Two Opposites

[Privatedancer]

This is great 

[PennyLane]

100/10

[glitter_]

Hello beautiful forum! Sorry for staying away for so long. I've been very busy the past month with applications but now I'm back!!! Hope you guys like the next part.

@Privatedancer thank you very much, my loyal supporter from the beginning... How about that nickname? 😉 

@PennyLane this comment really made me smile, you have no idea how much 😚

Chapter 11

“Your parents?” Theo frowned. “Yes, I haven’t told them, where I went. They’re probably freaking out right now.” Kaya stood up and started pacing the room, while Theo seemed more relaxed than before, almost... relieved. “It’s all good. I can make sure you get there safely. I can talk to your parents if you want.” “No, you... you don’t understand”, Kaya blurted out, frustrated. “My dad... if he finds out I’ve been to a party... drinking... without his knowledge, he’s not only going to kill me but you, too. You gonna lose your job. I can’t be responsible for that, so I’ll just lie to him and then...” “Kaya...” God, her name with his voice could instantly make her shut up. “Chill, we got this, okay?
Just gimme a moment, so I can eat something, okay?”

She nodded, following Theo downstairs where the others greeted him happily, still eating. As Kaya came into their view, they went silent for a few seconds which made Theo frown. “Wassup with you all this morning?” Lukas immediately jumped in with a German answer. “Sie weiß über den Tod deines Vaters bescheid.” Theo’s frown grew deeper. ” “Wie?”, he wanted to know. “Das ist jetzt irgendwie schwer zu erklären. War ‘ne echt blöde Situation und...” “Ja, wie auch immer... Kann...
uh... Can I have some bread?”

With a few handles, Marcel had got his brother a plate with some Brazilian bread and fruits on it. Even though Kaya wanted to know what their German conversation had been about she managed to control her stupid annoying mouth in the last second, fumbling for her cell phone. While the others were already involved in a new conversation about last night, she turned it on, overwhelmed by all the messages she had got from her parents. Swallowing, she put it away again.

Hopefully everything would go well. She couldn’t risk Theo leaving a bad reputation with her parents, because she kind of... wanted a future with him? Yeah, no question mark actually. “So Kaya, what do you think about small-town life so far?”, Trevor asked. “Well, to be honest, till last night I thought it was boring as hell.” “I guess now we know, who we have to invite more often”, Marcel winked in her direction and Niquita playfully punched him in the arm.

“Ow, relax. Nobody can make love to me like you do.” “Ew, way too much information”, Blake laughed. “Why?”, Flora asked her boyfriend jokingly. “Sounds like something you could’ve said.” “Okay”, Theo interrupted... whatever this was. Kaya had to laugh, not only because of the silliness of Theo’s friends but also because of his seriousness in the meantime.

“Thanks for the breakfast, Marcel. I’m gonna take Kaya home so she can sleep her hangover away.” After that they received a few different reactions. While Marcel shouted “my brother is such a gentleman”, Niquita and Lukas waved at them friendly. The majority made a noise that sounded more or less like this: “Oooooh!”

While Theo just rolled his eyes and turned away, Kaya said: “See you, guys!” “See you”, they howled back and concentrated on their meal again. “Guys, wait!” Leila stood up, running over to them, firstly hugging Kaya then Theo. A little too long for Kaya’s taste. “Hey”, she whispered right into his ear, “we’ll be in touch, okay?” Theo gave Leila his first genuine smile, since he came downstairs. “Sure. We always are.”

Immediately Kaya’s thoughts shot back to last night as she went outside. Theo’s smile, a true indicator he respected, trusted, liked Leila. She couldn’t manage holding the subject back for two minutes before she broached it. “Sooo... This Leila chic is not your roommate, is she?”

“Hi, hih... He’gxxchew, -ngttschoo, -kcxxshiew, ugh, I’m so sorry. What did you say?” Kaya sighed. “I said...” “Hu’kkchoo, Huh’ntkchioo, he... Ha’eitschiew, ugh... So sorry, excuse me.” Really now? Kaya sighed again, raising her voice even more. “I said: This Leila ain’t your roommate, right?” Oh boy, she was going in full force. “Uh... no she isn’t.” Theo seemed irritated. “She is a really good friend, though.” “Is she?” Here we go... Man, that stupid annoying mouth of her’s. “Yeah, she is...?” The silence that followed was the first awkward one Kaya shared with Theo.

“Lukas and Blake aren’t my roommates either”, Theo finally continued, “Lukas lives in Germany and is just here for a visit and Blake is obviously attached to Flora, so...” “So that’s all you gotta say to Leila? Not one single word to last night?” “Kaya...” Oh, she was so excited to hear his little explanation. She was mad. Not at Theo but at herself. Why did she even get her hopes up this time? Men were all the same! If she wasn’t careful, this thing would quickly turn into a Sebastian-situation.

Theo was just about to make his stand as a haze took over his features, that controlled his whole body almost instantly after occurring. “Hah’ eishoo-eischoo, Ha’ yetchioo, excuse me... He, heh... hihi... ugh... I don’t know what’s triggering this, so sorry, snf.” His damp nostrils twitched with a few hitching breaths as if to test how much air was pure oxygen for the lungs and how much of it was allergy-torture.

Kaya had to admit, his diversionary tactics were pretty good. Slowly, Theo seemed to control his urge to sneeze. What he couldn’t control however was his embarrassment. While he took off his glasses to rub the allergens away from his puffy teary eyes, he blushed like crazy as if letting the sneezes out was a crime compared to stifling.

Only now Kaya realized she had been paying so much attention to his sneezing that she hadn’t noticed his crappy breathing. Theo choked on something that crackled deep in his bronchus and his lips turned blue. In that moment, everything was forgotten. Kaya’s heart dropped to the floor just for a split second. Theo coughed hectically, pulled in some tight wheezy breaths and relaxed right afterwards. “Are you okay?” He stood there, panting for a few more seconds, then straightening up, saying: “Yeah, sorry... I must have swallowed my spit weird or somethin’.” Liar. “Are you sure, you’re okay?” Kaya approached him carefully, putting her hand on his bouncing shoulder, but he pulled away. “I’m okay. Come on, let’s just keep going.” Sighing, she picked up his pace, hoping his asthma wouldn’t flare up again. She tried to remember what they were talking about before, but failed, for the shock was still deep in her limbs. They spend the rest of the way in silence.

~ as always I would welcome feedback and/or suggestions, don't hold back, please 😊

 

[glitter_]

Hello beautiful forum! I'm back. The updates are a little bit slower because I have quite a few things on my plate at the moment. Sorry for the lack of sneezing in this part. I wanted to push the story forward. To be honest, I'm a little insecure about posting because I don't know if you guys like the content and the balance between fetishy stuff and other stuff or if I'm giving too much side information apart from sneezing. I would sleep better if you could help me make it as enjoyable for you as possible. So feedback and suggestions are highly appreciated. Thank you all!!! 😚 Without further ado, here is another part with Kaya and Theo:

Chapter 12

A few minutes later they arrived at Kaya’s house with this weird silence still hanging in the air, which only seemed to be breathable for Kaya. Because even though Theo was a huge pro at covering up his malaise, she could still feel a certain tension in his body, that couldn’t be properly explained. Honestly, she just had a feeling. As if their souls were tied together somehow and Theo’s was sending her enough vibes to understand. She never felt this way around anybody before. The hot cheeks, the butterflies, all that cliché-shit. She felt it, high-key.

But then, in the next moment, she felt like the perfect moment always slipped right through her fingers, as if she was unable to grab it and hold onto it as long and tight as she could.

“Should I knock?” His honey-like voice, thick and smooth all the same. It was the gentlest way to pull her from her thoughts. Not really trusting her own voice, Kaya nodded. Theo nodded back, then knocked softly, his movements kind of mechanic as if they weren’t his own.

Her father’s steps on the other side of the door were faster than average. Not good, was everything that came into Kaya’s mind before the door crashed open jerkily, the anger folds of her father revealing themselves. His eyes focused directly on his daughter.

“Where were you?!” He sounded unforgiving, like he was about to snap completely in a matter of a few seconds. Then his eyes seemed to detect Theo for the first time and his facial features softened a little bit.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, saying: “Well, at least you found your way back. Come on in.” Without even acknowledging the attendance of another person at the doorsteps he took Kaya by the hand, leading her inside.
She tried to retaliate: “But dad, this is not what it looks like... really, it...” “It looks like you’ve been partying without my permission and now you have an obvious hangover!” “I’m not a baby anymore, dad”, Kaya said while freeing herself from her father’s grasp. “I’m 21 and I’m old enough to make decisions... and... and...”

She was hyperventilating and couldn’t find the right words to stand up to her father, who was almost done pulling her inside. That was the problem with her mouth. Whenever she really needed it, it failed her.

“With all due respect, Mr. McCoy”, Theo stepped in, “it wasn’t Kaya’s fault. It was mine. I asked her to go with me.” For a moment, her father seemed so perplex that he had to collect himself for one moment. Then he barked: “Is that so?”
“Yes, sir”, he responded firmly. “I paid attention the whole time and made sure that nothing bad happens to her.” “Well, then you did a pretty bad job, don’t you think?!” His voice grew louder with every word he spoke.

“Dad, no... It wasn’t his fault, it was mine. Please don’t be mad”, Kaya tried to defend Theo who was surprisingly calm, given the circumstances. He quickly turned his head to the right, muffling a cough into his shoulder. Afterwards he suggested: “I can make it up to you by working extra hours.” “Right now?” The offer seemed to tempt Kaya’s father. “Yes, sir. Right now.”

He sighed heavily, making a head gesture in Theo’s direction to follow him inside. But before he could take one step, Kaya’s mother appeared in the doorframe. “Good morning, you two. Did you have fun yesterday?” “Yeah, mom. Thanks”, Kaya replied, shrugging to signalize that it didn’t matter anymore, because they were already fucked.

Theo just smiled, sniffling as discretely as he could. “Theo, honey, why don’t you join us? I just finished brunch. We could eat together, what do you think?” “I’d love to, Mrs. McCoy...” “Anne”, she corrected. “Yes, sorry, ma’am. I’d love to but I think I need to work first, so there are...” “Rubbish, you don’t have to work today. Come in. I set the table on the terrace.”

“Thank you”, Theo smiled, finally stepping inside. Kaya was still so shocked that, as her parents already headed to the backyard, she didn’t notice Theo’s hand carefully squeezing hers. It took his warm, soothing eyes on hers to realize the touch. She squeezed back, thankful for his support.

She took a few steps, only to feel a huge loss of control, because they were no longer holding hands. Confused, she turned around to see Theo standing in the same position as before, eyes locked to the ceiling, shoulders bouncing with hitching gasps and hands frantically searching for a tissue in one of his pockets. In the last moment he pulled out a piece of toilet paper, that Kaya had given him in his house, and buried his nose in it. “Heh... hihi... Hi’ntschoo, Heh... Hah’xxssiew, Ha’ngtkchioo, ugh.”

