Love Songs (Jonah & Lily, M/F)

[Skylacticon]

I got a request to write some contagion and for Jonah to be doing the care-taking. Here goes. 🤎

-

 

 

And when he’d come back into the house, it would be as if he’d never left. A teaspoon clinking in the kitchen, ringing like a bell inside a mug as he stirred honey into a steaming mug of tea. He would finish in under half hour, sat down once again at the piano, and he would say nothing, and the house would be filled with rampant, passionate music.

 

And when the sound of the piano would reach Lily’s ears through the walls, up the stairs and into the bedroom, she’d know that he’d cooled down somewhat, and she’d know he’d kept to his word and stayed safe. She would remain in their bed, slouched beneath the covers, with the lamp at the dimmest setting. And as the piano told a story that flitted to and fro, she’d wonder if he might apologize.

 

But she’d also hear the sound of him clearing his throat, rather harshly, before gracing the keys with another rapid, reckless scale, and whether or not he’d cooled down might still be uncertain. She’d wait. And the music might have been as wonderful as she’d tried to tell him, before he’d raised his voice. So she’d sink deeper into the comforter, trying to find some sleep amidst the dark tale being formed by the piano keys. But they’d ring out again and again - at least letting her know that he was home safe and sound.

 

And when his big footsteps made their way up the stairs and down the hallway towards the bedroom, she’d curl up as if she’d never been so comfortable, trying to find that gateway to slumber. But she’d hear the door open, and she’d know his long shadow would be standing there, looming over the bed. The man that had been so caught up in his creations would snuffle, and step gently over to the bed, and Lily wouldn’t move a muscle.

 

“Hey, Lily?” ….. “Lily, I’m sorry.”

 

The mattress would groan as he sat on it, and she’d feel him gently stroking her hair. The air would hurt her throat, as it pulled slowly into her lungs, and her eyes would sting. And she’d hear the soft rush of air as Jonah exhaled, drawing back his hand.

 

A soft noise would escape his lips, then a gritty, congested clearing of his throat, and another sniffle.

 

Lily took a breath, and slowly sat up. In the low light, her mousy brown hair was slightly mussed, the ends waving inward just below her jawline. Her eyes hovered on the floor next to the bed. After a beat, her chin would turn just enough to spot him in her peripheral vision.

 

“Where’d you go?” she demanded, in a steady tone.

 

“Just… down the road.”

 

“And did you have some epiphany?” She raised a hand and raked her hair back with her fingers.

 

“I’m sorry,” Jonah said clearly. “It- It was just too much, I got angry, and…”

 

“And you only got to the end of the street?”

 

“I just needed to blow off steam.”

 

She scoffed, and turned away again. The palm of her hand would come up to rest over her forehead.

 

A silence would linger as Jonah tried to gather words. Outside, the bedroom window glowed a soft shade of yellow. In the living room, unopened envelopes sat on the coffee table, next to scattered cough drop wrappers. Tomorrow he’d go downstairs, throw away the wrappers, and sit down to read the mail. He would make sure Lily ate something, then go upstairs to straighten things out with his management team.

 

As Jonah wearily touched his beard, Lily lowered her hand and looked over at him. His weathered eyes gazed back.

 

“Lie down,” she’d whisper, her eyes closing with exasperation.

 

He’d do just that.

 

And as he laid back, still in his black dress shirt and slacks, he wouldn’t say another word. His long fingers would rake back through his hair. And he’d sniffle, and cough, and clear his throat, still fuzzy with the remnants of a cold. Eyes closing - wishing that he hadn’t lost his temper.

 

He blinked in gentle surprise as Lily moved closer to him on the bed, and kissed him - once, gently, but with enough delay to draw him from the haze. He found himself kissing back, immediately aware that he wasn’t quite over his illness yet, but taken by the way she moved and touched him. She did so slowly, and at each pause, he could take a soft breath, before they kissed again.

 

“Lil,” he breathed, at a short pause.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I’m- I’m still sick, angel.”

 

“Yeah? Not feeling good?” Her voice was gentle, and she stopped kissing him, leaving little distance between their faces as she spoke.

