No Place Like Home (A sequel to Would You Like a Cold with Your Coffee?) -PART 13-

[meepsy]

Hi guys, I'm back with the sequel! This story will probably be updated more sparingly than the last one, but I will try to make it worth the wait Thanks again for all the support. You all seriously rock!

For those who haven't read the first story, here is a link This story should be able to function as a stand alone piece, but, you know, just in case you're interested!

ALSO: A big, big shout out to phoenix, who beta-read this chapter for me, and who's wonderful story Sympathy leaves me speechless with every new update.

I thought I had more to say, but I can't think of anything else, so I guess here you go!

~o~

Part One

Tobias scrubbed his nose with the back of his hand as discretely as possible, throwing a quick glance over to the ash brown-haired, olive-skinned, thick-eyebrowed boy staring out the window in the passenger seat beside him. By all visible indications, Aaron hadn't noticed anything, was too preoccupied with staring out the window, zoned out on some movie scene he was setting up in his mind or whatever.

The philosophy grad student grinned, feeling a warm rush of affection for his boyfriend of coming up on two months now. It was crazy how surreal it all still felt – getting to be in a relationship with Aaron at long last, after having nursed a secret crush on his best friend's roommate for well over a year – it was almost like something out of a fairy tale. Which made him like a princess or something? (Sure, okay. He could roll with that.)

It hadn't all been sunsets and roses though, if Tobias was truly honest with himself. The barista/aspiring filmmaker was gratingly self-involved, prone to fits of moodiness, required a lot of personal space, and was an infamous, inexorable homebody – harboring an intense, almost hermit-like aversion to anything even vaguely resembling a social gathering. For Tobias, who was the definition of a people-person and who thrived on going out and being in the mix of things, it had been kind of a tough pill to swallow.

However, it was also Aaron, and all the barista's adorable quirks – the little smirk he'd get when Tobias cracked a stupid joke, the way he'd prickle against Tobias's touch at first, only to search for and cling to him a second later – more than made up for any abrasiveness. Honestly, the very fact that Aaron was so unlike him was one of the things that attracted him to the barista in the first place. Making things work with him was interesting, like a challenge, and Tobias loved challenges.

As such, it was all the more rewarding when the barista did make attempts go out of his comfort zone in order to please him, like when he defied Tobias's expectations by agreeing to accompany the grad student on a four-day stay at his parent's house in Montreal, where he, his parents, and his other myriad siblings, along with all their wives and husbands and children – (as the second youngest of seven, Tobias had been an uncle before he even started high school) – would be having their annual “Christmas in January,” (or “Janmas”, as it had been affectionately dubbed,) get-together. It was a Laurant tradition which had arisen from the incredible impossibility of getting such an expansive family in one place together during the actual Christmas holiday, and held a special place in Tobias's heart, despite it always being a little bananas...

The grad student was fully aware of how intimidating the idea of staying in a house packed to the brim with the crazy people that were his familial relations would be to any new significant other, let alone one who could barely stand socializing with even his own close friends. It was an incredible gesture of trust from the smaller man, which was why it was so monumentally important that Tobias make damn sure everything go as smoothly humanly possible, without a hitch. Speaking of which...

“Huhhh-” The grad student furrowed his eyebrows and scrunched his nose, willing forcibly away the sneeze that had cropped up on him suddenly. He held his breath, shooting another quick look over to Aaron,-- who still appeared not to have noticed a thing -- before breathing out a small, private sigh of relief. That had been close. Too close.

As a person pretty well in-tune with his body, Tobias had felt the first pricklings of an impending cold days before, and had since been taking extreme, secretive precautions – popping Vitamin C tablets like tic tacs, drinking gallons of water, cutting down his work out sessions, all the while stocking up on a veritable arsenal of cold medications in case, god-freaking-forbid, his preventative efforts did prove futile. He needed to be at the top of his game in order to make this weekend a success, and a cold was just not in the plans. He could kick it though. He had to, there was really no other...choice...

“...hhTTSSHhhew!” The sneeze Tobias thought he'd forced away returned with a vengeance, followed quickly by second. “...TTTSShhew!” He sniffed minutely, feeling Aaron turn toward him, and tried to work out a strategy. He was a fairly sneezy person normally, so there was a chance those escapees could still manage to slip under the radar...

“Bless you,” the barista offered, more quizzically than suspicious, although there was still a hint of the latter sentiment. “You're not getting sick, are you?”

“Nahh,” Tobias assured, feigning casualty. “I think I'mb just allergic tdo Canada.” He winced internally at the small bit of congestion that had entered his voice.

“But you're Canadian,” Aaron pointed out with one of his patented faux-glowers.

