How It Is with Bryan (The New Normal, m)

[angora48]

Hey, does anyone remember this short-lived Ryan Murphy sitcom?  For my money, the show itself was majorly uneven, but I really enjoyed the main couple, David and Bryan (David on the left, Bryan on the right.)  I wrote this fic ages ago but didn't want to post it until I FINALLY got around to writing a sequel for it (whose necessity will, hopefully, be quickly apparent.)  Luckily, I've been on a bit of an Andrew Rannells kick lately, and that made me get my butt in gear.  They'll be pretty short - 3-4 parts - but I can post daily updates with this one and should be ready on the second story not long after this one wraps up, assuming there's any interest in it.  Here's Part 1.  Hope you like!

 

How It Is with Bryan

 

A drowsy glance at the clock told David he didn’t have to get up for another three minutes.  It was a nice feeling, and he lay on his back, stretching deliciously and waiting for the day to begin.

His gaze drifted, as it usually did, to Bryan.  David’s partner slept beside him peacefully but pretzel-shaped, with one arm wrapped around himself, a knee drawn up to his chest, and the toes of the opposite foot peeking over the side of the bed.  David felt a still-sleepy smile, amusement mingled with affection, sliding across his face.

While David was a T-shirt-and-pajama-pants kind of sleeper, Bryan preferred bona fide pajamas.  Currently, he wore a chocolate brown pair with light blue trim, which tastefully complemented his hair and eyes.  He murmured something in a low, dream-addled voice.  One of his hands found its way up to his face and clumsily rubbed at his nose.

He was just stuffed up enough for David to notice.  David winced; the moment he started to think, I hope he’s not getting si-, Bryan muffled a confirming “Hehhhh-SHOOOOOO-uhhhhh!” into his pillow.

Well, that’s that, David thought, letting out a soft sigh.  It wasn’t until the clock struck seven that he remembered his alarm was still set; he pounced on it just as the radio started to play.

Bryan groaned slightly – David suspected it was largely for effect – as he stretched himself awake.  “Morning, hon,” David said.  He hopped out of bed and made his way to the closest.

Bryan mumbled an “mmm” of a half-reply.  While David rummaged through the closet, he listened to Bryan sniffling softly and clearing his throat.  “David, I’be sick,” he finally whimpered, as piteously as he thought he could get away with.

“I noticed,” David replied, lightly teasing.

Bryan waited just long enough to conclude that he hadn’t won David over yet.  “I think I’be dying,” he added.

“You’re not dying; you’re getting a cold.”

“Says who?”

David smiled.  “Says your stuffed-up nose.  You were practically snoring.”

He heard Bryan bolt upright.  “That’s slander!  I’ve devver snored id by life!”

“I said ‘practically,’” David reminded him.

By the time David had gathered up his clothes for the day, Bryan had flung himself dramatically back down to the mattress.  “Excuse be?  I’m looking for a little bedside banner here.”

Crossing back to the bed and setting his clothes on Bryan’s nightstand, David brushed Bryan’s bangs back, leaned down, and kissed him on the forehead.  “How’s that for bedside manner?”

Another sneeze propelled Bryan up to a sitting position again; David barely had time to duck back and avoid smacking foreheads with his partner.  “Ahhhh-hiihhhhh-ehhh-SHHUHHH!” Bryan sneezed, catching it in his cupped hands.

“Gesundheit,” David said, giving Bryan’s shoulder a comforting squeeze.

“Thadks,” Bryan muttered.  He sniffled twice and wiped his nose.  “For bedside madder, I’ll give you a six out of ten, but if you’re kissing your patients, we bight deed to have a talk.”

“Only the best for you,” David assured him, playfully tweaking his stuffy nose.  He scooped up his clothes and started for the master bathroom.

“You’re leaving be?” Bryan despaired.

“Have to get ready for work,” David replied.

“Where you heal the sick – you cad do that right here!” Bryan pointed out.

“Yeah, but I don’t think your insurance will cover it,” David teased.  He stood in the doorway of the bathroom.  “Besides, you can look after yourself.  As far as I know, none of my patients can perform their own pelvic exams.”

“You’d be surprised,” Bryan argued.  “The things woben cad do nowadays, with yoga add everything.  Put a handheld birror by the speculub, they’ll be fine.”

“Oh, definitely,” David said, rolling his eyes just a little.