 

Jonah felt heat rise to his cheeks, not moving away. Neither did she.

 

After waiting a few seconds, she huffed a soft laugh. Then, teasingly- “If you don’t want to, I’ll-“

 

“Just- C’mere.”

 

…

 

“Christ, Lily-“

 

“Shh.”

 

“That leftover soup- it’s all yours now.”

 

“Oh, how generous.”

 

…

 

“Wait, I- hdt’CHHiuhh!!”

 

His sturdy frame would quake beneath Lily’s hands as he’d tried to turn - but in the air between them floated an unmistakable, visible mist as he sneezed, twinkling for a moment in the low light before it settled. She’d feel the edge of the mist, cooling her Cupid’s bow, down her neck, and blood would rush to his pale, chiseled face.

 

“Sorry, oh god,” he uttered.

 

“Bless you,” Lily would murmur immediately-

 

“Oh no, *snrk!*”

 

A light laugh. “It’s okay, darling.”

 

“Ugh. Glamorous, am I not?”

 

“You okay?”

 

“Yeah,” he blinked, watching her face. “You?”

 

“Yes,” she reassured. “Just relax.”

 

“Right.”

 

…

 

…

 

“We should fight more often,” a dumb, mumbled whisper.

 

“That’s a terrible idea.”

 

“Mm, *snrf!*”

 

“Really, really awful…”

 

…

 

….

 

 

 

-

Morning, in a gently sunlit house.

 

Lily began to record her hours in the chart, trying to recall how much time she’d spent yesterday on the design. Jonah snuffled and cleared his throat in the dining room. Staring at her laptop screen, her attention kept being drawn by him shuffling around, chairs being moved, cabinet doors falling shut. So she put in her earbuds.

 

She cleared her throat, which still felt a bit dry from earlier in the morning. It was similar to waking up from a night out drinking, although she hadn’t, so it must have been a lack of hydration or something. She wanted to get up and get some water, maybe even tea. But she had paperwork to deal with, documents to update. By the time she’d finished recording her hours, her throat felt a bit sticky, so she coughed gently, which seemed to brush the problem under the rug.

 

At around an hour past noon, she was reviewing notes, her eyes slightly stinging from staring at the screen. She heard a gentle knock at the doorway to the living room, and glanced up.

 

“Hey,” Jonah stood there, the sight of him gentler than the brightness of her screen. He appeared a bit timid, which made her soften a little. “I brought you some tea.”

 

Just then, she saw the mug in his hand. “Oh,” she breathed, as he came over and set it down on her desk. “Thank you.”

 

“Of course.” She felt a warm hand rest on her shoulder, and a gentle kiss on the top of her head. “Hope you’re not, um… staring too long,” he said gently. His voice held an air of cautiousness.

 

“I know,” Lily sighed. Her head began to turn, then she caught herself. “I really gotta work on this, though. There’s new notes.”

 

“Really? I thought you said they’d been finalized.”

 

“Yeah, but…” Lily leaned back and cleared her throat gently. “No,” she exhaled. She glanced up at Jonah smiling sadly.

 

His face looked sort of hard to read - like he wanted to help, but couldn’t, given their unique skillsets. Although-

 

“Did you eat yet?”

 

Shit. “No, not yet. I will, after I alter the first one.”

 

“Alright. I have a meeting a bit later, so if I vanish around that time…”

 

“I won’t call the authorities,” Lily joked lightly, her eyes back on the screen.

 

“Good.”

 

“Sorry again, about the draft they chose,” Lily managed to pull herself out of the tunnel vision again, remembering the night before.

 

“It’s honestly out of my hands,” Jonah sighed. “But, thanks,” he added quietly. “I’ll just see what they have to say.”

 

Lily pouted a little, sympathetically. “Directors, huh?”

 

“Yup,” he sighed. The shared suffering between them would ease the tension a bit, but there was still work to be done. “For now, I think I’m gonna go read.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah. Shout if you need anything, okay? Or - text.”

 

Lily glanced up to meet his gentle, knowing eyes. She raised the mug a little. “You got it.”

 

As Jonah headed off, Lily blew on the surface of the hot tea, and took a cautious sip. She let out a satisfied exhale, feeling the warmth of the beverage spread from her throat to her chest.

