel better."
Nat pauses to think. "Well, there is something…" He averts his gaze, a faint blush creeping into his cheeks. "Could I lay down…?"
"Yeah! Of course!" Toby scrambles to make space for Nat to lay down on the couch, but he grabs hold of Toby's thigh before he can move.
"I wanna lay right here," Nat emphasizes, looking pointedly at Toby's lap.
"Oh!" Toby squeaks. "U-Um, sure."
Nat's face lights up, and he starts leaning down to claim his spot. Just before his head reaches Toby's lap, Toby grabs a nearby pillow and slides it underneath.
Once Nat's made himself comfortable, he takes Toby's hand in his own, guiding it up to his head. Instantly, Toby takes the cue to stroke his hair. Nat looks the happiest he's been all day.
There's a few moments of peaceful silence before he speaks up again.
"You sure you don't mind having the world's sneeziest boyfriend?
Toby goes still for a moment, then clears his throat, pulling himself together. "Not at all," he reassures Nat, trying his best to sound unaffected as he continues to run his fingers through his blonde waves. "I, um…I-I think you're pretty much the perfect boyfriend, actually."
Nat smiles widely, and soon, his eyelids fall closed, their TV show long forgotten by now. In a few minutes, he's fast asleep, as evidenced by his congested snores.
For the rest of the afternoon, Toby holds him, keeping a close eye on his flaring nostrils the whole time.
