For her (M, 3 parts)

[Skylacticon]

Hey, lovely forum. My brain seems to have come up with something new. Hope you might like it xx

-

🌸🌺🌼

 

“Dude, don’t you wanna grab something to eat?”

 

“I gotta fide ode… *snrk!* Baybe there’s ode that I’b dot allergic to, that might work.”

 

“When you said that in the car, I imagined you were exaggerating and not just entirely unhinged.”

 

Hunter sighed, halting abruptly behind Jonah, who had stopped to take closer look at another section of potted flowers. Hunter was certain that they’d seen (and tested) numerous flowers that had to be in the same family as that one - and the thought was affirmed as Jonah took a shallow gasp, and raised the crook of his arm.

 

“AAATSCHhhiu!!-ttschiew!!” He pitched into his elbow with another breathless double.

 

“Bless you,” Hunter said with a nagging tone.

 

“Thagk you, *snrff!* Dot that ode…” Jonah muttered to himself, sawing underneath his red nostrils with a curled index finger.

 

“Why don’t you just get her a succulent?”

 

“She loves flowers,” Jonah exhaled, his eyes still scanning the rows of black plastic pots and planters.

 

“So?”

 

“So I’b godda fide sobe that- isschhiuh!! -wod’t -ISSCHHiuh!! -wod’t bake be sdeeze…”

 

“How will you know that if you’re already sneezing?”

 

Jonah blinked, looking stumped and foolish. “Well, I… I’ll know.”

 

“How?”

 

“Because I’ll pause betweed differedt types and see…”

 

Jonah kept walking slowly by a long row of rose bushes, and Hunter followed reluctantly. During his ‘pause’ period, Jonah kept sniffling and raising his hand to rub his itchy, allergic nose. He didn’t bother to smell the roses - he was already sniffling messily, his brown eyes teary and blinking rapidly. He glanced around, and his watery gaze caught on the flourishing row of daisies on the other side - one he’d already tested and eliminated as a choice. Now, he only seemed to be looking for some fresh air, eyes blurring with itchy tears.

 

“Dude, come on, let’s-“ Hunter took his friend by the shoulder, and began to guide him away. Jonah quickly mumbled a few words that Hunter couldn’t quite hear, and practically ducked from Hunter’s hand with a string of itchy sneezes.

 

“I have to- USSCHHioo!! have- USSHHIEW!! ht’USSCHHIEWW!!” Jonah’s shoulders convulsed with each harsh release, in a way he seemed aware of - shying away as to avoid hitting Hunter. Hunter sensed this, and ran a firm, soothing hand over Jonah’s back. Jonah quickly raised the crook of his arm over his nose and mouth. “AAESSCHHIEWW!! -Oohh, pardod be… I’b sorry…” Jonah panted, with a thick sniffle.

 

This bitch, thought Hunter. 

 

After walking away to a safe enough distance from the allergy gauntlet, Hunter stopped and looked at Jonah, whose eyes were pink and watery.

 

“Please tell me you’ll stop and buy her some chocolate, instead.” he demanded, gesturing fiercely at Jonah with his thumb and forefinger together.

 

Jonah blinked, as if considering it. His gaze wandered towards some very ordinary-looking petunias, violet and white. “But I gotta-“

 

“No, Jonah, don’t,” Hunter jabbed, putting out his hands as to stop his bumbling friend from heading back towards the large section of colourful blooming plants.

 

“But Lily,” he said, a whining tone accompanying this plea.

 

“-ssss make you sneeze, and cough even, which is worse-“

 

“She deserves to be given flowers,” Jonah insisted.

 

“She won’t stop liking you if you don’t get her flowers! It’s like, would you stop liking me if I didn’t eat your cookies because they had hazelnuts?”

 

“I wouldn’t do that to you.”

 

“I know, just-“ Hunter sputtered, and sighed, his shoulders releasing tension. “Okay, how about- How about we look for fake ones?”

 

Jonah paused. His nostrils twinged, and he sniffled softly, raising a curled knuckle to rub his nose. “They aren’t the same,” he said plaintively.