 

-

 

Jonah pushed back the sleeves of his dark grey jumper before turning on the faucet. He began to fill the glass container that attached to the plant sprayer, which had an interesting bulb-ish shape. When it was full, he turned off the water and screwed the lid back on.

 

“huht’Eschh!!”

 

His head turned to face the doorway to the living room. He kept turning the lid of the spray bottle until it tightened.

 

“Bless you,” he called gently. He set the sprayer on the counter and dried his hands with a towel on the oven door handle.

 

Softly, from behind the wall that divided them- “Thank you.”

 

After a beat, he walked over to the windowsill, where Lily’s houseplants were growing. He began to spray each one at its base in the soil, the dirt darkening with moisture. Gently, he lifted leaves and kept watering.

 

“huHt’ESSCHh!! *snrf!*”

 

He lowered a large, healthy leaf and straightened. “Bless you.”

 

He heard Lily clearing her throat in the next room. “Thank you.”

 

There was the click of a mouse, and some more typing. Once all the plants had been watered, he put the spray bottle down on the windowsill. The time on the oven told him he had just enough time to make it to video call he had planned. Lily sniffled again. They were becoming more frequent.

 

He peeked into the living room, at the corner with the work desk. Lily sat there, her eyes glued to the screen of her laptop. She was resting her chin on a hand, while the rest of her posture seemed a bit sunken.

 

“Hey,” he said gently. Slowly, he came nearer, and stood next to her chair. “You feeling okay?”

 

“Yeah,” Lily sighed and leaned her head back to look at him. “Just trying to… hustle." She then cringed at her choice of word, but chose to roll with it.

 

Her ever-thinking blue eyes were soft but weary. Jonah gently kissed her forehead, wondering if he could tell if she had a temperature by that touch. However, it was rather inconclusive. Her frame rose and fell with a soft breath, as she straightened. Lily sniffled softly and raised the back of her hand to rub sleepily against her nose.

 

“Love the colours.” As Jonah gently leaned a hand on the back of the desk chair, it pivoted slightly.

 

“Thanks,” Lily breathed, her hands fidgeting.

 

“I brought you some sustenance,” he said softly, and set down a large mug of chicken soup down on the desk.

 

Lily peeked over at the mug. It was evident that she’d been focused on working for quite some time.

 

“Thank you,” she murmured. Jonah felt a sinking feeling as she mustered a cute, grateful smile - it almost seemed as if the idea of eating was tiring.

 

Jonah leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “‘Course, darling. I’m, uh, going upstairs to join the meeting now.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Jonah stood there for another beat. He ran a hand over her shoulder, and urged himself to start walking. He paused at the doorway. “Try and finish it, okay?”

 

“Okay, honey,” Lily responded softly, with a gentle smile.

 

Summaries and notes from the project reflected in Lily’s tired eyes. She heard Jonah’s footsteps head upstairs and into the bedroom.

 

-

 

Lily let out a soft sigh. She sniffled again, and tried to clear her throat. As her shoulders rose, her breath was accompanied by a high pitched wheeze that she’d been trying to cough away for the past while.

 

“…*snnff*….”

 

The second mug of tea she’d made wasn’t finished, although it had already lost its heat. Unable to focus her eyes on the screen, she stood up.

 

Pacing away slightly, she sighed and put her hands over her face. She let them drop.

 

Lily sniffled and sat down again, wondering if she could, by some miracle, succeed in getting at least one of these done. Deep in her sinuses, beneath the bridge of her nose, was an aching feeling that had only been worsening throughout the day. She squinted at her calendar on the wall. Behind her eyes was a faint stinging, then a sore tickle, making her breath catch.

 

She raised the back of her hand to press against her nose, and sneezed twice, sharply.

 

“hrR’ESSCHhieww!! -ESSCHHIEW!! *snrff*”

 

Ugh. Her turn.

 

She blinked teary eyes, and sucked in another sniffle. The irritation lingered, burning now, and each sneeze felt more forceful than the last, lingering too heavily to ignore.

