Testing, Testing, Testing (Top Gun, Iceman)

[Wolfwings22]

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted. I’ve recently started a new job so that has taken a lot of my time. But, I’m hoping to get back into it whenever I have free time, so I will definitely do my best. For everyone who is still as obsessed with Top Gun as I am…..this fic is for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ice has to go for a flu test and he can’t stop sneezing when the swab is inserted and becomes embarrassed and frustrated. Luckily, Maverick is there to calm him down.

 

 

 

 

    

 

    “It’s the flu.”

 

    “It’s not the flu.”

 

    “How do you know it’s not the flu?”

 

    “How does you know it is?!”

 

    Ice suddenly doubled over to cough, crook of his elbow thrown over his face as he was forced forward, eyes welling with tears as he struggled to quiet the fit. He was getting so tired of these coughing fits that left him struggling for breath. Plus it only solidified Maverick’s point, and the cocky pilot wasn’t about to let him live it down. Maverick’s stubbornness did have its place, though Ice was beginning to doubt that it was anywhere near him.

 

    “Here,” Maverick murmured as he coaxed a bottle of water to Ice’s hand. “Take small sips.”

    

    ‘I know what to do,’ Ice wanted to huff out. He thought better of trying to talk and swallowed a few greedy sips, mindful not to consume the entire thing. He had made that mistake the day prior and ending up choking on it until he felt like he was going to be sick.

 

    Maverick slid in beside him and rubbed his back, chin rested on Ice’s shoulder until Ice’s chest no longer protested and he could take in a deep breath.   

 

    “Okay, maybe it’s something more,” Ice rasped after a moment, round eyes meeting Maverick’s.

 

    “That’s why we’re here,” Maverick reminded him as he lifted both his hands to either side of Ice’s cheeks and pulled him close, planting a kiss to his overly warm forehead. “They’ll do a flu test and then send us on our way. Then I can get you home and can give you some TLC.”

 

    “You’ve been giving me that for days,” Ice pointed out with a roll of his eyes. “You have to be getting bored.”

 

    “Of spending time with you? Never!” Maverick kissed Ice’s tensed brow. It was then that he felt Ice scrunch his nose, Ice’s breath starting to catch as he turned away from Maverick and ducked his head against his hand, palm pressed so hard against the undersides of his nostrils that not a sound was made as his head bobbed down nearly ten times in rapid succession.

 

    Maverick frowned. Although used to the intensity and frequency in which Ice had his fits, especially when sick, it didn’t stop a pang from worry from settling in his stomach whenever Ice stifled them so viciously. Ice would always surface after the fit and shake his head as though that would clear the itch from his nose.

 

    “God bless you,” Maverick whispered as he pulled out a pack of cellophane wrapped tissues from his jacket pocket and handed it over. “That was intense.”

 

    Ice shrugged. “Had worse.”

 

    “Well….yeah…..but still sounded like it hurt.”

 

    Before Ice could explain further, the farthest door in the doctor’s office opened and a nurse stepped out. “Thomas Kazansky.”

 

    Ice stiffened at the use of his full name before stuffing the tissues into his pocket and rose to his feet slowly. Maverick jumped up beside him and followed his husband a few steps behind, hands fidgeting at his sides. The nurse closed the door behind them and instructed Ice to step on the scale. Ice did as he was asked and stepped onto the scale, eyes adverted so that he didn’t see the number.

 

    “Alright,” the nurse began in a cheery voice. “We’ll be in room 3. You can follow me.”

 

    Ice backed from the scale as though it had angered him and almost turned into Maverick in his haste. Maverick reached up and grasped Ice’s shoulders and gently turned him in the direction that the nurse went. Ice gave a curt nod and followed, ducking into his raised elbow to cough throatily.

 

    The nurse led them inside. “You can go ahead and sit on the end of the bed,” she told Ice. “And your friend can take the chair at the end.”

