A Long Night (Jonah & Lily, M)

[Skylacticon]

[3:36AM. A dark morning, in summer.]

 

 

“… h’aAHt’ESSCHHIEWWw!! *snnrk*”

 

The mattress creaked a little, as it jerked with Jonah’s next wrenching sneeze.

 

“Bless you,” Lily breathed against the pillow.

 

“Thagk you…” he mumbled, his tired eyes falling shut again.

 

Jonah lay flat on his back, while Lily laid on her side, facing him. She put a hand on his  forearm and gave it a small stroke with her thumb. He snuffled again thickly, and coughed. Afterward, his chest fell with a weary sigh, as he rested his other forearm over his eyes. He took a few steady breaths. Lily closed her eyes.

 

She heard a small flutter in his breathing, and a breath that paused. Her eyelids fluttered open again. His were still closed, but his facial muscles seemed to be moving.

 

Tiny creases formed as his brow furrowed, and his flushed nostrils tensed. His brow loosened a bit, as he exhaled softly. His poor eyes and nose just looked so sore and inflamed, so sensitive. His chest bounced with a tiny cough, and a pained wince flashed across his face momentarily. Lily kept stroking his arm gently with her thumb.

 

“…h’euhh…” he exhaled, somewhat shyly, as if conscious of the volume of his congested breathing. Then came a rather involuntary hitch, that caught him off guard and made him turn away reflexively. “-hhyieHh--?”

 

“Jonah, baby, just sneeze,” Lily muttered softly, her eyes closing sleepily.

 

His chest rose and fell with a sigh, then he began to mumble, his voice hoarse and congested. “It’s beed way too bady, *sddrff!* -Aghh, it just doeh-hhuhzn’t stohH- hAHd’EESSCHHHhh!!!” He rolled over slightly as his body convulsed with another desperate, itchy sneeze. He stayed in that position, lying on his side, with his back to Lily, as he sneezed again, and again, and again. “HAAESSHHIEWW!! -haad’SSCHHIUE!! -hhdTS’ZZSSCHHIUE-!!”

 

The bed shook beneath Lily’s smaller body; as she watched and listened to Jonah having this allergy attack. She stared at the white fabric of his shirt tightening over his back with each expulsion. She raised a hand and ran it gently across his shuddering frame.

 

“-CHIEWW!! huhdt’CHIEWW!!”

 

At this point, he was just spent. When the sneezing began to ease up again, he remained in his position, laying the side of his head down on the pillow. His tired, weakened frame rose and fell with panting breaths.

 

“Bless you,” she whispered at his back.

 

Then a softer one, that sounded as if he’d muffled it into his arm or shoulder. “‘RRSCHH-!!”

 

“Bless you, babe.”

 

“*snnnrgk!* Oh, Christ, I’b…” His voice was gone at this point, cracking and huffing between sharp sniffles. “I’b so sorry, it’s just dot stoppig,” he uttered weakly.

 

“Jonah,” Lily murmured softly, coming closer. As he rubbed his nose roughly with a curled knuckle, she left a gentle kiss on his neck. As her hand moved to his hip, his moved on top of it, gently stopping it from sneaking any further.

 

“I… I dod’t,” he began softly, his breath pausing. His frame swelled with another gasp, and he tucked his face down and away with another ticklish sneeze. “HRRSSCHHh!!-ioo… *snddrff!*”

 

He paused slightly after that thick sniffle, conscious again of the noise it was making. He let out a shaky breath, sounding exhausted.

 

“Bless you,” Lily said softly. She slowly reached out and gently used her fingers to comb his long hair away from his face.

 

“Thagk you. *snrf!* Sorry, I dod’t wadda hit you,” he said quietly, with a soft sniff, touching her hand again.

 

Lily felt a stroke of affection, as he held her hand gently for a few seconds, but had to pull away soon as his breath began to hitch again. “*hsnnrFF!*” He sniffled hard, delaying the next impatient sneeze for a few seconds, the time he needed to snatch his handkerchief from the bedside.

 

His long legs began to move away from Lily’s, and off of the bed. He groggily moved into an upright sitting position, his silhouette visible against the moonlit side of the room. As he did this, mattress springs gave another groan. Lily felt the surface shift beneath her as Jonah sat heavily, huffing a few shaky breaths before lifting the handkerchief to his face.

