Switch the heater on [M]

[AllyKabbet]

CONTEXT: The five brightest students at the university, each from different disciplines: Noah (programming), Eric (literature), Agatha (medicine), Sally (art), and Val (law) - there are two more students (Isla and Max) who are also part of the project, but they are not present in this fic, so they don't matter-, have to collaborate on a project to compete for an international prize. It's a project about saving the environment (Based on a very chaotic experience of mine, hahaha.) As is habitual in my stories, they usually belong to much longer stories. I think it's unnecessary to explain that Noah and Eric have a kind of flirtation, especially on Noah's part. Just to clarify, Noah is a male (as it is a unisex name).

It is intended to be a short one-shot. (And excuse the grammatical errors, English is not my first language.)

Have you noticed how bad I am at putting titles?
 

Hope you like it! 😀

 

 

Eric opens the classroom door carefully, as if it were scalding, and smiles with an apologetic demeanor. Outside, the rain beats forcefully against the windows.

"Sorry" he whispers, not wanting to interrupt. Everyone greets him, with Noah showing a bit more enthusiasm than usual.

"The storm caught me off guard" Eric complains, taking off his thick black overcoat and hanging it on a chair.

They are scattered around the empty classroom, and Agatha stands in front of the digital whiteboard, with many papers spread across the teacher's desk.

"Don't worry; we haven't said much yet. Max has extra classes, so he can't come. And Isla was going to try, but I think they've closed several roads due to the rain, so who knows..." explains Agatha.

Eric sits in a chair next to Noah and behind Sally, crossing his arms as if hugging himself for warmth. Noah pauses to look at the hoop earring in Eric's ear, the tip of which is red from the cold, and how well the turtleneck sweater suits him. Eric nods in response to the explanation and clears his throat.

"Have you started on the topic?" Eric asks.

"Uh, the topic, well, we haven't gotten to that yet" says Noah, leaning back in his chair.

"Well, I have to study; I have an exam tomorrow" says Val, checking the hour on his phone.

"Like everyone else, dear" Sally defends herself.

"No, you just draw," Noah teases her, reaching to touch her hair. Sally scolds him and turns back to pay attention to Agatha. Noah laughs a bit.

"Come on, guys, let's focus, the sooner we start, the sooner we'll finish. We need a clear project; otherwise, the contest won't be worth much" says Agatha.

"Yeah, we need a brainstorming session, that's what we need" Noah rolls his eyes lazily.

"Max mentioned he had an idea" Sally suggests, raising her hand. Truth be told, she spent the weekend lazing around and didn't think of anything.

"Yeah, but he's not here. And we need the idea by tomorrow, so whatever is decided will be decided today" says Val.

They fall into silence, and Noah's attention is drawn inevitably to Eric as he watches Agatha with focused blue eyes, even though Noah feels he's not really listening. He remains still until suddenly his nose wrinkles, and his expression becomes uncomfortable. Eric quickly returns to normal, uncrosses his arms, and rubs his nose with his index finger and thumb.

"Okay, but let's narrow it down a bit, shall we?" Eric suggests.

"Narrow it down to what? We already know it has to be against climate change, in favor of the ecosystem... Guys, haven't you even read the PDF?" scolds Agatha, giving them a stern look.

"I have," Val raises his hand. "Almost everything."

Eric sniffles and adjusts in his seat. "Yeah, me too. The environment is all well and good, but I don't think the International folks care about saving chickens. I think they want something more... Showy."

"Showy?" Sally is interested.

Eric repeats the nose gesture, now visibly more uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I don't know. Everyone is going to focus on pollution, animals," he sniffs. "Maybe find a point that hasn't been thought of so much. Less mainstream."

Agatha nods and sits on the teacher's desk, pushing some papers aside with her skirt.

"Yes, he's right. We should be a bit more original."

"How about trash?" Sally suggests. "Waste, ruins..."

Noah is constantly reminded of the abandoned dogs. He's not sure if it's related to the environment, but something should be done about the massive abandonment of puppies, right? However, with nothing else to contribute, he focuses on Eric, who swallows hard and sniffles again, with a heavily clouded expression. Just before Noah understands what is happening, Eric brings a hand to his nose and hunches over. The sneeze is completely silent, with only a small pressure sound. The slight spasm happens again immediately, and finally, a faint "shoo," barely audible, drowned out by the tone of the ongoing debate in the classroom. Noah is fascinated, staring at his own desk and replaying the moment mentally. It's the first time he's seen Eric sneeze, and although he knows it's the most common thing in the world, it seems fascinating to him and adds a new dimension to Eric that captivates him. He expected his sneeze to be stronger, more decisive, like he is every time he speaks, but the truth is that it fits him much better now. Elegant, as if he were embarrassed by that small display of lack of control. Noah feels fortunate to be the only one in the classroom who noticed.

