Too Quiet To Notice (Top Gun, Iceman)

[Wolfwings22]

This fandom recently has had a chokehold on me and this story nearly wrote itself with me just trying to stay on board. I love writing this ship and this scenario of having Ice embarrassed and stifling his sneezes is one of my new favorites tropes to read and write, so I hope that someone else enjoys that as well. I hope you all enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prompt—a stuffy “thank you” on the exhale of a stifle, embarrassed to even acknowledge the bless you because they were trying to hide it

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Maverick was hardly aware of what Ice was doing in the kitchen as Maverick was engaged in the football game on TV, leg bouncing eagerly as he watched the action on the screen. Truth be told he wasn’t a huge sport fan generally, but football was different. He loved learning the stats, anticipating every move, and even feeling one with the fans that were actually at the stadium even as he was watching at his house. Football was one of his guilty pleasures and it helped that Ice was a fan as well and they could get into it together.

 

    “C’mon, sack ‘em,” Maverick exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, nearly spilling the bottle of beer in his hands in the process.

 

    Ice let out an amused snort from the kitchen as he finished setting two pieces of pizza and wings onto Maverick’s plate and then his own. He loved to see Maverick so animated about something, and it was a nice break from their hectic schedules as of late. Any downtime was appreciated, no matter what they ended up doing with the time.

 

    He grabbed both plates and a beer for himself before carrying it over to Maverick.

 

    As soon as Maverick caught sight of the food, he was instantly walking over and taking a plate and the beer from Ice to free up his hands.

 

    “Thanks,” Ice panted as he sat down beside Maverick on the couch, more than eager to dig into the pizza that they had ordered. “Who’s winning?”

 

    Maverick pointed to the screen. “The Patriots at the moment, but I’m thinking that the Panthers have a good chance of catching up.”

 

    Ice nodded in understanding. “They had better pick up their defensive game. At this rate they’re just giving away points.”

 

    Maverick took a greedy mouthful of pizza before tapping his beer against his knee as the action commenced. His attention seemed glued to the screen as he ate, fearful if he looked away for even a second that he may miss something.

 

    That was fine by Ice. The less that Maverick paid attention to him at the moment, the better.

    

    Truth be told, Ice was starting to notice that he had a bit of a sore throat that was only made worse each time that he tried to swallow any pizza. He was suddenly thankful he only grabbed himself a single slice as choking it down took much longer than he would’ve liked. Maverick was already on seconds by the time Ice finally finished his one piece. Maverick didn’t seem to notice as he wolfed down even more pizza and grabbed another beer. Ice just hoped things stayed that way.

 

    It wasn’t too much longer after Ice finished that he felt a small prickle in the back of his sinuses. He lifted his hand to rub at his nose roughly, yet discreetly. It was just his luck as he tended to be a rather numerous sneezer and would sneeze anywhere upwards of four, six, eight, or even more times until his nose was satisfied. It was something that he always hated as he disliked that sort of attention on him, so he did everything in his power to keep it from happening, even around Maverick.

 

    Ice could count on one hand the times that he had sneezed in front of Maverick, even as they had gotten married and now owned a house together. It wasn’t that Ice was completely embarrassed to do so in front of Maverick, more that he didn’t like to have attention called to that period, no matter who it was. He didn’t want to talk about how many times he’d sneezed and had people make sure that he was okay or crack jokes about it. The best thing that he could do was just not sneeze so that he wouldn’t have that problem. Unfortunately, that was often easier said than done.

 

    Ice shifted nervously as he felt the sensation build until he was forced to duck ever so slightly to the side, head giving a fierce dip. “Ickxxxxh! Itcxxxxh! Itshxxxxx! Itcxxxxh! Itxxxuh! Ithxxxxh! Itcxxxh!”

 

    To Ice’s relief, the noise from the TV of an interception held Maverick’s attention instead of the stifled sneezing fit Ice had just unleashed. He merely had to give a small sniffle before forcing himself to take a few more bites of his now cold pizza.

