Ethan shifted in his sleep and sniffled. He could hear Tim cough next to him. Ethan looked at the clock. Third night in a row Tim had started coughing at 2 am; the previous two nights he’d woken with an asthma attack. Ethan was willing to bet money there would be a third. He sniffled deeply, and sighed, realizing that had been a mistake. He hastily grabbed for a tissue and wadded it up, attempting to muffle the oncoming sneeze, not really wanting to wake Tim. “HatChoo!”
Sneezes either were or seemed louder in the middle of the night, and Tim mumbled a sleepy ‘bless you,’ before he started coughing again; the cough taking a total hold on him this time. He fumbled on the nightstand for his inhaler as Ethan switched on a lamp. “Thanks,” Tim grunted wrapping his hand around his inhaler as he sat up and took the first puff.
Ethan looked on with concern as Tim slowly exhaled. “Ok? This is the third night in a row. Do you need to go in to the ER?”
Tim shook his head. “This just happens sometimes. It gets bad for a week or so, then I’m fine again.” He protested, shaking the inhaler again. “As long as this works, it’s ok. It’s just at night; I’m fine all day.” He took the second puff, held his breath and slowly exhaled. “I’m ok. Are you? You seem kind of restless tonight”
“Trouble sleeping. Stuffed up. Too late to take Benadryl.” Ethan sniffled, taking the tissue he had in had, folding it in half and blowing his nose. He lay back down. “Get some sleep. I’ll keep working on it too.”
Tim snuggled in next to him and was quickly asleep. The albuterol didn’t keep him awake, that was for sure. Ethan vaguely remembered Tim saying that his asthma had always been worse at night, so he’d likely learned to sleep through the side effects of the albuterol. He pressed his hand against his nose, rubbing it to stave off another sneeze, not wanting to wake his boyfriend who had just fallen back to sleep.
Successful, he closed his eyes and must have dozed off because the next thing he knew, the alarm clock was going off. He sat up and blew his nose, noting that the congestion hadn’t gone away. His eyes itched, he sighed, rubbing them as he slid on his glasses. Contacts probably weren’t happening today. Grabbing clean scrubs, he made his way to the shower. 30 minutes later he joined the pajama-clad Tim in the kitchen.
“Ahtchoo!” The loud sneeze started Tim who dropped the spatula in the eggs when he jumped.
“Bless you. Are you being louder on purpose?”
Ethan shook his head. “No. I’m *trying* to keep them quiet.” He stated, blowing his nose on a napkin. “Maybe it’s because my allergies are so bad right now.”
“They’ve been bad. They seem worse. Nothing’s changed. Pollen’s still kinda crazy but not insane, like it has been for a week and a half. Are you getting sick?”
Ethan shook his head. “Sneezy, stuffy and itchy. It’s allergies. The only thing that’s changed is we switched to staying here this week.” He finished softly.
“What are you saying?” Tim’s voice was raised now. “That there’s something wrong with my apartment? That yours is better?”
“I’m just noticing my allergies are worse here.” Ethan said softly, looking down at his napkin on the table.
“Is it the cat that you’ve never had a problem with before? Are you somehow suddenly allergic to me?”
Ethan winced. He could hear the touch of anger in Tim’s voice, and he really didn’t want to continue this conversation. “I just…it’s little things. Like your vacuum.”
“What’s wrong with it?” Tim snapped.
“Umm…I don’t think it works that well.” He paused. “I could buy you a new one.”
“I.” Tim growled. “Can buy my own vacuum cleaner.”
“HaChoo!” Ethan buried the sneeze into his napkin and sighed.
“What else makes your apartment better?” Tim asked in a snarky tone.
“Can we not fight?”
“Tell me.” Tim demanded.
“The air purifiers, I have allergy proof pillowcases and mattress pad, maybe you could try a cat litter that clumps better and isn’t scented, and my vacuum works better. And I vacuum more often. You might find with a little less dust, your asthma might be better.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah.” Ethan grabbed his work bag. “I’m gonna go to work. And I’m staying at my place tonight.” He headed for the door.
“You need break-“ Tim started.
“AhChoo! I’ll get something on the way.”
Ethan arrived at work with coffee, a Kleenex box and a breakfast sandwich. He got the room he’d be assigned to for his teaching sessions, went in, ate and set up for the day.
He was ran on time to lunch. Despite his best efforts and tricks he’d learned over the years to hold them back, he’d sneezed at least once in each session.
He grabbed a salad and soup from the cafeteria and was going to eat back in his teaching room as he was sure all the sneezes he’d repressed were going to find their way out, but his friend Dustin stopped him, insisting they eat together. Tim grabbed extra napkins and sat down.
“So where have you been? I’ve hardly seen you since you met your fellow.” Dustin teased.
Ethan opened his mouth to respond, then turned away. “Hatchoo,” he muffled into his shoulder.
“Bless you.” Dustin took in Ethan’s red irritated eyes and pink tipped nose. “Allergies really getting to you today?”
Ethan nodded. “Didn’t sleep well. And Tim’s been having asthma issues which didn’t help. Then on top of everything, we had a fight this morning.”
“What about?” Dustin opened his milk carton.
Ethan sighed and launched into the whole story, while Dustin sat there, taking stock of the situation. “HahChoo! So, what do you think?” He asked, looking down at his salad.
“I think the fact that neither of you slept well or feel well had something to do with it. I think Tim probably felt his territory was under attack.” Dustin cleared his throat. “And I’m guessing you bolted when he got mad rather than try and talk.”
Ethan looked at his salad as if he wished the lettuce would swallow him. He didn’t do well with fights. His parents had fought often, and as a result, Ethan would walk away or give in rather than raise his voice.