 

“hyY’EEISSCHHhh!! -d’EEISSCHHIEWW!! uhH’-! hdt’-! -unhh… *sdrff!* h-heh’ESSCHH!! -aht’CHHIUHh!! ht’dZSSCHHhioo!! *snnrgk*”

 

Lily sat up. Jonah’s weak, panting breaths could be heard in the still silence of the night. Amidst the light humming sound of the air purifier, and the sound of Lily’s gentle breathing, as she crawled nearer to Jonah’s side of the bed.

 

“hUHd’ISSCHHIEWWw!!! … *snnrgk!* g’hh…”

 

Lily sat next to him, facing his drooping frame, crossing her legs. She leaned forward and put her left hand on his knee, and her other hand on Jonah's right shoulder. The position of her smaller frame facing him made it easier to support his weight as he slowly leaned into her, and she brought up her left hand to stroke his arm. As the side of his forehead came down on her shoulder, she embraced him with both arms.

 

He was still pressing the cloth to his face with both hands, and Lord, still sneezing like there was no tomorrow-

 

“AASSCHHIU!!-AASSHHIU!!-ESSCHH!!” A shallow gasp, and- “rrRR’ESSCHHIUHh!! -ESSCHHiuhh!! *sngk* huHd’CHIEWW!! *sngk* g’huhh…”

 

Jonah’s frame shuddered and jerked in Lily’s arms, as she did her best to keep him steady. She tried to soothe him by running a gentle hand over his back. She stared at the closet door on the other side of the room, murky shades of grey in the humble moonlight coming in from the window. She kept rubbing his back as each desperate, rapid set of sneezes ended with a pained, breathy sigh, murmuring softly to him.

 

“Okay, that’s it… Shh… There we go… Alright.”

 

At a certain point, Lily could feel a cool, wet spray hit her collarbone.

 

“HUUD’zZZSSCHHIEWWw!!”

 

“There we go. Bless you.”

 

Finally, there was a pause. And, softly, but grazing his throat-

 

“‘zZZSSCHHhiuh!!”

 

“Bless you, babe.”

 

“*sngk* … I’b- hhI’b sorr- hhdt’ISSCHHhiuh!!”

 

“Shh…” Lily gently rested her chin on his shoulder. “Bless you.”

 

“ISSCHH!!”

 

“It’s okay. Here, do you need another hanky?” She asked gently.

 

Jonah coughed, slowly beginning to straighten. “I thigk- *koFF!* -thigk so…”

 

Lily made sure he could sit upright before crawling around behind him to reach toward the nightstand. She pulled open the little drawer, and pulled out the extra two folded handkerchiefs had been stashed there.

 

Jonah sat there, leaning forward, resting his arms on his thighs. His long, dark hair covered his face, and when Lily gently brushed it back, she could see he was pinching the bridge of his nose. His hand lowered after a beat, as he glanced over with dazed eyes. They looked sore and glassy, terribly swollen. She handed him one of the hankies, then put the other one on top of the nightstand.

 

“Honey, would- would be it okay if I tied your hair back?” Lily asked, her fingers gently pulling through a small tangle as she ran them through his hair.

 

Jonah sniffled deeply, utterly congested. “Ub, okay…” he whispered breathlessly.

 

Lily reached for an extra hair tie she kept on the bedpost. She held it between her lips and kneeled as she combed Jonah’s thick, dark hair back into a simple folded bun with her fingers. His head jerked forward with a slightly restrained, itchy sneeze- “hht’KCHIUHhh!!” Lily loosened her fingers that were currently tightening the bun, trying avoid pulling his hair as he sneezed.

 

“Bless you,” she breathed.

 

“Thagk you, *sdrff!*” Jonah mumbled, rubbing hard as his nose with the hanky.

 

“Your hair is tangly,” Lily said softly, absently.

 

Jonah coughed a soft laugh. “*snrk!* Thagk you, it’s… haAAESSCHHIEWW!!”

 

“Bless you, honey.” Finished with the folded bun, Lily put her hands on his warm cheeks from behind, tilting her head to look at him.

 

“It’s a dew style, *snrkk!* they call it… *g’hmm* they call it ‘four ay eb sdeeh- hih! hets’ZZSCHHIEWWw!! ‘Four ay eb… Sdeezig Fit’. Oh by god… *snrff!*

 

Realizing she was staring at him, Jonah’s sore gaze flickered in her direction. As his bloodshot mossy brown eyes met hers, the corners of her lips tugged into a gentle grin. Lowering her hands, Lily kissed him on the cheek, and moved back.

