In The Intermittent (Top Gun, Iceman)

[Wolfwings22]

I couldn’t keep away with my Top Gun stories. This one started as one idea and quickly became another, which I wasn’t opposed to and hope it’s still as good as what I was originally planned. I hope it’s still a nice read. Ice with allergies is something that I don’t write a lot, and am still getting used to, but I hope it still came out alright. I hope you all enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ice has always struggled with seasonal allergies, and Maverick is well aware of this after years of marriage. That doesn’t mean that it’s any easier to watch Ice deal with it, and how it brings up insecurities from his past. Maverick is more than ready to help out, even if he sometimes doesn’t know how.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    
    Maverick knew it was going to be a long day when Ice walked into the kitchen early one Friday morning sneezing. A quick check at the forecast showed the extreme levels of pollen and grass allergens practically skyrocket from the days prior. That explained why Ice was so miserable so early, and he hadn’t even been outside yet. 

    “I’m going to get the mail,” Ice called with a pungent sniffle.

    Maverick glanced up from where he was scrambling eggs, spatula scraped through the coagulating yolk. “I can get it,” he called over his shoulder. “Maybe you should stay inside for a little longer.”

    Ice cocked a brow at Maverick before rubbing a curled knuckle under his reddened nostrils. “I can’t stay inside all day. I have work.”

    Maverick picked up the pan from the stove and set it on the opposite burner, so he could give full attention on the man in question. In two strides he closed the gap between them, chests almost touching. He lifted his left hand to cup Ice’s forehead, fingers sprawled as he touched the expanses of Ice’s skin, feeling only coolness from when he had probably washed his face. The flare of his nostrils was unmistakable, and although it wasn’t wet quite yet, a reading of that magnitude on the pollen levels was a surefire way to get him to be a sneezy mess sooner rather than later.

    “You’re not warm,” Maverick stated before Ice could ask what the hell he was doing with his fingers all over his face.

    Ice ducked away with a halfhearted smirk. “I’m going to be fine. It’s just a little pollen.” He punctuated his sentence with another sniffle, nose protesting the mere spoken word of his allergen.

    “You say that now.”

    Ice held up one finger, head twisted back against his raised shoulder as he tucked himself away as politely as possible. “Tcsh! Itcsh! Tcsh! Tschs! Tscsh! Itcsh! Tcsh! Tcsh! Tcsh! Tscsh!” 

    “Bless you,” Maverick began, already on a search for a napkin or paper towel after the first two sneezes. He found his prize in the center of the dining room table, and although napkins weren’t the best, they were the easiest to access for the time being. He pulled a few free of the holder and brought them over to his husband, wincing as Ice took them in his free hand and blew his nose three times in quick succession. 

    Ice grimaced and was quick to throw the napkins away before heading to the sink. He turned on the faucet with his elbow and lathered with soap, much more thoroughly than Maverick ever did (not that he would ever admit that) before rinsing them off. He dried them on a nearby hand towel, hands dropped back at his sides as he leaned against the counter, head hung as he cleared his itchy throat.

    Maverick pouted as he came round behind Ice and rested his chin on Ice’s shoulder. His arms wrapped around his waist, lips pressed on the back on Ice’s neck where his short hair ended. He would’ve ventured higher, but Ice let out a sound of discomfort scrape the back of his throat, and Maverick instantly let go.

    “Not you,” Ice began as he turned and pulled Maverick close until the shorter man was pressed against his chest, Ice’s cheek rested on top of Maverick’s mop of brown hair. “Nose itches.”
    
    “You’re impossible,” Maverick chuckled as he pulled his head away and stood on his tiptoes to place a delicate kiss on the tip of Ice’s nose.

    Ice instantly writhed away and bucked into his elbow. “Tcsh! Tcsh! Tcsh! Tcsh! Tcsh! Tscsh! Tscsh! Tschs! Tscsh! Tscsh! Tscsh! Tscsh!” Ice rubbed his nose once for good measure before surfacing, eyes flashing in frustration. “Dabidt, Bav.”

