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“Ice?” Mav called out into the empty house when he passed through the door to find silence. Ice had headed home shortly before he had and his car was in the driveway so Mav knew he was home. And yet, most of the lights in their house were off.
Once he made his way past the landing and fully into the living room, he spotted the lump of blankets on the couch and he winced in sympathy, then sighed, kneeling down beside the sofa.
Ever since Ice had made the decision to toss out every pack of his Marlboro Menthols and give up smoking for good, he’d been plagued by migraines. He was already prone to bad headaches due to stress and the lingering effect of a concussion he’d suffered in a training accident during BASIC. The nicotine withdrawal compounded on top of it and practically guaranteed that his head was pounding at least five times a week.
They hadn’t been that bad since he was being subjected to high G-forces on the daily, but the decision to quit smoking had really done a number on him. Extra-strength Ibuprofen didn’t touch it. He usually just had to wait it out with as few agitators as possible and sometimes an icepack on the back of his neck.
“Baby,” Mav whispered, sneaking a hand beneath the blanket to find Ice’s head where it was buried. He nudged the blanket off, the curtains already closed and all of the lights off, just so he could see the other man in the dim lighting. Ice turned to face him, ever-so-slightly, his face twisted into a tight grimace, and peeked his eyes open into slits to see him. Mav stroked a hand down the back of his neck, “Hey.”
Ice just grunted at him, shutting his eyes again. “You take some medicine?” Mav asked and Ice hummed something that sounded affirmative to Mav. “Okay,” Mav soothed, raking his fingers over Ice’s skull, “You think an icepack would help?”
“No,” Ice groaned lowly, “Tried,” he gestured to the coffee table where Mav now noticed a half-melted compress laid, “Made it worse.”
Mav clicked his tongue in frustration. The compresses were usually a double-edged sword. Sometimes the sudden shift in temperature would release whatever pressure had built up in Ice’s head, relieving some of the tension. Other times, the sharp contrast would startle his senses and make it worse. It was a gamble, every time.
“Well,” Mav combed his fingers through Ice’s hair where it was getting ever-so-slightly too long. In the light, he could see Ice’s mousy brown roots beneath the bleached length and it brought a smile to his lips every time he noticed it. “I was going to make dinner for us, but I’m betting you’re pretty nauseated right now, huh?”
“Yes,” Ice said grumpily, “Nearly threw up at lunch, I should’ve known it was coming on then.”
“Tell me you didn’t drive home in this state,” Mav’s brow furrowed in concern.
“Mm-mm,” Ice tried to shake his head and regretted it, hissing through a grimace, before resting his head back steady, “Started to hurt about halfway home, only got really bad when I went to do the dishes.”
“I’m sorry,” Mav pressed his lips to Ice’s forehead as softly as he possibly could, “You want me to lay with you?”
“Please,” Ice peaked his eyes open just enough to send Mav a pitifully pleading stare.
“Okay,” Mav ducked down to sup at Ice’s lips briefly, before standing, “Okay.”
He first shed the top layer of his uniform, stripping down to boxers and his undershirt, then helped Ice rise up onto his hands. He slotted himself onto the couch with his legs tucked on either side of Ice’s body. Ice laid himself back down, threading his arms around the back of Mav’s thighs and nuzzling into his lap. Mav’s hand returned to his head and Ice sighed a gentle noise of contentment when Mav’s fingers began a massaging motion across the larger expanse of his skull. He all but melted when Mav’s thumbs found his temples, pressing to release the tension. And he burrowed his forehead into Mav’s stomach when Mav began stroking firm presses down the nape of his neck and along his spine.
As much as Mav hated to see his boyfriend in pain, he couldn’t lie to himself that seeing him be turned into a cat snuggling into his lap wasn’t something he appreciated.
“Try to get some sleep, honey,” Mav spoke softly, rubbing behind Ice’s ears, and gentling his motions now that he could see less rigidness in Ice’s shoulders, “I’ve got you.”
“Mm,” Ice hummed, wrapping his arms around Mav’s back and pressing a kiss to Mav’s stomach through his undershirt, “You always do.”