 

“Why- why did y-ieESSCHHIEWW!! ESSHIEWW!!! *snnrgk* Whyhh is myhh- *snnrgkk!* Oh, why- w- hiHh-! HAAESSCHHhhioo!!!”

 

“Just so it won’t get in your face, love,” Lily explained gently. She got up from the bed and went to the closet.

 

“hrrRR’USSCHHIEWWww!!!”

 

“Bless you.” Lily breathed, pulling a small face towel from a shelf. “I’ll be back, okay?”

 

“Okay, *snff!*”

 

She paused a little, her eyes catching on his weary form. Jonah dabbed at his streaming, itchy eyes, and sniffled rather harshly a few times. “Hey, Jonah?” she said softly, and stepped over to him.

 

He paused and glanced up at her, his red, itchy eyes shining and confused. Lily’s heart sank.

 

“Deep breaths?” she suggested quietly, swaying a little.

 

Jonah blinked, then nodded. Lily encouraged him to sit up  straight, and guided him through two good, slow deep breaths. Usually in a situation where you’d do deep breaths to calm down, you’d breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. Although Lily’s main concern was getting the poor guy some oxygen, which he could only do through parted lips.

 

“One more?”

 

Jonah’s weary frame rose with another slow breath in. A soft wheeze could be heard, making Lily worry. His shoulders descended with the long exhale.

 

“Nice,” she patted his shoulder gently. “I’ll be right back.”

 

Lily stepped into the hall and slipped into the bathroom, where she turned on the faucet. She held the face cloth under the cold water, then when it was good and soaked, wrung it out over the sink. She slipped out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom.

 

“Here.” Lily came over to Jonah’s side of the bed, folding the cloth in her hands. “Lie back.”

 

Jonah’s swollen eyes followed Lily as she came closer to the head of the bed. “How cobe?” he mumbled, lifting his legs back onto the bed. The resignation in his weary voice broke Lily’s heart.

 

“Just lie back, relax,” she repeated gently. Jonah did as he was told, and let out a soft exhale as he laid back. Lily lifted the damp cloth. “Close your eyes?” she told him next.

 

His red, swollen eyes fell shut. Gently, she laid the damp, cool cloth over his swollen, itchy eyes. He let out a soft breath.

 

“Oh, that feels- *snrf!* That feels so good… Thagk you…” he whispered.

 

A small grin cracked on Lily’s face. Jonah’s hands came up to touch the cloth. His long fingers paused just beneath his eyes, pressing the cold material against his achy, fiery hot sinuses. After a bit, he sighed and snuffled thickly, leaning back and letting his hands rest on his stomach.

 

“Better?” she asked him gently.

 

“hmb… yeah... *sddrff!*”

 

Lily got back into bed, next to him. She kept an eye on him, lying sideways. Jonah’s heavy, congested breathing filled the still silence of their bedroom. Lily stared at the outline of his shadowed frame, and the room beyond him lit gently by the moonlight.

 

It must’ve been a clear sky.

[dwaekki]

This was amazing! I feel so sorry for Jonah but he's just really cute like this 😭 Lily's such a good caretaker too so I can't wait to read more of these 2 ❤️

[Privatedancer]

Lovely!

[ThatSneezyGirl]

I love your writing and these characters so much!!! The way she takes care of him is so sweet 🥺 I would love to see a cold fic from them 🤤

[AceUpYourSleeve]

I really like this, and I'd second the wish for a cold-ridden story about them 🤭

[Skylacticon]

Hey all, thank you for the sweet comments. 

As for a cold fic - there’s this one, that I wrote a while ago. Although, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll write a new one. 

 

Also, if anyone’s interested, I drew these two from this fic. I saw this scenario kinda vividly and tried to represent it as best I could.  Although if you’re someone who prefers to leave things to the imagination, that’s cool too.

 https://imgur.com/a/0rmLvJm

 

[AntheaHolmes]

What a beautiful story to wake up to. Poor Jonah and his adorable sneezy nose. Gorgeous sneezing and lovely care taking from Lily. 

[Vipiyoh]

Aw nooo poor guy! This is beautifully written