 

“hAAht’ISSCHHh!! *sdrf!* h-heihh? HAAEESSCHHhh!! *snnrff!*”

 

God… She blinked dazedly, resting a hand on her chest for a moment. That last sneeze was rather satisfying, but intense. As she sniffled hard and began to reach for another tissue, she felt the same sore, stinging itch, and quickly ducked her head.

 

“HaAH’SSCHHhhieww!! -unhh…” Lily sighed softly, watching the fine mist dissipate under the warm lighting of the desk lamp. She sniffled, and straightened, making sure to snatch a tissue as the next sneeze in her usual double sequence arrived. “HEEISCHhhiew-!! *snrk*”

 

She gently cleared her throat and reached to grab a tissue. She lifted the soft material to her nose and blew, effectively soaking the material. She grabbed another tissue and folded it.

 

-

 

4PM rolled around. Shutting his laptop, Jonah stood and walked downstairs into the living room. He expected to see Lily at her desk, drawing something, or perhaps doing research on her computer. Instead, he saw her curled up on the couch, fast asleep.

 

As he quietly came nearer, he could hear a soft whistle in her breathing. He carefully reached for a throw that was bunched up on the armchair. Halfway through unfolding it, he paused. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the cheek so that he wouldn’t startle her awake. She curled slightly - then her body relaxed with a gentle exhale. Jonah laid the blanket over her, and tugged at its edges so that her body was fully covered.

 

Then she coughed, the sound wheezy and painful. Jonah peeked at her face, hidden within her curled form. His heart tugged slightly as she took in a sleepy, snorting sniffle, and coughed again. One of her hands came up to rub at the pink rims of her twitching nostrils. He put a gentle hand on her leg.

 

“HEEISSCHHhh!!-ioo…” It sounded exhausted and throaty, muffled into the thinly woven throw.

 

“Bless you,” Jonah hummed, running his thumb over her calf.

 

In a familiar course of events, she sneezed again, quite fiercely. “d’EEISSHhiuh!! *sdrf!*” She let out a soft cough.

 

“Bless you, part two.”

 

“Mnh,” a soft groan came from beneath the blanket. “Thank you,” she mumbled. Her weary form slowly rose into an upright position as a thick, mucus-y cough rattled in her chest. Jonah sat on the edge of the couch and gently rubbed her shoulder. She managed to clear her throat, and let out a soft sigh.

 

“Have you taken anything, love?” he asked softly.

 

Lily exhaled, her tired eyes glancing up in his direction. “Just sobe cough syrup,” she breathed, her voice slightly husky.

 

“What time?”

 

Lily paused. “Uhh… Three.”

 

Jonah calmly stood and crouched low in front of the couch. Lily’s soft eyes ran over his handsome features, as he silently studied hers. Her breathing was now slightly wheezy and laboured, and her sniffly nose had adopted a deeper shade of red, like his had been for the past several days.

 

Jonah murmured a soft question, and she nodded.

 

He gently slid his arms beneath her, and carefully lifted her up from the couch. Lily’s hands came up and clasped together, hanging around his neck. As he carried her towards the stairs, she let her head rest on his shoulder, lifting the back of her hand to her nose.

 

“Jodah…” she mumbled, her voice sore.

 

As he lowered his chin to look at her, her face was turning away. At the next moment, her small, weary frame shuddered against his torso with a vicious, itchy-sounding sneeze she’d hastily muffled into the blanket.

 

“eht’ISSCHHhh!! *snrfh!*”

 

“Bless you.“

 

“heiHt’ISSCHHiuhh-!!” The force of that one made her fold slightly in his arms, causing her forehead to hit his jaw. Lily let out a soft groan. “*hsngk!* Sorry,” she whispered. He felt Lily’s head rest back on his shoulder, her frame sinking with a weary exhale.

 

It was only a soft bump. Jonah glanced down. “Hey, it’s okay,” he murmured, and turned his chin to leave a soft kiss on her forehead.

 

Lily rested her cheek against the soft, warm fabric of his dark grey jumper, closing her eyes as he climbed the stairs. Listening to his footsteps beneath her as her climbed, her tender nose began to prickle. She turned her face into the soft fabric covering his chest. Jonah glanced down again, feeling her move her nose back and forth forth against his clavicle - gently, but sort of shyly, like it had been instinctive. He lifted his eyes and kept walking, feeling a softness as Lily stopped.