    “You’re already getting stuffy and you haven’t even stepped foot outside.” Maverick handed over another stack of napkins to Ice, instantly balancing as he saw how quickly Ice went through them. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to take one day? We’re just doing hypothetical drills in the classroom. There’s no reason that you can’t take it off.”

    “We’ve been through this. I’ll be fine.” Ice attempted a reassuring smile as he reached out and grabbed Maverick around the waist, pulled him closer until their lips were mere centimeters away, the smell of Ice’s spearmint toothpaste invading Maverick’s senses. Maverick couldn’t help closing the distance between them and kissing Ice deeply, tongue darting in and out to explore Ice’s mouth. Ice did the same, body weight pressed hard into Maverick so the smaller man was bent backwards against the counter. Maverick’s right hand trailed under Ice’s t-shirt, flat against his toned abs. A warmth settled deep within his soul, pooling momentarily in his groin.

    Maverick suddenly let out a fearful gasp and Ice drew back as Maverick launched himself for the stove and pulled the pan forward. He let out a groan as he looked at the now liquified eggs and showed them to Ice. “Are these salvageable?”

    Ice sighed and gave a good natured roll of his eyes. “I’ll get something on the way, after I get the mail.” He reached down to playfully swatted Maverick on the ass, skirting away just as quickly before Maverick could retaliate and take things to the next level. If they kept that up, neither one of them would get to work on time.

    While Ice grabbed the mail, and exposed himself to countless more allergens outside, Maverick finished getting ready by cleaning the kitchen from his disastrous breakfast and changing into his uniform. He was in the bathroom finishing styling his hair when he heard a volley of itchy sneezes sound from the kitchen. Maverick gave his hair one final once over before switching off the light and disappearing down the hallway. 

    He rounded the corner to find Ice hunched over the sink as the faucet ran, sneezing helplessly as he splashed water into his face, eyes and nose helplessly streaming. Maverick held back, unsure if Ice would appreciate him approaching when he was clearly having a moment. Gnawing on his bottom lip, Maverick reluctantly slipped away to gather anything that Ice needed for his day. Anything that he could do to make things easier for Ice without getting in his way had to be just one thing that he could do to make things easier for his husband.

    Meanwhile, Ice continued to cough and sputter as water invaded his nose and trickled down his throat. The cool water soothed his stinging eyes just enough, though the irritation it brought to his sinuses was not ideal. He took in a heavy, ragged exhale, doubling forward a moment later. “Tsh-Tcsh!” The double came almost on top of each other, a frenzy of pain exploding through his nasal passages. He brought the back of his hand to his face to rub fiercely, the sound of the water splattering the sink in the background. 

    “Ice?”

    Ice opened his squinted eyes to see Maverick in front of him, an entire tissue box clutched in his left hand. He held a few squares in his opposite hand and handed them over as Ice got a far away look in his eyes once more. Ice took them just in time to catch a productive sounding triple. “Tcsh! Itsh! ITcsSH!”

    “That was strong,” Maverick commented.

    Ice nodded in agreement as he swiped his nose upwards with the tissues, which left a thin trail of residual mucus dripping from his left nostril. “Didn’t do buch.”

    Maverick hummed in understanding and pulled a single tissue free, folded it twice, and lifted it to Ice’s nose to wick away the moisture still caught there. Ice raised his own hand to stop him, but Maverick halted him with a single look. 

    “Let me,” Maverick breathed softly as he cleaned Ice up with the gentles of touches. Ice’s gaze was cast anywhere besides Maverick, and he couldn’t blame him. Vulnerability was still something that they both struggled with, and even after six years of marriage after almost four of dating, it was still difficult for Ice to open up and show weakness of any kind. It took Maverick almost a year to hear Ice sneeze in front of him, and another three for him to actually seek out Maverick when he was sick. Each time Ice showed any sort of weakness in front of him made Maverick want to tell his husband how proud he was of him. The only reason he refrained now was knowing that the two of them had to get out the door for work on time. 