 

    The game continued well into halftime before Ice realized that another sneeze was upon him. This one was much more infuriating, whispers of the tickle pooling in the back of his sinuses so that no amount of rubbing would ever get rid of it.

 

    “You good,” Maverick asked after he wandered back over to the couch with another beer in his hands.

 

    Ice immediately stopped scratching and dropped his hands into his lap. “Fine,” he answered, the soreness of his throat impossible to ignore.

 

    “Really?” Maverick sat down heavily and leaned over to press a kiss to Ice’s temple. “You’ve been a little quiet this evening? Are you tired?”

 

    Ice nodded slowly. “Guess the week just wiped me out.”

 

    “I agree with you there.” Maverick brought up the beer and took a few quick swallows. He kept his eyes fixed on Ice a moment later, wanting to say something else before thinking better of it. Ice had given him an answer and he had to respect it.

 

    Maverick turned his attention back on the game to watch the halftime report. It wasn’t nearly as engaging as the game, but it was interesting to see playback and hear commentators talk about the game thus far.

 

    Unfortunately for Ice, he couldn’t hold it back any longer.

    

    He also knew that he had gotten lucky stifling unassisted previously, but this itch was too much of an annoyance for him to do unaided. When he couldn’t take it any longer, he ducked his head down and brought up his hand to pinch his nose between his forefinger and thumb. He clamped down hard after a trembling inhale, eyes instinctively closing, chest heaving.

 

    “Itxxxxh! Ithxxxh! Ithxxxxh! Itchxxxxh! Itxxxxxh! Itchxxxxh! Itchxxxxh! Itcxxxh!” Ice was left shaking his head and blinking his eyes rapidly, struggling to keep himself from falling right back into another fit. Stifling always made him sneeze more and the buzzing was as infuriating as it was incessant.

 

    “Bless you?” Maverick glanced over questioning, head tipped to the side. “At least I think those were sneezes. I’m honestly not sure.”

 

    Ice winced and sniffed hard, shame rising inside of him when his nose made a wet squelch. “Uh....yeah. They were,” he mumbled as he lifted a curled finger and gave his nose a quick swipe, trying to ignore the streak of wetness now on his skin.

 

    “They sounded like they hurt,” Maverick continued, worry clear in his voice. “Doesn’t that hurt?”

 

    Ice shook his head, praying for Maverick to drop it. “Not at all.”

 

    “If you say so.” Maverick shrugged and turned back to the game. It only took a couple minutes, though, for him to turn his attention back on his boyfriend. “You sure that you’re okay?”

 

    As much as Ice wanted to say something snappish about Maverick not letting it go, he knew that he couldn’t. He was only doing it out of concern, and Ice knew it. Besides, if Maverick was worried about him, the least that he could do was at least try to reassure him.

 

    “Just allergies,” Ice replied quickly. “Must be bothering me a little more than usual.”

 

    Maverick pondered it for a moment before nodding and setting his beer back on the couch. He scooted back so that his back was on the armrest and his legs stretched out. He motioned for Ice to come closer, and against his better judgement, Ice scooted over so that he was laying in between Maverick’s legs with his head on his chest. Maverick wrapped both of his arms around Ice with Ice resting his hand’s over Maverick’s. He loved the feel of Maverick’s hands and how strong he was, which helped put his mind at ease without question.

 

    The two lounged for only about five or so minutes when Ice felt his body begin to betray him once more. He wriggled his nose around his face, pleased that Maverick couldn’t see what his face was doing. He didn’t want to lift his hands away from Maverick’s, fearing that his boyfriend would become hyper aware of what was going on with him. He also didn’t want to risk sneezing on him, which would humiliate him so much he may lock himself in his room and never come out.

 

    Ice wasn’t given much time to think, so he raised one hand and lifted up the collar of his shirt. He then ducked his head down into it, the shirt pulled up almost to his eyes. “Itcxxxxh! Itchxxxxxh! Itcxxxxh! Ishxxxxh! Ishxxxxh! Itshxxxxxxh! Itch’Shiew!” The final sneeze came on too sudden and too strong to properly stifle, and Ice was left blushing at the sound that he had just made.