 

“Just sneeze into my jumper if you need to,” he said in a gentle, calming voice.

 

Lily gave another soft groan, as she always would when he’d say that. But this time she wouldn’t have much energy to argue, let alone to keep from giving in when the ticklish soreness returned.

 

“rr’ISSCHH!!-uhh… hih-? -ht’ISSCHHiuh!!”

 

Jonah felt each gentle puff of air warm the fabric of his sweater. As Lily sniffled thickly next to his ear, he shifted her to a more steady position in his arms. “Bless you.”

 

“*snrff!* Thagk you.”

 

-

 

The water in the bath was blissfully hot. The thick, white blanket of foamy bubbles was a nice treat. Lily took another slow deep breath of the warm, humidified air. The temperature of the water was soothing on her chilly, stiff joints. While the steam was helping to ease the inflammation in her nasal passages, the sore tickle lingered, causing her flushed nostrils to run and twitch.

 

Jonah was sitting next to the tub in his rumpled plaid shirt. He was also slightly sniffly, sharing the warm air. The tips of his long, slender fingers gently traced the thin, detailed vines tattooed along her thigh.

 

“*hsnrff!* But…” Lily said hoarsely, leaning her head back against the bath cushion attached to the wall. “The tale is always the sabe. He was told dot to turd arou’d, *sdrf!* but he does, because he cares about her.”

 

“But he was told not to do that, before they started climbing.”

 

“Well, yeah. *sngk!* But…” She sniffled again, the liquid sound reverberating softly off the pink shower tiles.

 

Jonah looked over at her. Her eyes were narrowing slightly. They fluttered shut for a moment, as her runny, sensitive nostrils gave a slight twinge - then they opened again, as her shoulders fell with a breathy sigh.

 

“Ugh, sorry. *sngk!*” Lily lifted a curled index finger to rub underneath her reddened nose.

 

“S’okay,” Jonah breathed, gently splashing some warm water over her knee.

 

Her hand lowered, and she snuffed again, thickly. “*snnrgk!* But the thing is, also… he’s imbediatelyhh… forgived… *snnrk!*” Lily winced slightly, the thick sniffle vibrating her sensitive nasal passages. “…he’s… oh doe- heiht’yY’ESSCHHIEWw-!!”

 

Jonah startled a little, as Lily erupted with a rather harsh sneeze, the one that had been teasing her for the past few minutes. It seemed more forceful than it was loud, but the sound was still a bit echoey within the tiled walls of the shower. Lily turned her face away and lifted the back of her wrist.

 

“ESSCHHiew!!” Her small shoulders shuddered with another sneeze, her frame tensing, then expanding again. “*snrg* hrr’ESSCHH!!-hiew… heiH??”

 

“Bless-“

 

“hyiEHt’ISSCHH-!!” Lily took a soft, panting breath, unsure if she was done. The foamy bubbles bobbed atop the rippling surface of the bathwater.

 

“Bless you,” Jonah breathed.

 

“-euhh…” she sighed softly, and sniffled several more times. “Oh, by- *snnrffh!* heH-?” Her frame swelled as she gasped yet again. “hAiyY’EEISSCHHhh!! *hsnnrgk* Oh by god,” she muttered, blinking teary eyes. That one was rather fierce.

 

Jonah reached for a hanky from the counter and passed it to her. “Here, bless you.”

 

“Thagk you,” Lily chuckled breathlessly, her hands hovering near her dripping nose. She gratefully accepted the hanky and refolded it, then gave her nose a good blow.

 

“How’s your throat feeling?” Jonah asked. He leaned one arm on the edge of the tub as the other hung over, his long fingers absentmindedly scooping at the foamy bubbles.

 

Lily leaned her head back again. “Sore,” she reported in a weary tone.

 

“I can go grab some Ricola,” Jonah offered. He touched her forearm beneath the water, running his thumb over her wrist. Then, he stirred his fingers in the warm water, rinsing off the bubbles. “You want?”