 

    ‘Friend?’ Maverick shot Ice a look, a million harsh words at the tip of his tongue. It only took a worried look from Ice and a tense shake of his head that had Maverick slumping his shoulders and sitting down without complaint. They didn’t need attention drawn to them, especially not with Ice not feeling well. There would be plenty of time for him to voice his disclosure later when Ice wasn’t feeling like absolute shit.

 

    “What brings you in today,” the nurse asked as she pulled a rolling table toward her with a computer and began to type some information.

 

    Ice raised a finger and grasped at the collar of his shirt and ducked inside, attempting to be silent but unable to fully stifle the fit.

 

    “He’s been sick for almost five days now,” Maverick interrupted. “Coughing, fever, congestion, you name it. We just want to get a flu test to rule that out or see if that’s the cause.”

 

    Normally Ice would’ve been agitated that Maverick answered for him, but considering he was dealing with an infuriating buzzing in his nose, pushing him to brink of sneezing at any possible moment, he actually was thankful to what Maverick was doing. It momentarily took the attention off of him and his plight as he sneezed another four times before surfacing with an embarrassed flush to his cheeks.

 

    “Bless you,” the nurse and Maverick chorused as the nurse grabbed a box of tissues from the counter and handed it over. Ice took them hesitantly and pulled a few squares free to dab at the underside of his nose, refusing to blow while she was still in the room.

 

    “Any history of cancer or recent surgeries,” the nurse questioned.

 

    Cancer? What kind of a question was that? He was far too young to have cancer, right? Ice pondered those thoughts for longer than probably necessary, heart catching in his throat now that the idea was planted in his mind.

 

    Maverick reached out and gripped Ice’s knee, attention brought back to the present. “No and no,” Maverick reassured with his most charismatic smile.

 

    “Very good. Let me just get some vital signs and we should be good for the doctor.”

 

    After taking his temperature, blood pressure, and O2 saturation, the nurse asked a few more questions (most of which Maverick  answered for him) and typed a few more things into his chart. Ice wanted to ask what the reason was, but he felt he already knew. The doctors on base would need this information to decide if they would have to let his superiors know. Teaching at Top Gun may have been less regimented than his earlier assignments, but they were still curious about his well-being, and Ice couldn’t blame them.

 

    “Alright, well, I’ll have the doctor come in and she may ask a few more questions and then we’ll get that flu test for you.” Her smile grew as she pushed the computer back to the corner and headed to the door. She gave a small nod before disappearing from the room, leaving Ice and Maverick alone.

 

    “Friend,” Maverick huffed as soon as the door was closed. “Fucking friend. Do they think that I couldn’t pull you? Because I know that I swept you off your feet with one smile and…..honey, are you even listening to me?”

 

    Ice tried to, he really did. It was just when the first featherlight tendrils of torture danced along the inner-workings of his nostrils did his attention waver. A breach of a breath left his dry lips as he scrambled to pull a few tissues free and clamp them over the lover half of his face before falling forward, so harshly that his forehead almost hit his knees.

 

    “Itcsh! Itsch! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itsch!” He took in the faintest of breaths, lifted his head, and collapsed back down. “Itch’Shiew! Itcsh’Shiew! Itcsh’Shiew! Itcsh’Shiew! Chiew! Chiew! Chiew! Chiew! Itchs-itsch-itcsh-itcsh-tscsh-tscsh-tsch…..Itcsh’SH’Shiew!”

 

    Maverick’s mouth gaped in surprise as Ice finally blew his nose into the damp folds, desperately reaching back behind himself to grab the box and pull more tissues free.

 

    “Damn, that’s what you get for stifling earlier,” Maverick pointed out.

 

    Ice raised his head, eyes streaming, lip curling in distain at Maverick’s comment. “Fugg off.”

 

    “Okay, okay, a little crabby I see. That fit must’ve taken it all out of ya, huh?” Maverick grabbed a few tissues and lifted them to Ice’s eyes and dabbed the moisture away before turning to his nose, the faintest of touches gracing his already red and sore skin as Maverick took care of him as discretely as possible. He probably could’ve blown his nose a few more times if he wanted, but Maverick didn’t press it.

