tarotgal

Last year, I wrote a Secret Santa story for gryffin where the main character was a fitness trainer. It didn't occur to me until afterward that I have another original character who's also a fitness trainer. Wouldn't it be a hoot if the two met? The idea bounced around in my head for a few months until I finally decided just to sit down and write it. I'd fully intended it to be a short piece of fun and fluff, ending with a trip to Disneyland (no, that's not a metaphor). But the characters completely took over. I tried really hard to NOT write certain things, but the characters were insistent and kept leading me where they wanted to go. I kept trying to end the story, but it ended up being 110 pages of completely decadent, indulgent sneezefic.

Honestly, I'm not mad at the characters for this one bit. But pure indulgence is sort of the nature of writing David & Lucas, so I should have expected it.

The story is done, but I'll be posting in parts, because it's long. Some parts are longer than others, so I might post a few on one day and only one on another day. I think there are 18 total, but I'm still working my way through with edits, so things might shift around slightly before I'm completely done.

It might help to read the stories that come before this one. That One Regret features Lucas & David. There's a sequel called That One Day only available in my 20th Anniversary collection book (a bit about their temperature-taking routine is referenced, but I think that's the only significant thing you'd miss). And Training Session features Troy & Marcus.

Warnings:
* A few parts don't have any actual sneezing at all, but most do
* It's a slow burn
* They insisted on a three-way
* There are multiple fetishes in play at times (primarily, David has a care-giving fetish)
* There is little but certainly a non-zero amount of mess and occasional moments where one person sneezes on another
* Lucas' asthma is mentioned/comes into play a few times

Part 1

David took the hotel two room keys the woman slid over the counter to him. She smiled a courtesy smile she had probably given to guests all day long and recited her standard introduction. “Complimentary WiFi instructions are on the envelope. Elevators are to your left. Bellhop is around the corner if you need assistance with your luggage. Breakfast is served in our signature restaurant from seven to ten every morning. The convenience store and the business center are on the opposite side of the lobby with a dedicated station for printing boarding passes. Both are open twenty-four hours a day. And—”

“The fitness center?” Lucas asked, anxiously leaning forward on the counter as if he could intercept the information from her sooner by getting just a few inches closer.

Her formal, plastered-on smile melted for a moment into something more genuine. “You must be with the conference.”

Lucas nodded fervently, trying to hurry her up.

“You want the second floor. Follow the posted signs—”

“Thank you!” Lucas called back, managing to grab one gym bag, two suitcases, and David’s arm all at the same time and move them all toward the elevator already.

David sighed once they were inside the gold and mirror-covered elevator and he had pushed the button to floor twenty-three. Lucas went for the second floor button, but David batted his hand away. “Hshh!” He gave Lucas a little shove. “Let’s at least drop our suitcases off first. You are not abandoning me to get all our luggage into our room alone.” Between them, there were six bags. And though only two were large suitcases, it was still too much for David to manage on his own.

Lucas sighed and started absentmindedly pacing in a circle around the elevator. He looked like a caged animal, trying to find his way out. He’d been exactly this jittery while they’d waited for their hotel room, when they’d taken the Lyft from the airport, and when they’d flown halfway across the country. Today, Lucas’ excitement was off the scale.

With a laugh, David waited for Lucas to circle back to him, and then he grabbed the man’s arm and pulled him into a fierce kiss. He could still feel Lucas’ excited energy, but a little of the tension melted away. Still caught up in the kiss, David opened his eyes, glancing up at the elevator’s floor indicator. They still had five floors to go. Slowly, he pulled out of the kiss, ending with a nuzzle. When he spoke, he did so with half his face pressed against half of Lucas’. “Hey now, don’t go and use up all your energy on the first day. Don’t get sloppy or pull a muscle or aggravate your asthma or do something you might regret. You’ve got four days here. That’s plenty of time to do everything you want. Okay?”

Lucas took a deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. David felt it on his chin and neck. “Okay.” But then the elevator dinged and the doors wooshed open and Lucas literally grabbed their things and pushed them out. He was back to his full levels of giddiness, just like that. “C’mon!” he called as they made their way down the hall. David was right behind him, but evidently they could be moving faster. And when he got to the door, he bounced on the balls of his feet, waiting for David to let him into the room. “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!”

He was like a little kid. Or maybe a puppy. David felt drained after spending most of the day traveling, especially the long, dry flight. But Lucas seemed to have endless amounts of energy, more than enough for them both. As soon as the card reader glowed green, Lucas was shoving everything inside. Then he grabbed his duffle bag. “M’going to go change into my workout gear.”

“No kidding,” David laughed, flopping face-first onto the closest queen-sized bed. In the back of his mind, he thought he should have checked for bed bugs, but he was too exhausted to move. His eyes felt too heavy to open. “Luc, could you check under the mat—”

He felt his feet at the end of the bed rise up. He felt the duvet and sheets being tugged at. And he felt his head and shoulders at the top of the bed rise up on one side then the other. “All clear. And I’m popping your water bottle into the minifridge so it’s cold. Drink it when you wake up.”

“Thanks, baby.” David swept his arm out then pulled it back in, bringing with it a pillow he hugged to his chest. “Have a good time. Take it easy.”

Lucas made a noncommittal noise as he pressed a kiss to David’s cheek. Then came the sound of a zipper and thuds as shoes were kicked off. David was asleep before Lucas had even finished changing.