Eric composes himself immediately, crossing his arms again, and Noah hears him sniffle several times. He might be cold. After all, he came from a storm, and although he doesn't seem very wet, he could be damp. That thought gives him a shiver.

"Hey," Noah interrupts the conversation. "Can we turn on the heating?"

Everyone looks at Agatha as if she were the teacher.

"I don't know, maybe. You'll need a remote for that..." She searches the desk and the surrounding area.

"Hey, what about the heating? The temperature... We could focus on temperature as a plastic element, giving plasticity to the intangible." Sally suggests, but she's interrupted by Val.

"This isn't art."

Noah is about to insist on the air conditioning, but he's once again distracted by Eric's expression, this time much more evident than the previous one. He sees him taking a breath through his mouth, with slightly narrowed eyes, and Noah thinks it's the most vulnerable expression he'll ever see him have.

"Hhh- Ht-mpnk." Eric sneezes silently again, almost as quiet as the previous times, into the crook of his hand. He lowers it, but immediately takes another shaky breath, indicating he's not done. With some desperation, he pulls down the sleeve of his sweater to cover his fist and covers his mouth. "H-hh-Hts-tsho! H-Ptxsh!" This time, they are audible, soft and stifled, but evident.

Noah finds it cute the way he stifles them, although he can't help but worry a little. They should turn on the heating. Five sneezes are a lot.

"Bless you" Noah says quietly, now looking at him without discretion.

Eric looks at him with somewhat clouded eyes and nods.

"Thank you," he whispers, before returning his attention to Agatha and rubbing his nose with a curved finger.

"Okay, I propose that each of us explain the ideas we have, write them down, and then start eliminating them" Agatha says, taking out paper and pen. Val does the same, followed by Sally. Noah prepares notes on his phone.

Eric sniffles desperately as he tries to breathe. He bends down to take a notebook and a pen from his backpack. He places them on the table, still not sitting up, while closing the backpack. However, he quickly feels the need to cover his mouth with one hand.

"Hi-TCH!" It's forcefully stifled, but it sounds inevitable. Noah only sees his back shrink with the force of the sneeze.

Sally whispers "bless you," turning a bit, and Eric thanks her in the same tone. Noah prefers not to say anything this time, due to his clear desire not to attract attention. Everyone starts writing in silence, with various comments between Sally, Agatha, and Val. Not even a minute passes before Eric takes irregular breaths again. Noah watches him (he hasn't written a word, and he can't help but watch, fascinated, as the ice king completely loses control), leaning his elbow on the table, raising his arm, and hiding his face behind it while covering his nose and mouth with the other hand.

"H-H-Atschi! Txchu!" This time, despite being soft, he seems unable to stifled them. He exhales afterward, quite congested, and Noah recognizes in him an expression of absolute discomfort.

"Excuse me" Eric says.

Everyone looks at him, somewhat surprised, and Val smiles.

"Bless you."

Agatha joins the blessing. Noah doesn't, because he's genuinely worried. The others probably haven't noticed how much he sneezed. He waits for Val and Agatha to engage in a debate about the contest regulations to lean over Eric's table and touch his arm. Eric looks at him immediately.

"Are you okay?" Noah whispers.

Eric sniffs and moves the hand holding the pen to downplay it.

"Don't worry." He says.

But when Sally starts talking about her projects, barely half a minute later, and how they could create a 3D representation in addition to conceptualization, Eric is forced to bury his face in his elbow again.

"Ah-Mpsho!" It's particularly soft and seems to leave him breathless. "God..." He barely whispers, like an exhalation.

Noah looks at him sideways, frowning, and starts looking for the damn air conditioning remote when he feels Eric's cold hand on his shoulder.

"Noah, do you have tissues?" he asks, with a very hoarse voice and a considerably redder nose. Noah realizes he looks handsome, and his blue eyes, due to the effort of the sneeze, have become even more brilliant. He's the kind of person who looks handsome even when he shouldn't be, naturally unkempt.

Noah bites his lips with a smile and shakes his head.

"No, sorry." He points to Sally, indicating that she should ask. Eric shakes his head.

Noah looks at him with raised eyebrows and an apologetic smile. Suddenly, Eric stands up.

"I'm going to the bathroom; I'll be right back."

[Catsgotyourtounge]

Love this

[dwaekki]

Omg wow I love his stifles!! The way they just never seem to stop too 😫 I can't wait to see where you take Noah and Eric's dynamic, please continue soon! 

[2SHY222]

I really liked this. Please continue