“I kndow. Go figure, right?” Tobias sniffed, flashing the smaller man a charm-loaded smile to work as distraction against the small nose wipe he'd been forced into. His plan of attack seemed to work. The smaller man only rolled his eyes in reply, and returned his attention back to the window. But the itch was present, nettled deep in his sinuses, and Tobias was starting to feel just the slightest bit drained. He tried to rally himself. He just had to make it through the drive, that was all. Once they arrived there would be so much going on that no one would notice a few abnormal sneezes here and there, and then he could get a good night's sleep and stop this stupid cold right in its stupid tracks.

That was the plan. Now all that was left was the execution.

~o~

Aaron was suspicious. There was something going on with his boyfriend of nearly two months, and the smaller man was caught in that frustrating limbo of knowing Tobias well enough to know that the grad student was acting weird, but not well enough to decipher for what reason. Irritation prickled the hairs on his skin. For all of Tobias's amazingness – his energy, his charm, his incredible self-giving nature, there was certainly a lot of bullshit that went along with it.

The barista snuck a quick, furtive glance over at the taller man, trying to get a hold on what exactly was off about him. He seemed... reserved? Kind of stiff? He had been driving for a quite a while now. (Aaron had offered to take a turn, but Tobias had – probably gallantly, in his own mind – refused.) Maybe he was just stressed about the trip? If so, Aaron was right there with him. Whatever had possessed the barista to agree to meeting his boyfriend's enormous-as-fuck family all at once – only to then spend four freaking days with them, trying not to make a fool out of himself, while also somehow managing to remember everyone's goddamned name – was completely beyond him.

Well, no, that wasn't really true. He had agreed because Tobias had wanted him to come, and despite the grad student's faults – his ostentatious showmanship, the way he needed constant attention, like a little kid – Aaron could not remember ever being happier than he'd been in the past weeks. He felt different with Tobias– like something had clicked finally into place after being dislodged for so long he hadn't even realized it was broken. It truly meant the world to the barista, and he wanted to do everything that was in his power to preserve it, even if it meant going out of his mind a little...

A light, breathy cough from the grad student arrested Aaron's attention, though he pretended otherwise, continuing to stare out the window as if he hadn't heard a thing. He wondered if Tobias was acting strange because he was, in fact, coming down with a cold after all. It seemed unlikely, because the taller man was such an actively healthy person, and also unfair, because it had been mere weeks since they'd both recovered from the cold from hell that had been the catalyst for their current relationship. That very same cold had marked a discovery for Aaron, namely, a certain embarrassing, somewhat-debilitating effect that witnessing sick, pathetic, vulnerable Tobias had had on him, one which he wasn't sure he'd be able to deal with on top of all the other craziness that the weekend would surely bring.

He sighed internally, hoping his suspicions were unfounded, (for Tobias's sake, as well as his own), but at the same time he couldn't help but keep his ears pricked, should the event of more evidence-gathering opportunities so happen to arise...

~o~

(More to come soon! Thanks for reading! )

Edited May 14, 2015 by meepsy

[SpamKey]

Yessss! I'm so glad you made a sequel! I assure you, I shall be following this carefully

[Arty]

YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! And a big as hell family on top of it all?

Heh....

[MaiMai]

Oh my god! You've set this up so well, I'm so excited to read the rest!! It was really interesting how you switched points of view, too, I really liked that. And beautiful writing as always!!

[Coffee Chicken Barista]

Oh this is lovely! I'm so glad you're doing a sequel!

[Melody]

YES! I love these two can't wait for more!

[truth]

Yes yes yes oh my god YES. I'm so excited for this and the way you write these two is absolutely perfect.

[HPG]

Yay! You made a sequel!

[happybunny]

YESSS

[phoenix]

Okay, I already told you the things I love about this part, but LET ME TELL YOU AGAIN. Let's see:

• I love how you reworked the beginning, especially because it means we get the image of Tobias as a princess, which is just .
  
• SUCH A BIG FAMILY SO MANY PEOPLE to notice and fuss, I can't wait.
  
• I still love the transitions into the sneezes; as a reader, they really make you feel like you're right there in his train of thought.
  
• Ahaha Aaron's realization about the effect Tobias' illness has on him...
  

Thanks for letting me be a part of this, however small! Looking forward to part 2!

[obsessed]

Ooh a sequel! I followed your last story and loved every minute of it and I'm sure the sequel won't be any different <3

[ellwren]

Oh yes!

[BurgundyJayne]

Yay! A sequel!!! It's lovely of course

[ShyGirl]

amazing !! im so happy tou continued !

[meepsy]

Yessss! I'm so glad you made a sequel! I assure you, I shall be following this carefully

WOO! Haha so glad to see you've come back for more!

YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! And a big as hell family on top of it all?

Heh....

Omigosh you don't even know the half of it haha

Oh my god! You've set this up so well, I'm so excited to read the rest!! It was really interesting how you switched points of view, too, I really liked that. And beautiful writing as always!!