He blew his nose as soft as he could, but Kaya could still hear the gurgling wetness that came with the action. “Excuse me, so sorry”, he said as he removed the toilet paper from his nose. Only now Kaya could see the obvious irritation in his bloodshot eyes.
For a moment she had been so focused on the fight with her father that she hadn’t even realized Theo still battled with crazy allergies. Instead of focusing on his well being she just had been so happy not to walk through hell, which was her father, alone. She was so selfish!

As she walked back to him, she whispered: “Are you up for brunch or... or even work?” Theo just nodded and started to walk. Without showing that she was not content with his half-answer she followed him into the backyard, where her parents already sat, waiting for them.

“Oh, the weather is so lovely, isn’t it, Richard?” “Yes”, Kaya’s father said grumpily through his teeth. Kaya had to suppress her laughter. The difference between her parents was truly unmistakable.

They had hardly sat down when Kaya’s mother instantly jumped into caretaker-mode. “Kaya, honey, I have bought those fruits from the Brazilian market this morning, you have to try them, they’re so delicious. You too, Theo.” She was really in her element, shoveling food on both of their plates like a maniac.

One look in Theo’s direction was enough to notice the panic in his face. It was the same horror Kaya had experienced on his features when he was close to the chlorine water.  Oh, shit.

“Yeah, my brother always gets these, too. He works as a cook a few villages from here”, Theo explained, probably so he didn’t have to eat anything. And his strategy worked. Her mother was hooked immediately.

“Is your brother older or...” “He’s older, yes.” “Interesting”, she chirped. “I have to be honest. It was my first time buying something from there. I didn’t even know it existed.” “Well, actually we are Brasileiros, so we knew.” “Are both of your parents from Brazil?” “My brother’s, yes, but my mom is German, so I’m half-half.” ”So you two are half-brothers?” “Yes.”

As the conversation went on, Kaya’s try to steal the fruits from Theo’s plate didn’t go unnoticed. “Sweetheart”, the voice of her father barked. “Show at least some manners.” “Sorry”, she said, rolling her eyes. “No, it’s fine, Kaya. You can have them.” Now her mother wasn’t very impressed. “No, Theo, it’s okay. You have to eat something.” “It’s fine, really. I’ve already eaten.” Kaya’s mother shook her head. “No, you don’t have to be polite.” “Politeness is a rare virtue these days”, Kaya’s father said with a raised finger. “Richard”, his wife hissed, “don’t talk like we live in medieval times! Go for it, Theo.”

Theo sniffled uncertainly. “Well, truth is, I’m allergic to most of the fruits on the plate.” “To which ones exactly?”, Kaya’s mother wanted to know. Theo sniffled again. “Pineapple, apple, strawberries.” “I could remove them for you”, she offered. “Mom!”, Kaya stepped in, annoyed that her mother didn’t understand that removal didn’t change anything.

“I’m sorry”, Theo said once again. “Oh, Theo, you don’t have to be sorry about that. You can’t control something like food allergies.” “These fruits... Aren’t these some kind of cross sensitivity for people with bad hayfever?” Kaya’s heart stopped. She knew how much Theo hated being confronted with his allergies. She shot him a glance and the pure embarrassment was printed right onto his face. Shit, shit, shit.

Theo sniffled once again, trying to compose himself. Blushing, he lied: “No, I don’t huh, hahave hayfever, sir, excuse me.” His breath quivered and Kaya knew there was no chance for him to hold it back any longer. Great timing, she thought as Theo’s head shot forth so he could catch the sneezes with his elbow. “Heh’ngtchew, He’xxh... Hu Huh’ggtxxh... Hi.. Ha’NjKTchiew, ugh, so sorry about that.”

They always came in threes. It was predictable but primarily it was something to rely on. Now that he was in front of her parents of course it were more than three. Even though the last one had done something to her she couldn’t describe, Kaya still was too focused on this horrible situation to actually enjoy it. Actually, she felt so bad she wanted to sink into the ground.

“Gesundheit”, her mother exclaimed. “I think you are coming down with something. Hoarse voice yesterday, now runny, sneezy nose. I think you should go home and get some rest.” Once again: Kaya hated drawing too much attention to sneezing. This situation couldn’t be anymore awkward.

“No, ma’am, snf. I’m fine”, Theo assured. “There’s just something in the air or maybe the fruits are getting to me. Sometimes it’s enough to be close to them.” At this point, Kaya just concentrated on chewing. Her mother ran inside with the fruits, so they couldn’t bother Theo any longer.
“God bless you”, her father said with a truly disgusted look on his face. “Thank you, sir.” “Sweetheart.” This demanding tone again. The situation couldn’t get anymore awkward? Yeah, about that... “Bless you, Theo”, Kaya said with a full mouth, handing him a kleenex. He smiled genuinely in return.

“I hope, you got that allergies under control there, sport”, her father continued coldly. And now a threat? Great, just great. As her mother returned her father became silent again. “Theo, honey. Is there anything else I can do for you?” “No thank you, ma’am. I just wanted to make sure your daughter gets here safely."

Kaya couldn’t shake this tingly feeling in her stomach. To be honest, she didn’t even want to. And then her mouth was faster than her brain once again. Without even thinking about her father’s reaction, Kaya asked Theo: “Do you want to go upstairs?” And he nodded.

~ to be continued ~
 

[Guest]

I love this please continue!

[Coffee Mug]

Me love too! Please do continue 😍

[glitter_]

@sneeze888 and @Coffee Mug thank you so much and here you go!!!

I'm back and so glad you guys still care about this fiction. Hope you enjoy. Please leave some feedback for motivation. And if you have any wishes for this story, let me know!

Chapter 13

Kaya didn’t care about the furious expression on her father’s face as they stood up. She didn’t even care about his barefaced testimony he barked behind them. “You still have to work after that little something, Pereira. Don’t get too comfortable”, he said and although Kaya couldn’t see him from her perspective, already facing the door, that lead inside, she knew flames were beginning to sizzle in his eyes.

“Yes, sir”, Theo replied humbly. Kaya smiled while opening the door. No matter how much shit was thrown at Theo, he always remained respectful and never lost his composure. She admired him for that quality, because it was something she never had and probably will never have.

The last thing they both heard before stepping inside and closing the door behind them was how Kaya’s mother complained about her husband’s indiscretion. Giggling they walked to the stairs. Kaya didn’t remember how it happened, but as they had reached the first step, their hands were interwoven. Since she had no memory of thinking about body contact or about grabbing Theo’s hand in the first place, she must have found her way quite naturally to him.

As naturally as she now slipped from his grasp while climbing the stairs. She took two steps at a time like she always did, almost sprinting to the top. Theo couldn’t keep up with his lousy technique. He used the railing to pull himself up each step with an unusual weight in his movements.
Kaya became suspicious as she reached the top because Theo still fought to get there half way up. For a moment she considered just walking back down, but decided against it shortly after. She knew how important it was to Theo staying independent and she didn’t want to hurt him in his pride.

But as she waited for what felt like an eternity, the painful feeling in her stomach, that told her she made the wrong decision, grew to astronomic heights. Finally Theo arrived on the second floor a few seconds later, completely out of breath. His arms shook and his fingers trembled. His shoulders bounced and his knees twitched. In other words he looked like he was going to faint in the next moment.

Kaya’s heart began to race, as she embraced Theo’s shivering frame. He took one sharp breath before breaking out in a strained coughing fit, which forced him to the ground. Kaya caught him, while her heart couldn’t decide to pick up it’s pace or just stop all along.
Theo coughed, not being able to properly inhale or exhale in between, which made him cough even more. What scared Kaya the most was how quiet and weak his coughs were. They sounded like he didn’t even have enough air in his lungs to get them out fully.

She held him tight, waiting for the storm to pass by itself but it didn’t. Theo went from coughing up a ton to wheezing apathetically. The monotone sound made the fog in her head disappear. “Should I call 911?”, she asked Theo hectically. As an answer she got a little snorting noise, that - judging from his features - was meant to be a laugh.

 

Now Kaya was hurt in her pride. The situation was way too serious to be making jokes about it. Apparently, Theo saw it differently. With all his strength he fumbled for something in his pocket, which turned out to be his inhaler. While still gasping like crazy he took three puffs from it, always holding his breath for a few seconds after each hit.

 

Then he returned to wheezing. Being afraid was a huge understatement. Kaya was terrified. Wasn’t the medicine supposed to make Theo’s symptoms go away? Why did he still struggle to breath? Why didn’t it help? Was this normal? So many questions and the response only came after ten minutes as Theo’s breathing slowed and silenced at the same time.

His body stopped being electrocuted every minute and the warmth returned to his cheeks. Kaya held him tight out of fear he could slip away again and out of pure facilitation he probably wouldn’t. They stayed like that for a while until Kaya had the courage to speak again. “Are you okay?”

Theo cleared his throat uncomfortably and put Kaya’s arms down gently so he could straighten up. Slowly he pushed himself up to sit on the higher step next to her. He brought his arms and legs in a posture that made him look like a coachman. Then he said hoarsely: “By the way, I have asthma.”

Kaya had to laugh even though it maybe wasn’t appropriate in this particular situation. But the way Theo had said it so cynically and so out of character had given her no choice. ”No shit, Sherlock”, she giggled, so glad that he was okay. “Why didn’t you just tell me?” Theo shrugged. “Because I hate that part about myself.”

His voice was bitter in it’s statement and still scratchy in it’s tone, which made her heart ache. Theo normally wasn’t the guy to be sorry for himself. Kaya missed his warm, deep and gravely voice that gave her chills and hot flushes at the same time, free of sorrow. She also realized that his voice must still hurt from talking because he carefully touched his neck with a pained expression in his eyes.

Suddenly she once again felt the soft pulsating in her hand. She looked down to notice that they found their way back to each other. Almost like a magnet. Without even thinking about it. “Why do you hate it so much? It’s not like it’s a rare disease or something”, Kaya stated softly but received no reply. “Is it allergy induced?” No reply. Since it seemed to be a very vulnerable topic for him, Kaya tried to change it but neither her mouth nor her curiosity was ready for a topic change.

“That was a severe asthma attack, right?” Theo smiled bitterly. “No, not even close. It was a pretty mild attack. Why?” “Because your inhaler didn’t help right away.” He snorted as a reaction to her naive words. It was the same noise he had made during his asthma attack. For some reason everything in this conversation just didn’t fit the picture Kaya had of Theo. He didn’t behave like himself at all. A strong reminder how off limits his asthma really was.

“That’s just the wrong representation in books and movies, where the person with asthma just takes one hit of his or her inhaler and is... geheilt, geheilt,... uh... is cured immediately. It’s not like that in real life. The steroids need time to disseminate in the lungs and...” “I know that”, Kaya tried to defend herself. “But my best friend Brittany had Asthma in Elementary school. I witnessed two or three of her severe attacks and the meds kicked in right away every time. She didn’t sound so rough like you, either, which made me think that...” “Could we maybe talk about something else?”, he interrupted her, the pain in his eyes unmistakable.

