v-the-adventurer

[v-the-adventurer]

Sneezecret Santa Post!! 🎄🎉

So I took part in the Secret Santa exchange orchestrated by the illustrious and wonderful @softsnzstuff . I wrote for an anonymous snz fan. Anon, I unfortunately was very unaware of the fandoms you like, but since you also like character A/B/C stories, here's one of those! I tried to make it extra heaping on the fluff for you 🎅🎄Happy reading!

A pushes the front door shut, and it barely clicks on its hinges before they are bending forward with a harsh sneeze. They groan, fishing in the pocket of their trousers, their voice rough and gravelly. 

"I... I'm so stuffed up. Jesus,” they moan, loudly but to no one in particular. A’s breath hitches, and they bury their face in the crumpled wad of tissues as they sneeze again and again. Once they’ve finished clearing the worst from their sinuses for the moment, they blink away the rheum in their eyes and realize, that’s right, they’re spending the night at B’s flat tonight instead of their own. The light is on, and the television is whirring softly. The flat’s, well, not-emptiness is just as healing as any medicine. 

"I... I'm home,” A calls hoarsely, then adds a mumbled, “Finally.” Their breath hitches again, sending them back to the tissue wad. “Oh this cold—my head's stuffed to the brim..."

Their partner, B, looks up from where they lounge, crocheting on the couch. Their brow furrows in concern. “I guess I shouldn’t even ask how your day was?” 

A snorts, then sniffles and rubs their nose with the back of their wrist. "I... it was fine. I guess.” They sigh. “Just had a lot of students come in with colds, so I'm not surprised I got it, too.” 

A sniffle and a sneeze catch them roughly off guard. “Oh, man,” A mutters. They sneeze and cough again, rubbing at the ache in their throat.  Not surprised, given the colds making the rounds at the university where they lecture, but certainly not happy about it, either. They swallow thickly. “How’s the crochet coming along?”

Something about the way the swallow grated so raw against their sore throat made tears spring to A’s eyes, and they sniffle and wipe them away. 

B looks up with a playful smile. “Does it really look that bad?”

A runs a hand along the length of their face, even as an exhausted smile shows through. “Of course not,” they say emphatically, even though they both know B was joking. A has always been impressed by their partner’s hobby; something about the intricate work is so mesmerizing, even calming. 

A sniffles again. “I'm just so stuffed up it feels like someone dumped a bunch of cement up there." They tap their aching, swollen sinuses for proof,  trying and failing for a deep inhale through their nose. "I... I can't breathe. Feels like my brain's swelling and... God, this is terrible."

B pats the couch cushion beside them, moving aside the ball of yarn. “Why don’t you sit down and watch me, hmm? I know how much you like it.” 

At the thought of resting their aching body after a day of lecturing, A moans with such relief it sends a shiver coursing through them. "Mmm—Oh, please..." They shuffle over to the couch and slowly lower themselves down, sinking into the cushions and resting their head against the backrest. "Christ, I feel so sick... You've got some cold medicine, don't you?"

“I do.” B leans forward and presses a kiss to their forehead. “You just rest here while I get it for you, alright?” 

"Mmm..." A mumbles inelegantly. "Don't be long..." They whimper. "P—please..."

“I won’t,” B promises, and true to their word they are back with a bottle of cold medicine in hand before A had really registered they had left. 

A’s expression is a bit pained as they take it from B; their head is suddenly pounding with a vengeance. "Thank you.” A fumbles with the cap, fingers feeling wholly uncooperative. The bottle is new, and they struggle to turn the cap and break the seal, their hands unusually clumsy. The intense and prolonged period of leaning downward to open the bottle has caused their nose to run anew, and they sniffle miserably. 

 "Hnggh... God, it feels like my entire face is swollen.” Wordlessly, B takes the bottle from A, who smiles sheepishly. “I—I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you. "

B opens the bottle easily and smiles. “You wouldn’t have any cold medicine, for a start.” 

