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

[Arty]

Awwwwwwwwww Aaron!!!! And Tobias!!! And.....

Hnnnnnnnnfggghhhhhhhhh!

[truth]

Yes , I think a large AWWW is the best way to describe this chapter. Honesty, every time you update it makes my day and it's totally worth the wait.

[PetalPunk]

Awwwwwww! By far my favorite chapter! My heart melts with Aaron's. Poor Tobias. Please dear, just admit you're sick! Your body can't take any more rejection!

[phoenix]

I'm a little behind the times but I'm also exhausted so I'll just say that the latest section? Adorable. I love how even when Tobias is actually, clearly asleep and should therefore clearly go to bed, Aaron still couches it in terms of "I'm tired; let's go to bed" in order to make sure it actually happens. These two. <3

[ellwren]

This is so good! Can't wait for more!

[HPG]

Aww, they're so cute.

[happybunny]

MORE.

[ellwren]

MORE.

[NameTaken]

Omg I'm as pissed off as Aaron....but I totally understand Tobias' obscene stubborness. It's like, he's gone so far already, he may as well go on that way until he iterally can't anymore. Which it seems has happened

Lovely, as always! Especially:

“...Bless you, you poor baby,”

soooooo sweet!!

[aaylasecura]

Can't wait for more im in pain

[meepsy]

This hit me right in the feels GAH

Aha good! I felt like Tobias was due for a little break haha

[meepsy]

Awwwwwwwwww Aaron!!!! And Tobias!!! And.....

Hnnnnnnnnfggghhhhhhhhh!

heehee yup! cuties 4 life!

Yes , I think a large AWWW is the best way to describe this chapter. Honesty, every time you update it makes my day and it's totally worth the wait.

ahh omg thank you so much! Your comments always make me smile!

Awwwwwww! By far my favorite chapter! My heart melts with Aaron's. Poor Tobias. Please dear, just admit you're sick! Your body can't take any more rejection!

Aha thank you! I think it might be my favorite too! There's still a few chapters of Tobias torture to go I think, but the breakdown 'l happen, I guarantee it!

I'm a little behind the times but I'm also exhausted so I'll just say that the latest section? Adorable. I love how even when Tobias is actually, clearly asleep and should therefore clearly go to bed, Aaron still couches it in terms of "I'm tired; let's go to bed" in order to make sure it actually happens. These two. <3

Thanks so much, dude!! So glad you're still enjoying it! Hee, Tobias is such a brat I don't know how Aaron puts up with it!

This is so good! Can't wait for more!

Thank you thank you! Here is the next part!

Aww, they're so cute.

Aha I thought we were due for some cuteness lol! Thanks for reading!

MORE.

MORE.

More is here! Thank for your patience guys! <3 <3

Omg I'm as pissed off as Aaron....but I totally understand Tobias' obscene stubborness. It's like, he's gone so far already, he may as well go on that way until he iterally can't anymore. Which it seems has happened

Lovely, as always! Especially:

“...Bless you, you poor baby,”

soooooo sweet!!

Oh my gosh thank you for this lovely comment! I know, and unfortunately Tobias hasn't quite hit his breaking point yet, incredibly enough. It'l come though haha! So so glad you're enjoying this! Thank yoooouu!

Can't wait for more im in pain

Oh no! Here you go! Hope it satisfies haha!

[meepsy]

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! Every comment you guys leave makes me so happy, seriously! *huuugs* Here is Part 9, featuring (surprise) more stubborn Tobias. He'll get his due though, don't you worry

~o~

Part Nine

Tobias stared up at the gray morning light slowly creeping over the ceiling, moaning internally as his nose buzzed with the pricklings of yet another incoming sneeze. Somewhere around two in the morning he'd woken up coughing his head off, and – in an effort not to wake his slumbering boyfriend – had retreated to the bathroom to deal with his fit in solitude, only to get back up minutes later to stifle some sneezes, then to blow his nose, and from there the night had sort of dissolved into a near-constant back-and-forth from bed to bathroom , stifling and muffling and suppressing his various symptoms, getting little to nothing in the way of sleep in the meantime. He almost would have been better off just sleeping on the bathroom floor, but that thought was a little too pathetic for Tobias to take into real consideration. Not that what he'd resorted to was really any less pathetic, but whatever. It was self-contained pathetic at least, and that he could deal with.