Aww haha thank you!! I'm digging the POV switching too! Both boys are so fun to write, it's too hard to resist!

Oh this is lovely! I'm so glad you're doing a sequel!

Haha me too to be honest! I've grown a little attached to these knuckleheads!

YES! I love these two can't wait for more!

Here is more!! I love that you love them! Love all around!

Yes yes yes oh my god YES. I'm so excited for this and the way you write these two is absolutely perfect.

Aha thanks!! Your excitement is contagious! (and appreciated!!)

Yay! You made a sequel!

I did woohoo! It's gonna be an interesting ride I think!!

YESSS

YEEESSS lol

Okay, I already told you the things I love about this part, but LET ME TELL YOU AGAIN. Let's see:

• I love how you reworked the beginning, especially because it means we get the image of Tobias as a princess, which is just .
  
• SUCH A BIG FAMILY SO MANY PEOPLE to notice and fuss, I can't wait.
  
• I still love the transitions into the sneezes; as a reader, they really make you feel like you're right there in his train of thought.
  
• Ahaha Aaron's realization about the effect Tobias' illness has on him...
  

Thanks for letting me be a part of this, however small! Looking forward to part 2!

phoenix, you know how appreciative I am, but still ! So glad you enjoyed my fun with the transitions!! (I did too!)

Ooh a sequel! I followed your last story and loved every minute of it and I'm sure the sequel won't be any different <3

thank you thank you! This one's been pretty fun so far I have to say, so it's good to hear you're coming along for the ride!!

Oh yes!

yes oh yes indeed haha!

Yay! A sequel!!! It's lovely of course

Thanks so much! I can't wait to get into the good stuff!

amazing !! im so happy tou continued !

Aha me too, and glad to see you've come back for more!!

~o~

OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS! It's awesome to see how excited you guys are for this! These boys are so fun to write, so it's nice to see they have some fans haha! Here is part 2 - featuring lots of new characters (and a few more sneezes as well!)

Thank you once again to phoenix, who helped me with this chapter as well! Seriously go read her fic -- I promise you will not regret it!!

ALSO: As you may have noticed I ended up changing the title. This one just seemed to be a little more fitting!

Okay, whew! Here we go!

~o~

Part Two

“hhhGTTSHh! ...HuhhTXSHhew!... *snnff*”

Seven. That was seven times now, in the past hour, that the grad student had sneezed, and was it Aaron's imagination (which was probably not to be trusted, given how ridiculously strung-out he was), or were the expulsions becoming slightly less breathy? A touch more forceful?

He'd hazarded a tentative “Are you sure you're okay?” after the third or so, and was rewarded with a huffy “Yup, totally fine.” for his efforts. The barista ultimately decided to let the matter drop. He still wasn't sure whether or not he was letting a certain bias cloud his judgment – after all, Tobias did tend to be prone to more random sneezes than the average person, and the air was pretty dry...

Besides, he had more pressing concerns to attend to at the moment. Like trying not to freak the absolute fuck out, for instance. It had been nearly 20 minutes since Tobias had turned off the highway, and Aaron could feel them rapidly approaching their destination. He told himself to breathe, to relax, but his mind was already racing, thinking of all the various ways he could screw things up irreparably.

It didn't help that – despite the fact that the grad student had come out as bi over a year ago, and had “messed around” with more guys than the barista could himself claim to with five years of being openly, if not reservedly, gay under his belt – he was apparently Tobias's first real, official boyfriend. Tobias had assured him numerous times it wouldn't be a big deal (“Dude, my little sister came out last month, and besides I have like four gay uncles.”), but in Aaron's experience, it was always kind of a big deal, regardless of whether or not people wanted to admit to it.

He braced himself, wiping his sweating palms against his jeans as Tobias finally turned onto the winding driveway of a large and pretty well-to-do looking house, and put the Pathfinder in park.

“Whelp, we're here,” the grad student informed with the slightest of sniffs. He looked over to Aaron, a slight, cheeky grin decorating his features. “You ready, babycakes?”

Aaron was too nervous to give proper scorn to the ridiculous endearment. His expelled the breath he was holding in a long, shaky release. “...Yes?” He attempted to play off the no-doubt terrified expression on his face as one of facetious intent, but was not very confident in its landing.

The grad student snickered, and pulled the smaller man toward him, placing a playful, affectionate kiss on his temple. “...Don't worry. They're gonna love you.” Aaron shivered a bit as the taller man pulled away, his smirk softening, his gaze growing tender. He let his hand linger against the nape of his neck, fingers catching pleasantly in the barista's hair – (just long enough for Aaron to give unconscious consideration to the word “love”) – before shifting back away, opening his his door with one hand while catching a few quick coughs with the other.

Aaron opened his own door and climbed out of the SUV, as Tobias opened the back door to retrieve two giant bags of wrapped gifts, (the barista caught a distinct, albeit muffled “hhhTSShht!” in the process,) before coming round to join the barista, and together the two young men made their way to the front door.