Dustin smiled. “Keep working on it. Call him.” He said as Ethan’s phone buzzed.
‘Hey. Sorry about this morning. Alex and Freddie want to go out after the show, so I’ll be home late. I know you said you were going to your place, so I’ll call you when I get home and we can talk. I love you. T.’
Ethan slid the phone across to Dustin to read the text. “Well, what are you waiting for? Text him back.”
‘I’m sorry too. Call me later. I love you more. E.’ He sent the text and sneezed. “Ahtchoo!”
“Bless you. You really are having a rough day.”
Ethan nodded. “It’ll be nice to lay on my bed and rest.” He admitted. The two finished lunch, catching up on their lives and headed back to their respective departments.
Ethan made it through the afternoon, still sneezing once or twice in most of his appointments until he got to his last appointment. His last appointment was Sophie, who he’d seen for the past 4 years, since he’d started as an educator. She was roughly 30 years older than him and fussed over him like a mom, making sure that while he took care of them, he was taking care of him.
They were reviewing her blood sugars when he couldn’t fight back the sneeze. “Hatchoo,” he clamped a tissue over his nose just in time. He threw the tissue in the trash can next to the desk, then sanitized his hands, noticing the itch in his nose remained unrelenting.
“Bless you.” Sophie said, taking a good look at him.
“Thanks, but there’s gonna be more.” He sniffled.
“Allergies?” She cut in before he could explain.
He nodded. “They’re really bad today.”
She nodded. “My daughter’s have been really bad lately, too. Speaking of my daughter, she’s about your age…”
Ethan laughed. Every session, Sophie was trying to set him up with her daughter. “I think we’ll need a little more than a hatred of pollen to hit it off on. Now your blood sugars look good, no lows, no…Hahshoo…no highs. I don’t think I need to email the doctor and have anything adjusted. How is testing going.” He made it through the session, sneezing every couple minutes.
“Bless you.” She told him at the end. “Get some rest when you get home.”
He nodded. “I’m going to grab supper and then grab some Benadryl.” He assured her, sending her to check out.
“HatShoo!” He sneezed again as Dani, the dietitian he worked with knocked at the door.
“You ok?” She asked. Dani was just out of school, and had just started the job in January.
Ethan nodded. “Yeah.” He sniffled.
“You sure?” She pressed. “Either these walls are thin or you sneeze loud. I’ve heard you sneezing all day.”
He grinned. “It’s both.” He told her. “And I have bad hay fever. You get used to it, I’m told.” He grabbed his box of Kleenex off the desk. “Ready to go home?”
She nodded. “Well, I hope tomorrow’s better.” She told him as they headed to the time clock.
Ethan stopped and grabbed dinner on his way home. He wasn’t a fan of fast food, but he knew what there was for food in his apartment and wasn’t up for grocery shopping. Arriving home, he switched on the air purifiers in the bedroom and living room along with the air conditioner. Blood sugar, insulin and dinner completed, he changed into sweats and sprawled out in his bed. He had to admit it felt weird without Tim. However, it was also nice to feel the sneezy feeling in his nose lessen, the dissipate. The Benadryl took ahold of him, and as tired as he was, he quickly fell asleep.
He was woken about 8 by his phone ringing. Tim. “Hey babe.” He answered sleepily.
“Hey. Hold o- uhhshoo, uhhyuhshoo. Sorry. Can you come and talk?”
“Like over there?” Ethan sighed. “I told you I was staying here tonight. I don’t like being tricked-“
“It’s not a trick.” Tim said gently. “ There’s a few things I want to show you, but I can’t bring them to you.”
Ethan sighed again as Tim coughed then blew his nose. “Are you trying to hide a cold?” He asked bluntly.
“No. Honest. Look, just come over, see what I did, I’ll explain everything.”
There was silence from Ethan. “1 hour. I’ll come over for an hour. I’m still sleeping here. It’s not just my allergies keeping me awake; it’s your asthma too.”
“Deal.”
Ethan got up, found a pair of shoes and headed over to Tim’s. Tim was waiting at the door for him and led him to the couch. Ethan’s eye was caught by an air purifier in the corner of the room and a vacuum cleaner next to it. He went over and inspected the vacuum. “This is better than mine.” He commented.
“I got better kitty litter, so maybe less dust.” Tim told him leading him to the bedroom, where Ethan noted another air purifier. “I got a mattress cover and new pillows with allergy covers.”
“You didn’t have to,” Ethan said. “I’m glad you did, but you didn’t have to.”
“Your place feels like home to me. I wanted mine to feel like home to you.”
Ethan smiled, sneezing. “HahAhChoo!”
“Bless you.” Tim hesitated. “And you’re right, it’s probably better for me too.”
Ethan looked at him with surprise. No one had ever said he was right post fight before. “Oh?” He managed.
Tim sat on the bed. “Last fall, I had a bunch of trouble with my asthma. I saw my doctor, who said it was probably allergies…only instead of sneezing and itchy eyes, it was asthma symptoms. She gave me an extra inhaler for a few months and I was fine. I didn’t expect it to start back up in the spring.”
Ethan nodded, letting Tim talk.
“I saw her again today. So I’m back on a steroid inhaler. I’m supposed to take Claritin or zyrtec everyday too. So it should get better.”
Ethan wrapped his arm around his boyfriend. “I’d still like to sleep at my place tonight. That way, you don’t have to worry you’re keeping me awake.”
Tim nodded. “I get it. And I’m sorry I got so mad this morning. I felt attacked.”
“And I was tired and it came out wrong.” He paused. “Ashoo! I’m pretty miserable right now.”
“I get it.” Tim told him. “Before you go, can you stay the rest of the hour?” He asked, pulling him into a lying position on the bed.
Aggedy Ann 