Yes, Kaya thought. No, her runaway mouth thought. “Brittany grew out of it. Maybe you can, too”, she offered. “No!” The volume in his voice made Kaya twitch in surprise and Theo whince in pain. “I can’t, alright?”, he said way quieter now. “I can’t”, he repeated, more to himself than to Kaya. For a moment everything was completely silent. Kaya heard nothing, just felt Theo’s pulse on her ring finger.

Then Theo’s breath hitched uncontrollably. This time it luckily wasn’t his asthma. “He’shGNnsh’i, Hih’xXNgt’i’chiew, Hi’nntKGx’i’shew... ugh, excuse me. I’m such a mess right now. I’m so sorry.”

Kaya couldn’t suppress a little giggle. Because of the hoarseness that was stuck deep in his vocal chords, Theo’s sneezes came out very squeaky in the middle of his half-stifles. “Bless you again.” “Thank you. I, gh, Ihi... hi... Hi’nCTgxx’i’schiu, he, Hah’xxgh’i’cha... Hu’jeNCKT’i’shioo, ugh... so sorry, snf.” “Bless you.”

While Theo’s sneezes were normally more on the adorable side of the spectrum than on the manly side, this was a a whole new level of cuteness. Right now he sounded like a little puppy calling for his mommy.  Her stupid thoughts vanished as another triple shook through Theo’s body. He aimed the sneezes down once again. “Huh’xxh’i, -xxh’i, -nggt’i’schew, ow.”

They came more rapid this time and didn’t sound cute anymore since they seemed to hurt him. With every shudder he conveyed to her by their touch she squeezed his hand reassuringly. “Bless you again.” “You dohd’t need to bless me, really”, Theo said nasally. Instead of answering she squeezed his hand again, pulling out more toilet paper for him to use. He sniffled thankfully, then blew softly.

As another itch overcame him, he decided to put away his glasses, which were already smudged by all the sneezing. Then his free hand shot back to his face, covering both mouth and nose. “Hu’ngshx’i... He’ttck’i’choo, -xxh’i’schew, ow, fuck. So sorry. I don’t know what’s with me lately. My allergies are wild and I don’t know... he, hihi, heyi... I don’t know why. Hih... excuse me. Ha’enk’i’schoo, Ha’shnCKtt’i’shew... Hah’enCC’i’chu.”

All this butterflies in Kaya’s stomach aside, she felt more than bad for Theo right now. She wanted to help him but didn’t know how. Everything she could do, was sit there helplessly, squeeze his hand and bless him even though she usually never blessed anyone. Theo furiously tried to quell the itch by rubbing his eyes and nose with his sleeve.

But it only made things worse, because his urge to sneeze came back even stronger. “Hah'NjKT'i'chiew, He'NyGT'i'shiew... hihi, Heh'ngtshx'i. I’m so sorry. I’m such a mess.” Annoyed, Kaya rolled her eyes and shook her head. “First of all”, she said, “stop apologizing. Like, for real, it’s pissing me off. Second of all, yeah... Maybe you are a mess right now, but we hall have been a mess at certain points in our life, so it’s nothing to be ashamed... You know what?”, Kaya said, ruffling through Theo’s unruly, surprisingly smooth hair. “You’re my little mess.”

Her words made Theo smile, showing of his dimples and his freckles. He looked gorgeous when he smiled. His eyes lit up, like a thousand stars were sparkling in them which made the irritation in them leave for a short moment. Only his nose stayed bright pink and droopy, but Kaya didn’t care. After all, Theo was her little mess.

“Third of all...” Kaya struggled to speak, still too taken aback by the handsome man sitting next to her, holding her hand like it was the most precious thing on earth. Like it was a butterfly that could be hurt if he put too much pressure on it. She continued to speak, her voice quivering: “Bless you.”

Although it probably wasn’t possible, Theo’s face lit up even more. Yeah, Kaya normally didn’t bless anyone but Theo was the first one she wanted to bless. The first one who actually needed and even more important - deserved the blessings, because he was such an allergy-ridden, sniffly, sneezy human being. “Thank you”, he replied, his voice still like sandpaper, but this time with just a little more honey on it.

Before Kaya had the chance to assimilate the fact that Theo had leaned forward, the door to the backyard opened. She heard her parent’s voices echoing down the hall. She stood up abruptly, panic rising inside of her. “Get up”, she shouted-whispered. Theo obeyed. “Let’s get in my room, before my father hears you.”

He nodded, putting his dirty glasses back on and standing up as well. Horror snuck into his eyes, as his breath began to hitch. He threw his hands over his mouth trying to silence his bodily functions, while following Kaya. The itch was too strong. Before they could reach her room, Theo bent down and was forced to stifle his triple into the complete void of sound. Hectically, Kaya opened the door to her room, pushed Theo inside and closed it milliseconds later.

Sighing, she let herself fall on the bed, while Theo stayed in the middle of the room, slightly bent forward, eyes closed. “You okay?”, Kaya asked worried, rising from her comfortable position. A small, but miserable cough escaped his lungs, than he said: “Yeah... no, I don’t know. That fit hurt like hell.”

He opened his eyes, and straightened up as Kaya walked up to him, to close her arms around his body. That was her urge, like it was Theo’s to sneeze. But she didn’t get to fulfill her needs because suddenly Theo jerked away from her, his whole body stiff, the look on his face directed to one specific point on the wall. His eyes were filled with horror again. Kaya didn’t understand until he asked horrified: “You have a rabbit?!"

~ to be continued ~ 

 

[missfemmefatale]

Aww this story is so cute! I love Theo! 

[Coffee Mug]

Oh no a rabbit and he’s allergic to it! Can’t wait to read more! 
I loved the asthma attack part too (soft spot of mine in fiction) 

I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to write and post, I appreciate it a lot! 

[ID2006]

Omg, love this.

[glitter_]

@Yukkii aw, you're so sweet, thanks :)

@Coffee Mug I have to admit that asthma in particular is a soft spot of mine, too. So I can guarantee more of that in the future ;). Thank you for supporting this story. Your post really made my day.

@ickydog2006 thank you!!!

I'm so sorry guys! I'm very busy at the moment so the updates are a bit slower. Hope you can forgive me. For this next part: trigger warning! If domestic violence triggers you in any way, please don't read this part!

Chapter 14

So that was the reason why Theo’s allergies had been so out of control lately. Kaya fed and played with Doodles everyday and always made sure that his cage was clean. Of course her clothes were covered with his hair.

She felt guilty. Not only because Theo had been constantly exposed to allergens through her presence, but also because she hadn’t even thought about the possibility of Theo being allergic to rabbits, which was obviously very stupid. He was allergic to pretty much everything a human being could be allergic to. Well, probably not, but it felt like it.

Kaya scrutinized his frightened expression and knew what she had to do, before Theo told her desperately: “You have to get me outta here.” His eyes already watered and his nose ran like crazy. Then his wheezing came back, subtly but still enough to make Kaya panic. “You wanna use the front door?”, she asked, voice soft and caring, not letting her nervousness show.

He nodded. “But my father is going to see you.” Kaya was afraid that Theo might lose his job because of her germaphobic father, but she was even more afraid that she would stop seeing him after. Theo had already moved closer to the door that brought him out of this rabbit hole. Haha, get it? Rabbit hole? Damn it, Kaya, focus!

He couldn’t just casually walk out, leaving his work undone, that he promised as a compensation for the party, where Kaya got too wasted. Her father would freak, like really freak. So Theo needed a valid reason, why he had to go, that didn’t involve anything allergy-related.

“Don’t worry about your father”, he said weakly, while opening the door. It seemed like he already had a plan. Running down the stairs, he shouted: “Oh no!” Confused, Kaya followed him down the stairs. Her mother immediately responded: “Theo, honey, is everything alright?” “Uh... no, ma’am, quite the opposite, actually.”

If Kaya listened closely, she could hear the asthmatical crackle and the slight hitches in his voice, which prevented any allergic outbursts from happening. But her mother didn’t seem to notice. “What is going on?”, she inquired worried. “Two of my brother’s waiters didn’t come to work today and he aahh... hi...”

Theo paused, clearing his throat. Kaya could see the frown appearing on her mother’s forehead. “He asked me to help him out. Today is a very busy day for him. But I need to get my work done hehe... here... so I don’t know what to do.” “You should go and help your brother”, Kaya suggested before her mother could. Even though she knew she would’ve probably said the same, Kaya didn’t want to leave any room for contingencies. Theo needed to get away from the rabbit, before another asthma attack could take control of his respiratory system.

“Yes, you should. That sounds way more important than our pavilion”, her mother said sensitively. “But Mr. McCoy...” “His name is Richard”, she corrected him, “and that’ll be no problem. I’ll talk to him and he’ll understand. Now go!” Well, Kaya wasn’t so sure about the her-father-understandingpart, but at least it meant that Theo’s plan had worked. With a quick hand gesture Kaya’s mother ordered him to leave the house.

“Thanks”, he said, the facilitation in his voice more than recognizable. He was a good actor - even though it wasn’t hard to pretend to be relieved when you actually were - and a surprisingly great liar- if Kaya wouldn’t have known the real reason behind his act she would’ve never doubted his story. Theo hugged her goodbye and walked out the door as fast as he could without looking suspicious.

In the next moment, Kaya probably ruined all his efforts though, because she was already climbing the stairs again, telling her mother: “I’m going to bed to sleep out my hangover.” In contrast to Theo, Kaya was a terrible liar. The way her voice quivered up and down every single time wasn’t very convincing. Also her eyes were never able to maintain eye contact, whenever she tried to lie.

Pretty much like right now. Her mother’s frown came back full force but instead of asking her she just nodded. Kaya sighed internally, nodded back in her mother’s direction and sprinted up the stairs like her life depended on it. She needed to know if Theo was okay.

She kicked the bathroomdoor open and locked herself inside. Afterwards she ripped the window open and squeezed her upper body through the frame. Then she looked down to the street, where Theo walked with his head buried in his elbow. He was in the midst of a sneezing fit.

“Everything okay?”, she called down. Without being able to talk, Theo stuck his thumb up in the air, before bending down with the power of yet another fit. “Eishoo-eishoo... He’eHSHiew, ‘nKJTchiu, Hah’kischoo... Hi Hi’EhhNKschew, Hah’eihNKTchiu... Hu’yinnkttchew, ISHhiew, *cough cough*...”

He sounded rough. His sneezes harsh and unstoppable. His coughs dry and painful. He sounded like last night when he was exposed to the Chlorine. Kaya wanted to help so desperately but she knew, that Theo wouldn’t let her. So she closed the window slowly without making any noise and trotted back to her room, discouraged.