If Bryan kept throwing himself onto the mattress like that, he was going to wear himself out.  “Fide – go.  I’ll just stay here and lagguish.”

David made a valiant, but ultimately unsuccessful, effort to hold back a chuckle.  “If you get up before I leave, I’ll make you breakfast.”

“I’be not hungry,” Bryan grumbled, hugging his pillow with adorably stubborn sullenness.

“You’ll feel better if you eat something,” David advised.  He stepped into the bathroom.

“I highly doubt that,” Bryan called back as David stripped off his T-shirt.

David poked his head into the bedroom once more.  “And which one of us is the doctor?” he asked.

[ohlala8]

Awww, I actually miss this show a little. I like to think of them just being all cute and domestic and bantering over Bryan being sick.

[angora48]

I know, right?  Once I got the idea in my head, it was too perfect, because you just KNOW Bryan would be milking it for all it's worth and David would be sympathetic but still rolling his eyes.  Too cute. 

Here's Part 2 - short but sweet!

 

David was about to sit down to his breakfast – oatmeal with blueberries – when he decided to add a glass of orange juice for good measure.  Doesn’t hurt to try, he thought.

He was attempting to convince himself that he could avoid getting sick.  Deep down, he knew it didn’t really matter whether or not he sidestepped the brunt of Bryan’s under-the-weather clinginess; colds were spread before symptoms appear, and his fate was most likely already sealed.

Still, he liked to believe he could hold it off with a preemptive strike, and he listed the means in his head.  Get enough vitamin C.  Wash my hands regularly.  Don’t touch my nose or eyes.  Turn in early.  Well, he could dream.

By the time David poured his orange juice, Bryan had trudged into the kitchen and plunked himself down at the bar.  “Lo and behold,” David commented, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Bryan had no comeback this time, just made a mildly irked face.  His hair was mussed in a terrifically precise manner.  It hadn’t been so perfect in its chaos when he woke up.  He’d probably gone to the mirror and mussed it by hand.  That man.

In the bedroom, David had said he’d make Bryan breakfast if Bryan came down before David left for work, but they both knew there wasn’t really any “if” about it.  As such, Bryan’s toast popped right on cue.  David spread both slices with strawberry jam and brought them to Bryan, along with a mug of tea.  He kissed the top of his partner’s head and sat down beside him.  “Don’t look so down,” David instructed.  “I’m gonna be working all day.  You get to curl up on the couch and OD on Project Runway.”

 “Add blow by nose,” Bryan added.  While David ate, Bryan dawdled.  “Add lose my voice.  Add slowly turn idto a depressed heap of snotty bisery…  Hihhhh-CHIUHHHH!”  He turned away and sneezed into his shoulder.

“Poor baby,” David teased.  While he was nearly finished eating, Bryan was on bite three of his toast.

They hadn’t, at any point, discussed whether or not Bryan was staying home from work because it didn’t need discussing.  This was something they both knew.  Later in the week, David would probably gently point out that Bryan didn’t need to be out for an entire week with a cold, and Bryan would list all the reasons he was way too sick to even think about going in to work, and the result of that conversation could go either way.

Bryan rubbed his nose with a long sniffle and sighed.  “I have to get sub rewriting done,” he said.  David had to admit, he hadn’t thought of that.  He supposed sick days lost some of the little appeal they had when you could work from home. 

“At least you’ll be out of the studio,” David offered.  “Out of the trenches, or whatever.”

Bryan made a face, and he cleared his throat in a way that definitely said, I’m so sick – would it kill you to give me a little sympathy here?  “Ugh, I’be probably gudda be on the phode all day,” he predicted, “‘cause God forbid they get addything done without be.”

“What?” David asked.  “It’s almost as if they expect the showrunner to run the show!”

Bryan didn’t answer David’s teasing – either he’d decided not to dignify it with a response or he was too distracted to pick up on it.  “I bet they’ll want to Skype be for everything,” he mused, groaning as he wiped his nose.  “I hate Skyping whed I’be sick; the webcab makes the bags udder by eyes look enorbous, add doh one cad understad what I’be saying.”

“I know – it’s hard being so in-demand,” David observed, picking up his dishes and rising from the bar. 

“It’s by curse,” Bryan agreed, and again, David couldn’t tell whether or not his partner had noticed he was kidding.  “Haaahhhhhh-IIHHHHH-chiiuhhhhh!” Bryan sneezed wetly into his hands.  Groaning, he folded his arms on the bar and dropped his head onto them.  “Just let be die.  It’ll be bore berciful.”