Tobias rapped a melodic knock on the door, and gave Aaron's back a quick, reassuring rub. Movement sounded on the other side, and not a moment later, the door swung open, revealing a slender and rather stunning young woman, dressed in sort of a mod-goth fashion, with an asymmetrical haircut, dark lipstick, and a fair assortment of tattoos and piercings.

“Oh. It's you,” she greeted with a smirk, and then called back into the house. “Hey! Tobias and his new boyfriend are here!” Aaron felt his his cheeks heat up immediately.

“Nice to see you too, El,” Tobias kidded, pulling the girl into one of his giant bear-hugs.

“Shut up, dork,” she replied over his shoulder. The siblings parted, and the girl turned her attention to the barista. “Aaron, right?” she asked, and Aaron nodded in reply, adding a self-effacing “yup” in for kicks.

“Elise,” she supplied, regarding him with amusement. “I hope you're ready for the total shit storm that's about to ensue.”

“Me too,” Aaron admitted with a nervous half-grin, conveying through body language an “Oh my god help me” sort of sentiment, which he exaggerated for humor, but secretly kind of meant for real.

The girl, Elise, laughed with delight. “Haha, I like him,” she said to Tobias, before stepping away to allow the two of them to enter the foyer, where they were immediately assaulted with the barking jumps of a very excited border collie.

“Hiii Roxy!” Tobias dog-voiced, getting down on his knees to give the collie a greeting scratch/rub/pet. “This is Roxy,” he explained redundantly over his shoulder to Aaron, who nodded and bent down to better acquaint himself.

“Hi girl,” he murmured, rubbing her neck, feeling the sort of warm contentedness that only petting a dog can kindle fill his stomach. He met Tobias's questioning gaze with a smile, which the grad student returned, before turning sharply away to sneeze a wet “hhhuESSHHew!” into his shoulder.

Before Aaron had a chance to bless him, a booming voice sounded from what seemed to be the living room, the owner of which, Aaron soon discovered, had to have been the most ruggedly dashing man the barista had ever laid eyes on.

“Well look who decided to show up!” The man, who was a tad shorter but more broad-shouldered than Tobias, and who seriously looked like he should be swashbuckling something, offered a hand out to the kneeling grad student, pulling him up and into a very manly hug. “...How's my favorite little brother, eh?” he asked, pulling away. “You put together that world-changing new school of philosophy yet or what?”

“Hey, Paul. Nah, still just truckin' along with the degree,” Tobias replied, wiping his nose casually with the side of his hand. “...Where's Tia and the kids?”

“Tee's away on business, and the boys-” he dragged the word out with a theatrical flourish. “-are bent over their damn iphones like a couple of mindless zombies. Russel! Jackson!” he turned to holler gruffly into living room “-Come say hi to your uncle!”

“Hi Uncle Toby,” sing-songed two unenthusiastic adolescent voices from the depths of the living room, to which Tobias called back an amused “Heey!” in response. Aaron wondered if he was the only one who noticed the grad student's voice crack just the slightest bit. He didn't have much time to think about it, however, as Tobias's brother's attention rounded decidedly over to him.

“And this is the new beau, I take it?” He put out an intimidatingly strong looking hand. “Put 'er there! I'm Paul, as you might have gathered!”

“Aaron,” the barista replied, (not quite believing that he'd heard someone actually use the phrase 'put 'er there' without even a hint of irony), and took his hand, trying not to wince as his own was immediately crushed by the man's firm-as-steel grip.

“Well, I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into, sir!” Paul exclaimed with all the thunderous flair of an Olympic god. “This kid can be a real handful, let me tell you!” he pulled the grad student into a rough, brotherly embrace, and Aaron grinned, not having believed in the possibility of Tobias seeming sullen or reserved in comparison to someone, until Paul managed to prove him thoroughly wrong.

“Psh, come on,” Tobias replied, shrugging out of his brother's grip. “I was a perfect angehh- ...hhESHHhew! ...huhhTTXSHHhew!” His sneezes were met with a chorus of various blessings, including a pair of “Ah tes souhaits” from two new relations who had emerged from the living room moments prior.

“Salut, Toby,” the woman, who was petite, curvacious and very, very pregnant, greeted, crossing over to hug Tobias and kiss him on the cheek. The academician-looking man, who Aaron suspected was her husband, followed quietly behind. “...How are you, mon chou? Well, I hope?” she asked with a thick French-Canadian accent – a contrast to her seemingly more Americanized siblings.

“Oh, yeah, tdotally,” Tobias sniffled behind a quick swipe of his wrist. “Bonsoir, Jean,” he greeted the man, and turned to the barista. “Aaron, this is my sister Claire and her husband Jean. Claire and Jean – Aaron.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Aaron,” Claire greeted sweetly, and pulled the barista into a light, friendly hug. “I'm glad to see you've recovered from your trouble in that snowstorm. From what I heard, you had my brother playing rescuer and doctor.”