 

    With a thick snuffle, Ice shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatshirt. “Sorry,” he muttered after a minute of silence “Thadt was uncalled for.”

 

    Maverick grasped Ice’s knee comfortingly. His chin came to rest on it as he roved his eyes upwards, taking in his husband’s flushed cheeks and pink tipped nose. “I know you feel like shit. But, maybe if you didn’t stifle like that they wouldn’t be so rough on you.”

 

    “Baybe.”

 

    “You’re all stuffy.”

 

    Ice answered with another grumble as his nose began to run, the warm mucus threatening to drip onto his upper lip. He pulled out the travel pack of tissues Maverick had given him earlier and emptied the entire pack. Ice stacked the tissues as thick as he could make them and brought them up to his nose and he gurgled into the folds, honking and squelching. It took a couple times for him to be satisfied, the used tissues shoved back into the safety of his pockets before anyone could see.

 

    Maverick continued to keep his head rested on Ice’s chin, fingers racing small circles over his pants. He could stay here for hours, the feel of Ice against him all he needed. Sure, it would help if the man that he loved wasn’t sick but he would take what he could get these days. Being instructors even at the same place made seeing each other difficult, and Maverick would savor anytime with Ice he could get.

 

    “Itschs! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh!” Ice managed to turn away enough that Maverick didn’t feel the effects, though the inner crook of Ice’s sweatshirt sure did. He attempted to wipe the dampness away, nose wrinkling as the itch was far from pacified.

 

    “Bless you,” Maverick whispered, eyes wide as he stared back at him. “Your nose is starting to hurt.”

 

    “Dno, it’d dnosnd’t.”

 

    “Yes it is,” Maverick protested firmly. “They always sound throatier when your nose hurts.”

 

    Ice’s cheeks flushed even more than before as he reached down and ruffled Maverick’s hair, ignoring how his husband seemed to revel in it. “I hadte thadt you dnow thadt.”

 

    “I know. But I do.”

 

    Before Ice could say anything more on the matter, there was a faint knock at the door before it was pushed the rest of the way open. He forced a smile as the doctor walked in, the nurse from earlier right behind.

 

    “Hello. I’m Dr. Clarie. Nurse Lacie tells me you’re here to be tested for the flu.”

 

    Ice nodded tightly as he noticed that the doctor was holding a long swab enclosed in a plastic coating. A stab of apprehension spread through him as he realized exactly what was about to happen. His already enflamed nasal passage began to burn at the thought of something being shoved up there, of twisting and touching all those sensitive places that made his nose buzz like crazy.

 

    Ice’s eyelashes fluttered as he fought against the sensation. “Hih..ye-hih…yehhhh….Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh’! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh!” They came on so fast that it took a couple sneezes for Ice to finally be able to duck his hand into his hand to stifle, shoulders lifting with the effort to keep his sneezes contained.

 

    “My, that does sound like a dreadful illness you have going on there,” the doctor sympathized as she turned to the dispenser on the wall to sanitize her hands. “Have you always had those types of sneezing attacks?”

 

    When Ice could finally open his mouth without sneezing, he nodded. “Yes,” he replied almost breathlessly. “By whole life.”

 

    “I can vouch for him,” Maverick reassured as he raised his right hand. “If he sneezes less than ten times it’s considered small.” Ice shot Maverick a fierce look. “He’s sensitive.”

 

    Oh, Maverick would pay for that comment when they got home. Ice wasn’t sure how yet, though it may include a nature documentary that would have Maverick wanting to carve out his own eyes.

 

    “Then we’ll try to get this over with as quickly as possible.” The doctor pulled on latex blue gloves and said somethings to the nurse, most of which Ice didn’t catch as his whole attention was on that long white swab that was pulled free from its plastic casing. It had been a while since he had a flu test, but he knew what to expect and how unpleasant it would be. Between this and a strep test, he was inclined to choose strep as that at least wouldn’t risk a whole display as it did when someone even tried to touch his overly sensitive nose when sick.

