Work Text:
Maverick groaned as he rolled over on the couch, knees pulled up to his chest. The blanket that he had been practically living with was thrown to the foot of the couch as the texture was now too uncomfortable against his skin, not to mention hot. He swallowed hard and nearly moaned at the pain that it brought. How was he expected to take the medication when it felt like he was swallowing shards of glass?
“Mav, it’s time for your next dose.”
Maverick cracked his eyes open to see a blurry figure coming near. “Leave me to die, Ice.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Ice shot back. “You’re not the first person to catch mono, and you certainly won’t be the last.”
Maverick’s brow furrowed. “What about mono and strep? How is that even possible?” He threw himself back down on the couch with his limbs hanging off the sides. “Maybe this is payback for all the admirals I’ve pissed off.”
“This is not payback.” Ice’s exasperation was showing as he sat down on the end of the couch to stare Maverick down. “You picked up the wrong drink at the bar. It’s as simple as that.”
“Isn’t mono called the kissing disease? Could I have got this from you?” Maverick’s eyes widened in alarm as he looked to Ice. At first, Ice was certain that Maverick had to be joking, but when he made no quick witted comment or cracked a smile, Ice realized that Maverick was dead serious.
Ice rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t from me, dumbass! I’m not sick, nor have I showed any symptoms thus far. This is something you picked up all on your own, flyboy.”
Despite the seriousness that Maverick was attempting to uphold, when Ice spoke the nickname he had come up for Maverick, he instantly melted. He leaned back into the covers and lifted his arm to cough. “M’sorry. Shouldn’t blame you. I’ll blame that dick at the bar.”
Knowing that there was no way to sort Maverick’s feelings on the matter at the moment, Ice decided to drop it. Maverick could be angry with whoever he wanted so long as he took the medication that Ice was offering him.
“And you can bitch and moan about it all you want later. Right now I need you to take these.” Ice handed over the pills as well as a tall glass of apple juice. It was the only thing that Maverick had expressed didn’t hurt his throat when he tried to swallow. Ice cream was also deemed safe, and Maverick had polished off more than Ice cared to admit. Still, if it kept the smaller man happy, who was Ice to deny him those simple pleasures?
Maverick made a face as he popped the pills into his mouth, followed by drinking a generous amount of juice. He handed the glass back to Ice and swiped the back of his hand across his mouth. He made a face as he leaned back on the couch with a miserable expression on his face.
“C’mon, you don’t have to look so pathetic. You’re hardly dying,” Ice chided as he handed over the remote to Maverick. “Maybe some TV will take your mind off of things.”
Maverick shook his head. “My head hurts too much to concentrate on TV. Can’t I just sleep this all away?”
“You can if you want. I just don’t know if you’ll be comfortable enough to do so.”
A guttural sound rose from Maverick, frustration overwhelming him. He had been cooped up for what felt like a week now and things weren’t improving nearly as quickly as either of them wanted. Ice had been doing his best, but Maverick could be whiny at the best of times. This had only worsened it as things had progressed with neither of them knowing what they could do to help.
Maverick rubbed at his eyes before casting a wayward glance across the room. There he spied their bookshelf at the far corner before drifting back to look at Ice. Something about his pitiful expression melted away at Ice’s heart and he took pity on him.
“Do you want me to keep reading from The Great Gatsby?”
Maverick’s head bobbed up and down with an eager nod before the coughs took over, protesting the sudden movement. He reached back for the juice and choked down another few sips to calm his throat. He blinked the tears from his eyes as realization dawned on him. “Wait, you probably shouldn’t be that close to me. I’m—“
“Clueless,” Ice finished for him. He already crossed the room with the book in hand as he swayed in front of Maverick’s field of vision. The closer he became, the more Maverick attempted to draw back. He was restricted by the back of the couch, and all he could do was twist his face away when Ice hovered in front of him. “Hey, look at me.”
Maverick reluctantly tipped his head to the side to stare into Ice’s stone blue eyes. “Is this what you wanted,” he rasped.
A wicked grin spread across Ice’s face. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Maverick’s brow, right under his hairline. “This is the closest I can get to what I want,” he whispered softly against Maverick’s ear. “And I don’t care what you say or do, you can’t keep me away from you anymore than I could keep you away from me.”
Maverick hated to admit that Ice was true. There had been plenty of times where Maverick had taken care of him when he had been ill. Sure, it hadn’t been mono or strep, though it didn’t matter much in Ice’s eyes. He would stand by Maverick through anything, for he had made that promise long ago and he wasn’t keen on breaking it anytime soon.
Ice reached down through the blankets and rested a hand on Maverick’s thigh. “Scoot over.” Once Maverick made space for him, Ice sat down and lifted his arms at the ready. Maverick hesitated for a second before snuggling down. His head was propped up just enough so that he didn’t immediately start coughing. His left ear ached as he nestled closer to Ice’s middle, the softness of his shorts better than the pillow he was currently using.
Fingers came to rest on the back of his neck in a gentle massage. Ice’s hands were mercifully cool against his fevered skin and Maverick leaned into his touch. “Don’t stop,” he moaned.
“And how do you expect me to read and give you a head massage at the same time,” Ice chuckled softly.
Maverick shrugged. “Don’t know and don’t care. Just do’t stop. Makes my brain no longer feel like it’s dripping out of my skull.”
That was a new symptom that Ice hadn’t heard Maverick complain about before. He was worried and he wondered how much Maverick may be exaggerating. He could be known for his dramatics when he wanted to be. However, Ice couldn’t help but baby him at times.
“The meds should help that.”
“The meds don’t do shit.”
“Don’t let Savant hear you say that. He might take offense to that.”
Maverick rolled his eyes, legs stretched out until his ankles cracked. “I don’t care what he has to say. He doesn’t have to be this sick.”
“Poor flyboy,” Ice cooed with another kiss to the top of Maverick’s head. “Just how will you manage?”
Maverick scrunched his nose at the taunt. Ice repaid him by kissing the tip before cracking open the book and setting it on the armrest beside him. He lifted one knee to help steady it while still massaging Maverick’s head. He could feel Maverick’s breath growing deeper the more relaxed he came. Ice wasn’t even sure he would make it through a full page before Maverick fell asleep.
“You still with me?”
Maverick hummed softly. “Always with you.”
Ice’s heart expanded with love for the reckless pilot. How he had weaseled his way into his heart, Ice still wasn’t sure, but he was damn sure glad that he had.
“Alright,” Ice began as he cleared his throat. “When I came home to the West egg that night I was afraid for a moment that my house was on fire……”