 

Hunter stared at him, sympathetic. “Well, you can’t keep doing this, man, I mean, look at you.“

 

Jonah’s disappointed expression broke with a quiet, amused scoff. His eyes lowered. “…Yeah,” he nodded. He paced a few steps, then stopped, still staring towards the flowery area. “I guess it would mean they’d never die,” he wondered aloud.

 

“Yeah,” Hunter agreed, feeling a spark of relief in his chest. 

 

“She could keep them forever,” he breathed. Hunter watched Jonah’s face as he spoke. 

 

Hunter hadn’t exactly doubted their relationship in the time it had existed so far, but seeing Jonah talk like this made him realize how much he must love her. Gross, his cynically-conditioned brain spat, though deep down, he found it utterly wholesome.

 

“Come on,” Hunter said after a bit, patting his friend on the shoulder. “Let’s get you some Claritin. Maybe a shower,” he suggested, relieved. 

 

…

 

“Can we pass by Michael’s first?”

Edited November 23, 2023 by Skylacticon

[Catsgotyourtounge]

Omg I absolutely loved this please continue!

[thesneezyowl]

Well helloooooo there new story! I like you!

[Skylacticon]

Hey again. Thanks for the sweet comments. ☺️ Not to be all ‘a man written by a woman’, but. Yeah. 

Here’s part 2:

-

💐🍂🧣

 

Lily was more than eager to leave. Thoughts of swarming the food court were fogging her brain. She should’ve eaten before she left the house, but that would’ve made her late, and she couldn’t afford to miss out. When the prof wrapped up, students began filing out of the room, some staying behind to ask questions. Lily was descending the steps, passing rows of seating, and heading out the door.

 

As she emerged, she spotted familiar dark hair by the staircase, and grinned.

 

“Jonah, hey!” she greeted him cheerfully, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. “What’re you doing here?” she questioned, then gasped, as he pulled something from behind his back.

 

In front of her was a humble-sized, but beautiful bouquet of light pink lilies, accented with lush green fern leaves, wrapped neatly in brown paper with twine.

 

“Jonah, oh my gosh, they’re gorgeous,” she breathed.

 

“They’re for you,” he said gently, the corners of his lips pulling into a grin.

 

“Really? Thank you, that is so sweet,” Lily took the small bouquet and held it under her chin. “What’s the occasion?”

 

His long, wavy hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, which swayed as he turned his head and rubbed his nose. “I was thinking about you this morning,” he said in a low voice, which was delicate enough to be forgiven for discreetness. He sniffed softly, his chin turning back towards her. Then, he gave a soft laugh. “Is that corny? Lilies for Lily? I quite like them,” he admitted, looking shy about it.

 

Lily’s grin pulled wider, if possible. “No,” she giggled. “I mean, maybe, but…” Jonah’s head bowed with another bashful chuckle. Lily went on, delighted. “Thank you. Wow,” she breathed, still gazing down at them.

 

“Of course.” Jonah watched her smell the pink flowers, grinning fondly. “Where are you headed?” he asked, one hand on the back of his neck.

 

“Office,” she replied. “I might drop my stuff off and grab a bite to eat, if you wanna join me.”

 

“Lead the way,” Jonah gestured, and off they went.

 

They began to walk down the hall and up the stairs to the ground level.

 

“How was Martin’s class?”

 

“Alright,” Lily sighed. “Just a lot of review on this assignment that’s due next week.”

 

“Oh, is that the finance one?”

 

“Yeah, there’s that and the schedule, and… it’s just a lot, I feel like he should’ve broken it up, honestly.”

 

“Mm. Yeah, it seems-“ he paused slightly, his voice going a bit breathy at the edge of that last word. He turned away and stifled a harsh, squelching sneeze into a crushing handgrip. “nN’gxXcKk!!-nnnhh… *snff!* Pardon, me, ‘scuse me.”

 

“Bless you,” Lily said, glancing up with soft eyes. Jonah’s head turned back slightly. He was still rubbing absently at his nose with his index finger. She might have noticed before, but up close, that perfect nose had a reddish tint to it.

