It had been a long time since Justin had woken up in the middle of the night feeling symptoms to his allergies.

His nose and eyes were itchy and runny, his skin was burning, and when he started sneezing, he knew he needed his pills. Fast.

As Justin jumped out of the bed in search of his bag, his mind wandered to what could have triggered this. They had risotto and salmon for dinner; then Brian pulled an ice cream box from the freezer. It didn't have any strawberries, and he wasn't allergic to fish. Not that he knew of.

Once their meal was over, they fucked and fell asleep. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Where the fuck is it?" Justin grumbled, sneezing again, before rubbing his nose vigorously.

He came across his empty and useless EpiPen. He needed his Claritine or Zyrtec or Xyzal. Anything would be helpful.

Justin flung clothes and school papers across the room, desperate to find his pills. He tried not to panic, because it would do him no good. If anything, he'd worsen the situation with his nerves.

"What the fuck are you doing? Get back here," Brian hissed from the bed, his voice sleepy.

"I need…" Justin gasped, "…my pills."

Not entirely awake, Brian snorted. "What, is it that time of the month, Sunshine?"

"For my allergies!" He rubbed his nose, then scratched at his throat. "Fuck. It's empty, too!" He'd found a box but there were no pills left in it.

Justin's statement made Brian spring out of the bed. Jennifer had told him long ago about her son's allergies, though Brian had never experienced the fateful event firsthand.

"What can I do?" He asked, walking to his partner and touching his elbow.

"You don't happen to have any Claritine or Zyrtec around, do you?"

"Bless you," Brian said, slightly amused when Justin sneezed three times in a row. "No, I don't have any of whatever you said, but I can go buy some. Do you have the prescription?"

"You don't need one for those, though if you're actually going…I'll give you the prescription for Xyzal. It's the best."

"Now, will you be alright while I'm gone?"

"I think so."

Brian tugged on his jeans, grabbed the closest shirt he found—a rumpled one— stepped into his gym shoes, then left with the prescription, his wallet, and the keys.

Justin sat on the bed, praying his situation wouldn't worsen by the time Brian returned. He knew how bad his allergies could get. It depended on what substance caused it, but they varied in intensity, depending on what substance caused it. He refused to think of his mother, though some part of him wanted her to be there.

Absently scratching his nose, his eyes fell on the nightstand.

There was a brand new tube of lube—one they hadn't used before.

"Shit." Tentatively, Justin picked it up and read the label. It contained at least five substances he was allergic to, but benzocaine was the worst. "Damn, Brian."

Justin dumped the lube bottle to the trash.

When Brian returned, Justin medicine took his medicine, and finally relaxed. He'd been scared of the consequences if he didn't take the pills fast enough.

"Did you eat something you're not allowed? Shit. The ice cream? It had nuts, didn't it?" Brian pulled the box from the freezer to inspect it.

Justin appreciated his partner's concern, and couldn't help be slightly surprised at how openly Brian was showing his worry.

"It's not that. I'm not allergic to nuts. Anyway, I found out what triggered it."

"Tell me." Brian shoved the box back in the freezer, turning to Justin with big eyes.

Justin bit his lip, trying not to feel responsible. It wasn't his fault he had allergies. "You might not like my answer."

Brian cocked a brow, leaning against the counter. "Not the condoms." He scoffed.

It made Justin laugh. "Thankfully, no. Latex is one of the few things I'm not allergic to. We'd have known that by now, don't you think?"

"Then what?"

"Your new lube," he answered quietly.

"The lube?" Brian looked absolutely heartbroken. "It's the best out there. I spent a small fortune on it."

"Well, if you want it, it's in the trash."

"What?" Brian stared at his partner in disbelief.

For a second, Justin thought Brian was going to dig in the trash after his precious lube, but he restrained himself.

"You can use it with your tricks," Justin said dismissively.

"No." Brian shook his head. "I'd probably mix it with the regular one when we fuck. I don't think I can go through this again. You scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry." Justin hugged his boyfriend. "Thank you."

Brian kissed Justin's head, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I couldn't let anything happen to my blond boy ass."

"Oh, so you freaking out wasn't because you loved me."

"Don't push it, twat. Now, I'd like to get some sleep. It's nearly five AM."

OoO

In the morning, Brian was extra careful and aware of Justin's every move. It drove his young partner crazy.

"I'm fine! Will you cut it out?" Justin snapped as they stepped into the diner.

"Well, sorry, but after seeing you like that, I'm allowed to worry when you sneeze."

Justin sank into a booth, letting his head rest against the wall as Brian slid next to him.

"I never thought I'd say it, but I understand you," Justin mumbled. "Why you didn't tell anyone when you were sick…I get it."

"Oh, alas! See how it is to be coddled?" Brian chuckled, wrapping his arms around Justin, and nudged his cheek with his nose.

"What are you doing?" Justin demanded. It was so unlike Brian to be so openly romantic.

"Repaying you for coddling me. Debbie, we'd like two omelets and coffee!"

"Wait your turn, asshole!" She called back playfully.

"Sunshine needs to eat."

Justin covered Brian's mouth, muffling the explanation about his allergy attack.

Debbie picked up on the gist of it. Sunshine wasn't well, which meant she turned into mother hen.

Michael and Emmett chose that moment to join them, looking curiously between Debbie and Brian hugging Justin.

"Something wrong, Sunshine? You do look tired. You need to let the poor kid sleep, Brian." Debbie shook her finger.

"Actually, it was the other way round." Brian glanced at Justin, who was red and trying to slide under the table. "Right, dear?"

Justin groaned, hiding his face in his hands.

"What have you done to him?" Emmett demanded, looking sympathetically at Justin.

"Why is it always my fault when Justin isn't okay?"

"Because you're usually the cause of my distress—like last night." Justin glared at Brian, dropping his hands in his lap.

"Alright, dear. Next time I buy new lube, I'll make sure it's Prince Justin proofed."

Michael burst out laughing. "You didn't like the new lube? Wow. Your fights seem so dull compared to mine and Ben's over bills, Hunter, money…"

"I was fucking allergic to it."

"Yes, and he nearly gave me a heart attack. His whole face was red, nose runny, and when he started gasping I freaked."

"Welcome to my world," Justin mumbled, pleased Brian had admitted how scared he actually was.

"Well, now I know what to do." Brian kissed Justin's cheek fondly. "You must be really special, because I don't make trips to the pharmacy at four in the morning for just anybody."

"Of course, he's special!" Debbie gushed. "Are you feeling okay now, sweetie?"

"Yes. Just stop asking."

"Payback's a bitch." Brian chuckled.

When Debbie brought the food, to everyone's amusement, Brian tried feeding Justin, nudging his lips with the forkful of omelet. Justin refused to open his mouth, even though he failed when Brian jokingly called him "honey-boo."

"Success!" Brian beamed, sticking the fork in Justin's mouth.

It made their small group erupt in laughter. Even Justin joined them, loving this carefree side of Brian. He knew it would be gone as soon as he was sure Justin was indeed fine, so he decided to cherish every moment without being grumpy.