 

    “Bless you, bless you, bless you,” Maverick explained, rubbing Ice’s upper arms. “Geez that was a lot!”

 

    Ice had never before wanted so much to just disappear. He knew that Maverick hadn’t met anything by it, but his insecurities came rushing to the surface and it took all of his strength not to immediately shy away and banish himself into the bedroom until it was over.

 

    “What allergies are possibly giving you this reaction in the winter,” Maverick questioned as he lifted on hand and ran it along the back of Ice’s neck.

 

    Ice shrugged. “Ub...dusdt?”

 

    “You’re all congested.” Maverick stated it as fact more than anything else and didn’t hesitate to give Ice a reassuring squeeze before lifting his right leg over Ice’s head and jumped off the armchair of the couch.

 

    Ice barely registered Maverick had moved until he realized that there was no one pressing into his back anymore. “Bav,” he called hoarsely.

 

    It was no longer than a minute before Maverick returned with a tissue box in his hand. He shook it slightly before padding back over to the couch and kissing Ice’s shoulder, wriggling his way back into their previous position. He dropped the tissue box on Ice’s lap and went right back to rubbing at his upper arm while looking back at the TV.

 

    Ice stared at the box intently as if it was a foe just waiting to be vanquished. His eyes narrowed to slits, nose beginning to run as he swallowed thickly.

 

    Maverick chuckled as he leaned forward to pepper a few kisses to the top of Ice’s head. “I grabbed those so that you’d use ‘em, not look at ‘em.”

 

    Ice wasn’t sure how it was possible, but he felt even more embarrassed than he had previously. He gave his head a small shake as he picked up a few tissues and held them to his nose, wiping at the undersides instead of blowing. It was a much more delicate process than Ice would’ve thought and his nose continued to run. It took all of his concentration not to sniffle to hold back the rising tide of mucus.

 

    “Honey, I love you more than anything,” Maverick continued as he patiently regarded Ice. “But you’re still sniffly. I think that it’ll help if you blow your nose.”

 

    Ice let out a low groan before he even realized that he had said anything. He instinctively ducked his head down toward his knees. A deep burn worked its way down his nose until he was forced to duck into the tissue that he had been using to clamp his nose shut. He let out a few panting, antagonizing hitches before suddenly jackknifing forward.

 

    “Itcxxxxh! Itxxxxxh! Ishxxxxh! Ishxxxxh! Itshxxxxxh! Ishxxxxh! Itxxxxxh! Itshxxxxh! Itsxxxxh! Ischxxxxh!”

 

    “Fuck, Ice.” Maverick reached up sharply and pulled Ice’s hand from around his nose.

 

    Ice let out a short whimper and shook his head, the tickle far from dislodged from the violent stifles. He screwed his eyes up as the feeling morphed into a sharp burn that plagued him in a way that he couldn’t shake.

 

    Maverick hummed to himself before giving Ice’s nose a light flick right on the bridge. It wasn’t something that he had ever thought of doing before, and probably wouldn’t do it again, but he couldn’t stand for Ice to sit there in misery, waiting for the itch to turn into a sneeze and knowing that Maverick’s eyes were on him.

 

    Ice went to duck back into his hand, but Maverick was quick to grasp his wrists and gingerly press downwards. Ice fought him at first before giving up when he knew that Maverick wasn’t about to let him go.

 

    “Itch’Shiew! Itcsh’Shiew! Itsh’Shiew! Itch’Shiew! Itch’Shiew! Ish’Shiew! Ich’Shiew!” Ice paused a moment later, head tipped back before crashing back down hard. “Itch’Sheiw! Itch’Sheiw! Itsh’Shiew!”

 

    Ice was nearly coughing in the aftermath as the fit left him exhausted, slumping against Maverick even more than he had before.

 

    “Bless you times a lot. Do you always sneeze that many times,” Maverick questioned, a little off put that he hadn’t realized that.