    A few more gentle dabs and Maverick finished, tucking the used tissue into his pocket before Ice could panic about Maverick dealing with his germs. They had come a long way, but there was still a long way to go.

    “I have to go,” Ice rasped, gaze anywhere but on Maverick.

    Maverick couldn’t help but steal a chaste kiss to the corner of Ice’s mouth, knowing that Ice wouldn’t appreciate anymore than that when he was like this. Maverick respected that boundary even though he craved more.

    Maverick fought not to sigh as Ice pulled away, sadness and worry milling inside him. He just hoped Ice’s allergies wouldn’t plague him the rest of the day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Maverick was the first one home, not unsurprisingly. He had decided to go up in his jet with a few of his students, while Ice had done more paperwork to oversee everything that was happening. Maverick would be lying if he said he wasn’t aware that Ice was trying to move up, especially with his qualifications and skills. He wanted that for Ice if Ice wanted that for himself, though Maverick could never see himself climbing the ranks. He was more than happy where he was, and he didn’t ever see that changing. 

    Despite his inadequate skills in the kitchen, Maverick decided to start some pork chops that needed to be cooked. He placed them on a pan and began to sear the meat on all ends, adding some broth when the meat had cooked. The sizzle echoed around the kitchen, the scent of cooking pork following. Maverick’s mouth watered as he started to chop some vegetables that he could pair with the meal.

    Maverick had just finished chopping the bell peppers when he heard the front door ease open. It was much too quiet for his liking, especially since Ice had to have seen his car in the driveway. Part of Maverick wanted to turn and run into his lover’s arms and ask about his day, but he knew how much Ice tended to shut down if he was too forceful, and he decided to give Ice his space to greet him when he was ready.

    He didn’t have to wait long until he heard Ice cough sharply, followed by a harsh nose blow that came from the half bathroom down the hallway from the kitchen. He winced at the pained sound, the tentative sniffling that punctuated the relative silence besides the meat sizzling almost drowned out.

    “Ice,” Maverick called despite himself as he scraped the chopped peppers into a separate pan and started to cook them. 

    “Tshch! Tcshsh! Tcshs! Tcshsh! Tcshsh! Tshcsh!”

    Maverick drew away from the stove and looked back to find a very uncomfortable Ice. Eyes bloodshot and flesh devoid of all color, his nose had been rubbed raw, flakes of skin peeling from his much abused appendage. His breath caught in his throat as he fought to clear it, sticky phlegm catching whenever he tried. A hand shot up to wick the sweat that had collected on his brow rather fiercely. Dark circles encased his eyes, no doubt that would lead to a bruise if Ice’s sinuses kept up the way that they were.

    “Oh, honey,” Maverick began, heart breaking in sympathy.

    Ice ducked away from Maverick’s worried gaze, breath starting to hitch. “I’b fide. Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh!” Ice kept his nose pressed against his shoulder so tightly that Maverick feared that he would cause serious damage if he kept that up. 

    “I’ll believe that when you go two minutes without sneezing.” Maverick took a step forward and grabbed the crook of Ice’s arm, ignoring the wetness he found there. He couldn’t have cared less, only wanting to help Ice and make him more comfortable. It would certainly be difficult thanks to how irritated Ice was, but Maverick wasn’t one to shy away from any challenge. “Hey, don’t do that,” he protested as Ice turned away, unable to so much as glance in Maverick’s direction.

    Ice’s nose wrinkled, irritation showing on every inch of his face. “Bav. Dinner.”

    “Dinner can wait.”

    Ice winced.

    “You’re more important than any meal.” Maverick picked up Ice’s heavy hand and kissed the back of it. His fingers brushed over the skin that Maverick just kissed, hoping to feel Ice relax under him. He did anything but, walls clearly up from the way that he pulled himself away, panic and distrust clear on his face. This wasn’t Ice right now; this was a traumatized persona of his past. 

    “Okay.” Maverick took a step back, knowing too well what would happen if he pushed. A cornered and unregulated Ice was not something that he wanted to mess with. “I’ll give you as much space as you need, okay?”