She kneeled down in front of the cage, where Doodles jumped out of joy seeing her. Kaya petted him carefully, a sad smile on her face. “I know, little one. I love you, too”, she said softly. The rabbit nestled closer to her hand, enjoying the gentle touch.

“But I... I like Theo, too, you know?” Doodles wiggled with his long ears as if he understood and wanted to mock her because of it. Kaya laughed. “Stop! Stop doing that!” She began stroking his ears and he held them still immediately.

“You hurt him and I don’t know what to do about it.” Kaya remained like that for a while, crouching in front of the cage, fondling her rabbit and thinking about whether or not she should call Theo to ask if he got home safely.

Then, before Kaya even noticed anything, Doodles twitched, releasing himself jerkily from her touch. He began to hectically hobble up and down the cage, so the fresh straw crackled under his paws. ”What’s wrong?”, Kaya asked, standing up. Only then she could hear her parents shouting at each other downstairs.

Out of instinct she sat back down, her arms embracing her legs. A cold shiver ran down her spine and for one second she was practically paralyzed out of pure fear. She only came to her senses as the screaming gradually increased, until the walls and ceilings trembled.

Kaya was shaking all over as she stood up once again to push down the door handle. The volume of her parent’s argument broke over her like a wave while she opened her door. As if in trance she stepped out of her room, leaving the totally scared rabbit behind.

Then she heard a sound like glass breaking into a thousand pieces of little shards. Then a noise like female sobbing. Her mother. She was crying.

Kaya had a choice. Being a big girl or being her five year old self, that was too afraid to act, too young to understand. She wanted to take a next step, she really did. But suddenly she didn’t have a choice anymore.

Her trance was still there, making her turn around and bringing her selfish self back to safety. Her mother was still weeping as Kaya closed the door, creating not only a physical but also an emotional barrier between herself and the events downstairs. And in that moment she knew she was her five year old self  again.

~ to be continued ~

[glitter_]

Hello guys! Happy new year! I'm back and very sorry for my long absence. Last year was so stressful for me and I needed Christmas to collect myself and recover from all that pressure. But now I'm back and very positive that I will be able to update more regularly. Hope you all enjoy the next chapter! A little would make me very happy and spur me on to continue.

Chapter 15

There she was now, lying on her bed, holding Doodles in her arms. She stroked him gently, her arms covered in goose bumps, her eyes closed. She wanted sleep to kick in, but it didn’t. Kaya had no idea how long she just stayed there, without any motion in her limbs but the soft up and down of her fingers between Doodles’ thick fur, without any particular thought running through her mind but the distant longing to escape from this world.

There was a reason why she couldn’t live without animals. They were her safe space. Whenever things between her parents had escalated in the past, her pets had been there to protect Kaya from every harm the situation might bring to her. They were the ones, who had always waited out the storm with her, the ones, who understood her pain.
Animals were emotionally smart. Way smarter than human beings could ever be. Animals knew when something wasn’t right, they knew, when to be there for their owners. Never ever would they harbor deceitful thoughts, let alone express them in deceitful ways. They were honest and sincere. You always knew where you stood with them. Every emotion of an animal, good or bad, was meant seriously, not like the impulsive ones of a person, whose next action you could never count on.

Kaya felt safe around her pets. She couldn’t live without them. Once she had tried and had failed miserably. Since her ex-boyfriend had been terrified of pretty much everything involving or surrounding a moving lifeform with fur, she had decided to give away her cat Trixie, so she could be together with him.

It had been a terrible idea. Not only because Sebastian hadn’t been there for her in hard times like her cat was, but he turned out to be one of the hardest times in her life. It had been shocking for Kaya to experience the same abuse and neglect, her mother dealt with every single day, in her own relationship.
To her it seemed like, because of her childhood she was cursed with the same life her mother had been given. Because of her childhood she was destined to magically attract people that hurt her like her father hurt her mother. Only thinking about her relationship with Sebastian, what it had meant to her, how addicted she was to it and how hard it had been to let go of it, brought her trauma back.

Her trauma, defined by how well Sebastian and her father had got along. Doodles seemed to realize the strong shiver running through Kaya’s body and how it consumed every part of it. He snuggled closer to her, probably to comfort her.

It pained Kaya deeply, that she had never had the courage to talk to her mother about this whole situation until today. That she had never dared to inform her mother about her knowledge, to let her know of her deep concern. After Kaya’s break up, which had been the most painful decision of her life, she couldn’t even imagine how a potential break up would feel to her mother, who hadn’t lived two but thirty years together with the person that she feared the most.

Kaya had made many mistakes in her life. There ware so many mistakes, she wished not to repeat. There was only mistake. One Kaya wouldn’t actually repeat. Since she couldn’t live without pets, she wouldn’t give away Doodles like she had given away Trixie. It was the right thing to do. Because since she also magically attracted abusive people, it was no big deal to ignore Theo’s allergies. He probably would turn out to be like Sebastian anyway, who acted all nice in the beginning as well.

No. It was no big deal to let Theo fall. At least she thought so. Then her cell phone rang and forced her back to reality. One look at it’s display was enough to identify the caller. Theo. Vehemently, Kaya shook her head. She didn’t want to pick up, she really didn’t, but for some reason she did anyway.

There was a magic force giving her no choice but to press the green button. Where was that magic force, when she really needed it? For example to... to... To do what exactly? To talk some sense into her father? To advise her mother to separate? She didn’t even know, how she felt about that whole scenario, even though it had been going on for many years. She didn’t even know, what to do. She didn’t even know, what she wanted nor how to get it.

Everything that was left in her was confusion. Kaya could hear that in her mind. Everything that kept her going was the rabbit in the crook of her arm. “Hello?”, she answered the call weakly. “Kaya! How’re you doin’? Are you okay?” His voice made Kaya uncomfortable, although it was soft and humming as she liked it. It made her uncomfortable, because it was also awfully strained.

Everything that was left in him was tiredness. Kaya could hear that through the speakers. Everything that kept him going was his worry for her. She knew that in her heart. But she didn’t want to listen to it. “I’m okay. Why’re you asking?” “Really? You don’t sound like it.” Kaya was certain, that Theo was crazy. If someone should ask how the other was feeling it was her. After his asthma attack and his multiple sneezing fits.

“I’m fine, alright?!”, she snapped, not thrilled that Theo just stepped into her life again, while she already tried to forget. “I’m sorry.” Well, okay. Now Kaya was a hundred percent certain, that Theo had lost his mind. If someone should apologize to the other it was her. After her carelessness and his exposure to Doodles.

“For what?!”, she barked, not amused about the way he made her feel. Every time she heard his voice, everything around her went still, while everything inside her moved faster than ever. Her heartbeat, her blood flow. “For not being nice to you. When you asked me about my... my asthma... I... shouldn’t have been this heartless. I hope you’re not mad.” Kaya did not miss Theo’s disgusted emphasis on asthma. It seemed to be a really delicate topic to him as her family situation to her. She felt bad because of her unstoppable curiousness.

“It’s nothing. I don’t even remember it, to be honest with you”, Kaya said truthfully. “Thank god, I was scared”, he laughed, his vocal chords scratchy. She couldn’t help but smile at Theo’s mindfulness. He really wanted to make sure, that he didn’t hurt her. With his gentle words. With his soothing voice. But... so had Sebastian. And he turned out to be a terrible person.

The trauma flooded back into her veins. No, she couldn’t, wouldn’t let that happen again. She clawed at Doodles, swallowing a non existent lump in her throat. For a second she wondered, if that was how Theo’s allergies felt like to him. No, she couldn’t care for him, not anymore. She needed to end this call right now, before she would change her mind.

“Well, thanks for checking on me, but I’m fine. So there’s really no need to...” “Hold on... One... he seeeh... second...” Kaya could hear Theo putting down his cell phone, breath hitching uncontrollably. She couldn’t resist the urge to press her own cell phone closer to her ear to experience Theo’s adorably sounding, beautifully desperate sneezes in the distance. “Hih’NjKchiew, He’xxschoo... hi Ha’ngTTshiu... haha, Heh’JiNCschEw, huh... Eischoo, -gnxx’Ishoo, ugh.”, Theo sneezed far away.

She would never understand how someone with such a sneeze, cute but powerful all the same, could be so embarrassed by it, that he would intentionally put his cell phone aside, just so the one on the other line wouldn’t have to listen to him succumbing to his little half-stifled, muffled fits.

Yet these fits were all Kaya wanted to listen to. Theo wasn’t only the most allergy ridden man she had ever met, he also was the only one, whose allergies had ever made her feel this way. Hot and cold, shaky and sweaty at the same time. “Bless you”, she breathed. “So sorry. Your rabbit is still getting to me. Not... not that you need to worry about it. I’m fine, it’s just... just... Hu’giTJKchoo, Huh’xxnkschu, Hah’ehNTshiew... excuse me, sorry. Just regular allergies. No big deal”, he stumbled across his words, while the perfect sound of his last sneezes, uncontainable and itchy, still echoed in Kaya’s ears, sending a wave of appreciation through her spine.

She was so glad, that Theo hadn’t been able to pull away from his cell phone in time. “Bless you”, she repeated in the same awe as before, hoping Theo didn’t notice her gushing over his awesomeness. Then reality hit back, sending a wave of pain through her spine. This wasn’t meant to be. She needed to end it before she couldn’t anymore. She needed to fight the pleasure that came with it. It was for the better. Maybe not right now, but in the long run.

Focus, Kaya, focus, she told herself as she opened her mouth. She closed it again as Theo’s words were once again faster to escape than hers. The fact that he talked more than her was so rare and unusual it showed Kaya’s indecision even more. “You... uh... You maybe wanna come over tomorrow? In rabbit free clothes if that’s possible?”

No, no, no!, screamed the experience and the pain inside of her. Yes, yes, yes!, screamed the imagination and the hope inside of her. Kaya was uncertain, unsure, stuck. “Kaya?”, Theo asked, his voice hoarse and nasal, the tone in it caring and tender. Her name, spoken by him in that Brazilian manner that she liked so much.

In that moment Kaya’s feelings took over and her runaway mouth welcomed her choice gladly, even though it was against everything she swore to do. Something told her not to let go. Something told her she would regret the other decision, sooner or later. Maybe it was a magic force, maybe it was just bad intuition. Maybe it would be different this time, maybe not. Torn but confident at once, Kaya responded, a smile on her face: “Yeah, I’d love that."

~ to be continued
 

[Guest]

I love this story ! Please continue 

[glitter_]

I'm back with a new part. Sorry for the wait. Hope you all like it! :)

@sneeze888 I'm so glad you like it so much. It makes me so happy!!!

Chapter 16

Kaya crossed the street, jumping into a big puddle, ruining the beautiful reflection of the lantern on the water. Theo’s house, that he shared with his friends, came into her sight and Kaya’s steps quickened, as did her heart.