 

    Ice reluctantly nodded, nose full. “Yes.”

 

    Maverick grabbed the tissue box when it was clear that Ice wasn’t going to and pulled a few tissues from the box and pressed them into Ice’s hand. “Blow and then we can talk.”

 

    Exhausted beyond wanting an argument, he lifted the handful to his nose and blew, wincing at the pain that spread through his entire face. After folding and turning the tissues over until he could take in a breath through his nose without trouble. He set the used tissues on the coffee table, almost begging that there wouldn’t be anymore for a while.

 

    “Ice, can you look at me, please,” Maverick asked as he rubbed his hand down Ice’s back.

 

    Ice shook his head, unwilling to.

 

    “Ice,” Maverick repeated. “Tom, can we please talk about this? Are you sick?”

 

    Suddenly, Ice scrambled away from Maverick and was almost about to leap from the couch when Maverick reached over and grasped his wrist. He struggled to sit up with his legs thrown over the side of the couch as he gingerly ran his fingers over Ice’s wrist. “Come back. Please, Ice.”

 

    Ice reluctantly plopped back down beside him so that they were shoulder to shoulder. He was still clearly itching to leave and Maverick had to think quickly before Ice tried to up and leave again.

 

    “Talk to me,” Maverick continued as he looked to his boyfriend worryingly. “Is it something I said or did?”

 

    Ice used the back of his hand to rub at his eyes. “No, it’s not you. It’s just......”

 

    Maverick didn’t talk, but he did reach out to rest his hand on Ice’s knee. “Take your time.”

 

    “I didn’t want to say anything, but I don’t feel good and it’s not allergies,” Ice confessed, head down and voice crackling as he breathed.

 

    Maverick hummed to himself, not wanting to cause Ice anymore discomfort. He slowly lifted his hand and pressed the back of his hand on Ice’s forehead before dropping his hand back down. “You are a bit warm. I don’t know how I didn’t notice that earlier.”

 

    Ice didn’t pull away from Maverick’s touch, though he still seemed uncomfortable by it. “Didn’t want to ruin your night. I knew that you wanted to watch the game.”

 

    “And we still could’ve from the bedroom.” Maverick began. “Or I could’ve gotten something that might be easier on your stomach and throat.”

 

    Ice bristled, body going rigid. “You don’t need to do anything special on my account. It’s probably just a cold.” He gave a sniffle to enunciate his point, blushing when he finished.

 

    Maverick stifled a sigh. Engaging Ice in that argument would only lead to more hostility between the two, which was not what either of them needed.

 

    “Still, I don’t like anything that causes you discomfort.” Maverick almost pouted as he grabbed a tissue and bunched it up before reaching up to gingerly dab at Ice’s nose, which had steadily began to run despite Ice’s attempts to snort it back in.

 

    Ice didn’t immediately duck away, though he did turn his head just enough that the tissue struck an extra sensitive spot and he was left almost gasping as he fought the hitching breaths that took over his body. He was well aware of Maverick watching him, which made things even worse. He lifted his hand to clamp at his nose only for Maverick to reach out and bring his hand down, a frown visible on his face.

 

    Suddenly, Ice pitched to the side to sneeze into his shoulder, body shaking from the sudden force. “Ich’Shiew! Itch’Shiew! Ichch’Shiew! Isch’Shiew! Shiew! Shiew! Shiew! Shiew! Shiew! Hih....Itch’Shiew!”

 

    Maverick struggled not to make a comment about how numerous Ice’s sneezes were. They may have been much softer than he ever thought possible coming from Ice, but they appeared to wind him just as much as he lifted his head from his shoulder and immediately let out a few barking coughs.

 

    Maverick gave Ice his hands back, and the taller man immediately pulled out a few more tissues and blew while standing. Maverick reached for him, but Ice was already disappearing into the bathroom, the door closing and locking behind him.

 

    “Oh, Ice,” Maverick whispered to himself as he stood. This wasn’t quite how he expected the evening to go and he suddenly wondered if Ice even wanted him to stay anymore.