Aaron flushed scarlet. “Heheh, yeah,” he choked out, rubbing the back of his neck reflexively. “I was in a pretty bad way, I guess. He did a good job, though, um, taking care of me...” he glanced apprehensively over at the grad student, and Tobias met his gaze affectionately, before turning away once more, in anticipation:

“hhhTSSHHhew! ...hhuhESSSHHew! EHSHHew! ...Hhh- TXSSHHhh! ...*snnnfff*” Another chorus of 'blessings sounded as the grad student sniffled thickly into the crook of his arm, trapping a few small coughs there as well.

“Damn!” Paul proclaimed. “Speaking of doctors, Tobes, should we call one? Cause you sound like you're comin' down with a pretty nasty cold yourself there!”

“I'mb finde,” Tobias replied sullenly with a second sniff, which didn't do much to clear the new congestion that had entered his voice. “I thingk idt's jusdt Rogxy's fur giving mbe greif. I havend't beend around a dog ind adges.” He avoided Aaron's suspicious gaze, opting instead to retrieve the bags of gifts he'd brought in. “...I'mb gonnda go pudt these under the tdree,” he grumbled, and made to retreat into the living room, but was stopped by yet another voice, emerging this time from the kitchen.

“Oh no you don't. You're not going anywhere without saying hello to your mother first.” Everyone turned as a small but radiant older woman appeared in the foyer, her silver-gray hair tied in a loose bun, giving Tobias the same cheeky smile that the grad student himself was famous for.

“Saludt, Maman,” Tobias sighed, bending a bit to allow the woman to wrap her arms around him. She scolded him, her cheek pressed against his chest: “You're late. Why didn't you call?”

“We hidt some traffic, sorry,” Tobias sniffed, finally managing to clear the congestion from his voice. The woman pulled back, holding onto his arms as she examined him.

“You look tired,” she professed finally.

“Yeah, well, it was a long drive,” the brunette grumbled, his voice catching a bit, and pulled away. “Where's dad?”

“He's in Seattle picking Desiree up from school. They won't be back until Saturday night, and Sophie and Jill won't be here till that morning, so it'll be a bit boring around here tonight I'm afraid.”

“Boring, right,” Tobias scoffed a bit more petulantly than was characteristic. The woman regarded him a beat longer with a scrutinizing, motherly gaze, then moved her eyes toward the barista.

“Well, now. You must be Aaron,” Aaron was startled as the woman pulled him into a warm, enveloping embrace, suddenly understanding how Tobias had gotten to be so good at hugging. “It's so nice to meet you, darling. I'm so glad you could come.”

“It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Laurant,” Aaron replied, trying to keep his nerves out his voice as best he could.

Tobias's mother smiled at him. “Call me Marie,” she said. “Please don't hesitate to make yourself right at home.” She turned and headed back into the kitchen, and Tobias heaved a theatrical sigh. He turned to Aaron with a small, tired-looking grin.

“Come on, you want to help me put this stuff under the tree?”

“Sure,” the barista said, and the two young men took of their jackets and boots, and made their way into the living room, Tobias acknowledging his nephews who were sitting on the couch with a little wave and a “'Sup, buds?” before crossing to the huge, ornate Christmas (Janmas, Aaron reminded himself) tree set up in the corner.

“So what do you think?” the grad student asked as he began placing the wrapped parcels from his bag amongst the others.

“Um, so far so good?” was Aaron's self-conscious response. Tobias laughed and gave the barista's knee an affectionate squeeze.

“You're doing really great, you know,” he murmured. “Seriously, I'm imprehh... hhGTTSHh! ...impbressed.” He sniffled, and wiped his nose with his sleeve, and Aaron became conscious of the slight flush staining his cheeks, the purple circles rimming the bottoms of his bespectacled eyes.

“Bless you. Thanks,” Aaron muttered back, hoping he wasn't blushing as much as it felt like he was, and then, after a beat: “...Are you really sure you're okay? Your mom's right. You do look tired.”

“I'mb finde, and I'mb gettding really sickg of andswering thadt quesdtion, tdo be hondest,” Tobias answered with a huff. Aaron rolled his eyes. Yeah, you're getting really sick alright, he thought, and might have even said it too, had the grad student's mother not chosen that precise time to call him from the kitchen.

“Tobias! Can you come here, please? I need you to help me with something!”

Tobias groaned and rubbed his temple. “Ma, we litderally jusdt godt here!” he called back, his voice straining slightly.

“Listen to your mother!” was the inexorable response, and the grad student huffed and rolled his eyes.

“I'll be righdt bagck, okay?” he said, giving the barista a quick kiss on the cheek, before straightening up, and heading out towards the kitchen.