Only one thing was different than yesterday. She got her father’s permission. Well, technically not for seeing Theo, but for going for a long evening walk. Alone, by herself, in the pouring rain. She had always loved the rain and everything that came with it. The quietness but also the loudness.
The wetness as well as the hardness. Just the atmosphere in general.

Kaya’s actions weren’t dependent on the weather, not like those of other people. Everything that was deterrent to most people, that made them stay within the safety of their homes, she liked. Extreme coldness as well as extreme hotness. Wind, rain, thunder and lightning. As if the weather gods could read her thoughts, a bolt of lightning covered the sky in blinding brightness.

She watched the spectacle as she reached the front garden of Theo’s house, climbing the stairs and ringing the bell. Confused she made her focus switch away from the sky and it’s gray, thundering clouds to the doorbell, which didn’t seem to make any noise. Kaya waited a few seconds, but as no sound on the other side of the door occurred, she decided to knock against the thick wood of the door.

It wasn’t long till she heard hurrying footsteps approaching her. Footsteps, that could make her heart beat even faster than her own from before. The lock clicked and the door opened. Theo surfaced and for a moment Kaya lost the ability to speak.

He was so handsome standing in the doorframe, cozy looking joggers embracing his legs, baggy tshirt showing his muscles, his eyes shining and his messy, wavy hair falling right into them. He didn’t even try and already was more than gorgeous. How would he look, when he did try? Would Kaya then never be able to speak again?

“Kaya, come in. You’re all wet.” Mouth gaping wide open, she followed him inside, forcing herself not to stare at his golden brown arms and how well trained they looked. They were enough to make Kaya forget about the fact that Theo seemed to be a part of the my-life-is-adapted-to-theweather-dudes-community.

“How are you? Hangover gone?”, Theo asked, while gently pulling her jacket off.  What. A. Gentle. Man. “Uh... uhm, yes...”, Kaya stammered, her brain empty of all the doubts about Theo, that had plagued her yesterday, her head free of all the pain about the relationship of her parents, that wouldn’t let her go in her dreams.

“Are you cold? You want a coffee?” “No... to both questions”, she managed, while kicking of her shoes. “I like rain.” “Really?”, Theo asked surprised. “Can’t say the same about me.” “Why though? Rain is so relaxing!”, Kaya argued, following Theo upstairs into a little, comfy room with one sofa, which they both hopped on.
“Hi, hihi, Hih... He’NjKTchiew, Huh’xxschoo... Hu’gGKtshiu, ugh, excuse me.” Kaya’s mouth gaped open again, but her reflexes were fast enough to close it before Theo could notice. “I showered myself and got into new clothes right before I got here. I swear, I’m rabbit-free”, Kaya said in mock shock. She was rabbit-free but at the same time she had nothing against a few sneezes from Theo here and there.

“Not it’s not you, it’s my hayfever. That’s why I don’t like rain. Rain makes pollen even worse, because the water makes it fall to the ground, so the allergens can pop out of it”, he answered her question from earlier, rolling his eyes slightly. Well, that made sense. “Okay, that I can tolerate”, Kaya joked and Theo laughed.

Her eyes concentrated on the ceiling, which was covered with posters of all sorts. “That one I can tolerate, too”, she said, pointing at one specific poster, that had caught her attention immediately. “Which one?”, Theo asked, squinting. That was the moment Kaya realized, he wasn’t wearing his glasses. “The one from Tupac. Gotta love him.” “Yes!”, Theo let out his inner fangirl, pointing to the backside on his t-shirt. Only now, as she wasn’t distracted by his muscles, she saw the rose in the concrete.

“I didn’t notice that... Why aren’t you wearing your glasses?”, her curiousness took over without permission. “They got broken yesterday. Still need to fix them.” “Oh... How did it happen?” “You know... I... I was sneezing my head off yesterday. My glasses hit the concrete and now there’s a big crack on one side.” “It was the same with my sunglasses. How do you fix it?” “I told you, it’s my little secret.” “For real now?”, Kaya said. “Come on, show me!”

Shrugging, Theo got up and went to the old cabinet on the other side of the room. He put out his hand, probably to open it, then froze before grabbing the handle. Abruptly he pulled up his arm, rapidly sneezing into the crook of it. “Heh’mmktshioo... Ha’NkCTchew, Hah’gHNXxschiew... excuse me, sorry, ... Hay... Ha'Eikchoo... Hayfever, I’m really sorry.”

The last one had clearly snuck up on him, otherwise he would have been able to stifle it. He was so stubbornly cute. “Bless you. You don’t have to explain your allergies or apologize for them.” “Yes, I have to. It’s embarrassing”, Theo said in a whisper. “No, it’s not.” It’s damn hot. Focus, Kaya, focus. She swallowed. “Don’t be ridiculous and show me what’s inside the cabinet.” He nodded shyly and opened the doors.

“Wow!”, Kaya said in awe. In the cupboard a small workshop appeared, with different glasses, saws, tapes, glues and many other things that she couldn’t even identify. Carefully, Theo pulled out his glasses, handing them to her. “So you see the little crack right there?” Kaya turned the glasses in her hands, inspecting the broken part closely. “Yes.” “Trevor is optician, which means, he can give sunglasses sunprotection and can scrape normal glasses so you can see through them. I collect the glasses and cut and bolt them, so they fit.”

“Crazy!”, Kaya said, truly impressed. “You must be so good with your hands... at crafts.... you know what I mean, like... That’s really one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.” “I like repairing things. Not only glasses”, Theo tried to handle the compliment in such an awkward, introverted manner, it made Kaya squeal inside.

Out of fun she put Theo’s broken glasses on. She closed her eyes in shock. “Ew! That is so blurry! You see the world like that without glasses? How did you even climb the stairs with that poor sight?” Theo laughed. “Practice? I don’t know. I’m almost legally blind on my left eye.” Kaya took off the glasses, handing them back to Theo. “Weird flex but okay”, she joked.

“Don’t you use contact lenses with such bad sight?” “Well yes, but with my allergies it’s almost impossible to wear them because my eyes get so itchy and irritated, I just can’t... wear th... hee, theeehhem, He’xxh, -xxhchioo... Huh’yeNyKgtshi, ugh, snf, so sorry.”

Theo’s last half-stifle had been so soft, but strong all the same, that it made Kaya’s stomach crawl with appreciation. “Stop apologizing, it’s fine”, she assured him, feeling that weird magnetic sensation, which made her hand interlock with Theo’s.

Then her phone rang and a message of her father popped up. Kaya shifted uncomfortably and Theo noticed immediately. “Everything okay?”, he asked, frowning deeply. “Yeah.” “Really?” “Yeah, sure.” “Kaya?” Dammit! She couldn’t resist his voice when it was saying her name. “No, not really. That was my father. I told him, I would be going for a walk. He doesn’t know, I’m here. I have to go.”

Kaya stood up, so did Theo. “You’re an adult. He can’t control you and tell you what to do forever.” “He... he just wants to protect me”, Kaya tried to maneuver her way out of the feelings she had successfully suppressed. She didn’t want to fall back into a yesterday-like situation. “I know, but you are strong and independent. You can protect yourself!”

That was a point. Sebastian had never said something like that. He had always sided with her father. For a moment Kaya became soft and actually played with the thought of telling Theo, what was bothering her. She wanted to tell him the truth, the rough, painful truth, she had never told anyone before.

But then her fear came back stronger than ever. As nice as Theo seemed he couldn’t be trusted. “Kaya? Are you okay? That wasn’t meant to be nosy. I just wanna help.” Theo’s voice was nothing more than a distant echo. Kaya needed to get out of here back to her parents before they would get suspicious. Back into the rain, that could wash away all her confusion. “I’m okay. I just... I have to go.” With these words, she stormed out.

~ tbc, please leave feedback for inspiration! 

 

[ID2006]

My memory is lousy so I can't really remember the other parts, but loving this just the same.

[Coffee Mug]

Aww me likes very much! Love Theo and his allergies! Thanks for sharing and for continuing the story 💜🤩

[glitter_]

Hello beautiful people! I'm back with the next part. Hope you guys like it! It takes a moment for the sneezy stuff to happen. Stay patient, it'll come.

@ickydog2006 oh no! That means I have to update faster so you can't forget :D I'm so glad you enjoy the story

@Coffee Mugyou're the sweetest! Don't thank me, I thank you for reading it :)

 Chapter 17

Weeks passed without any special incidents. It had been cloudy and rainy outside the last few days, so Kaya had stayed in bed most of the day, reading and watching boring videos. Even though she would normally be the one complaining about such behavior, she couldn’t help but fall into the same patterns.

The weather wasn’t to blame, though. It was just a good excuse for her to avoid going outside since the last time she had seen Theo at his home. He was still working in the backyard almost every day, but Kaya never had the courage to go downstairs.

She was angry. Not only at herself but at Theo, too. Secretly Kaya blamed him for her current behavior, for her father losing it, for all this chaos in her head. Of course she knew it wasn’t his fault.

Super secretly she had wished that Theo would’ve followed her that evening. When she was confused by all her family drama and her feelings for him, pressured by her father’s strictness and left alone by pretty much every person she knew except... maybe Doodles.

And even though the last weeks had gone by without any commotion, Kaya knew that sooner or later her father would snap and lose his cool again. His madness was unpredictable. Sometimes nothing happened over months and then suddenly there was an outburst, that Kaya would have never seen coming.

Still, with all this shit going on in her life, all she could think about was Theo. He had texted her a couple of times, asking her if she was alright, but she hadn’t responded because she was scared of reject, of disappointment. She feared the past and the future. She feared Theo and the influence he had on her and herself and the influence she had on him. Deep down she wanted to be happy with him but had no idea how to achieve such a seemingly impossible goal.

So she had ignored him. And his texts had gotten fewer and fewer until they were non-existent. The only contact Kaya still had to Theo was watching him work through her window. How effectively yet gracefully his fingers moved. How physically fit but at the same time how quickly exhausted he was.

It was on a Monday morning, fog rising from the fresh green grass, when Kaya rose to her feet to prepare for her university classes and for the stress of leaving the house in a hurry so as not bump into Theo, that she noticed something was different. She put the book, she was currently reading, back in the big brown shelve and fed Doodles like she did every morning. Then, right before she wanted to leave her room, she took one last look through her window.

That was when she froze immediately, realizing she couldn’t spot Theo like all the days before. Frowning, she closed the door and ran up to her window to take a closer look. Still no sign of him. Kaya panicked. Why wasn’t he there? Maybe it was Sunday and Kaya had lost her track of time completely? Or maybe Theo’s allergies were so bad, that he took a day off?

All these thoughts fizzled out, however, when she suddenly understood. A big knot formed inside her stomach and pulled at her organs with an unpleasant tightness. While Kaya had focused on Theo the entire time, she hadn’t given the reason why he was even there any attention whatsoever. The pavillon looked as good as finished. The lighting had been installed, the cables had been laid.