 

    “Don’t be stupid, Maverick,” Maverick muttered to himself as he collected the plates and beer bottles from dinner and brought them into the kitchen. He set them on the counter to be cleaned later before deciding to take matters into his own hands.

 

    It was easy for Maverick to find where Ice kept his over the counter medications and other supplies. There was a half drank bottle of DayQuil sitting next to an unopened box of tissues. Maverick swiped at the two items and brought them over to the counter.

 

    “Let’s see....how much can you take?” Maverick lifted the bottle and read the fine print instructions before unscrewing the cap. The smell was almost nauseating, making Maverick grimace as he poured a generous amount into a small plastic cup. “Why don’t you just take the pills instead? Why deal with the shitty taste of this?” Maverick filled it to the line and then some in the tiny plastic cup. Ice was tall and Maverick hated to see him so miserable; a little extra on the top couldn’t hurt.

 

    Maverick was just about to admire his handiwork when Ice padded back in from the bathroom, nose even pinker than it was earlier. There was a ghostly flush on his face that Maverick had to work hard not to comment on it.

 

    “What,” Ice began, voice crackling with phlegm.

 

    “I don’t know why you have the liquid kind, but whatever.” He pushed the plastic cup forward with a small smile.

 

    Ice grabbed the tiny cup and brought it up to his lips, tipping it back and swallowing it like a shot. He didn’t so much as blink as he set the cup down, coughing lightly.

 

    “Remind me never to challenge you to a drinking contest,” Maverick commented.

 

    Ice rolled his eyes. “You’ve already done that; you just don’t remember.”

 

    “Yeah, that checks out.”

 

    Suddenly, Ice was reaching for the unopened tissues and tore the thin cardboard from the top. He pulled out handfuls of tissues and forced them against the lower half of his face as he reached out his other hand on the counter to steady himself as he mentally prepared for what was next.

 

    “Itchxxxxh! Ishsxxxh! Ithshxxxxh! Ishcxxxh! Itshshxxxh! Itcsxxxh! Itch’Shiew! Ishs’Shiew! Isch’Shiew! Itch’Shiew! Sorry.” Ice gave his nose a harsh blow before tossing them into the trash and immediately walked over to the sink and began to wash his hands thoroughly with the water switched over to the hottest setting that it would go.

 

    “Did you just apologize for sneezing?” Maverick mentally scolded himself for saying something as he drew closer to Ice and wrapped his arms from behind in a loose hug.

 

    Ice gave a harsh shudder as he continued to lather his hands in soap. “You’re going to end up catching this too if you keep that up.”

 

    “No germ is going to be stupid enough to tangle with me,” Maverick boasted. He then pulled at Ice’s waist as steam began to rise from the sink. “I think you’ve cleaned them enough, Ice.”

 

    Ice continued scrubbing. “Can’t make anyone sick,” he croaked.

 

    Maverick reached around front and turned off the faucet, much to Ice’s dismay. Maverick then pulled him back with little resistance from Ice before nudging him away from the sink and over to the island. He had swiped a wash towel in the process and he wrapped it around Ice’s hands, wanting to cool them down as quickly as possible.

 

    Once his hands were dried, Maverick lifted both of Ice’s hands and planted light kisses to each finger, pleased to find that they were finally cooling down and he hadn’t burned himself.

 

    Ice tried to pull back as tears glowed in his eyes. Maverick massaged feeling back into Ice’s hands, feeling him mentally begin to pull away. “Talk to me,” Maverick requested, willing Ice to look at him. “You’re really starting to worry me. You gotta let me in, Tom.”

 

    Upon hearing his first name, Ice finally looked down to Maverick to find the fear in his husband’s eyes. He hated to be the cause of that, no matter the context. His heart lurched in his chest as he finally regarded Maverick and was able to hold his gaze.

 

    “I don’t want to get anyone sick,” he murmured.

 

    “I know, but sometimes it’s inevitable considering that we’ve been together so much recently.” Maverick titled his head curiously. “That’s not all, is it?”