A gulps down a capful of the medicine, wrinkling their nose ever so slightly at the taste, but even that proves too much for the sensitive appendage. They bend forward with two full, wet sneezes. 

A feels that they have been messy, and their face scrunches in abject repulsion. They don’t even know where that sad bunch of tissues has gone, not they they would do much good in such a soaked state. Instead, A rubs their fingers over their nose to collect the worst of the mess. 

"Oh my God, B,” they groan. Then, after some more deep, loud sniffling in a futile attempt to regain control of their sinuses, they remember how gross they must look right now. "I'm... I'm so sorry,” they say desperately. “That was disgusting. I’m disgusting. That's... that's—you didn't deserve that."

“You’re sick, sweetheart,” B says simply, stroking A’s hair a couple times. “It’s alright. Let me get you some tissues, though.” 

"I'm such a mess!" A cries. They cover their face with one hand and groan. "Ugh, I'm so sorry I'm such a mess right now..." They press down on his forehead as though they could force some sort of sense into his swollen mind. "I... I feel like hell.” They break off to sneeze, and sneeze again. “Like my head could explode at any second... oh..."

B returns with the tissues and hands them to A. “Hence why you should try blowing a bit of that gunk out, hmm?” 

"Mmm..." A hums, holding the fresh tissue against their nose, relishing in its softness before blowing a few times. They sniffle liquidly.  "That's not all... “ A cuts themselves off with a sharp sneeze. “That's not all of it, but it… it helps some. Thank you.” A coughs and clears their throat with a wince. "God, I feel awful... I feel so cold and hot at the same time..."

B frowns. “That’s my cue to get a thermometer then, huh?”

A groans and coughs again as B stands up to retrieve the thermometer.. “My throat feels so sore it’s hard to swallow.”

B comes back, and slips the thermometer gently between A’s lips. A’s eyes drift shut and they don’t open them when the thermometer beeps, too tired to even consider looking to see for themselves what the number reads. B caresses’s A’s cheek and takes the thermometer out to read it, making an unhappy noise. 

A murmurs in a gravelly voice, swallowing down a cough. "Is it bad? Tell me it's not bad..."

“It’s not terrible,” B says, “but it’s certainly not healthy. I think you’ve got the flu, my dear.” 

B takes a seat on the couch again next to A, who promptly flops against them bonelessly. “At this point, nothing surprises me.”

B clucks their tongue sympathetically. “Why don’t you just rest here on the couch with me while I crochet?” 

A’s eyes drift shut for a brief time, but the pulsing ache that throbs through their very bones keeps them from sleeping as they wish they could.  "I'm so tired,” A moans, opening their eyes again, muttering as their breath begins to hitch. "I can't rest, B... I can't…” They sneeze helplessly. “I'm so—*sneeze*—so blocked up I can't even catch my breath and these sneezes..." A groans, clutching at their face. "Christ...."

B sets aside their crochet needle and begins to massage A’s achy shoulders. “Just do your best to relax, honey.”

A flinches a little as their tense shoulders are kneaded and they release a relieved moan, their breathing already beginning to slow and deepen. "You're... you're so kind..." A says, sighing and nuzzling their head against B’s chest. "I don't know how I'd do it without you..."

“Good thing you’ll never have to, huh?” B says, and presses a kiss behind A’s ear. “I’ll be here for you always.” 

A’s body slouches so deeply into B that they're nearly lying on top of them, and they give a soft, happy sigh as B’s lips press to their skin. "Mmm… I love you so much..." A sneezes a few times, too exhausted to consider moving, and then nuzzles their face against B’s skin, closing their eyes as their breathing slows.

B smiles to themselves as their stuffy-nosed partner begins to snore, then resumes their crocheting once more. It isn’t long before A is fast asleep, and his peaceful, easy breathing is the perfect lullaby to accompany B’s handiwork.

[v-the-adventurer]

"god, sorry, this cold is just kicking my ass" he says while being congested to high heaven and rubbing his nose against his finger. sir you are literally the definition of attractive

[v-the-adventurer]

“you’re cold.” a soft declaration, knitted brow, stepping forwards with a need to fix it.