 

    Ice’s hands began to work on his pant legs until Maverick grabbed his wrist lightly. He pulled it toward his chest and placed a light kiss on the palm, a small smile tugging on Ice’s lips as he regarded his husband fondly. No matter what happened, he was more than glad that Maverick was here.

 

    “Okay.” The doctor drew closer and lifted the swab. “This is going to go pretty deep, so you may feel some pressure. I’m going to spin it a few times and then we can test it. If we rule out the flu, we’ll discuss other causes.”

 

    Ice jaw tensed as he gave a nod. “O-Okay.”

 

    “Just try and relax.” The Doctor reached forward and inserted the tip into Ice’s left nostril. The second that it touched the inner membrane, Ice’s breath caught and he turned away, breaking the connection the swab had with his nose. He barely had time to lift his elbow as he convulsed forward. “Tcsh! Tcsh! Itcsh! ITcsh! Itcsh! Icsh! ITcsh! Itchs! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh!” Ice’s breath caught as he started to cough, deep rumbling spasms that left his eyes watering and nose running.

 

    The doctor let out a light laugh. “You weren’t kidding about being sensitive.”

 

    Ice accepted a handful of tissues the nurse gave him in favor of blowing his nose. Embarrassment threatened to overwhelm him, and he longed to bury his face into Maverick’s chest and cry until the earth opened up in front of him to swallow him whole. Why did he think that this was a good idea in the slightest?

 

    “Are you ready to try again?”

 

    When Ice was finally satisfied that he had chased away the worst of the itch, he dropped his hands from his much abused nose and nodded. “Sorry.”

 

    “No need to apologize. You’re not the first person that has this struggle,” she sympathized as she readied to try again.

 

    This time the swab was able to venture a little further, until it scratched the upper position of his sinuses. Ice momentarily contemplated fighting it, pressing his tongue against the roof of his mouth and blinking furiously, trying to do anything that would quell the itch. Unfortunately, the need to sneeze was so intense and abrupt that he wasn’t able to even fathom holding it back. He ripped the swab from his nose so that he didn’t sneeze on the doctor’s hand, accidentally dropping it as he didn’t have time for tissues and just pulled the collar of his sweatshirt over his face and sneezed helplessly in the warm confine against his skin.

 

    “Sorry,” Maverick told her as he rubbed at Ice’s knee. “He didn’t mean to.”

 

    “That’s quite alright,” Dr. Clarie reassured. “We just may have to try this a few times, which is most definitely fine. Let me get some more supplies and see if we can make this a little bit easier for him.”

 

    Ice was still desperately sneezing, stifling now that he had slightly more control, so Maverick gave a response for him. “Thank you.”

 

    The doctor and nurse excused themselves, giving Ice the room that he needed to fall apart.

 

    Maverick counted seventeen before he stopped and Ice was able to blow his nose to stop the continuation of the fit. Whether or not that was beneficial was debatable, but Maverick couldn’t blame him considering that Ice sneezed more during this illness than Maverick thought he ever had in his entire life. That wasn’t something that he was about to tell Ice, knowing that the man felt like shit enough without him making observations like that.

 

    “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” Maverick began as he grabbed more tissues for Ice, fearing that if Ice kept this up he may cause a blood vessel to rupture in his nasal passages.

 

    Ice narrowed his eyes. “Dnow you say thadt?!”

 

    Although used to being chewed out by many people in his lifetime, Maverick would be lying if he said it didn’t bother him when Ice did it. He kept up his brutish facade fairly decently as he continued to rub Ice’s knee.

 

    “We can leave.”

 

    “Dno, we cand’t.”

 

    “Ice.” Maverick paused as he drew back and rested his hands on his lap. “Tom?”

 

    Ice blinked moisture from his eyes as he looked back to his husband. He could see the hurt in his eyes, the way that he shifted almost nervously. He would make it up to later, surely.

 

    “Can I do anything,” Maverick continued despite Ice’s clear distain for the situation that he found himself in. Almost ten years of marriage wouldn’t be shaken just because Ice was uncomfortable. “Besides sit here and worry?”

