Welcome to 40

[aggedy_ann]

Just a little something about Tim getting older.    And yay! I actually finished something

 

Ethan looked up at Tim’s sharp inhale to see Tim rushing an elbow to his face.  “HuhhIhshoo, HiihSchoo!”

 

“Bless you,” Ethan frowned, concern creasing his brow.   This was Tim’s third such outburst in the last hour…and now that he thought about it, Tim had been sneezing since he rolled out of bed.   “You catching a cold or something?”

 

Tim rubbed fiercely at his nose.   “You’d know if I had a cold.” He sniffled, referencing the sneezing fit that preceded a cold for as long as he could remember.   

 

“Influenza, again?  You’re sneezing more than I am, and it’s peak allergy season.”

 

“Haven’t been around anyone sick.   With anything.”  Tim blew his nose.

 

Ethan nodded, reaching for his own tissue.  “Hatchoo!  You find a feather pillow somewhere and decide to sleep on it?”

 

Tim shook his head, this time rubbing his eyes.  “No, but I kind of feel like I did.”

 

Ethan scrutinized his boyfriend as Tim pressed a tissue to his nose for another round of sneezes.  “HuhhtChoo,HuhhyyyuhChoo! YyuhhSchoo! HuhhYyuhhScheshh!”

 

“Bless you!”

 

“Thanks.”  Tim sniffled, wiping his eyes and blowing his nose.   He pushed away what he was working on.   “I can’t even focus with all this sneezing.”

 

“Take a break.  Come over here.”   He patted the spot on the couch next to him.    

 

Tim shuffled over and leaned against Ethan, sniffling.   “My nose is running.”

 

“You sound stuffed up.”  Ethan agreed, taking note that Tim’s eyes were slightly puffy.

 

Tim rubbed his eyes, then rubbed his nose.   “Itchy.”  He complained.

 

“Itchy?  What’s itchy?”

 

“Eyes.  Nose.  Throat…well, that’s more scratchy.”   Tim pushed up on his nose.   

 

Ethan looked at him, taking in his red, watery eyes and pink nose.  “You look like you’re allergic to something,” he said softly, knowing what Tim’s reaction was going to be.

 

Tim shook his head, vehemently.  “No feathers.  There’s like no dust in here.  You’re not wearing that cologne.”  A sniffle.  “I grew out of all that other stuff decades ago.”

 

Ethan tried to hide his eye roll at Tim’s predictable response.   “You don’t look like you have a cold.” His tone was gentle.   

 

“There’s a look?”

 

“Your forehead pinches because of the headache.”

 

“I don’t have a headache.”

 

“I know.”

 

“How do you…oh, right, apparently my forehead pinches.”

 

“It does.”  Ethan reached up and brushed back Tim’s wavy curls.    “Pretty easy to read, hon.”   He tilted his head up, planting a kiss on Tim’s jaw.   

 

Tim, preoccupied, straightened up.  “I should…” He clapped his hands to his face.   “HhuhhRhhishhoo,  Rhhishhoo!  Ugh.  I gotta get back to work.”

 

“Ok.”  Ethan picked up his book as Tim crossed over to the recliner he had been curled up in, this time taking the tissue box with him.    “Hey!”  Ethan protested.   “Don’t you think I might want those?”

 

Tim held out the box for Ethan to take some.  “I need them more.”

 

Ethan sighed, took a handful of tissues, and opened his book.   “What are you working on anyway?”

 

“Alex wants me to open for him on a couple dates this spring.   I need new stuff.  Mine’s out of date.”

 

Ethan nodded.   “I’ve never seen you do stand up.”

 

“It’s been a long time.”  Tim bit his lip.

 

“Wait…you’re not gonna talk about me, are you?”

 

Tim hesitated.  “Not if it bothers you.”

 

Ethan brought the back of his hand up to cover his nose.   “AhShoo!  I want final say.”

 

Tim rolled his eyes.   “Fine.”  He pulled his clipboard close to him and picked up his pen, tucking the tissues in at his side.

 

Ethan curled up with his book, watching Tim work.   After two hours, and 16 sneezes from Tim, including the fit of 6 he was finishing up, Ethan sighed.    

 

“What?” Tim asked, stuffily, blowing his nose.

 

“Take another break.”  At Tim’s hesitation, Ethan patted the spot next to him.  “Come here for a bit.”   