“hhh... hhh... huhh...”

He tried battling with the sneeze for a few futile seconds – hitching quietly – before giving up and lifting himself from the bed with practiced delicacy, pressing his fingers firm against his septum to delay the inevitable expulsion as he made his way quietly out the door and to the bathroom.

Closing the door behind him, Tobias gasped a quiet desperate breath, then allowed the sneeze to come forth, stifling it between his thumb and forefinger in an effort to keep quiet:

“huuuhh ...hhh'TCHT! -ugh ...huhTXSHt! -nnhn ...hhh... TXchu! GTT'shuh! ...huhh ...hhGTTSHt! Unnggh...*snffffff* Jesus. Ow...”

He massaged the bridge of nose, which was killing from all the stifling he'd been doing, and unraveled some toilet paper, folding and giving his nose a hushed blow, casting an annoyed eye at the wastebasket which was already brimming with his used, balled-up sheets, before making this latest addition to the collection. He sighed tiredly – this cold was traversing a whole new dimension of suck. Oh well. Them's the breaks, he guessed. At least he didn't have a fever anymore (or didn't think he did anyway).

The good thing about today was that there were no big outdoor excursions on the itinerary, but that was only because everyone would be too busy preparing for the big “Janmas” family party that evening to have time for anything else. Also, Sophie and Jill were both due to arrive this morning, (his second and third oldest sisters had taken up married/domestic life with a vengeance – each sporting a husband and consequential troupe of children), and that meant that pure chaos was sitting just on the horizon. It was important now more than ever that he stay vigilant, so as to protect Aaron from the tornado of pandemonium that was his family in all their nearly-unified glory.

He stretched his neck gingerly, releasing a noise that fell somewhere between a yawn and a groan, which trailed off into muffled coughs, thinking back to the last time he'd taken medicine (not that it was doing much good anyway), and realizing that he still had an hour or so to go before he could have another dose. Ugh.

He left the bathroom and returned once more to his bedroom, regarding the bed and the curled-up, sleeping form of his boyfriend longingly, but knowing that at this point he was too restless to even lie still, let alone sleep. He decided to just screw it and let Aaron continue to slumber undisturbed – it was a miracle he hadn't woken the barista up already with how many times he'd climbed in and out of bed – he might as well keep a good thing going.

He changed quietly into his clothes for the day, put his glasses on, and exited the room – shutting the door carefully behind him. It was just past six now, and the house was still and quiet. He descended the staircase, and Roxy – sensing a body moving around – rose from her bed and trotted over to greet the yawning grad student.

“Heey, pbretty,” Tobias whispered with an affectionate grin, and knelt down to rub the border collie's neck. “You kndow you're a pbretty girl, dond't you? Yes you do. Yes you do.” He let the dog climb up his knees and gift him with some wet dog kisses, then picked himself back up and went over to the coat rack, pulling on his jacket and boots, preparing to take the border collie out for a walk.

He affixed Roxy's leash to her collar and opened the door, closing it behind them as she trotted out beside him, the gust of brisk winter air igniting the tickle in his nose once more:

“hhPTTCHUuuh! hh... huhGTSSHHhh! *snfff* ...ugh. Mand, I amb so fugcking sickg of this,” he muttered to no one in particular, and wiped the resulting leakage away with his gloved hand, giving a hard, liquidy sniffle, before attempting to clear as gently as possible his raw, stinging throat.

As he and the border collie meandered their way around the expansive yard, Tobias felt the hours of lost sleep begin to hit him hard, and the craving for a cigarette returned to the forefront his consciousness. Once more he bit the urge back, tensing with irritation, the pressure of stress building up in his muscles – stiffening them, making them ache.

When the border collie appeared to have finished her business, Tobias guided her back toward the house. He pulled open the door, and sighing – happy to be back in the warmth – undid the collie's leash and retrieved for her a treat from the box located in the entryway cabinet.

“Sidt,” he commanded gently under his breath, and then, when the collie complied: “Good girl.” He relinquished the treat, giving the dog another little ear-scratch, and – standing up – was startled to see his mother emerge quietly from the kitchen.

“Well now. Somebody's up early,” she mused softly, pulling the shawl she was wearing a bit tighter over her as she crossed her arms.