 

    Ice shrugged, shoulders slumped. It wasn’t a real answer, at least not to Maverick. Lucky for him he spoke fluent Iceman.

 

    Maverick jumped to his feet and walked around to Ice’s other side and jumped up on the bed beside him, eyes gleaming in interest as he nudged him playfully. Ice hardly pushed back, head coming down hard on Maverick’s shoulder instead, chin tucked into the space between Maverick’s shoulder and neck. Maverick hardly suppressed a shiver as he kissed Ice on the forehead, the warmth of his fever warming his lips.

 

    “Honey, if you can’t do this we can try something else.”

 

    “Dno, we cand’t. I jusdt have to gedt through id.”

 

    “Yeah, and how’s that worked so far?”

 

    Ice let out a loud groan, face buried deeper against Maverick’s neck. His wet nose touched Maverick’s flesh, yet Maverick didn’t appear bothered in the slightest. His arm came around to wrap around his husband as he held him close. “Maybe we can try doing it ourselves or maybe you can hold your breath?”

 

    “Those sound like terrible ideas, Bav.”

 

    “Yeah, yeah, I’m realizing that now that I’m hearing it out loud.” A dejected sigh shook Maverick’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, I just want to help.”

 

    “I dnow.” Ice sniffled powerfully, the mucus lodged so deeply that it did little good. “Ugh, I have to sneeze agaidn.”

    

    Maverick hadn’t said anything, but he had felt Ice’s nose beginning to twitch against his sensitive skin. Ice rubbed it back and forth against Maverick’s skin to quell the itch before realizing what he was doing, quick to pull back with nostrils flaring, head tipped back instinctively as his chest expanded. His brows tented as he shoved his face into his shoulder, not having the energy to do anything more.

 

    “Tcxght! Itxxh! Itghxt! Itxght! Ixght!”

 

    “Stop,” Maverick snapped as he pushed Ice firmly. “You’re only going to make it worse.”

 

    The brief moment of loss of sheer concentration was enough for Ice to lose his momentum, unable to stifle the wave of sneezes that overtook him. “Tcsh! Itcsh! Itsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh!” Ice huffed as he surfaced from his shoulder, skin slick under his nose. His nose was freely running, Ice too winded and exhausted from the fit to really care. It was uncomfortable and embarrassing, sure, but it wasn’t like anything he had been doing before was doing any good, and he doubted anything he did after would help either.

 

    Maverick hummed to himself as he grabbed a fresh handful of tissues and lifted them to Ice’s nose. He cleaned him up with gentle touches, squeezing the tissues around Ice’s nose to force the mucus from his nasal passages. Maverick encouraged Ice to blow, a thick sound that was much more productive than what Maverick and his feeble handful of tissues was prepared for. He didn’t panic as he threw those tissues away in favor for more, this time clamping his hand firmer around Ice’s nose as he had him blow half a dozen more times until he could take in a breath from his nose without struggle.

 

    “Bless you,” Maverick whispered with a quick kiss to Ice’s cheek.

 

    Ice ducked away. “That was gross.”

 

    “No it’s not,” Maverick protested. “You’ve done much worse for me. Not like any snot ever killed anyone.”

 

    Ice shot him a knowing look, though Maverick knew better than to ask what he meant. Most of the time he loved Ice’s intelligence and reveled in the information that he seemed to just know off the top of his head. Now was the time for that.

 

    While Ice was still composing himself, the door cracked open with the nurse and doctor returning. Ice stiffened, stomach clenched in apprehension as he saw that the doctor was now wearing a mask and face shield. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment as he looked to Maverick, lips parted but no words left his mouth.

 

    Maverick took Ice’s hand in his own, thumb running down the edge of his pointer finger in the way that he knew always calmed Ice down. Ice melted under Maverick’s gentle caress, for a moment imagining that it was just the to of them alone to face the world. How much easier would that be if it was just the two of them, without anyone else every prying in or causing them harm. It was a disastrous path to go down, the sheer thought of it isolating. Yet, Ice couldn’t stop his desires from being known, at least not in his own head.