 

Tim crawled out of the chair, plopping down next to Ethan.   “Still so itchy.”  He complained, scrubbing at his eyes.

 

Ethan scanned his face, zeroing in on his nose and eyes.   Red and redder.   “Sweety, before you shoot me down…”

 

“There’s nothing in here I’m allergic to.” Tim shot back.

 

Ethan sighed, searching for the right words.  “Didn’t your brother say he developed his allergies at 40?”

 

“Yeah; so?”

 

“So you just turned 40 this summer.  Maybe…”

 

“I’m not allergic to cats, Ethan.”

 

“Just because Mark’s allergic to cats doesn’t mean you are.”

 

“I was.”  Tim said softly, looking down.  

 

Ethan rubbed his back.   “You were?”

 

“Outgrew it with everything else.” Came Tim’s simple explanation.   “Couldn’t get near one.  Bothered my asthma, too.”

 

“I can see where that would be your first thought, I guess.”  Ethan was reassuring.   “Your history, Mark’s experience…”

 

“Not the cats.”  Tim stubbornly insisted.

 

Ethan shook his head.  “I don’t think so, either.”   He turned away from Tim, pulling his shoulder up.  “HatChoo!”

 

“Bless you.”  Tim looked less tense.  “You don’t?”

 

“I think, for one, you’d be more miserable at night when they’re draped on top of you.   Not during the day when they’re off in search of sun.  I don’t think it would have come on like this…all of a sudden, especially since you were fine during the night, again, with them draped over you.”  He paused as Tim brought his hands up.

 

“EgckShoo, HahEggdShoo!”  Tim kept his hands up for a second before lowering them tentatively, sniffling.    

 

Ethan handed him a tissue.   “Feels like more?”

 

Tim nodded.  “Not used to this.”  He blew his nose, then scrubbed at it.

 

“Anyway, I think the cats would bother your asthma again, too.”   Ethan finished.

 

Tim gave a small smile.  “So it’s not the cats?”

 

“Probably not.”  Ethan cleared his throat, opening his mouth to continue.

 

“Then what?” Tim demanded, cutting him off.

 

Ethan paused, ducked away, sneezing.  “AtShoo!”

 

“Bless you.”

 

Ethan pulled out his crumpled tissue, wiping his nose.   “Thanks.   It’s probably the same thing that’s got me sneezing.   And half the people we know.   And the tri-county area…”  

 

Tim looked as Ethan fished his phone out of his pocket and opened his allergy tracking app.  “First, pollen exploded overnight.   It’s a little more than double what it was yesterday thanks to the crazy weather we’ve been having.”

 

“Wait.   I was fine yesterday.  That makes your pollen theory wrong.”  His face fell.  “It’s the cats.”

 

“It’s not the cats.” Ethan sighed.   “Like I said, it’s a lot higher than yesterday.   Maybe you don’t have a problem unless it’s up this high.  Your allergies don’t have to be like mine.  Or your brother’s.”  He leaned against Tim, showing him his phone where the app had listed the most common pollens at the moment.   “My guess is it’s at least one of these giving you trouble.”

 

Tim scanned over the list, giving a rueful laugh.   “Ragweed and I have a history.” He sniffled.   

 

Ethan nodded.  “Probably a culprit here.”   Noticing Tim’s hand move to his nose, he passed him the tissues.

 

Tim nodded his thanks, covering his face with several.  “YehhShoo!  YehhHehhShoo!  YyyehhEhhSheshh, EehhShesshh!”  A quick sniffle.  “HehhhRuhhShooo!  RuhhhShuhhh!!”  He blew his nose, tossing the tissues on the coffee table.

 

“Bless you.”

 

“Make it stop.”  Came Tim’s stuffy groan.   

 

“Let’s start by getting you a Zyrtec.”  Ethan chuckled, standing up.

[starpollen]

These two are so cute

[EveP]

I can't get enough of Ethan and Tim. ❤️

[brownsasha11]

Another awesome instalment @aggedy_annwhat a clever way to describe the changes our body may go through as we get older in Tim's case developing allergies 

[MyOwnPrivateSFC]

Aw!!! Poor Tim! New (well, sort of) allergies AND anxiety over it being the cats! And, of course, I loved the rest of it, too, especially Ethan explaining how he knows when Tim has a headache. 😍