~o~

Tobias sighed, trying to collect himself as he made his way to the kitchen. This was not going quite like he'd hoped so far. His front was slipping, he knew, and it was putting him on edge, making him feel snappy and defensive. Plus, he really was tired. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed with Aaron and fall fast asleep, but there was still dinner to get through, and then at least another couple hours after before it would be acceptably late enough to hit the hay. It was daunting, but he'd have to just soldier through it, for Aaron's sake.

He rubbed his dangerously-close-to-running nose, and turned into the kitchen, where his mother was busy pulling a casserole dish from the oven.

< “Okay, I'mb here. Whadt's the trouble?” > he asked in French, because it was natural and also because it was slightly more forgiving of the congestion that had managed to creep back into his voice.

The woman placed the dish on a waiting trivet, before turning around placing her hand on her hip.

< “Funny, I was just about to ask you the same question. What's the matter, Toby?” >

< “Ndothing!” > Tobias snapped immediately, pushing his hair out of his face. < “Everything's fine, I really don't know why you guys keep harassing mbe aboudt it!” >

< “Maybe it's because you look like you're about to blow a gasket,” > his mother replied, crossing over to him. < “...Are you ill?” >

< “Ndo,” > Tobias grumbled, leaning against the edge of the kitchen table.

< “Are you sure?” > the woman pressed, arms crossed, lifting an eyebrow.

“Yes! Jesus, Ma! I'mb nodt a baby!” he snapped in English, mollified into reluctant silence as the woman put her hand against his forehead, testing for a fever.

“...You're my baby,” she replied sweetly, moving her hands to his cheeks after her suspicions had been sufficiently curbed. Tobias softened, feeling his edge begin to melt a bit. He laughed.

“Oh my god, Ma. Jeez...” he removed her hands from his cheeks, but held onto them, conveying through the touch his gratefulness.

Marie smiled: “I'm happy you're home, monkey,” she said.

Tobias sighed and smiled back: “...Mbe too,” he said with a sniffle, letting the warm, comforting feeling of it settle over him at last.

~o~

For those who are interested, and to alleviate confusion, here is a list of Tobias's siblings by birth order:

1.) Paul

2.) Claire

3.) Sophie (not yet arrived)

4.) Jill (also not yet arrived)

5.) Elise

6.) Tobias ( )

7.) Desiree (also also not yet arrived)

Hope that helps!! UP NEXT: Dinnertime! Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!!!!

Edited February 2, 2015 by meepsy

[Arty]

Awwww poor baby. He needs rest.

[truth]

Hehee I really hope Tobias gets even more sick SUFFER MY CHILD SUFFER goes to bed soon poor baby.

Also I love the descriptions for Paul he's a pretty awesome character.

Can't wait for more

[Hygge]

So great! I love his family!! Ugh can Tobias just go straight for me :\ and also become a real person. hehe more!

[BurgundyJayne]

Fantastic chapter!!! Can't wait for more

[CHOCOLATE <3]

Hehee I really hope Tobias gets even more sick SUFFER MY CHILD SUFFER goes to bed soon poor baby.

Also I love the descriptions for Paul he's a pretty awesome character.

Can't wait for more

OH MY GOD HAHAHAAHAHA

Yes I agree. Tobias should really suffer and his fever should spike, but he's trying to tough it out but HE CAN'T BECAUSE HE'S SUFFERING MUAHAHAHA Go to bed and get some rest

[meepsy]

Awwww poor baby. He needs rest.

Ha ha poor baby indeed. So stubborn!

Hehee I really hope Tobias gets even more sick SUFFER MY CHILD SUFFER goes to bed soon poor baby.

Also I love the descriptions for Paul he's a pretty awesome character.

Can't wait for more

Haha I feel you! Don't worry Tobias will be suffering alright going to bed soon enough! And Paul is SUPER fun to write! Sorry for inundating you with all these new characters, but they'll be popping their heads up pretty regularly, so might as well introduce them all in one big rush!

So great! I love his family!! Ugh can Tobias just go straight for me :\ and also become a real person. hehe more!

Ahaha thank you! The family interactions have been really fun to write so far! If Tobias ever materializes into reality, he is all yours my dear! (I feel like he would just end up annoying the heck out you if he did though haha!)

Fantastic chapter!!! Can't wait for more

Eee thank you! Your consistent support always make me smile!

Hehee I really hope Tobias gets even more sick SUFFER MY CHILD SUFFER goes to bed soon poor baby.

Also I love the descriptions for Paul he's a pretty awesome character.