Her heart stopped as she realized that she had screwed up, big time. His work was done and he was gone. That was probably the reason he stopped texting her. He was finished and had given up on her. Kaya needed a second to digest the fact, that she wouldn’t see him again, not even through her window.

Maybe she would cross the street someday awkwardly meeting Theo on the other side, not knowing what to say to him. They would gaze at each other in this embarrassing fashion and that would be the only contact they would ever have again. Although Kaya had wanted to stay away from him the sudden realization of his final absence made her more than unhappy. It made her hopeless and the situation unbearable. But it was too late for her to turn back now.

She collapsed on the floor, forcing herself not to cry. So dry sobs escaped from her throat, resoundingly bouncing off the wall, filling the entire room. Seconds later she became quiet again, shaking like a leaf. Doodles jumped up and down nervously, trying to gain Kaya’s attention but it didn’t work.
It always worked, but not this time. Her attention was fully focused on her sorrow. She missed him already. His intelligence and his humor, his shyness and his modesty. She missed him working in the backyard, how he could stand there in the blazing sun for hours, stubbornly wiping his sweat away from his forehead, how he could stand there surrounded by all those flowers for hours, stubbornly stifling every itchy, allergic fit into submission.

Slowly, Kaya stood up, knowing she couldn’t just skip all of her classes. While she moved closer to the door on wobbly feet, she stared down at her trembling hands, which she didn’t seem to have any control over. She was so deep in thought that she didn’t even hear the knock on the door.

Opening it, she would’ve almost stumbled right into Theo, if there hadn’t been his strong arms grabbing her shoulders to push her back into reality. “Watch out”, he said with a smile so genuine, it made Kaya melt, before she even looked up.

This whole situation seemed like a dream to her. First she thought she had lost Theo forever and in the next moment he was standing right in front of her, smiling like nothing had ever happened. Like she hadn’t been a prick and ghosted him for weeks.  Kaya was so relieved but scared all the same, she didn’t know how to react. Her limbs were like stone and jello at the same time.

“How...? I thought you were...? When...?”, she stuttered helplessly. “Your parents aren’t home so I thought I’d stop by to see how you’re doing.” And that was the moment the dam broke and Kaya lost control over every word coming out of her mouth. “I... I’m good. Well... actually not good. I... I thought you were done with work and I was so scared that I had ruined my chances and I would never see you again. I’m so sorry about ignoring you. Honestly, I don’t know what got into me. I
just get these doubts a lot and... and I don’t know what to do about them so I just...”

Kaya got cut off by Theo as he pressed his lips against her’s. The kiss was so sudden and unexpected that it caught her off guard completely. She barely had time to close her eyes to enjoy the moment, when it was already over.
Shocked, she stepped back, eyes wide. “What was that supposed to be?”, she asked confused. “That was something I’ve been wanting to do for a hella long time.” Pulse rising and heat climbing up her cheeks, all Kaya could muster was to stand in the doorframe with an overwhelmed expression, blocking the entrance to her room.

After a little pause Theo asked: “Can... can I come in?” Still wondering if this was all a dream, Kaya nodded and led him inside. As she closed the door she felt Theo’s uncertainty in every move he made. “Is this okay? I mean... if you don’t want me here... hell, I don’t even know if you feel the same way I do. So it’s fine with me if...”

Now Kaya was the one to make him shush. She didn’t want to waste another second of her life where Theo didn’t know how she felt about him. It was in these moments when even her mouth failed her, that she finally let actions speak.

This kiss was softer and gentler than the last. They both took enough time to get used to the closeness of their bodies, allowing each other to sink deeper into the touch of one another. Kaya’s cheeks were flushed with all the happy hormones in the world and the heat radiating from Theo’s body made her sweat.

The joy and the pleasure she felt in that moment was indescribable and would stay indescribable for the rest of her life. But as great as her delight was as short was it’s duration. Theo pulled away from the kiss with his eyes watery and his nose scrunched. As his breath hitched to prepare his nasal passages for the following outburst, Kaya heard little crackles coming from his lungs.

It was only when he bent down, the urge to sneeze fully consuming him, that she knew what was causing his allergies to flare up. “Ha’eNKshiu, Hah’eggschioo... Hi... Huh’ngtxchiew... hehe... ghi, Hi.... Hu’nmKGTchoo, He’TnGTchew... Hi’jexxshew, ugh, sorry, snf.” “No, I’m sorry. I forgot about the rabbit.” “It’s okgay, I didd’t”, Theo said with a very congested voice. Kaya giggled, pulling him closer for another kiss but he turned away. “I’m all sdotty add gross right dow. Mbaybe it’s dot the best idea, if we...” “Hey”, Kaya interrupted him. “It’s okay. I don’t mind.” “You sure?” “Yeah, hundred percent. I want this.”

Theo relaxed and let Kaya pull him into another, way more eager and steamy kiss. She liked the way he opened his mouth for her, subtly inviting her tongue to get involved. He acted totally different from all the other men she had kissed before. He allowed her to lead and didn’t force a certain pace or rhythm on her like Sebastian. He allowed her to show him what she liked and didn’t use more tongue than needed like her first boyfriend Jasper.

She liked the way his fresh breath and his asthma medicine tasted. She liked how every time their noses collided by accident he twitched a little because the allergic itch combined with the nose tickle was too much for him to to bare. After slightly pulling back a couple of times he finally succumbed to his sneezing.

“Heh’ngtshx... Hih’gGKTshoo, Hi’nYXcKschiew.” “Bless you”, Kaya said, standing up on her tiptoes to reach his intriguing lips. “Sorry”, Theo managed in between kisses. “Don’t be.” She liked the way his damp nostrils flared and his minty breath crackled. She liked the way he moved his hands from her face down to her back and her hips, so careful that she felt like a treasure. Like some antique vase which had to be treated with respect so it wouldn’t break.

“Ha’NjKTchu, Huh’NyGTshew... Hah’xxhschi.” And damn did she love the way he sneezed. “Bless you again”, she whispered full of appreciation. “Sorry again”, he said shyly. Kaya giggled. “Stop it already.” They moved over to her bed, letting themselves fall on it not very gracefully, which resulted in a loud creaking noise and Theo’s glasses slipping from his nose. Laughing at their clumsiness they kissed each other again.

And then Kaya started to pull up her T-shirt. Surprisingly, it was Theo who stopped her. “We can slow it down if you want.” “No. This is perfect”, she said even though she wasn’t exactly sure about it. That was Kaya’s problem. She always got involved in things she regretted later. “Okay”, Theo said, sounding a little bit unsure himself, before turning to the side, burying his face in his elbow.

“Heh’xxhh, -ngtschioo, -NGTchiuu... hihi... HE’gheeschoo, Ha’nntshiew... snf... Excuse me.” Okay, maybe she was sure about it. “It’s okay. You can’t help it.” Theo leaned down to her, missing her lips by a few centimeters. He snorted while correcting his position. “Sorry, I can’t see.” “Right”, Kaya giggled, “half blind and all of that.” As if he tried to make it up it to her Theo unbuttoned his shirt and leaned down again, exploring her neck with his lips.

Kaya moaned out of pleasure. She didn’t care that a little bit of allergic snot from Theo’s nose dripped down on her neck in the process. She enjoyed how his brown skin felt on her pale one, smooth and rough all the same. “Ha... haha... Hi, Huh’eischoo-eischoo, Hu’EnNKschiew, Eghiiishoo, Hah’ngtshx... *cough cough* snf *cough cough*”

Theo’s sneezes became too uncontrollable to stifle and his slightly shallow breathing had developed into a harsh wheezy cough, that left him breathless for a totally different reason than Kaya.
That was when her longing turned into concern.

She was so selfish! How could she let this happen? She knew how allergic Theo was to Doodles, who watched them attentively out of his corner, and had still let him in. That was her problem. No matter how beautiful the moment was, it was gone by now. And Kaya already regretted that it ever happened.
 

~ tbc

[ID2006]

Well that got steamy... definitely no complaints here. Looking forward to their relationship progressing. 

[Coffee Mug]

Anghhh so hot 🥵 can’t wait to read more!! 🤩🤩🤩

[glitter_]

Hello beautiful forum! Although I'm very busy at the moment I somehow managed to update faster than usual. I'm trying to keep this kind of pace in the future but can't make any promises. Hope you all like the next part.

@ickydog2006 and @Coffee Mug supporters like you really motivate me to keep writing this story. I'm very happy you enjoy it!!! 

Chapter 18

It had all gone so fast. Way too fast for Kaya to properly process. In one moment she had thought she had lost Theo forever and in the next moment he had been kissing her with so much passion and desire that her previous thought seemed totally stupid.

She still wondered if this had even happened, if this was all a dream after all. But she could still taste him on her lips. His asthma medicine combined with his fresh minty breath, which kind of reminded her of a soft ocean breeze. She could still smell him in her nose. His aftershave combined with his vanilla body odor. She could feel his presence next to her, chest rising and falling, veins pulsating heavily.

It was real, not a cloudy dream or a distant fantasy. The thought of losing him now, after what had happened between them... Kaya shook her head. No. She couldn’t lose him because he couldn’t leave her.

That was just how Theo was. Loyal. So loyal that he would stay in a room with a rabbit, whom he was highly allergic to, if it meant being by her side. As intriguing as that certainty was it plagued Kaya to know he was hurting, now that he was lying next to her in her bed, panting wheezingly and sniffling wetly.

He was about to lean over once again when she reluctantly pushed him back. “We shouldn’t be doing this.” “What are you talking about? I thought you... *cough*... you wanted to.” “Yeah, no... Well yes, but...” She didn’t want to address his asthma, which’s flare up was obviously bothering him, because she knew what a vulnerable topic it was for him. So she decided to address his allergies instead.

“My parents could come back any minute. You want them to see you like this?” Theo frowned, then hid behind his fist, muffling a quick but painful coughing fit into it. ”Like what?”, he asked as if he didn’t know. “Like... like this”, Kaya said, vaguely gesturing at his drippy, runny nose and his watering eyes. In that moment Theo bowed his head, looking defeated but more than anything... sad.

“If that’s a problem for you, then... maybe we shouldn’t be doing this.” He stood up. Kaya’s heart jumped as she understood what her words had caused in him. She stood up as well. “No... it’s not that, it’s...” “Heh’EnNGKschoo, Ha’YjnnKTchei... hi Hah’ghhgeeschu”, Theo sneezed, turning to the side. “Bless you”, Kaya said, taking Theo’s hand, pulling him back to face her.