David, who’d crossed to the sink, gave his dishes a cursory rinse and put them in the dishwasher.  “Don’t work too hard,” he said kindly.  Though he was very purposefully ignoring the one-man pity-party, he did come back to kiss the top of Bryan’s head once more.  “Get some rest.  I’ve gotta go – see you tonight.”

Bryan, lifting his head with a theatrical sort of world-weariness, nibbled on his toast as he watched David leave the house.

[WolfPack]

I am loving this story! Maybe, add a little bit more sneezing. But, this is amazing! 

[angora48]

Here's Part 3, and the conclusion of the story (I warned you it was short!)  I'll start posting the sequel, which takes place later in the same week, soon - based on what David has been thinking about in this story, you can probably guess what it's about. 

 

Although David liked to tease Bryan for making such a big deal over a cold, he wasn’t entirely immune to the whole “sick and helpless” routine, not as much as he’d like to think.  He’d called Bryan twice, once at lunch and again later in the afternoon, and despite his best efforts, he was starting to feel a little guilty about being at work all day.  At the very least, he could’ve come in a bit late or knocked off an hour early.

That’s how it was with Bryan.  Even though they both knew that part of it was a ploy, David always wound up getting reeled in.  It was the reason he almost always caught whatever Bryan came down with.  It was probably the reason he was now drumming the steering wheel so impatiently every time he hit a red light, and it was definitely the reason he had a nice takeout meal beside him in the passenger seat.

When he arrived home, the dog was at his heels immediately, sniffing the paper sack he held in either hand.  “Bry?” he called, quietly, in case the patient was asleep.

But the reply of “Living roob,” floated back in an amusingly pitiful voice, followed by a hard “Hehhhh-ihhhhhh-shoooooo!”  After a quick stop in the kitchen, David stepped into the living room and found Bryan on the couch, convalescing like a Victorian gentlewoman with “delicate constitution.”

Bryan’s pillow and a quilt had made their way there, and Bryan had put on his “sick” pajamas.  Really, they were David’s – a faded sweatshirt and flannel pajama pants that Bryan had appropriated long ago.  David supposed that it was just a tacit acknowledgement from Bryan that David’s pajamas were more comfortable than his own, but David liked to think that his partner wanted something of David’s near him when he felt sick.

And right on cue, David’s mouth began curling into a smile.  “Hey, babe.”

“Hey,” Bryan replied softly.  He propped himself up on his elbow.  “Whudja brig be?” he asked, smiling just a little as he looked at the bag in David’s hand.

“I brought us dinner,” David told him.  He reached into the sack and pulled out two Styrofoam containers of soup, handing one to Bryan.  “Italian wedding.”

“I love you,” Bryan breathed.  Sniffling wetly, he shifted to a sitting position and, reaching over the back of the couch, seized one of the spoons David was holding.

After some quilt-rearranging, David joined Bryan on the couch.  They ate with the TV on low.  “There’s gelato, too,” David said, “in the freezer.”

“That’s why I- I’be with… a doc…” Bryan commented, bringing a hand to his face as his eyes fluttered closed.  “Ahhhhhhh-SHOOOOO-ehhhhh!”

“Gesundheit,” David told him, offering a lopsided smile. 

“Thadks,” Bryan replied with a few hard sniffles.  “I was saying, that’s why I’be with a doctor:  top-dotch bedical care.”  Coughing into his fist, he moved closer to David, who put an arm over his shoulder.

Bryan’s nose was sounding stuffier than it had that morning, and his nostrils were starting to get a little pink.  A few stray Kleenexes lay on the keyboard of his laptop, which sat on the coffee table – so he must’ve been working earlier.

“H… ehhhhhh-SHUUHHHH!”  David felt Bryan’s entire body tense as the other man sneezed into his hand.  “Ugh – how was your day?”

“Fine,” David began. 

But Bryan said, “Hold od,” and reached down to grab a Kleenex from the box on the coffee table.  His quilt slipped off his shoulder as he sat up, and while he blew his nose loudly, David pulled it back around him snugly.

“God, sorry,” Bryan remarked, sniffling as he dabbed at his nose a little more.  “You were sayig?”

“Work was fine,” David repeated, smiling in spite of himself.  “More O-B than G-Y-N, so most of the uteruses had babies in them.  How ‘bout your day?”