Can't wait for more

OH MY GOD HAHAHAAHAHA

Yes I agree. Tobias should really suffer and his fever should spike, but he's trying to tough it out but HE CAN'T BECAUSE HE'S SUFFERING MUAHAHAHA Go to bed and get some rest

Aaaha oh my gosh don't you worry, there is plenty of stubborn self torturing bed rest to be had...eventually

~o~

Thank you for your comments and support guys! They are all so appreciated! Here is the next part! Also, a language warning and some mild naughtiness near the end, though nothing too inappropriate

~o~

Part Three

Tobias slouched in his chair, pushing his food back and forth lazily across his plate, trying to keep his aching eyes from falling shut. As delicious as his mother's home-cooking was, he really had very little appetite, and besides his throat was starting to hurt, and the thought of swallowing anything seemed...undesirable. Fortunately, he'd been spared further questioning about his health, since his not-very-boundary-conscious family seemed to be far more interested in grilling Aaron like a freaking barbequed hotdog.

He had to admit, his social-anxiety stricken boyfriend was handling all the attention with impressive finesse. He was charming them (as he'd done to Tobias) with his understated wit and unequivocal Aaronness, like a small, strange light that everyone was nonetheless captivated by and drawn to. His sister Elise seemed to particularly click with the barista --- Aaron had begun to explain the premise of the screenplay he was working on, and Elise listened with an engaged interest that Tobias had witnessed from her on only the rarest of occasions.

It might have almost been a turn-on for the grad student – to be watching his boyfriend steal the show, so to speak – had he not been so thoroughly exhausted at the moment. A soft, wet, perpetual sniffle had found it's way through his barricades, which he was forced to accommodate every few breathes or so, lest his traitor nose begin to run. He felt heavy and waterlogged, and his head was beginning to pound like a goddamn circus drum...

“...isn't that right, Tobias?”

The grad student startled out of his daze with a sharp intake of breath: “Hmm? ...Whadt?”

Elise smiled: “We were just talking about how no one ever believes what a humongous nerd you were as a child, because you turned out so pretty.”

Tobias paused, his brain taking longer than normal to work out an appropriate retort, before agreeing: “Oh, yeah, I was the freagkin' nderdiest. Pblayed mbagic cgards, godt slammbed intdo lockgers, all thadt good stduff,” he sniffed, and added under his breath, too quietly for his nephews to hear: “...Also: bidte mbe.” His sister replied with a wicked, teasing grin.

Conversation turned away from him once more, and Tobias breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He felt the itch he'd been battling with in his sinuses resurface, and sucked in a breath, fighting it back down. but it crept back up on him not a moment later. He breathed silent hitches, keeping his head down, struggling, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks:

“hgh'GTSHt! ...hhhhp'TTSHt!” He clamped his fingers over his nostrils, stifling the two sneezes, regretting it immediately as a dizzy light-headedness took over his brain, making him black out for a split-second.

“Bless, Tobes,” Paul called out amidst other blessings. “Hey, haven't you heard that you're not supposed to hold 'em back like that? Could rupture your eardrums if you're not careful!”

“Ndo, Paul, I've ndever heard thadt before, agctually. Thangk you,” Tobias grumbled back, dismayed by the breathless, ragged quality of his voice. He caught a small flurry of coughs with his fist, ignoring the stare from Aaron he could feel boring into him, choosing instead to resume picking once more at his barely-touched meal.

The kick he felt underneath the table was a bit harder to ignore, however, and Tobias looked over to see Aaron giving him a clear “what the fuck?” face. He asked with his eyes for the barista to please just let it drop, and was enormously relieved when his mother chose that time to call out a cheerful “Okay! Who wants to help me with the dishes?”

“I will,” Aaron turned to volunteer politely – a slight, frosty edge in his voice, which only Tobias had enough experience with to detect, and which he knew was directed at him anyway – and Marie responded with a delighted: “Oh, Aaron! How nice of you to offer!

“Sure thing,” the barista replied, blushing adorably, and got up from the table to begin clearing dishes, leaving Tobias flooded with both affection at the earnestness of his boyfriend's actions, and annoyance because now that meant that he had to volunteer as well.

“I'll helpb tdoo, Mba,” he muttered, and made to get up, but found the task a bit more difficult than expected.

“Oh, stop it, Toby. Aaron and I have it under control. You just sit and relax.” Tobias rolled his eyes, and sat back down, unable to shake the suspicion that she and the barista were somehow in secret cahoots together and were going off to conspire against him.

He sighed, feeling Roxy rub up against his calf, and leaned over the table, resting his head in one curled arm, letting the other one drop to scratch lazily behind the border collie's ears. “...hhhGTTShh!” he sneezed into his arm, and wiped his nose wearily into his sleeve.

“Bless. Hey, pal, if you want to take a nap, the table's probably not the best place for it,” he heard Paul call over to him, and he raised his head, shooting a glare at his brother, before sitting up fully, taking in the varying levels of concern-thinly-disguised-by-sardonic-skepticism on the faces of his siblings.