 

    “I-I-I.....” Ice trailed off, his strength fading rapidly.

 

    Maverick looped his arm around Ice’s and began to lead him back to the couch before Ice fell down. He made sure that the tissues were within reach before urging Ice to sit down as he plopped down beside him. Maverick’s hand made it’s way up and his soft fingers brushed against the short hairs on the back of Ice’s neck.

 

    “I’m not good at this,” Ice confessed a moment later. “Wasn’t supposed to get sick.”

 

    “It happens to everyone about once a year....sometimes twice,” Maverick pointed out. “No one is going to blame you for being sick, least of all me.”

 

    “He always did.” Ice lifted a hand and began scratching at the back of his hand until Maverick grasped his hand to calm it, angry red scratches already beginning to appear. “Don’t want you to be angry at me like he was.”

 

    Immediately Maverick felt a flash of protection for Ice, wishing he could go toe to toe with the man who made Ice feel this way. The adrenaline that was coursing through his veins was impossible to ignore, though one look at Ice had Maverick instantly forcing himself to calm as he began to pull on Ice’s shoulder until the taller man lowered his head to rest on Maverick’s shoulder. His breathing crackled in Maverick’s ear, the scent of cold medicine on his breath.

 

    “I could never be angry at you, Ice, especially over something that you can’t help. I just want to do everything in my power to help you feel better.” Maverick brushed his fingers over Ice’s shoulder, hoping that he found it comforting.

 

    Ice groaned as he pressed his face firmer into Maverick’s shoulder. “I don’t feel good.”

 

    Although it was hardly groundbreaking news considering how Ice had been acting, hearing that Ice confessed it at all left Maverick feeling a little better.

 

    “Is there anything I can do to make it better,” Maverick questioned, voice softer than he usually would use on anyone besides Ice.

 

    Ice made a show to shake his head before thinking better of it. “Just want you.”

 

    “Now that’s something I can work with.” Maverick reached on the back of the couch and grabbed a blanket before gingerly stirring from under Ice’s weight. Ice’s eyes flashed as he prepared to stand and more away from Maverick, but his husband was quick to simply slip back against the corner of the couch with his legs outstretched like they had been earlier. This time he slumped down even further as he pulled Ice down with him, careful so that they weren’t too flat that it would trigger another coughing fit from Ice.

 

    Maverick threw the blanket around both of them, tucking it around Ice as he turned so that he was laying on top of Maverick with his head snuggled into his chest.

 

    “Comfortable,” Maverick asked as he looked down to his chest only to be able to see the top of Ice’s hair.

 

    Ice turned his head to the side, rubbing his cheek against Maverick’s shirt. “M’always comfortable with you,” Ice answered as though it was obvious.

 

    Maverick couldn’t help but feel a flash of amusement. He knew that Ice hating being sick, and he hated when Ice was sick, but this extra cuddle time was something he didn’t mind. Ice wasn’t an overly affectionate guy on the regular when it came to physical touch, especially not when it wasn’t just the two of them, so anytime that Maverick could convince him to cuddle on the couch instead of just at night before they went to bed, it was always a positive. Maverick was especially affectionate when it came to physical touch and always wanted to hold Ice’s hand or be as close to him as Ice would allow.

 

    Even though Ice didn’t seem engaged with the game any longer as his eyes drifted closed and his breathing turned shallower, Maverick found himself still watching. His fingers lightly traced short words on Ice’s back, chuckling to himself when Ice pressed into the fond touch.

 

    “I’ll watch over you now,” Maverick whispered when he was certain that Ice was sound asleep, or as sound asleep as he could be given the circumstances. “You don’t have to worry about anyone treating you shitty while you’re sick again. I’m going to take care of you now. You won’t have to worry about a thing.”

 

    The End

 

[Mygyn]

🥰 this was such a cute read! Thanks for sharing!

[RemedyBane]

awww this was so sweet! Poor Ice, my sweet sweet baby! XO

[uwus and love]

that....was....so....fluffy....ah my heart........