 

“Yes, that would be abazi’g,” Lily sighed, looking at him with pleading eyes.

 

“‘Course.” As he got up, he leaned over to kiss her forehead.

 

“Wait, Jodah?”

 

“Mm?” Jonah paused and looked down at her. Lily rested her arms on the edge of the tub. Her lively voice was reined in with raspiness, and her flushed nose twitched with another drippy sniffle.

 

“Would- *snrk!* Would you have turned back to look? If you were hib.”

 

Jonah’s shoulders slowly descended with a sigh. Then he began to consider it, his mossy brown gaze drifting along the wall. “Ehm,” he breathed- then blinked, and connected her gaze. “Wait, let me actually do this so I don’t forget,” he chuckled.

 

Lily grinned. “But would you?” she asked with a teasing smile, with as much gusto as her scratchy throat would allow.

 

“I-“ Jonah open his mouth, then shut it. His head gave a little swaying nod. “Well, no, to be honest. I mean, I’d try not to, but-“

 

“No?“

 

“Let me get the cough drops,” Jonah laughed, and turned to leave.

 

“Jodah!” Lily called raspily after his long shadow fled the room. A warm chuckle echoed off the walls in the hallway.

 

“Take it easy on your throat!”

 

“What were you-“

 

“I just told you!” was the last thing he called back, a smile lingering in his voice.

 

Lily frowned down at the bubbles in the bathtub. Then, her brow loosened. She thought about his want to tell her something long and thought out, but his intercepting need to go get her something to alleviate the pain in her throat.

 

A grin teased at her weary features, and she laid her head back with a sigh.

 

-

 

“C’mere,” Jonah said gently as he saw Lily gaze over at his chest, his long form lying on an incline of pillows.

 

Lily froze a little, her tired eyes still softly staring. She ran the brush through her hair once last time, and set it down on the vanity. She was wearing one of Jonah’s t-shirts, a faded blue one that draped around her small form. With a soft, sleepy sniffle, she shuffled over to the bed and climbed onto it. Jonah lifted the comforter over her as she crawled over to him. Slowly, she rested her head on Jonah’s chest.

 

“There. That comfortable?” he whispered.

 

Lily nodded, her eyes already shut.

 

“You gonna take tomorrow off?” He asked softly. Lily felt the vibrations as he spoke. Was it a suggestion or an order?

 

“Yeah, I thigk so,” Lily mumbled against his chest. His hand came up to run his long fingers through her hair.

 

“Good,” he breathed, and kissed the top of her head.

 

Below his bearded chin, he could hear as she drew in a long breath, quiet at first, but more noticeable as her smaller frame expanded against him. When it ended, there was a beat of silence. Gently, he ran a hand over her back.

 

Lily buried her face into a blur of fabric that could’ve been either the comforter or Jonah’s sweatshirt, and let out an itchy, exhausted sneeze.

 

“dy‘IESSCHH!!-unh…. *hsnrf!*…”

 

“Bless you,” Jonah hummed, and kept running his hand over her back.

 

Lily snuffled softly and cuddled into the warmth of his chest. “*snrff!* Sorry.”

 

“It’s okay,” he breathed, and grinned. “I mean it, go ahead.”

 

“Mb…”

 

“One more.”

 

“hmb?”

 

“There’s another one, just do it.”

 

Lily could feel the next sneeze lingering sorely in the back of her nose. They weren’t always too close together, but usually enough to coin as ‘doubles’.

 

“…Sood,” she replied, like it was an afternoon chore.

 

A soft chuckle. “Okay.”

 

His hand stroked the back of her head. Lily let out a soft breath and tried to settle in again. His heart was beating steadily beneath her weary head. Jonah’s hand stopped moving, leaving his warmth and the low, steady beat to envelop her.

 

After a quiet few moments, Jonah felt her mumble something. “What’s that?”

 

“Euridice… If she was a worb…”

 

“Babe,” Jonah sighed, his voice both delicate and perplexed. He raised a hand to rub his brow, the other wrapping around her smaller, weakened form.

 

“By sobe cruel catch, for her to be *snrgk!* retrieved…” Lily went on sleepily.