“I'mb finde,” he professed grouchily, and sulked, wishing for Aaron to hurry up get done with the dishes already, fully aware of the holes in his defense, but trying to convince himself of it's truth all the same...

~o~

Tobias looked at his reflection in the mirror and grimaced. He looked pretty bad. He wished he hadn't shaved the beard he'd been growing – the pink, unhealthy splotches in his cheeks seemed to stand out all the more in it's absence. He sniffled in vain against the leakage that had finally broken through the dams, and unraveled some toilet paper from the roll, turning the sink faucet on as he gave his nose a quiet, wet blow, which, if anything only seemed to make things worse. He attempted a recursive sniffle, found his nose impossibly stuffed, and coughed instead, feeling utterly and thoroughly worn down.

At least they were going to bed now. The last two hours had been pretty brutal, though somehow he'd managed to both stay awake and ward of the coddling efforts of his family, truly a feat to behold. He appreciated their efforts, of course, but he wasn't going to let a little cold drag him down. He'd be fine tomorrow, if he took the proper measures.

He unzipped the bag he'd packed his toiletries in, pulled out a bottle of Nyquil, poured himself a dose, and downed it like a shot. There. That should put him out like a light. The grad student was confident that after a solid night of sleep, he'd be fighting fit and back in action.

He stole one last look at himself, frowned, pushed up his glasses, and splashed some water on his face, making it appear as though he'd just washed it. He left the bathroom and crossed the hallway to his childhood bedroom, finding a sweatpants-clad Aaron sprawled out on his bed, fiddling with Tobias's i phone.

“Hey, which NFL team is the only one not to have a logo on their helmet?” the barista asked with focused urgency.

“Cgleveland,” Tobias replied with a tired sniffle.

The smaller man entered the answer into the phone, and looked up. “I'm kicking your sister's ass in Trivia Crack,” he said with a small, devious grin. Tobias smiled, feeling a strong surge of a feeling which he thought he knew the name of, but felt it was still a bit too early to say out loud.

“Oh yeah? Good. Knogck her downd a few pbegs. Idt'll be good for her.” he yawned, pulling back the blankets and climbing into bed, already feeling the Nyquil going to work.

“Heey,” the barista murmured as he abandoned the phone and joined Tobias under the blankets. “So this, like, sleeping together in the bed you grew up in thing? It has this kind of risque sort of feeling, don't you think? ...Do you want to maybe, do something about that?” The grad student felt the smaller man toying with the hem of his t-shirt. He moaned internally, the phrase 'any other night' blaring tauntingly in his brain.

“...I promise to be quiet if you do,” the barista purred against his neck, and Jesus. Jesus. This was not fucking fair.

“Oh, honey, nodt todnight, pblease. I'mb jusdt so... egxhausdted... hhh'TTSHHhh!” Tobias groaned into his pillow, punctuating the request with a gurgling sniffle after the surprise-attack sneeze. He braced himself for an icy reaction, (Aaron had a ridiculous amount of cat-like qualities, and being spiteful when spurred was one of them), or worse, another “are you okay?”, but the barista offered neither – instead stretched out and relaxed against the grad student, kissing him once, softly, just beneath Tobias's earlobe, causing the taller man to shiver just the tiniest bit.

“Okay,” his boyfriend murmured, giving clear indication that he didn't mind going right to sleep, and Tobias, ever grateful, took off his glasses and turned off the light, feeling sleep take hold of him as soon as his head sunk back into the waiting pillow...

~o~

(Sweet dreams, Tobias! More to come soon!! )

Edited February 4, 2015 by meepsy

[BurgundyJayne]

Lovely I like that Aaron isn't hounding him about being sick, but I'm hopeful that Tobias will be willing to allow Aaron to do some care taking. And what a huge family situation to be sick during.

[Arty]

XD oh Tobias. I love him...

[phoenix]

Eep, I'm so late on [publicly] commenting on Part 2 that I came back and there's a Part 3! Yay!!

I like lists, so:

• His sneezes. So many of them. So wonderful.
  
• So many people, all with the best intentions... there's nowhere to hide.
  
• Aww, Tobias and his maman, what a cutie.
  
• Dinner! We get to see dinner-- again, nowhere to hide.
  
• I love that Aaron and Elise found a connection. It's so nice to find at least one person in a new crowd that you can easily talk to!
  
• Paul calling him out on the stifles... he's not gonna let his little brother slide under the radar with anything!
  
• Falling asleep on the table I mean leaning down to pet Roxy...
  
• And he finally got to go to bed! Curled up with Aaron; even better. But of course, there's always tomorrow...
  

Basically, there was a lot of "aww"-ing and a lot of, "Tobias, babe, go to bed!" I see I'm not alone on either of those. :-) Loving where this is going, keep it up!

p.s. thank you for the Sympathy shoutout, you're so sweet. :-)

Edited February 5, 2015 by phoenix

[ellwren]

Loving this!