Tobias gave his running nose a quick wipe: “Yeah, *snf* I wokge upb and cgouldn't gedt backg tdo sleepb, so I thoughdt I'd hang oudt with Rogxy for a bidt.” He fought back the coughing fit he felt waiting in his lungs, but a few looses ones still managed to escape his control.

“Oh, I see,” his mother replied with a raised eyebrow, and Tobias waited with grouchy irritation for the other shoe to drop. “Well-” she continued innocently. “-Since you're already up and dressed, would you mind going on a little grocery store run? There's a few things for the party I forgot to pick up.”

The grad student tensed, sensing a trap. “...Whadt aboudt Aaron?” he asked after a slight, miffed pause.

“What about Aaron?” Marie asked back with motherly contention. “What do you think we're going to do, boil him and eat him while you're gone? He'll be fine.” She held out a list folded over a few bills, and Tobias huffed, too tired to argue, knowing that refusing would be playing into her attempts to get him to admit to being sick anyway...

“...Yeah, okgay. Sure,” he grumbled, accepting the piece of paper compliantly, if not begrudgingly. “hhG'TTSHUuh!” he sneezed, turning away – the expulsion coming upon him before he had a chance to stifle – and sniffled wetly, wiping his nose dry with the side of his wrist.

“Ah tes souhaits,” Marie sighed, regarding her son with a small smile of frustrated affection. “...Why don't you pick yourself up some tissues and medicine while you're there?” she suggested, giving the grad student's arm a rub. “...For your mother's sake,” she pressed, when the brunette prepared himself to protest.

Tobias looked at her, feeling the argument die in his throat. “...You are relendtless,” he sighed at last over his congestion, the corners of his lips turning up in a reluctant grin.

“Well, who do you think you learned it from?” his mother replied, pulling him down into a light hug. “Drive safe, monkey,” she said, patting his cheek, and Tobias broke free, rolling his eyes and muttering a joking “yeah, yeah”, before retrieving his keys and opening the door, venturing back out into the frigid, January morning.

~o~

(More to come soon! <3)

[Arty]

O.O

e____________________e

Dayum this kid is stubborn

[CHOCOLATE <3]

Come on Toby. Just admit you're sick, and go sleep I hope his fever spikes and he passes out though

[kendisima]

Ummm..... How does this keep getting better.

I feel so bad for him!! He can't even sleep, jesus christ, poor kid... I just want Aaron to be able to take care of him! By the way, I love Tobias's mom, I feel like she's such a sweet character <3 And I can't wait to see how his whole family pampers and teases him when they see how sick he is...!

I just love this so much, dude. I cannot even with this story

[truth]

I swear these chapters are all amazing and this one

*drops off to avoid gibberish speech*

WAS REALLY GOOD.

Tobias is in my prayer to stay sneezy and in denial forever

[happybunny]

aw man, I wish you could be more regular with the updates! But I understand that life happens.

I really love this story and these posts just leave me gasping for more, It's torture! I really want to see this story rollin.

I'm all about this story.

[PetalPunk]

TOBIAS!!!!!!!!!! I can't with you!!! I'm so done! Nope can't. Just can't. Is it bad that I'm enjoying his misery? You're such a talented writer, I envy your way around a metaphor!

[aaylasecura]

Man, i love this story

[HPG]

His mom calls him monkey!?!? That's really common amongst my Russian friends, and it's adorable in this context.

[Tantrums]

My mom, who is french, likes to call me 'petite puce' which basically means she's calling me a small flea lol. I love this story by the way, your writing is amazing and the characters are so well developed.

[levinelover]

This story is amazing. One of my favorites.

[meepsy]

O.O

e____________________e

Dayum this kid is stubborn

I know he actually driving me a little nuts haha!

Come on Toby. Just admit you're sick, and go sleep I hope his fever spikes and he passes out though

Oh don't worry he'll get worse go to bed soon, haha!

[meepsy]

Ummm..... How does this keep getting better.

I feel so bad for him!! He can't even sleep, jesus christ, poor kid... I just want Aaron to be able to take care of him! By the way, I love Tobias's mom, I feel like she's such a sweet character <3 And I can't wait to see how his whole family pampers and teases him when they see how sick he is...!