 

“As the ultimate test of love?”

 

“Yeah,” Lily’s breath warmed the fabric on his chest.

 

“The question is, would he love her?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“See, no, I actually have questions - would the transformation happen before or after the point he was told not to look back?”

 

“hrr’RSSCHHmff!! ….mnh…” Lily’s frame curled with another ticklish sneeze into the soft, warm fabric beneath her. She winced as it scraped a little against her throat.

 

“There it is. Bless you.” Gently, Jonah combed Lily’s hair away from her face with his fingers.

 

“*snngk!* Thagk you. Baybe, like… before…”

 

“So then he would recognize her at the surface?”

 

Lily coughed, as she’d begun to laugh. Jonah also chuckled, and ran his hand over her trembling form. The sound of his laughter made her laugh again, restarting the awful itchy coughing. He soothingly rubbed her back until it passed, and she laid back down with a soft sigh.

 

“You okay?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Jeez, love, I don’t know…”

 

“You said you would.”

 

“I know, but I’m not Orpheus. Are you asking if I was to bring you from the Underworld, told not to look back, and found you on the ground as a worm? Would- Would I-“

 

Lily drew back, beginning to cough again. Jonah felt her weight leave his chest, and watched her with concern. In a slight pause between coughs, was another huff of breathless laughter, letting him know it was just that. He sighed and lifted a hand to move across her shaking frame. After a bit, the coughing ceased, and she moved to the other side of the bed to grab some tissues.

 

“Jesus. Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah,” Lily sniffled, and let out a soft breath. She lifted the folded tissue and gave her nose a gentle, but still wet-sounding blow. She sniffled again as she emerged, the air whistling through her stuffy nasal passages. Afterward, she moved back over to Jonah and rested her weary head on his chest again.

 

“That’s just terrible,” she breathed, her voice reduced to a whisper.

 

“I know. It just puts things into perspective.” Jonah’s chest gently fell as he exhaled.

 

Lily, fatigued and slightly lightheaded, let her eyelids fall shut. Her attention shifted back to the rhythm of Jonah’s beating heart, and the warmth of his body against her.

 

“Like, I’d be shocked if they hadn’t told me beforehand, but we’ve had this conversation. You’re coming home with me,” he breathed, gently scratching her back. “Fated to hear all my future love songs from a plant pot on a windowsill.”

 

“Mb, heaven.”

 

“Rest now, okay?” he breathed, and gently kissed the top of her head.

 

“B’kay… *snf!*”

 

[Sparklesparkle84]

Very great writing, as usual. 👍 

Do miss sneezy Jonah  Theres just something about his suffering thats so... juicy lol 

I dunno, Ive had this idea floating around for a while, and I cant get it out of my head: Its back in the time of them being at the cottage, as a band, and somehow Jonah gets covered in pollen (Maybe they were out walking or somethiing) but its pretty bad, and his allergies of course go insane. Band practice goes badly, or maybe a show they play at. I dunno, something to make them bond stronger as a band . Maybe Jonah sleeps in Lilys bed for the rest of the trip, so she can care for him when his allergies totrture him which is often 😜  Just rambling thoughts! 

Hope you are doing well. Looking forward to the next story as usual 👍

[Bloogap]

With Lily usually being the one to help with Jonah’s sneezy problems, this story is a nice little switcheroo.

Your writing has this nice, homely feel to it, and this work is no exception. Your way of executing sneezes is both wonderful and a little bit enviable haha. Very sweet story 😊

[ThatSneezyGirl]

This was so cute 😭 I absolutely ADORE seeing Jonah as the caretaker. Everything you write is always so amazing!!!

[Skylacticon]

@Sparklesparkle84 Thanks for the feedback.  It's interesting writing for characters who weren't originally intended to be the sneezer. It becomes evident lol, but helps me sort of bring out who they are by trying new things. Ty for following so far ❤️

 

 

On 7/25/2024 at 8:59 AM, Bloogap said:

Your way of executing sneezes is both wonderful and a little bit enviable haha.

Omg, this actually made my day when I first read it, thanks so much. Appreciate it. 

 

@ThatSneezyGirl Thank you for the inspo~ ❤️