 

    “Is all that really necessary? Should we be concerned?” Maverick clutched Ice’s hand close, grip never wavering.

 

    Dr. Clairie’s warm smile could be felt under her mask and face shield. “Just a precaution as we may have to be a little more aggressive.”

 

    “Aggressive?”

 

    Dr. Clairie pulled another plastic wrapped swab from her coat and peeled open the casing. The tip of the swab caught in the harsh fluorescent light, the very sight of it causing a visceral reaction in Ice as he felt his entire face begin to itch.

 

    “I’m going to place the swab as we did before, but this time if you need to sneeze you can without pulling the swab out. It may be a little uncomfortable, but it could work. Do you think we can try it?”

 

    All of Ice’s instincts were screaming at him to say no, to grab Maverick and leave to just keep treating himself like he had a bad cold with over the counter medicine and rest. It hadn’t quite done much good so far if he was behind honest with himself, as he had been sick for a week and no improvement. Something had to give.

 

    “I don’t know if—“

 

    Ice rolled his head back, tongue pressed against the back of his teeth as he shook his head. Maverick tampered off into silence, though not appearing too pleased about it.

 

    “Okay, just tip your head back a little.” The doctor lifted the swab and lightly inserted it as far as it had before, this time refusing to back off even as Ice’s breath hitched and his nostrils flared.

 

    Maverick watched on helplessly as Ice fought not to shake his head, the itch cultivating immensely right at the back of his sinuses and tickling the rest of the way. The sensation of burning was almost too much for Ice, and it was only Maverick’s gentle hold on his wrists that kept him from ripping the swab right from the doctor’s hand. His chest expanded with panting breaths, a pinching heat teasing the bridge of his nose until he was sure that he couldn’t take it.

 

    “Hih…huh…hih….ihh….Itcsh’Sh!” The first sneeze came in almost two separate syllables, the feeling of sneezing while something was in his nose something that he couldn’t describe even if he was asked. Unluckily for him, he was far from done. “Itsch! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh!” The swab stayed where it was, even when Ice turned his head to the side and continued his fit, each sneeze tumbling one after the other on the coattails of the last. This wasn’t uncommon, especially when he was sick.

 

    “Tcsh! Tcsh! Tscsh! Tscsh! Tcsh! Tcsh! Tcsh!” Ice took the swab in his own hand now that the doctor had released it. His hand shook as he twisted the swab as he knew the doctor was going to do. The result was instantaneous. “Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! ITSh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh! Itcsh!”

 

    “Alright, that should be enough,” Dr. Clairie interrupted, voice raised above the sound of Ice’s sneezing.

 

    Although heavily occupied, Ice managed to pull the swab free and hand it over, all while turning his body toward Maverick as his body collapsed in exhaustion, sneezing helplessly against Maverick’s chest. Maverick was the only thing holding him upright, his husbands’s muscular arms tightened around his shoulders. Part of him wanted to just collapse and never have to move again, to allow Maverick to care for him as his husband always did.

 

    “We’ll have the results in a few minutes.” The swab was handed over to the nurse, who was already on her way out the door. The doctor followed after placing a new box of tissues on the end of the bed beside Maverick.

 

    Maverick barely had time to wave her off as he still held up most of Ice’s weight. He did, however, grab a few more handfuls of tissues and tried to lift them to Ice’s twitching nostrils, hoping to encourage him to blow the itch free. It was a long shot, most definitely, yet it was the only thing that he could think of that may have been helpful.

 

    “Hey, hey, hey, I got ya. It’s all done. Just get it all out and I’ll be right here for you. Always.”

 

    After a violent triple, Ice finally surfaced. He took the tissues from Maverick and blew his nose helplessly. His entire face felt heavy, an exhaustion like one that he had never felt weighing on him. Never before did he had a fit like that, one that took the very breath that he breathed and had him fearing that he was going to pass out from lack of oxygen. What was even worse was that he hadn’t been alone and the witnesses to his struggle were the very people he wanted to keep out of his medical state. There hadn’t been any other way, that much Ice knew, though it didn’t help. The only part that made it tolerable was Maverick.