I just love this so much, dude. I cannot even with this story

Awww my gosh dude I love your comments so much! <3 <3 I have a soft spot for mama's boys, so Tobias's interactions with his mom are some of my favorites to write haha! The breakdown is coming soon, I promise!

I swear these chapters are all amazing and this one

*drops off to avoid gibberish speech*

WAS REALLY GOOD.

Tobias is in my prayer to stay sneezy and in denial forever

ahah aww thanks so much! I can't say that Tobes will stay in denial forever, but it certainly won't be for lack of trying hee hee!

aw man, I wish you could be more regular with the updates! But I understand that life happens.

I really love this story and these posts just leave me gasping for more, It's torture! I really want to see this story rollin.

I'm all about this story.

I know I'm sorry! I wish that too, but unfortunately I've got a busy schedule and fickle muse. Thank you for staying vigilant though!!!

TOBIAS!!!!!!!!!! I can't with you!!! I'm so done! Nope can't. Just can't. Is it bad that I'm enjoying his misery? You're such a talented writer, I envy your way around a metaphor!

Thank you so much man!!! I know I'm at that point with Tobias too, and I'm the one writing him haha! I'm so glad you're still enjoying this! Thanks again! <3

Man, i love this story

Eee! I'm glad! Thank you for commenting!

His mom calls him monkey!?!? That's really common amongst my Russian friends, and it's adorable in this context.

Really?? Wow that's a really interesting conincidence! The nickname was a little thing I threw in because it seemed natural -- I imagine Tobias was a very wild and hyperactive little kid, so 'monkey' seemed appropriately fitting.

My mom, who is french, likes to call me 'petite puce' which basically means she's calling me a small flea lol. I love this story by the way, your writing is amazing and the characters are so well developed.

Aww haha that's really cute!!! I actually tried to look up french nicknames for purposes of this story, but I couldn't really tell which ones were like romantic and which ones were familial -- so i left off with them for the most part. Thank you so much! I'm really glad you're enjoying it!!!

This story is amazing. One of my favorites.

Thanks so much!!! That is so awesome to hear! It makes me sooo happy, like seriously!

~o~

I'm sorry this is so late guys! This chapter is actually my favorite one so far I think, so I really hope it was worth the wait!! Enjoy, and thank you again!!! <3 <3 <3

~o~

Part Ten

“hhuh! ...hhUSSHHhh! Heh-K'TCHshuh! Hhh... hhTXSSHHuuh! Oh mby god *snfff* ...ugh.”

Tobias let out a wet breath and pulled some more tissues from the box which he'd caved and picked up, and was subsequently forced to open out of sheer, dripping desperation, hoping that the cashier wouldn't mind. He blew his nose right there in the middle of the cough/cold medication aisle, pocketed the used tissues with a tired sniffle, considered, then tossed into his basket a second box, as well as a package of cough drops and some Theraflu because hey, if he was caving, he might as well go all out.

“...hhTTSSHHUuu! huh! ehh'HTXCHSHhh! ..ugghn.” He pulled the worn tissues from his pocket and sopped his nose as he turned the corner, feeling like a walking Dayquil ad. He couldn't believe how exponentially the “head” part of his cold symptoms (specifically, the sneezing part) had increased over the course of this little grocery store jaunt – the grad student could barely go a few steps before having to stop and sneeze. Fortunately, he'd by now found nearly all the items on his mother's list (a large portion of which looked suspiciously like the ingredients for chicken soup), and was readying himself to go the check out counter, when a strange voice called out to him:

“Tobias? Is that you ?”

Tobias looked over toward the source of the voice, and his heart dropped into his stomach. ...Katie.

Katie – his high school girlfriend, who he'd dated for the better part of four years, and who he for a while seriously thought he was going to marry. Katie – the last memory of whom he had was of their breakup, which – though mutual at face value, being the inevitable aftermath of going to different colleges, of growing apart in different ways – had secretly devastated him for months after, had been his first and biggest heartbreak. Katie – who he hadn't seen or even given thought to in – what was it? Six? Seven years? That Katie was there looking at him with a whirlwind of expressions painted on her face, and for a second all Tobias could do was stare back, a whirlwind of equal proportions happening inside his own head.

“Kadtie? Holy cgow. ...Hi,” Tobias heard himself reply finally, stupidly, and the girl crossed over to him, greeting him with a warm (if not still slightly shocked) smile.