“Awful,” Bryan said instantly, like he’d been waiting for it.  “I feel horrible.  Aa-ahhhhhh-hehhhh-CHUHHHHH!”  He gave a pitifully-congested moan, rubbing his nose with his finger.  “Add I bissed you.”

Admittedly, David and Bryan had different metrics for feeling “horrible,” but it was clear that Bryan wasn’t having a good time.  He was more stuffed-up, he was sneezing more, and his voice was sounding scratchy, too – easy bet that he had a sore throat.  That morning, he’d been starting to get a cold, but by now, it had settled in and kicked off its shoes.  Even if Bryan complained over things David wouldn’t have, that didn’t mean he was exaggerating – no, in Bryan’s mind, David didn’t doubt that he was genuinely miserable.

So, David held Bryan a little tighter.  He kissed Bryan’s forehead and then held his cheek to it, gauging his partner’s temperature.  Not quite feverish, but he did feel just a bit warm.  “Eat your soup,” David instructed, a soft note of fondness in his voice.

“Whuh…” Bryan paused, his breath hitching as he pulled the quilt over his nose.  “Hihhhh-CHIIOOO!  Ihhhh-SHOOOO-uhhhhh!”

“Gesund–” David started.

“Hahhhhh-SHUUHHH!” Bryan sneezed once more.  He sighed and scrubbed his nose as he emerged from the quilt.  “I was gudda say, ‘What do you thidk I’be doing?’ but I dod’t thidk it’d work dow.”

David swallowed a chuckle.  “Yeah, I think your timing was a bit off.”  He scratched Bryan’s back lightly.

Stifling a cough, Bryan rested his head on David’s shoulder, drowsily sipping his broth.  Okay, David thought, if I get sick, so be it.  Does it really matter?  Cuddling with Bryan on the couch, it seemed like a decent trade-off.

[ohlala8]

So cute! And yes, definitely voting in favor of contagion 

[angora48]

Thanks for reading, especially those who've commented - I appreciate it!  You've probably seen this already, but I'll throw the link in here just to be safe:  I started posting my sequel story, "Share and Share Alike," this morning.

[PetalPunk]

HOORAY! I LOVE the New Normal. I absolutely wish there was more of this show out there! The world just wasn't ready for gay parents yet! Anyawy, I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Andrew Rannells. He's just a pure cupcake! This story was great and I loved every word of it. It's been a really long time since I've seen anything related to The New Normal, but I remember the characters pretty well and these were so in character! It's so BRYAN! 

I also recently went back and watched the trailer and a few clips and I kid you not, I started crying tears of joy because it was all so beautifully emotional. I need a show like this again! Great writing! 

[angora48]

Aw, thanks, flowerpower67 - I'm glad you liked it (and the other story as well!)  Writing these fics reminded me how much I really did like The New Normal.  I remember some of the plotting being really ridiculous, but I loved everything about Bryan and David themselves, and Goldie and Shania were pretty fun, too.  The guys were both such terrific characters in their own right and fantastic as a couple - I like that they were so different and Bryan in particular could be so over-the-top, but their relationship still felt real, and you got a sense throughout of their love for each other and understood why they were together.

And yeah, major ditto on Andrew Rannells.  Like I said upthread, he was the reason I finally got around to writing the second story.  I got the cast recording from Falsettos about a month ago and have been listening to it like crazy.  Once I started searching YouTube for singing clips/interviews with Rannells, there was no turning back, lol!

[PetalPunk]

On 11/7/2017 at 8:15 AM, angora48 said:

Aw, thanks, flowerpower67 - I'm glad you liked it (and the other story as well!)  Writing these fics reminded me how much I really did like The New Normal.  I remember some of the plotting being really ridiculous, but I loved everything about Bryan and David themselves, and Goldie and Shania were pretty fun, too.  The guys were both such terrific characters in their own right and fantastic as a couple - I like that they were so different and Bryan in particular could be so over-the-top, but their relationship still felt real, and you got a sense throughout of their love for each other and understood why they were together.

And yeah, major ditto on Andrew Rannells.  Like I said upthread, he was the reason I finally got around to writing the second story.  I got the cast recording from Falsettos about a month ago and have been listening to it like crazy.  Once I started searching YouTube for singing clips/interviews with Rannells, there was no turning back, lol!

I’m an Andrew Rannells fan all the way back from Book of Mormon. I have not listened to or seen Falsettos but I want to!