    Ice said nothing, instead turned without another word and slipped out of the room, muffling a few thick coughs into the crook of his arm as he went, leaving Maverick feeling as though the worry that clawed at his throat would soon overwhelm him. Just because he knew exactly what was happening with his husband, and had seen it happen before, didn’t mean that it was any easier to see him so closed off. 

    ‘Give him time. Give him time,’ Maverick repeated to himself as he turned back to dinner and grabbed the pan handle much harder than he needed. His left hand snagged on a nearby bottle, golden liquid sloshing from the inside. He brought it up to his mouth and unscrewed the cap with his teeth, spat it out on the counter, and poured a generous amount in with the peppers and onions. Ice would complain that it was overkill, but he wasn’t here cooking, and Maverick needed to drown his sorrows somehow. He struggled when Ice struggled, often wishing he could do more to help, but knowing that sometimes he just couldn’t. 

    After a quick swig from the bottle, Maverick tipped the pan forward until the liquid ignited, a warmth of yellow and orange flames lapping at the meal, the sizzle that came from it engulfing the room. Maverick flicked on the overhead fan before smoke could fill the whole kitchen, still keeping a close eye on the pork that was still cooking on the pan beside him. Once the meat was cooked, he would combine them, the tenderness of the pork combined with the crisp of the vegetables should be an award winning combination in his opinion. 

    While Maverick mindlessly cooked the same meal that he had cooked dozens of times in the past, his thoughts wandered—as they so often did—to Ice. It wasn’t unusual for him to be closed off like that when distressed, whether that be emotionally or physically. However, he hadn’t had that sort of extreme reaction to completely detach and push Maverick away like this in months. It wasn’t easy for him to accept care from his husband, but he eventually did, and those were the moments that Maverick lived for. 

    Once the food was finished, Maverick couldn’t take it anymore. He placed a cover on the pork and vegetables that he had combined in one pan, and headed down the hallway, slowing to a halt right outside of the bedroom. His hand lifted as he gave a weak knock to find that the door was open just a bit.

    The hinges groaned, reminding Maverick how Ice had asked him to take care of that a while back. He pushed that thought down and nudged the door open just enough with his shoulder for him to slip through. There he found Ice sitting on the edge of the bed, facing the attached bathroom still in his work uniform. Despite having his back to Maverick, the younger pilot could see Ice’s resolve slowly chipping away. A hair may not have been out of place, yet Maverick could tell that something was up.

    “Tom, I’m right behind you,” Maverick explained in a monotone voice. “I’m coming beside you. I’ll sit on the bed, but I won’t touch you.”

    He received no answer, though Maverick hadn’t expected one either. He was relieved that Ice didn’t immediately shy away as Maverick took the seat next to him on the bed. His fingers traced over the comforter as he waited for Ice to speak, wanting to not put any pressure on him.

    “Maverick.”

    Slowly, painstakingly, Maverick turned his head to the side, doing his best not to spook him. “I’m right here, dear. What can I do for you?”

    “I…..” Ice shuddered, voice breaking. “I don’t feel well.”

    “Oh?” Maverick scooted closer and raised his hand timidly, and when Ice didn’t shy away, he took that as his sign he was allowed to touch his forehead. No heat radiated from it, the skin as pale as ever. An inkling of relief sparked through Maverick, yet he was fearful when it would come to an end. He clearly wasn’t feeling well in some sort of way, 

    Instead of verbally answering, Ice turned to the side and grasped his nose in a death grip, shoulders leaping upwards as his entire body shuddered. “Ighxght! Itghght! Ighxt! Itghxht!”

    “Hey, hey.” Maverick reached out and pulled Ice’s hand back by the wrist, calloused fingers digging in just enough to divert Ice’s attention. His head lifted, mouth slack as a ticklish expression ran rampant. He hardly had time to sniffle hard before the feeling surfaced again. “Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! ITcsh!

    Through the whole thing, Maverick found himself rubbing Ice’s back, willing the fit to end. It wasn’t unusual for these attacks to reach the double digits, sometimes even higher. He often worried that Ice would have trouble breathing after them. Never before had he seen someone have these sorts of fits and he often felt powerless to stop them.