“Believe me... It’s more complicated than that”, she finished her thought from before. Theo’s eyes didn’t really meet hers which made Kaya anxious and nervous all the same. She couldn’t tell him about the complicatedness of the whole situation although she wanted to fully trust him. It was just way too early. Talking about her family as well as losing him. That’s why she was so afraid. “No... I, I know...”, Theo stuttered, still looking at the floor. “It is complicated. I totally get that.” “You do?”, she asked hopefully. Theo nodded, turning away again, breath hitching and wheezing, pulling the other hand, which wasn’t entwined with hers, up to his face to cover his sneezes. “Hu’YIcKchew... hihi... hi ghe... Huh’yeNyKgtshiew, Hih’JnxXTGschuu, -gnxXT’Ishoo, Hi’KischooHa’eeghyischoo, hi.... EieghjYiktGdx, -xxh, -xxh, Hah’NgDJtchiew, ugh... *cough cough* snf *cough cough cough* snf... I’b so sorry, Kaya.”

For a moment, all Kaya could do was stand there, frozen. She was so stunned by the experience she just had. Holding Theo’s hand, she had felt every desperate explosion crawling through body, electrifying not only his arm with little sparks but hers, too.

Then his sneezes, the more itchy and allergic they got the less controllable they seemed. Theo had to draw them out not only in rapidly longer fits but in longer-syllabled outbursts just to get the slightest bit of relief.

Then his nose and eyes, red rimmed, damp and drippy. He had to blink his eyes and wiggle his nose in various directions an abnormal amount of times to prevent eternal, never ending sneezes from happening.

And then his breathing, a reminder why she felt guilty and worried, why everything else didn’t matter. She needed to get him out of her room, even though she didn’t want to. But how could she do that without hurting him more than she already had? Bringing up her parents was not an option anymore. So what now?

Theo’s words pulled Kaya from her trance. “I understand. I get that you have a problem with your family seeing me like this. I mean... if, if I were you, I probably would feel the same way. *cough cough cough cough*” “Theo”, Kaya sighed. “Don’t talk. It’s not good for you.” Her tactic not to talk about his asthma didn’t work as planned.

Theo took a step back, letting go of her hand. “No, let me finish... I... *cough cough* I understand. You don’t like this part of me.” “Theo...”, she tried to stop him, but he didn’t let her. “It’s okay. I understand. It’s gross and annoying and embarrassing. And it maaahh hihi... He, HEH... ugh. And it makes me weak. I meeeaahh he... ‘scuse me... Hi’mmNKshew, Hih’enYKjgdTschoo, Hah’InGKyckchiew, Ha’iNdTjeisheyw, hi Hu’xxhschu, Huh’ngttschew, so sorry. I mean I can’t even get this over with without sneezing my head off, so... I’m gonna go.”

Kaya felt like the world was slowing down. Like everything around her was moving in slow motion. She saw Theo turn his back to her, walking to the door. Although it only took seconds for him to reach the door handle, it felt like hours to Kaya. Long enough to intervene.

“Don’t go”, she begged. Well, that was dumb. “I, I mean... you should, because of your allergies, but... I don’t want you to. Forget what I said earlier. I don’t care about my parents. All I care about is you.” “Really?”, Theo asked like he was a little kid that couldn’t believe the earth was a sphere. God, he was so cute. Kaya nodded, happy that she had been able to articulate her point correctly.

”But... but even with my allergies?” Because of them. “Their are not a problem to me”, Kaya clarified, walking over to Theo to give him a short but assuring kiss. His lips tasted salty from all the snot running down his flaring nostrils. “Now go”, she ordered in a motherly tone. “Actually...”, Theo said with a smirk, fumbling in his pocket. “I brought this with me to shield me from your rabbit.” Kaya studied the face mask and the goggles in Theo’s hands. That’s when she realized that Theo would do anything to see her happy. He knew how much Doodles meant to her and wasn’t forcing her to give him away like Sebastian had.

“I mean, It won’t completely stop me from sn... He’nYXcKschiew, Ha’xXgGkchoo, Hah’jEnGTyish from doing this but it’ll have to do for a while. Is that okay?” What a question! “Yes, yes of course”, Kaya said squeakily, jumping into Theo’s arms.

That’s when another coughing fit, which Kaya could hear every wheeze and crackle of, shook him back and forth. It wasn’t only hurting him anymore. It was hurting her, too. Kaya knew how much Theo hated his asthma and people drawing attention to it. It was as much of a vulnerable topic for him as her family situation was for her. As much as she hated to address it, enough was enough. After all, it was his health which was at stake.

She pulled back from the warm and loving hug, activating her pressure-mode. “But first, use your inhaler.”

~ tbc
 

[ID2006]

Awwww, can't wait to read more.

[ID2006]

Also, your spellings are phenomenal 

[glitter_]

Hello beautiful forum! I'm back with a new part. I hope you are all doing well. If you guys have any hopes, suggestions or visions for this story, feel free to share them. That keeps me motivated and inspired. Without further ado: enjoy!

@ickydog2006 thank you very much! I'm so insecure about my spellings. I try to make them as good as possible so knowing someone likes them makes me more than happy

 

Chapter 19

 

Stunned, Theo stared at Kaya as if she had asked him to jump out the window or something. However, he followed her order by halfheartedly pulling out his inhaler from his trouser pocket. With a shy head motion he asked her to turn around, which she obeyed immediately, even though she found the situation a bit awkward.

 

Kaya hated to see Theo like this. Weak, sick and at the same time uncomfortable with being weak and sick. But as much as she wanted to protect him from his uncomfortableness, Kaya knew that he was desperately in need of the medicine in this little thing, which he shook behind her.

 

She felt him holding back with the dosage as well as the deepness of his inhaling breaths. He clearly not only wanted to downplay the seriousness of his asthma but also the awkwardness that came with taking his medicine. But instead of digging deeper into Theo’s recklessness with his well being and the problems he had with his chronic illness, Kaya wanted to let the topic go, for the time being.

 

She turned around again and walked up to Theo, who was already in the process of pulling the mask, he had brought with him, over his mouth and nose. Afterwards Kaya helped him to carefully adjust the goggles around his eyes. “Wow”, Theo said, “now *ahem* now I really can’t see a thing.”

 

“You look very sexy”, Kaya giggled, trying to ignore the fact his coughing hadn’t stopped yet. “Right?”, Theo said, chuckling his throaty chuckle. He was trying very hard to distract her from his still troubled breathing.

 

He staggered forward, his hands stretched out in front of him like a zombie. Kaya couldn’t suppress a laugh at how blind Theo was in this moment. She could suppress a laugh pretty well though, as she found out his destination.

 

Grabbing the cage like a rescue tire, Theo bent down to Doodles, greeting him warmly. “Hey little one. Nice to meet you officially. Let’s say... *cough cough* our meetings before were a little... problematic.” He reached into the cage, where Doodles’s soft snout touched his hand curiously.

 

Kaya had a hard time controlling herself. Theo’s cough still sounded painful, his breathing still shallow. The mask wasn’t really helping him to breath freely. And now he was closer than ever to the source that was causing all of his problems. “What’s his name?”, Theo asked, his voice hoarse and quivering. His next sneezing fit wasn’t far away. “Doodles”, Kaya said, fists clenched.

 

She didn’t like how Theo shifted the focus away from his allergies like they were nothing. She had experienced more than enough of them to be worried and scared about his careless behavior. But at the end of the day it was his body. He knew it best, with all its quirks and limits. It was his responsibility, not hers.

 

“Ha’EghYjnktschoo, Hah’jxnMGchiew... hi, Hihi, Hah’xhXQsheyw, Huh’nG’nKschew... Hu’nD’nTschiu, Hu’YgJkxxhTchoo, ugh... Excuse me, Kaya. It’ll get less after a while, I promise.” “It’s okay”, she assured him, although she wasn’t exactly sure. Theo should be the one to tell her, this whole thing was okay. So she could finally enjoy his presence to the fullest.

 

“He likes you”, Kaya said, pointing at Doodles and how he rubbed his floppy ears on Theo’s outstretched hand. Now she was the one shifting the focus away from her concern. “Yeah...”, he replied, hesitating for a moment. “I like animals, too. They can make you so happy when y...” ”...you’re sad”, Kaya finished the sentence for him. “Exactly, it’s just that... I, I wish... He... He’gHYinxXTsch, Hi’yeNkydsh, Hih’jiXgxhQchew... I just wish I wasn’t so allergic, ya know?”

 

That hit Kaya right in the face. She had no idea what she would do if she was allergic to pet dander. She owed animals so much. Her happiness, her stability... her life. “Theo... I... I’m so sorry.” “Don’t be. I didn’t stay to see your rabbit, did I?”, he said, smirking through the mask and goggles.

 

A few moments later they found each other on her bed again, lying flat on their backs. “Did you know that your father made me the official offer to work for his... uh... for his... what does empresa mean in English... for his empresa... uh... for his company?” “Yeah, for his company”, Kaya said, laughing at Theo’s trilingual issues.

 

“It’s okay. Your brain is probably broken from all the sneezing”, she joked. “Probably”, he said, cringing slightly. “Did you take the offer?” “No, I didn’t.” Kaya wasn’t sure whether to react relieved or astonished. She chose the latter. “Why? I thought you need the money.” “I do.” “So?” “I get the feeling you don’t want me to work for him.”

 

Kaya’s heart started racing. “It’s not about me, though. It is about you getting paid. And my father might not be the nicest person out there, but he pays if you know what I mean.” She couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. It was like she was her father’s little puppet again, born and raised to say and do what he told her to.

 

“There are other jobs for me”, he said, drawing little circles into her palm with his fingers. She liked his warm touch on her cool skin. “I just don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.” Well, that made no sense. Wasn’t he already in trouble because of her? Being in a room full of allergens that made it hard for him to breathe?

 

As if Theo had read her mind he turned to the side, coughing into the crook of his arm. His coughs were dry and soft, almost as if he tried to hold them back. At this point Kaya was convinced that Theo must have went through shit with his asthma if he tried so hard to hide it all the time.

 

“All I’m trying to say is that I know you two don’t get along. And... from now on... whoever is your enemy is mine, too”, he said caringly. “I... well, that’s...” “You don’t need to explain yourself”, Theo cut Kaya’s helpless but grateful stuttering off, “it’s all gooood, ‘scuse me... Hi’yeNyKgtshiew, Heh’txxhchiu, -nxxhgt’EighinkSHiew, ugh, so sorry.”

 

“Bless you”, Kaya said, mouth dry and cheeks hot. Not like his coughs his sneezes were wet and desperate. The spray from his little fit had left behind a big moist spot on his mask, that she was unable to overlook. “Sorry. I’m so disgusting”, Theo said, truly embarrassed.

 

“Hey”, Kaya said, still amazed by how understanding Theo could be, once again shifting the focus, “thank you for understanding.” That’s how she pulled him right out of his embarrassment and into her arms. “Of course”, Theo mumbled. “Ha’XgXkhschew, Heh’nYnJgschew, Hi’ndQkTshiew, Huh’jeXCchoo.”

 

His sneezes shuddered through both of their bodies, making Theo’s mask so wet someone could easily wring it out. “So gross, so sorry, snf”, he managed to say through his clocked airways and nasal passages. And although it was worrying, Kaya had to admit that she found it really cute how Theo’s usual sets of threes seemed to expand by one when his allergies worsened.