“Oh my god, this is crazy! How are you?” Tobias felt himself flush as he tried to get his bearings. He smiled back, taking in her presence, marveling at how so much the same she looked, but different at the same time. Fuller, more matured. Older.

“Uh, good! Really good!” he replied, pushing his glasses up back into place on his nose. “How are you? Jeez, itd's beend forever, huh?”

“Yeah, it really has,” Katie replied, tugging her blond braid over her shoulder. “I'm good! So, um-” she paused, taking a self-collecting breath, before continuing: “You live in the U.S now, right? Are you, uh, just visiting family, or...?”

“Haha, yeah, jusdt visidting. Stdill a worthless traidtor tdo the mapble leaf,” Tobias kidded in reply. He watched with new shock as a little girl of about three or four appeared from the aisle Katie had just been in and ran up to her, latching on to her leg. “Wow, uh... who's this?”

Katie laughed with slight embarrassment, and bent down to ruffle the girl's hair. “This is Annette. My daughter.” Tobias was suddenly filled with an intense emotion which he didn't quite have a name for, but felt it was probably akin to what someone might feel right after being sucked into a giant, unknowable cosmic vortex.

“Oh, wow. Well, uh ...idt's ndice tdo mbeet you, Annette,” he said gently, kneeling down to smile at her, (after taking a self-sorting breath of his own.) “I'm Tobias.” The girl looked up at him with big, blue eyes, then skittered further behind her mother, peeking from behind her leg.

“Uhp!” Katie exclaimed lightly as she reached her hands behind her to catch the girl, then sighed, flashing Tobias a playfully apologetic smile as he stood back up. “...Shy,” she explained, and Tobias laughed in reply.

“Thadt's okgay, I'mb nodt offended!” He looked down once more at the little girl, a sort of disbelieving awe envelope him.

“...Jeez, she's beaudtiful, Kadtie. She loogks jusdt likge you,” he said, feeling his cheeks flushing a bit as he wondered if what he just said was inappropriate. His former girlfriend didn't seem to mind though – she smiled another one of her warm, welcoming smiles.

“Haha, thank you. She has her father's stubborn attitude though,” she mock-growled, keeping one hand on the little girl as Annette migrated carefully back out from behind her mother's shelter. Tobias started to respond – not entirely sure what he was about to say – but fortunately, his nose spared him the trouble:

“I cand't- ... hhuh... hhuhTSSHHhhu! ...hH'MPSHUuh!” he pulled the ball of used tissues hastily from his pocket and sneezed into them with forceful wetness. “..Ungh *snf* Sorry,” he apologized stuffily, wiping away the resultant leakage, before returning the spent tissues to his pocket once more, not sure if the heat in his cheeks was because of the exertion or because he was imminently close to dying from embarrassment.

“No, don't be! Bless you,” Katie responded effusively. “That sounds like a pretty terrible cold you've got there. I hope you have someone to take care of you?” Tobias caught wind of the meaning that lay behind her inquiry. He thought of Aaron, at home asleep in his bed, and the picture of it sent a comforting wash of warmth through him.

“Yeah,” he sniffled with a weary half-grin. “...I do.”

“Good,” the girl affirmed. “They're lucky, whoever they are. You're quite the catch, you know.”

Tobias laughed and rolled his eyes. “Stdop idt ndow, you're gonnda mbake mbe blush,” he kidded, despite having breached blush territory eons ago. They exchanged another brief, fondly nostalgic smile, before Tobias broke the pause with a flurry of coughs, and Katie responded with a sympathetic sigh:

“Well, we should let you go, so you can get back home to rest,” she said, taking hold of her daughter's hand. She reached out with her other hand, giving the grad student's shoulder a friendly squeeze: “...It was nice seeing you, Tobias. Take care, okay?”

“Yeah, you tdoo, Kadtie,” Tobias replied hoarsely, a weird mix of regret and relief washing over him as his former girlfriend turned with a final wave and disappeared back down the aisle. He sucked in a deep breath, and resumed his chore, feeling pretty drained – both physically and emotionally...

~o~

(I originally was going to have their exchange be in French for the sake of realism, but all the bracket things were annoying me, so I just had them speak in English instead. There's probably about four more chapters left of this thing if I had to guess, so gettin' close! Thanks so much for reading!!! )