 

“Seems like he’d be a lot less stressed if he’d…” His nostrils flared, and his eyelids fluttered. Quickly, he gave his nose a hard rub and sniffled sharply. “If he’d have broken it up.”

 

“Yeah,” Lily sighed. 

 

While his eyes were elsewhere, Lily’s eyes fell upon him - his dark brown double breasted coat, and a maroon scarf that peeked from within. She liked when he wore his hair down. It would blow in the wind, unruly but pretty. His hair pulled back was nice though, too- tied together with his getup, it looked both rugged and professional. 

 

When they got to the end of the hall, he held the door open for her. She stepped out and turned back to him with a small shiver. 

 

“Ooh,” she exhaled, digging her hands in her pockets.

 

Jonah’s dark eyes squinted against the daylight, then fluttered shut. His expression seemed to crumble. Slowly, he shook his head and turned away, raising a fist to his nose and mouth. “hhHd’zZSCHHhhh!!”  His frame shuddered with another harsh sneeze.

 

“Bless you again,” Lily said gently, running a hand over his back. “You okay?”

  

“Excuse me, thank you, *snf!*” Jonah sniffled, and gave his head a little shake. “Yeah, I’m okay.  Did you want to grab sandwiches or see what soup they have in the food court?” 

 

Lily blinked past how smoothly he’d danced around the question. “Uh, a turkey melt sounds nice. Although, that and soup sounds divine.”

 

“Are we thinking soup and sandwiches?”

 

“Yes, that is the move.”

 

As they crossed the courtyard, Lily slipped one of her cold hands into his, which was nice and warm. She heard some soft sniffles from above and inwardly shrugged it off, thinking it might have just been the cold. They finally made it to the next building, and turned into a dimly lit hall, where Lily punched in the code to a room on the right. The small mechanism beeped and the locked clicked open. As Lily pushed her way inside the office and turned on the light, she heard another sneeze from behind her, still restrained, but quite desperate.

 

“hgG’DZSSCHHhiuu!! *snnrff!* Jesus, excuse me, I’m so sorry, *snrf!*” Jonah entered the narrow office, wiping his eyes.

 

“Bless you, you okay?” she asked again, as she put her bag down on the long table against the wall.

 

Jonah lingered by the door, sniffling softly several times. He gave his nose a stubborn rub with a curled index finger. “Yeah, *snnrff!*”

 

“I hope you aren’t coming down with something,” she said gently, looking over. 

 

“Ah, no, I’m not, I’m just…” He said this while rubbing hard at his nose. “Just kind of… *snrff!* h-hihh…” His brow furrowed, as if he was about to sneeze again. His nose was running, both due to the change in temperature and the presence of the bouquet. “Sorry, I’m gonna- tchhieww!! Hihh! hep’TSSCHHhh!! *snnrff!* Excuse me, oh,” he muttered, blinking dazedly. 

 

“Bless you.”

 

“Thagk you, *sdrf!*” 

 

Jonah began to fumble in his pockets for a tissue, feeling his nose start to drip. He found a folded tissue in his left pocket and began to refold it. He raised it over his sniffly nose, and turning away slightly, gave it gentle blow. After a bit, he emerged, revealing flushed, twinging nostrils. He sniffled softly a couple of times, and pocketed the tissue.

 

Lily stood the flowers up in the magazine filing box at one end of the table. Jonah watched, raising a long index finger to rub his nose.

 

He cleared his throat before speaking. “It must be… all the dust and mold from the leaves, it makes me sneeze…” he gave a soft explanation, remaining cautiously by the door. 

 

Lily was feeling the soft petals of one of the delicate flowers, gazing at them appreciatively. Jonah felt another ticklish, allergic sneeze creeping up on him. He glanced around, wondering if he could hold it off until they left the office. He’d worn a mask up until he’d arrived outside her class, and without it, his nose had been buzzing and dripping. Right now, his nose was running, and he raised the folded tissue to wipe beneath his nostrils.

 

“Ready?” he asked softly, wrinkling his nose subtly.

 

“Yup,” Lily stuffed her wallet in her pocket and did a mental, but visible, ‘phone-keys-wallet’ check. Then she linked her arm around his, and led them back out the office door. 