“yeah,” a breathy chuckle of a reply, hands rubbing at goosebumps on their skin. “and you have one, so i’m not taking that jacket.”

[v-the-adventurer]

character A has been stuck on the couch all afternoon. this is the nastiest cold they’ve ever had, and unfortunately, they get to spend it looking like a sick mess in front of their partner. character B is carding their fingers through A’s disheveled hair when the sound of stuttering, wheezy, sharp inhales catches their attention.

a sopping wet sneeze forces its way out of A’s suffering nose. the snot tethers itself to A’s nose and sleeve. based on the gurgling sound alone, the wide eyed flustered panic on A’s face, and the fact that they don’t move a muscle after, B knows it probably made a whole puddle of germs, too much to sniffle and snort back up.

“oh, jesus, that sounded like a mess.” they wince, patting A’s back. “you need a tissue, sweet thing?”

A stays frozen, but quickly accepts the offer, holding out their free hand expecting the whole box. “fugck.. sdnffffk! i ndeed tissues. plural.”

[v-the-adventurer]

A sick, contagious someone who’s home from work with a nasty head cold telling their exhausted significant other who just got back home from work not to lay down just yet because they know they’ve thoroughly sneezed all over the bedding all day

[v-the-adventurer]

Have the worst cold in my nose I woke up with

[v-the-adventurer]

character A has been stuck on the couch all afternoon. this is the nastiest cold they’ve ever had, and unfortunately, they get to spend it looking like a sick mess in front of their partner. character B is carding their fingers through A’s disheveled hair when the sound of stuttering, wheezy, sharp inhales catches their attention.

a sopping wet sneeze forces its way out of A’s suffering nose. the snot tethers itself to A’s nose and sleeve. based on the gurgling sound alone, the wide eyed flustered panic on A’s face, and the fact that they don’t move a muscle after, B knows it probably made a whole puddle of germs, too much to sniffle and snort back up.

“oh, jesus, that sounded like a mess.” they wince, patting A’s back. “you need a tissue, sweet thing?”

A stays frozen, but quickly accepts the offer, holding out their free hand expecting the whole box. “fugck.. sdnffffk! i ndeed tissues. plural.”

[v-the-adventurer]

"baby? my nose is bothering me."

"hm?"

"it tickles."

"you feel a sneeze?"

"uh huh"

"hold it in sweetheart."

"but-"

"no buts my love."

"it- i- hih-hih"

"shhh, shh"

the whines and whimpering 😩

[v-the-adventurer]

A stubborn sickie who's been denying their very obvious illness all day, who then spikes a fever in the evening. They come up to their partner, burying their face in the crook of their neck with a small, pitiful mumble of "I don't feel good."

Their partner immediately rubbing their back, pressing a kiss to their too-warm forehead. "Oh, sweetheart. I know, let me take care of you now."

[v-the-adventurer]

weirdly specific scenario but I'm in my feelings so hear me out: person code switching into their native-but-second language for a second and the person they're with giving them shit over their accent and the first person sneezes and goes "yeah dude I'm sick, I can't pronounce shit"

[v-the-adventurer]

"Bless you" and all it's variations are grand, but so are unspoken gestures to acknowledge a sneeze

Offering a tissue(s)

A reassuring hand on the arm, leg, shoulder, back, etc

Leaning against them or moving closer

Boop on the nose !! Kiss on the nose !!

A knowing, sympathetic smile

Making sure they're warm enough – closing a window or sharing a blanket

Holding them tighter if cuddling

Hum or other noise of recognition

Awkward finger guns

If you have more ideas like these, I want to hear them!!

[v-the-adventurer]

they are so exhausted, so burnt out, that they long for the simple rest and comfort of a bad cold. to ask others to be a little softer on them is so much easier when they can ask, visibly tired and sniffling and tangibly sick, than when they have to bear their stresses and anxieties from behind a facade of wellness to do so.