    In leu of blessing him, Maverick continued to rub his back until Ice finished. He gave a powerful sniffle, nose too blocked for the fit to become messy. Irritation spilled from his eyes, lip curled to reveal the tips of his incisors, paired with a harsh grimace. 

    “Damn, has that been happening all day,” Maverick questioned.

    Ice nodded reluctantly.

     “No wonder you’re not feeling well. Your allergies are kicking your ass.” 

    Ice shifted uncomfortably at the mere talk of it, hands rubbed together and teeth grated. 

    “Good thing you’re home for the evening with me. Looks like the perfect opportunity to pamper you like the husband you deserve,” Maverick began as he shifted closer until his head was rested on Ice’s shoulder. Despite his obvious struggle with his allergies, his scent remained the same. Cedar wood and honey infused shampoo that Maverick had made fun of Ice their whole marriage for using, yet now he couldn’t imagine Ice without that telltale scent. “And that starts with you taking a shower and seeing if you can wash all that pollen off of you. And, if you do, I may just have a surprise waiting for you when you get out.” Maverick kissed Ice’s shoulder lightly, careful not to leave a mark on Ice’s exquisite suit.

    “Would that be allergy meds,” Ice requested, bloodshot eyes glistening in hope. 

    Maverick chuckled to himself and gave a roll of his eyes. “I may even spring for the actual Benadryl instead of the generic kind.”

    “My hero,” Ice replied, feigning a moan of pleasure as he rested a hand on his chest.

    Maverick couldn’t help but gave a playful nip at the lobe of his ear, not at all surprised when Ice pushed him off with an undignified grunt. Maverick chuckled to himself as Ice rubbed at his nose fiercely, eyes glistening with unshed tears thanks to the irritation. He felt helpless to watch, even though there wasn’t much he was able to do to help. 

    “I’ll get those meds,” Maverick whispered as he stood from the bed, trying to ignore the stifled sneezes that Ice smothered into oblivion as he left. Luckily the meds were right inside the bathroom on the corner of the counter, probably from this morning. Maverick didn’t need to read the information on the back to know to grab two. Proudly he brought them back in time to find Ice nearly asleep sitting up, body tilted to the left while his mouth gaped open to allow for easier breathing. The congestion was clearly taunting him, making it nearly impossible to get comfortable. “Rise and shine, honey.” Ice jolted awake when Maverick sat beside him, bed dipping under his weight. “There will be plenty of time to sleep after you take these.”

    Ice eyed the offered medicine warily, mouth open as though he wanted to say something before he forgot his train of thought. Wordlessly, he took the offered capsules from Maverick and tossed them into his mouth, swallowing them dry before Maverick could even locate a glass of water. Maverick shot him an unamused look, though Ice was hardly paying attention, the itch in his nose difficult to forget.

    Maverick reached over to smooth Ice’s hair, partly because he loved messing with Ice’s hair, and because he wanted Ice’s attention on him. “I’m going to finish getting the table set up. How about you change into something comfier after you take a shower?”

    Ice looked down at his uniform, hands working on the buttons on the front. “M’not in the mood for sex.”

    “Not those kind of comfy close, you dork.” Maverick nudged Ice good naturally, not at all surprised when the taller man almost fell over. “Just some sweats. Whatever you think will make you most comfortable.”  
    
    “Oh, okay.” Ice gave his head a shake to clear it and rose to his feet groggily, shuffling over to the bathroom as he released a few phlegm filled coughs into his shoulder. Maverick hummed in sympathy, and it took everything in him not to follow. Ice needed his space right now, and when he needed to lean into Maverick, he would. 

    Just so that he wasn’t hovering, Maverick headed back to the kitchen to check on the meal. It was still warm, the flavors practically wafting from it as soon as Maverick lifted the cover from the pan. Too bad Ice probably wouldn’t be able to smell or taste any of it thanks to his clogged nose. Ice wouldn’t complain about it, would merely smile as he ate with Maverick feeling that blossoming of warmth for his husband once again. Maverick lived for those moments, more than he would ever be able to express.