[Catsgotyourtounge]

Loved this edition! Keep going please!

[sprinkles287]

Oh man, this is fantastic. Something about your second part hit me in all the feels. I love Jonah. Sweet boy, embarrassed? to admit what he’s allergic too.

 

And also just the knowing that he couldn’t find any flowers that didn’t make him sneeze so went with what he would’ve gotten her if he wasn’t allergic. 
 

So. Sweet.

[secret19]

Absolutely breathtaking writing. But it’s Skylacticon so who’s surprised? 😂❤️ 

Please continue!

[Skylacticon]

Hi folks! Thank you for the kind words. ♥️
Part 3:

-

 

“What’s nice is we already put in the rental order. Which I’m really excited for. I’m gonna try all the effects on the soundboard.”

 

“You always do,” Lily smirked, pushing open the door to the office.

 

“It’s part of the experience,” Jonah mused, as she turned on the lights.

 

Lily went over to the table by the wall and removed her jacket, then hung it on one of the desk chairs. Jonah followed and put down the large brown bag containing their lunch. He froze as his eyes caught on the pink lilies in the magazine box. He’d forgotten about them while they were grabbing lunch, where he’d began telling her about a show he’d be playing in the following week.

 

“Something wrong?” Lily asked softly, peeking up at him.

 

“No- uh,” He shook his head a little, diverting his gaze. “Just… forgot about this one thing I was supposed to tell Marcus,” he said quickly, and began to remove his coat. “The one piano we have that we’re supposed to borrow, it’s out of tune, but…”

 

“Oh no.”

 

“Yeah, well…” Underneath, he wore a navy blue pullover. After hanging his coat on the chair next to hers, he pulled back his shirtsleeves and opened up the takeaway bag. “Either we find someone to tune it, or- *ahem* -‘scuse me, we uh… say it was an artistic choice.”

 

Jonah lifted a fist to hover in front of his face for a moment, eyes blinking rapidly. He let it drop after a few seconds, hoping she didn’t notice.

 

“Renting another one would be expensive, wouldn’t it?”

 

“Like, a whole upright piano?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“Well. Yeah.”

 

Jonah groaned mentally. He was wondering if he could pull off being in the small, closed space of the office with the bouquet of lilies for the next while. The vague, lingering sandpapery itch was returning in his eyes, and his throat apparently, which wasn’t a good sign.

 

“Well, you can probably find someone.”

 

“Yeah,” he lifted a curled index finger and gave his nose a light rub. 

 

Which wasn’t the best idea, seeing as he’d carried the flowers a considerable distance, leaving a fine but considerable amount of the essence of them on his coat and hands. The itch seemed to curl deeper, causing his nose to wrinkle as a preventative reflex. As Lily began to speak again, he opened the paper bag wider, making it rustle. The sound was able to mask a quick cough and sniff. God, his nose was running again.

 

“I feel like that would be cool to some degree. Like you’d need a good foundation of like, bass and other stuff, but it would be kinda spooky.”

 

That made Jonah chuckle. “Ah, well…” He sat down next to her after distributing their soup and sandwich containers. “I grew up in a house with an untuned piano, for what, ten years? After a while you stop hearing it.”

 

“Do you?”

 

He laughed again softly. “No, it’s awful.”

 

A grin tugged at Lily’s expression, as she opened her container of food court minestrone. It wasn’t top tier or anything, but it was warm and made with veggies and shell pasta, still quite nice. She reached over for one of the saltine packets.

 

Meanwhile, Jonah did the same. The steam coming from the freshly served soup hit his sensitive, runny nose. He sniffled, this time a bit more audibly, and blinked watering eyes. The ticklish, buzzing sensation reappeared, and he paused his breathing, reaching for a napkin on the table. He quickly pinched it over his runny nose, smothering an itchy, wet sneeze.

 

“hrRR’ISSCHHhhiuu!!” The muffled, restrained sneeze was somewhat able to bring some relief, although he still felt itchy. He wiped gently at his nose with the rough napkin, and snuffled, the sound more thick than he’d have liked.

 

“Bless you,” Lily murmured, and ran a hand gently over his back.

