Here’s a sick fic where Henry is experiencing a wicked head cold during the first night of Passover. I hope you enjoy! 1.3k.
“We can leave early, if you want,” Alexander whispers in Henry’s ear. “Your dad wouldn’t mind.”
Henry sniffs as Alexander pulls away and creates two Koreches for both of them. While he watches the other man, he feels his nose already start to run because of the horseradish. Of course, he knows that his family wouldn’t mind if they left early but he can’t get himself to end their stay.
Clearly, he’d rather spend Passover with his family regardless of how sick he feels.
His head cold makes itself overtly known a couple days after he comes home from a business trip in Miami. Although he wakes up with a sore throat and a general fatigue, he tries to ease with cough drops, honey and lemon tea, and a slower pace during work.
He’s holed up in bed the day before Passover as he tries to get over his cold with a box of tissues and various colorful medicines. When Friday evening comes, he’s full of congestion that changes how his words sound that makes him feel ridiculous, muscle aches that make him want to stay in bed and never get up, and a nose that switches from stuffed up to runny like it’s its job.
The sneezing is the worst. It seems that the tickle in his nose is constant and he’s been sneezing every few minutes. While he feels disgusting because of it, he’s thankful for the abundance of tissues Alexander has stocked up for him.
Henry clears his throat and takes the small piece of matzah and horseradish from Alexander to eat it. He feels his nose run and tickle as he chews, the strong smell of horseradish opening his sinuses more so than any decongestant he’s used.
“Wow,” Henry takes his cloth napkin and dabs his nose, sniffling. “That’s s-hh!-so strong.”
Judith, Henry’s stepmom, chuckles as she creates another sandwich with matzah, horseradish, and charoset. “It’ll clear you right up. There’s matzah ball soup with dinner.”
Henry nods and watches as Judith stands up from the table to walk into the kitchen, the rest of his family going back to their own conversations. Well, except for Alexander. He has had his worried eyes on Henry for the majority of the Seder, asking if he was all right every now and then.
“I saw your dad baking the matzah lasagna while I helped Judith,” Alexander says. “When I looked into the oven, it looked good. I’m sure we can bring some soup home with us.”
I’m not really hu…” Henry lifts his cloth napkin to his face again as his mouth slacks open and eyes close. “Heh! Heh-ishht! h’tsh!.. Hh’tsch! Hungry. Snff!
Alexander’s eyes soften as he puts a hand on Henry’s thigh. “I know but it’ll help.”
Instead of replying, Henry hums noncommittally and takes a drink of his water. His hunger is shot and while he knows it would be more beneficial to eat, he’s not sure he can. Alexander joins in the conversation with everyone else. Henry listens but his attention waning when the start of a headache rears its ugly head.
Maybe Alexander was right and they could leave sooner.
Henry’s dad, Abraham, walks out of the kitchen with a pan in his hands as Judith comes from behind with more dishes. “Dinner’s served.”
Alexander pushes out of his chair to help move dishes to make room for dinner. Typically, Henry loves when Alexander helps his family with dinner and everything else involved, but he just wants the other man by his side tonight so he’s a little sad when Alexander follows Judith into the kitchen to help.
For a moment, Henry frowns and buries his nose in his napkin to rub it.
Mindy clears her throat the other side of the table. “So, how was your trip?”
“It was fine,” Henry says, turning to his sister and taking in her red dress that compliments her dark curls. “The weather was nice but I stayed indoors for the majority of iiihh… h’nxgh! nkTT! It. snfff!”
“And you caught that cold.”
Henry nods as he keeps his face in his napkin, feeling the tickle bloom again. He snaps forward with another small fit, sniffling when he’s done. “Yeah, the man I sat next to on the plane back home was sick. He said it was just allll… h’tssh!.. H’tissch! Hehh'tsghtt! Tsh'ghht! Snf! Allergies. It was so gross.”
“I’m sorry. That’s such bad timing,” Mindy frowns. “Is Alexander going to make you matzah ball soup all this week?”
Alexander walks out of the kitchen with Henry’s parents with a couple dishes then sets it on the table. “Of course who is?”
“We were talking about how you’re going to make matzah ball soup for Henry this week since he’s sick,” Mindy says while everyone settles at the table again.
“Of course, I am,” Alexander says as he smiles softly at Henry, laying his hand on Henry’s thigh again. He turns to everyone while they fill their other cup with wine. “We might leave early if that’s fine with you.”
When Henry’s parents agree to the proposal, he can’t help but feel a weight lift off his shoulders despite the fact that he knows he’s a thirty-year-old man that can make his own decisions. Even still, it’s nice to have Alexander by his side to help.
The rest of the Seder goes as well as Henry thought it would. Although he usually loves Passover, it’s hard to enjoy when his headache pulse gets stronger and he just wants to sleep. He picks at his food and mumbles the prayers until the Nirtzah where he stays buried in his cloth napkin with a muffled sneezing fit.
Abraham lifts his wine glass with a smile after the last prayer. “Chag Sameach!”
Henry sniffles and dabs his nose once more, feeling the unbearable pressure against his sinuses. He excuses himself and heads into the bathroom to blow his nose. When he walks into the bathroom, he takes in his bleary eyes, the bags underneath, and his reddening nose. He looks absolutely dreadful and glances away after a moment to grab a handful of tissues.
As he blows his nose, his sinus pressure lessens and he stops when he hears a knock on the door. He wipes the moisture off his nostrils then opens the door, a small smile forming when he sees Alexander.
“Hey, your dad packed us some leftovers and told me that they’re ready to say goodbye when you’re ready,” Alexander says with a soft tone. “I already have your coat.”
Henry throws away his tissue in the bin near the sink before he turns to Alexander again. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
Alexander nods then helps Henry put on his coat when he walks out of the bathroom. The goodbyes are short, thankfully, and Henry leans into Alexander as they walk to the car. Once they slip in, Henry turns up the heat and closes his eyes, trying to lessen the noticeable thump, thump, thump of his headache.
During the drive home, Alexander stays quiet and keeps a hand on Henry’s knee until they arrive. Henry walks straight to their bedroom and can’t be more happy to see their bed, shedding his shoes and coat before he lies down. He closes his eyes for a moment, only opening them when he hears footsteps.
“I got you some water and medicine,” Alexander says as he walks to Henry’s nightstand to set everything down. “Don’t you want some pajamas?”
“I want you t-Tsh'ii! Tsh-heh'ghh!” Henry says then covers his mouth with the blankets to cough. “I don’t care about pajamas. I want you to come to bed so we can cuddle.”
Alexander chuckles. “Well, we can do both.”
“Good, because I neeeh… heh-gntxh!” Henry sniffles. “ I need you here.”
Alexander runs a hand through Henry’s hair. “Alright, I’ll get your pajamas and my own then I’ll be there. I’ll be quick.”
As Henry hums an agreement, he watches Alexander pull away to change clothes and grab some pajamas for him. He just can’t wait to spend the whole night cuddling with Alexander until he falls asleep.