 

    Maverick, the same man that would wade through fire and do anything to protect him. His wingman that had never wavered, and neither had he. A relationship that had started as a rich friendship had grown from there. He would be lying if he said that he expected it, that he could actually fall in love with someone as reckless as Maverick. Now he couldn’t imagine life without him, the love that they shared never used to diminish no matter what happened. They had been through thick and thin, struggles in their jobs and personal lives. Nothing would’ve made life worth living like it did like having Maverick at his side.

 

    Ice finally raised his head after he no longer felt like he was being tortured at the inner membranes of his sinus cavity. He could only imagine how he looked. “Sorry.”

 

    “Sorry? What the fuck are you sorry for?” Maverick grabbed a new tissue and dabbed under Ice’s left nostril, the soft tissue absorbing the warm moisture.

 

    Ice shrugged.

 

    Maverick rolled his eyes. “If anyone should be sorry, it’s me. I’m the one that dragged you here thinking that it would help. Hell, I’m almost positive I made this so much worse. Bless you, by the way.”

 

    Ice busted out laughing. It was such a Maverick thing to say. The laughing turned into a cough that left him doubled over, fist pressed against his rib cage. Maverick reached over to pat on his back until the coughing stalled, and he was able to take in a wheezing breath without falling over.

 

    “As soon as they give us those results I’m going to take you home and not let you leave the bedroom until you can go a minute without coughing or sneezing.”

 

    “You’re impossible.”

 

    “Yet you still love me.”

 

    The rattling of the doorknob interrupted whatever Ice was going to say next. He hardly reacted when the doctor stepped through once more, holding a small paper bag. The corner of a pamphlet stuck out from the top, just visible to the naked eye. He wasn’t able to read what it was, though he had a very good idea of what it said.

 

    “Your flu test came back positive, Mr. Kazansky. Unfortunately there’s not much that we can do besides encourage fluids and rest, but I have included some Tamiflu. It should help with the worst of your symptoms. Continue taking any cough medicine at night if you to for sleep. If you aren’t feeling a little better in a couple days, don’t hesitate to come in.”

 

    “We will,” Maverick replied as he took the bag from the doctor and reached out to shake her hand. “Thank you.”

 

    “You are very welcome.” She gave a small wave to Ice, unaware wether or not he was even watching. “Hope you feel better.”

 

    It took a moment for Ice to realize that she spoke, but when he did, he offered the tiniest of nods, ready to get out of here and never come back.

 

    After the nurse gave a few more instructions of what to expect and potential side effects, to which Maverick nodded adamantly, the gears turning in his head as he tried to commit it all to memory. He asked a couple questions to clarify some information before reassuring the nurse that they would have everything under control. Once the nurse was confident, she gave Maverick a few check out instructions and left the two men alone, the door cracked open for their easy exit.

 

    “Ice?”

 

    “Hmmm?”

 

    Maverick wrapped an arm around Ice’s waist and gave it a tight squeeze, fingers digging into Ice’s flesh just enough to rouse him. “It’s time to go, hun. Think you can make it to the car?”

 

    Ice elbowed Maverick as hard as he could in the side, though without much success. Still, Maverick got the message and couldn’t help waggling his eyebrows seductively. “Can’t wait to throw me around, huh? Might have to wait a week or so before you’re up for that.”

 

    “Mav,” Ice complained as he thrust his head against Maverick’s chest, almost knocking the air right from him.

 

    “Alright, alright.” Maverick kissed the top of his head fondly. “Let’s get you home, sicky, and let me take care of you.”

 

    The End

[Mygyn]

This was amazing!!!!

[spn27695]

I've missed you so much!!! As always I adore this!! Thank you ❤️

[RemedyBane]

Ugh! You know how much I love to torture ice! This was incredible! Lovely work as always!! Xoxoxox I always wanted to do a fic where Ice had to do a covid test but never had the balls to write it, then here you are! Giving me everything I could ever want! Ugh! I just love it so much.. 😘