 

“Thank you. *sdrf* Pardon me,” He sighed softly, still rubbing at his poor nose with the napkin.

 

“Here,” Lily nudged his elbow, offering a soft, white tissue.

 

Jonah blinked, and lowered the napkin. His nose had that reddish, irritated tint to it. He pocketed the napkin and accepted the tissue. 

 

“Thanks. Anyway, um,” he gave his nose a soft blow, and rubbed underneath his itchy nostrils. Against the pale hue of his skin, they began to contrast. “The one here is a lot worse than my family’s piano.”

 

Jonah’s nostrils twitched as he lowered the tissue. The harsh sneeze seemed to have opened some sort of floodgate, as the tickle lingered. It prickled and burned, making his sinuses produce a thin, watery stream that threatened to run down his upper lip.

 

“No one checked it out?” Lily questioned teasingly.

 

“*hsnff!* Not really.” Jonah blew on a small spoonful of soup. “We used a different space to rehearse.”

 

“Ah.”

 

[… Many spoonfuls of soup later …]

 

“*snnrff!* It was a real scare for people,” Jonah exhaled. He put down the remaining half of his sandwich and wiped his fingers on a napkin. “He was out for modths.”

 

Jonah had to take a breath between words. His nose was so prickly and itchy, and his eyes had begun to sting and tear up. He sniffled thickly, his pink, slender nostrils streaming, feeling a hot, allergic, burning sensation in the back of his nose.

 

“Jonah, honey, are you sure you’re okay?” Lily dared to ask again, her eyes soft with concern. 

 

Jonah blinked his irritated eyes, his eyelashes clumping with itchy tears. They fluttered again, involuntarily, wincing as the burning, sore sensation became unbearable. He quickly lifted the back of his hand over his nose and mouth.

 

“h-hih-! Heihh!” He knew attempting words would make the itch worse, but he tried anyway. “Oh, I’b fihh… hih! fih- HEihh-! hhHEEAASSCHHIEWWw!!!”

 

A real one came out.

 

It emerged much more powerfully than he’d expected, pressed into the back of his hand. Luckily, he’d managed to turn away from her. And, naturally, the relief was amazing - though each sneeze seemed to erupt more desperately than the last, and that one was just the first up to bat.

 

“Bless you, aw,” Lily pouted sympathetically, and put a gentle hand on Jonah’s shoulder.

 

Jonah sniffled harshly a few times, and gave his nose a hard rub. As the itch intensified, he choked out a few words. “I deed to get up,” he huffed, standing blindly, feeling for the table’s edge. What he might’ve wanted to say was that he needed to get out, but he didn’t want to alarm her.

 

“What’s going- Are you okay?”

 

Jonah had paced to the other end of the office, pulling a folded tissue from his pants pocket. He allowed the tickle to build, his irritated nostrils desperate for relief. He held the soft tissue up to his face, and let out a string of sneezes, quick and staccato.

 

“EESSHHIEWW!!-heeEESSCHHIOO!! HEEESSCHHIEWWw!!!”

 

“Bless you,” Lily stood up and went over to him. These sneezes were big, uncontrollable. They engaged the body, his head thrown forward, shaking violently with the force of the sneeze, his feet stumbling forward and moving to keep balance. 

 

“huHdt’EEISSCHHIEWw!!” Ow. That one hurt, jerking his frame once forward again, feeling like a clap of thunder in his head. 

 

Lily put her hands out to steady him. He blinked down at her, then his eyelids fluttered shut and frame swelled with a huge breath.

 

“hhrRRUSSCHHIEWWw!!!” Jonah doubled forward with the force of that sneeze. He was quite near the wall- Lily pushed him back gently so that he wouldn’t hit his head. 

 

“Bless you. Is it the leaves?” she asked softly.

 

Jonah’s frame rose and fell with panting breaths. As his eyelids began to flutter again, he shook his head faintly.

 

“Hihh… I… I- hHEhDT’zZZSSCHIEWW!!! Another thunderous one barrelled through, causing another involuntary convulsion forward. It sprung tears to his eyes, as it left his poor nasal passages feeling sore. He seemed to pace just to compensate for these huge, dizzying sneezes, and Lily stayed close, running a comforting hand over his back.