 

So it was a curse as well as a blessing when Kaya’s parents arrived. As they locked the front door behind themselves, chatting about something irrelevant, Theo jumped to his feet. “Hurry”, Kaya whispered, pushing him to the door. Soon he could breathe freely again. That was her only motivation of him leaving.

 

“Wait, I finish your pavilion today. What do we do?” “I... I don’t know. Call me. We’ll figure something out.” “Yeah, sounds like a plan”, he said, removing the mask with a disgusted look on his face. “I have to say, my bandana is a better allergy shield than this.” So that was why he wore bandanas so often!

 

“I can’t wait to see you again. I already miss you, Kaya.” There it was again. Her name in his mouth. “I already miss you, too”, she said, giving him a heartfelt kiss on his damp lips. The pleasure didn’t last long, though, because Theo had to pull away hastily.

 

“Hu’xxh, Hih’XgXhschoo, He’YhnGTchiew, Hah’ngtshx, ugh, excuse me.” Again, four sneezes. Kaya giggled. “It’s quite alright. Now go! Wash your face or something, if you don’t wanna be eaten alive by my father. There’s a bathroom next to this room.” “Thanks”, Theo said, sneaking through the door while he exchanged the goggles for his real glasses. “See you.” “Yeah, see you.”

 

With that, the door closed and Kaya’s feelings opened.

~ tbc

[missfemmefatale]

Yay thank you for the update! I really love this story and especially Theo!!! 

[glitter_]

Hello beautiful people! Kaya and Theo are back. Hope you enjoy this next part. 

Trigger warning for domestic violence!!!

@Yukkii thank you! It means a lot, that you like my story!

 

Chapter 20

 

“So, Pereira really had the audacity to turn down my offer. The last one, who did that was... well, I never actually had someone reject my offers before.” “That’s because they are so fair, Richard”, Kaya’s mother said, sipping at her disgusting tea.

 

“Such a shame. He would have been a great asset to the team. I mean, his character aside”, Kaya’s father said, letting the pen between his fingers twirl. Kaya pretended to be so immersed in the book she was holding, that she didn’t hear her parents’s conversation, although she did.

 

“What do you mean by that? He is such a humble boy”, Kaya’s mother defended Theo’s personality. “Well, he can also be very immodest. He likes to do things his way.” “So? The world needs creative people like him.” “But some people can be too creative for their employers. Innovation and improvement are not his job. His job is to obey me. Well, maybe it’s a good thing he is gone.”

 

As she listened to the crap her father was saying, Kaya read the same line for the fifth time. She couldn’t hold back any longer. Her mouth wouldn’t let her. She put her book away, saying: “Honestly, dad. Just say how it is. You only like little yes-men, which Theo obviously isn’t a part of, so... you have something against him because he has his own opinion. Am I right?”

 

She saw her father’s eyes twitch. The action was almost unnoticeable. Almost. “Watch your tone, sweetheart”, he threatened with a harsh expression on his face. “Why? It’s true. You like forming people to your puppets.” “I hope you know, that you are outrageous right now. My antipathy for him has way more valid reasons than this nonsense you’re talking about.” “Which are...?” “The way he acts around you, for example.”

 

Kaya frowned. “How does he act around me?” “Irrational.” “As if that were a valid reason. That’s bullshit!” “Language, sweetheart”, her father barked. “Richard, calm down”, her mother begged. “I also can’t stand his allergies.” “His food allergies? He can’t do anything about them.” “No, I mean his hayfever.” “It’s not like he can do anything about that either.”

 

“He doesn’t have hayfever”, Kaya continued Theo’s lie by interrupting her parents’s dispute. “Oh, please. The constant sneezing and sniffling whenever he’s outside. It’s so obvious it hurts. You’ve spent enough time with him to know.” “He doesn’t have hayfever”, Kaya sticked with the lie. “And even if he did, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

 

“He has hayfever and that is a problem because he lies about it. By the way, that’s another valid reason for me to dislike him. He’s a liar.” “Give me a break, you fricking germaphobe!” Kaya stood up, rage filling up her whole body. How could her father be so disgusted by something so human?

 

“Why are you so invested in his runny, snotty nose?”, her father teased with an evil grin on his face. “You are so mean!” Kaya knew how childish she sounded in this very moment but she didn’t care. She didn’t like how her father treated Theo’s allergies as they were ridiculous, when they were in fact pretty serious.

 

“I’m mean, just because I think Pereira should control his sniffly snuffly nose a little more?” As if he could. Her father lecturing about control pissed Kaya off on so many different levels. Control was about restriction. And Theo already was so restricted by all his allergies that he shouldn’t have to control them for the sake of her father’s freedom. People like him were the ones, who made Theo insecure about having an easily irritable nose.

 

Kaya didn’t want to restrict herself any longer either. Everything her father had done to control her, was in the past. She was capable of fully controlling her actions and her words, even if they were poorly thought out. Like her next words, that quelled to the surface. “You know what, dad? Fuck you!”

 

And with these words the mood tipped, once and for all. Her accusations had been a hopeless try to gain more respect as well as a longing to show that she was strong and independent, like Theo had told her. She had taken a chance to stand up, not only for herself, but for Theo, too.

 

Kaya’s mother, whose eyes had been playing ping pong between the two of her relatives the entire time during their argument, now stood up with a sudden, unexpected energy, while leaving her huge cup of tea, whose content she had swallowed down nervously minutes ago, almost burning her tongue from the drink’s heat.

 

She had always had a perfect preminition, being able to sense a potential following disaster way better than most people Kaya knew. It had changed the outcome of a situation more often than she could count. Exactly as it changed the outcome of this situation right now. It was arguable if it changed the situation to the better, though.

 

Kaya’s father slowly approached her, expression cold, muscles tensed up. Before he could harm her, her mother pulled him away abruptly, so the two of them stumbled backwards. “Don’t be provoked! She’s just a child!”, her mother defended her. “No, I’m not!”, Kaya screamed, angry at her father and disappointed at her mother.

 

Only then the weight of the moment hit her shoulders, almost pushing her down to the ground. Kaya’s heart stopped for one beat. Anger and disappointment turned into fear, then fear into fright and then fright into shock. Her father had tried to beat her and now he would probably try to do the same with her mother.

 

But instead of having her mother’s back like she had hers, Kaya turned around, the familiar trance washing over her body. Now this feeling, this numb feeling, was there to protect her. Although she had been upset about her mother’s words, she had been right all along. Kaya was a child, too selfish and too reckless to see the danger, even if it was lying right in front of her.

 

It was the trance who carried her away, not her brain or her legs. Kaya slammed the door shut, ran through the front yard and jumped over the fence. She kept running, too afraid to turn around. After an eternity, she came to a halt, lungs burning, feet shivering, forehead sweating.

 

She was disoriented. She didn’t know how she got here, neither how she could reach any kind of destination from here. Finally falling to the ground from the weight, Kaya hectically reached into the pockets of her jeans. Relieved, she discovered her cell phone behind a full pack of tissues, she had put there in case she would spend the day with Theo.

 

Pulling it out from the right back pocket, Kaya dialed a number she couldn’t even recognize in her confused state. Without thinking about it, she pressed the green button, waiting for the monotone signal to settle in. A few beeps later someone picked up. “Kaya! How are you?”

 

Under normal circumstances Kaya wouldn’t have been surprised to find that her subconscious was already familiar with Theo’s phone number. But under these particular circumstances she was indeed surprised that all roads, from happiness to sadness, from angst to anger, always lead her back to Theo.

 

“Are you okay?”, he asked, his voice quivering with concern. Although the connection crackled unsteadily, Kaya could still hear Theo’s roommates laughing heartily in the background. It was hard for her to focus. She must have procrastinated too long, since Theo spoke up again. “Uhm, hello?” “Hey, I’m good, but... listen I, I kinda got a little problem.”

 

Her voice seemed so alienated, estranged, foreign. It almost felt like her voice tone had been drowned out and replaced, like it wasn’t her speaking. After what had happened, the way she talked so insignificantly, so trivially just didn’t fit into the picture. “What is it?”, Theo wanted to know, voice soft and still quivering.

 

“Uh... Crazy story. I just took a walk and, you know, kinda got lost. I wanted to... to come over after the walk but I don’t really know how... uh... I don’t know how to get to you from my current location and my data is insufficient. I can’t use the navigating system. So... like, could you maybe... I don’t know... help me?” Oh gosh, what a terrible liar she was. “Sure. Where are you now?”

 

Kaya looked around. There were a few small houses and a few big cars, which rushed past her, trees, bushes and... She spotted a sign, which revealed the name of the street. “I am...” She stopped, knowing from the sound coming through the speakers, that she didn’t have Theo’s full attention. So that was why his voice had been quivering this whole time.

 

 “Hu’NGT’schoo, Hi’XndTkchiuu, Hih’xHxMshieYw, hehe, ghi... Heh’xxtnchi, -QnXH, -xxHSCHEE, Huh’ghEiesshhew, He’TgDkxcXscht, ugh, so sorry. What did you say?” “Bless you, Theo!”, Kaya heard his friends calling. “So sorry, guys”, he called back.

 

As much as Kaya wanted to acknowledge his sneezing, she wasn’t mentally able to do so right now. So she just answered the question, he had asked after his astonishingly rapid and desperate fit. “Uh... I, I said I am on...” She had to stop again. “Ha’jjiESSHhew, Ha’yeNyikchoo, Hah’xxhsch, EieejiSSHHiew-YjiSSHHyew, ‘gnmtX-chi, Heh’NyeKgQdsh....”

 

Kaya just sat there, the grass stroking her legs, the wind brushing her hair, helplessly concerned. She was so immersed in her own pain that she didn’t know how to react to the pain of others. So she just sat there, listening to Theo sneeze and sneeze... and sneeze. It almost seemed like their suffering was connected somehow. And even though she was too tired to even wonder what was causing his intense allergies, she wasn’t too tired for the wish to be there for him, to stroke his back, to hand him all the tissues he needed.

 

”... Hi’ENK’chuu, Hih’XMT’schoo, -nGKx-YheiJiehSSHew...” At some point she heard a muffled voice behind Theo’s constant, itchy mix of uncontrollable let-out sneezes and his usual half-stifles. It was Marcel. “Bless you. Whoa, bless you. Take it easy. Try to breathe. Bless you. Please don’t stifle so much. I can take over if you want. Bless you.”

 

There was rustling. Then the sneezing became quieter and quieter, until it faded out completely. “Hey Kaya! What do you need?” Marcel seemed a little on edge. “What... what... is he...?”, she rambled, unable to get a full sentence out. It was like his sneezing fit had stolen her vocabulary. “Yeah, he’ll be okay. This happens sometimes, when his allergy meds wear off. What do you need?”, he repeated. Swallowing, Kaya said: “I am on Charleston Road right now. Can you navigate me to your house?”

~ tbc