    When minutes turned into a half an hour, and the growl that followed deep within his gut was difficult to ignore. He grabbed a plate from the upper left hand cabinet and used a fork to scoop one of the pieces of pork along with a generous helping of the vegetables. He carried the plate to the dining room table and sat down with a grunt, digging in and trying to enjoy every bite while Ice was very much still on his mind.  

    About a half an hour later when most of his meal was gone, Maverick felt a presence behind him. He kept himself facing forward as he felt someone come behind him, arms coming to slip around his shoulders, hands trailing down his chest and chin rested on top of Maverick’s head.

    “Hello, beautiful,” Maverick began as he tipped his head back slightly. “Do you want me to get you something to eat?”

    Ice shook his head. “Maybe later?” 

    “Anything that you need.” 

    Ice sunk even harder into Maverick, a deep sniffle sounding through the room. “You?”

    “You can always have me.” Maverick pushed back his chair lightly and went to stand, Ice still attached until the two were standing at their full height with Ice grasping Maverick’s hand and intertwining their fingers. It had taken Ice so long to feel truly comfortable with holding hands with Maverick, fearful of what others would say. Maverick had given him that space to discover it, and now he loved anytime that Ice had his hands on him. 

    Ice tugged Maverick lightly, and the shorter man didn’t hesitate to follow. They started toward their bedroom with Ice using his free hand to rub at his itchy nose, eyes bloodshot. Maverick didn’t comment on it as they made their way into the room. They headed over to the bed with Maverick chuckling as he sprawled on the bed, expecting Ice to plop down beside him only to halt when he saw Ice turn away from the bed and lifted his hands up his nose and mouth.

    “Tcsh! Tcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Tcsh! Tcsh! Tcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh!” Maverick immediately rose from the bed and rushed to Ice’s side until Ice regained his composure and let out a long groan. “Sorry.”

    “There’s nothing to be sorry about. Allergies suck, no way around that.” Maverick turned Ice around by his waist and led him back to the bed, but not before grabbing a box of tissues they kept on the nightstand. It was usually used for cleaning up something more pleasurable, though Maverick assumed that there wouldn’t be any problem with using a few now.

    Maverick jumped right beside Ice on the bed and took out a few tissues and handed them over, frowning when Ice blew his nose with a painful cough to follow. “I hate allergies,” Ice muttered, lips peeled back in a half snarl. 

    A soft sigh left Maverick’s lips as he pulled Ice into a laying down position, face nestled in the crook of his neck. “I know,” he sympathized. “I wish there was more that we could do. Like…..what about those allergy shots? I hear that those can help, right?”

    “Maybe. I doubt they’d work.”

    “We could at least try. It can’t hurt, right? It’s not like it can get any worse, right?” By the way that Ice refused to answer, Maverick could only guess that he didn’t share the same sentiment. “Or we can just keep doing this, with me holding you until you fall asleep?” He pulled Ice until he was laying almost sideways, head propped up on Maverick’s chest. It was hardly the best if he was being honest, considering he didn’t expect it to help much with Ice’s breathing. Although, he did remember how Ice would say that he sought Maverick’s heartbeat out at trying times, and he briefly wondered if perhaps this was one of those times.

    “Ice,” Maverick whispered when he felt Ice’s breathing start to deepen.

    “Hmm?”

    Maverick huffed a small laugh before resting his lips on Ice’s head, leaving a faint kiss that he doubted Ice would remember if he was teetering that closely to sleep. “I love you.”

    Ice let out an indistinguishable mumble, one that Maverick would take as him responding back. Still, he didn’t need Ice’s verbal response to know that he felt it too. This may not have been quite the life that Maverick expected of himself, but he wouldn’t change it for anything. 

    It was only when Maverick was certain that Ice was asleep and relaxed that he allowed himself to feel that same relaxation, knowing how precious the calm was while it lasted, for it would not last forever.
 

The End