 

“Bless you.”

 

That one seemed to take care of most of the itch that had been waiting dreadfully, making his nose drip and twitch. Jonah blinked rapidly, his eyes itchy and sore, his nose the same. He sniffled thickly a few times, and raised a fist to clear his throat.

 

Then, something clicked.

 

“Honey, are-“ Lily blinked. “Are the flowers… making you sneeze?”

 

“huHd’TCHHIEWW!!” One without warning, very allergic. Jonah snuffled congestedly and sighed. “*hsdrff*….” He rubbed hard at his nose with a bent index finger, his brow furrowing slightly. “Yeah, the… the lihh- lilies- hhEHPt’CHHIEWW!!”

 

“Bless you, oh gosh, come here,” Lily said firmly. She took his free hand and led him out the door and into the hall. She shut the door behind them. Then, she turned to Jonah, whose back was against the wall. She stepped closer as he began to rub at his eyes.  “Hey, don’t,” Lily breathed, touching his arm gently.

 

“Sorry,” Jonah whispered. For what, was uncertain.

 

“Oh, Jonah,” she said affectionately, as if scolding him for apologizing. She ran her fingers through the small, wavy fringe that hung over his eyes. “Did you get me flowers that you’re allergic to??” The question leapt from her, half touched and half amused.

 

“Uhh, I mbay have…” he admitted finally, looking slightly sheepish.

 

“Jonah!!” she blurted out.

 

“…Yes?” He mumbled hoarsely, staring down at her in a way that stole her next words. A tiny grin forming, as if her getting excited was amusing to him. A thing that made it impossible for Lily to stay upset, out of spite. 

 

“Okay, that’s cute. Jesus,” Lily muttered as a smirk grew on her face. Her eyes wandered over his slim-fitting dark blue pullover, down to his trim waist. Then she sighed, flustered, and shook her head. “But still-“

 

“I kdow how buch you like theb, *sdf!* I-I wadted to…”

 

“Jonah, you silly little-“ Lily reached up and ruffled his dark fringe. “Come here,” she wrapped her arms around him, and pressed her forehead into his chest. She moved back after a bit, finding his hands with hers and squeezing them.

 

When he looked from her hands to her face, her lips were pulled into a wide grin. “Thank you,” she said, clearly, her eyes drifting up to meet his. “You didn’t have to that.”

 

“I know,” he mumbled, and sniffed. He raised a long index finger to rub under his sensitive nostrils.

 

Lily moved in again, wrapping her arms around his waist. Jonah’s chest rumbled with a soft chuckle. “Though, I may have made a questionable decision bringing those in,” he said softly.

 

“Oh, really?” Lily questioned sarcastically. Jonah sniffled liquidly, next to her ear.

 

“Yeah…” he whispered, tilting his head back as another sneeze dangled out of reach. As it faded slightly, he exhaled and rubbed his nose again. 

 

“I think they’re so lovely-“ Lily began, still clearly, her tone softened with affection. “But I think we may have to find another home for them,” she suggested as gently as she could.

 

Jonah’s head tilted, his eyes fixed on her hands as they squeezed his. “Yeah?” He breathed, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Yeah,” she said, nodding. On her face was the most appreciative smile, as she stared up at his tussled waves, shaken loose from the ponytail.

 

He grinned down at her, his slightly red, itchy eyes crinkling. “Okay,” he exhaled. His eyes followed her as she slowly pulled away, and reached for the door’s keypad. As she opened the door again- “I love you.”

 

Lily froze. Her gaze drifted down and back towards him. She let go of the door knob and walked over to give him a hard kiss on the lips. As their lips moved apart, and Lily’s heels slowly came back down to the ground, she looked him in the eyes. “I love you too,” she breathed, as if it were known, a thing she wanted to teach him, simple words that couldn’t stretch far enough to deliver the sentiment.

 

After a soft pause, she managed to pull away again. She hurried into the office with a faint smile, going retrieve the bouquet. 

 

Edited November 23, 2023 by Skylacticon

[Catsgotyourtounge]

This was amazing!!!