[v-the-adventurer]

@kazewohiita & I's ocs coldsharing

Because

[v-the-adventurer]

Can't get over the idea of a guy who thinks he's soooo subtle and such a little soldier for carrying on when he's sick and convincing everyone that he's fine.

Except...

He's not fooling a SOUL because he can't keep his symptoms quiet to save his life.

I'm talking huge, loud sneezes, buried into cupped hands that rack through his entire body.

You are NOT fooling anyone babe !!

[v-the-adventurer]

A couple sitting propped up in their large bed in their favorite pjs. They both came down with the same terrible cold, their noses bright red, streaming and full to the brim with sneezes. Used, balled-up tissues are scattered all around them like a halo, and they've sneezed so much today, that person A has given up on tissues altogether and is just giving themselves up to the sneezes, letting them fly uncovered for why bother anyway if both of them are sick already?

B is adamant that all sneezes should be covered, so when A's breath hitches helplessly, B reaches out a hand to catch A's desperate "Aaahh'TIISSHU!!!" in their hand, only to feel a sneeze blooming in their own nose. Without thinking, they hold the hand A has just sneezed into in front of their own nose and sneeze a spraying "Heh'PTTSSHIEW!!!" into it, so now their palm is shimmering wet with both their colds.

[v-the-adventurer]

Fragment

The instant that they feel the ever-present itch at the back of their nose change to a more insistent prickling, A tugs urgently on B's sleeve.

"Sorry... hh'uhh... I'm going to..."

A can't finish the phrase, but the ragged breath that follows will be more than enough to tell B exactly what A is going to do. A scrunches their nose up and cuts off the breath in their throat, trying to give B as much time as possible to get the handkerchief to their chapped, damp nose.

The first brush of the cotton on the sensitive skin is almost enough to tip A over the edge. But they fight the urge for half a second longer, until they feel B's fingers firmly cupping their nose, applying just the right kind of pressure. A breathes in as deeply as the congestion will let them and feels their shoulders relax into the desperate release.

"Heh'IHD'shhheuhh!"

The sneeze is strong enough to pitch A forward, but B has their other hand on the front of A's shoulder to catch them. A tenses again, bracing against the steadying arm, as the next sneeze builds in the back of their nose. A raises their head slightly from the handkerchief, and feels B instinctively relax their grip on it for a second, before applying a comforting pressure again, just at the moment of release.

"hehh'DHhschhh!"

"Bless you," softly murmured in A's ear.

A can feel their nose starting to stream now. They're wrecking this handkerchief and probably should somehow signal that they'll need a new one, or at least a handful of tissues to blow their nose into. But that would require lifting their head and talking, and they're pretty sure - no, they're certain that they're not done sneezing.

Something about A's breathing must tell B the same thing, because they say, "Oh, another one?" In a tone so perfectly sympathetic that, for a moment, A feels like they might cry. But that's probably just the fever; it does strange things to them.

So instead, A tries to nod, but they're not sure it's really visible, especially because it probably just looks like they're building up to the next sneeze, which they are.

"ehh'TSHhhhh! .... eh'Ehh... ehh'DjSHhh'EUgh!"

Sneezes, rather. Of course there's not just one. But A feels like they're done - for now, at least. Shifting their nose to find a reasonably dry spot on the handkerchief, A rubs and snuffles until they feel like they can raise their head and look for the tissues.

"Bless you," B says again, watching A's eyes scan the bedclothes and handing the tissue box over. "I thought there might be more."

Don't say that, A thinks, because one's nose doesn't actually stop tickling with a cold like this. There are just moments when it's not tickling enough that they have to sneeze immediately, but the merest suggestion otherwise might change that.

"I'm done for now," A mumbles into the tissues, telling their nose as much as their companion.

"Poor thing," B says, encouraging A to settle back against their chest. "Well, I'm right here when you need me."

[v-the-adventurer]

Any other snzfuckers adore when a character sneezes so much their nose runs helplessly, and as mucus runs down their nose, they feel the urge to sneeze again? 👀

Like you're still all sneezy? With your nose running like that? So, so cute. 💕