Black Out

[aggedy_ann]

Just a short little thing about Tim and Ethan in a power outage

“Ow! Fuck!”

 

Tim awoke to Ethan’s cursing.   “Babe?  What’s wrong?”  He reached over to switch on the lamp next to the bed.

 

“Power’s out.”  Ethan sniffed as Tim discovered the lamp wouldn’t turn on.  “I guess I haven’t figured out the layout of your apartment yet.”  He carefully made his way to the bed and groped around for his phone.  Finding it, he switched on the flashlight.”

 

“Everything ok?”

 

Ethan shook his head, turning away to bury a harsh sneeze in his t-shirt.   “HatChoo!”  He turned back to Tim.   “NyQuil’s wearing off, for one thing.”  He sighed.  “And I can’t tell if I’m starting to run a fever or hypoglycemic.   I woke up and I’m sweating.   I went to check my temp and blood sugar, but I can’t do that in the dark.”

 

Tim frowned.  “Dizzy?”

 

“Yeah, but fevers do that to me, too.”

 

Tim swung his legs over the edge of the bed, grabbing his own phone, also turning it into a flashlight.   “I’m coming with you.” He coughed.   He glanced at the time.   “It is time for NyQuil anyway.”    He trailed Ethan to the bathroom, watched while he checked his temperature.    

 

“98.4.”

 

“Blood sugar.  You don’t eat enough when you’re sick.”  Tim fussed as Ethan pricked his finger.   He buried his face in the crook of his arm.  “AhhrShoo! HahhRrahhShoo!”  He exploded as Ethan waited for his machine to beep.

 

“64.”  Ethan reported as Tim straightened up.   

 

“Snack time.”  He led Ethan to the kitchen.   “Sit.   What do you want?   I mean, that can be made without electricity.”

 

“Preference is always peanut butter toast, so ummm…” he paused to cough.  “Half a peanut butter sandwich, please?”

 

“Coming up…after these sneheezes…heeYehhShoo!…EeckShoo!”  He crossed over to wash his hands.

 

“Bless you.”

 

In the dim light of their cell phones, Ethan watched Tim smear peanut butter on a slice of bread and fold it in half.   Placing it on a paper towel, he set it in front of Ethan.

 

After blowing his nose on a napkin, Ethan picked up the sandwich.   “Thank you.”

 

“You gotta eat more; you’ve been picking at your food since you got sick.”  Tim nagged.  “And I have to ask: what is it with peanut butter when you’re sick anyway?”

 

Ethan shrugged, swallowing.  “I can taste it.”   At Tim’s confused look, “colds dull my tastebuds.   Everything tastes blah.  Except peanut butter.  That tastes normal.”

 

Tim nodded in the dim cell phone light, handing over a glass of orange juice.   “So, to get you to eat, I should make peanut butter everything?”

 

Ethan shrugged.  “Besides, peanut butter is my go to for low blood sugars anyway.”  He laughed.   “When I was little, my dad used to just give me spoonfuls of it when I dropped.”  He pressed his napkin to his nose.  “AhShoo!”

 

“Bless you.  NyQuil after this.”  Tim promised, sipping his own orange juice.   

 

Ethan gave a small smile.  “I really am sorry I gave you this.”

 

Tim shook his head.  “My fault.   You did tell me to stop kissing you.”

 

“Not that I put up a fuss when you didn’t listen.”

 

“Can’t keep my hands off of you.”

 

Ethan laughed.  “Well, I hope this stage of our relationship never ends.”

 

“Mehhh HehhghSchoo!  HeyyEddgeSchehh!  Ugh…this snehhh…heyyyYyehhShoo!  YyyehhScheshhh!  This sneezing.”

 

“More?”  Ethan asked.

 

“No.”  Tim’s face relaxed for a brief second, then contorted again.  “Yehhes.   YehSshoo!  EhhChesshoo!”

 

“Bless you.”  Ethan swallowed the last bite of his sandwich and passed Tim a napkin.    “We gotta get you some NyQuil.   Once you start like this…”

 

Tim groaned.  “Don’t I know it.   I hope I won’t keep you awake.”

 

“Not if I’m taking NyQuil,” Ethan grinned, finishing his juice and encouraging Tim to do the same.

 

Tim finished his juice and blew his nose, squashed two sneezes, and blew his nose again.  “NyQuil?”

 

“Go lay down.   I’ll bring it.   You need more water?”   Ethan stood up to pull water bottles out of the fridge.   

 

Tim shook his head, pulling a new napkin to him.   “HehtShoo, Heyyyehhshoo!”  Gingerly wiping his nose, he stood up, trailing Ethan down the hall.     Crawling into bed as Ethan grabbed the pills from the bathroom, he blew his nose again as Cashew curled into his side.

 

“HatChoo!”   Sniffling, Ethan handed Tim his blister pack as he sat on the edge of the bed to take his.   

 

“Bless you.”

 

“Thanks.   You gonna be able to sleep?”

 

Tim nodded in the dim, grabbing a tissue.  “HehhEckkSheshh, EhhSheshh!  This’ll die down soon.  Guess I gotta make up for all the time I coulda been sneezing while I was sleeping.”   

 

Ethan laughed.   “Guess so.”   He pulled the covers up around his neck.   “Hope it’s not too long.”   He pressed down on the flashlight icon on his phone as Tim did the same so they lay there in pitch blackness.

 

“Haven’t been in a room this dark since camp when I was a kid.” Tim commented.   

 

“I don’t think I really have.”  Ethan noted.  

 

“You know the dark has its advahhn AhhhHatShoo!  AhhRShoo! Advantages.”

 

“You know, it’s a little more romantic when you can stop sneezing long enough to actually fool around right?  Speaking from experience.”

 

Tim’s response was a loud blow.   

 

“And one or both of us don’t need to constantly stop to do that.”   Ethan said gently, leaning over and kissing his cheek.    “I’m sure there will be other blackouts.   Or you can always find us a cabin in the woods.”

 

“HehhckChehh!  HehhyehhtSheshhh!  Ugh!  I’m not sexy?”

 

“Let’s just say you’ve been sexier.”

 

Reassured, Tim stopped talking so Ethan could fall asleep.  And in time, he was finally able to fall asleep as well.

[brownsasha11]

I love it. The nuances were so good

[MyOwnPrivateSFC]

Aw! Poor boys!

[2SHY222]

Love their dynamic 🥰