Reluctant Blessings
a Little Women story
by Cimorene
Laurie reclined himself back into the couch, watching his visitor with fond interest. The situation reminded him of the very first time Jo had come calling, a day he would not soon forget. Never before had he known a girl to be so bold and bright, so openly willful to speak of the strangest topics. Jo certainly had been a wonderful interlude to his past week of confinement; having a cold and being alone were two of Laurie’s least favorite things, and he had been forced to endure both in concurrence. However, he could hardly have refused Jo’s merry-faced offer when she had shouted to him from her lawn, and he had been ever grateful for her enthusiastic attention.
Now, Laurie found himself struck down with another cold and playing host to Jo once again. Both were older and liked to think themselves wiser, and the two could not have been closer had they been friends since birth.
Jo positioned herself comfortably beside Laurie, her skirts bunched up around her, and she gave him a reprimanding look that told him exactly what she was thinking, even though she felt it necessary to voice her opinion. “I think it entirely inappropriate to have me over when you are sniffling and sneezing in such a state,” she murmured icily, having tried to convince him to commit to bed rest and having promptly failed. Failure was not something that Jo dealt with easily, and she decided to focus her anger on the irrepressible Laurie.
Laurie merely chuckled, which aggravated Jo even more. “Since when has propriety played a part in your philosophy, Jo?” he said lightly with an accompanying sniffle. “Besides, I’m absolutely fine – never felt better.”
Jo narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Very well you may be, but don’t think I’m not watching for a slip-up, my dear boy.” She observed him from the corner of her eye, noting his pink nose and the handkerchief that poked inconspicuously out of his pocket.
Laurie smiled. “It is like you to make a game of it,” he commented, leaning back and accepting the challenge. “Well, we’ll see who wins out in the end.”
Jo smirked at this, realizing how completely absurd the pair of them were. Deciding to speak of other things before she became too absorbed in their “game”, she glanced out the window for inspiration. “Oh look, Amy’s out there sketching like a madwoman again.”
Laurie allowed his eyes to travel to the world outside. “Yes…I think her ability shows quite promise, don’t you?”
Jo nodded curtly; the impersonal small talk was driving her crazy, but she would endure it if it was the last thing she did. “If she puts her mind to it, that girl can accomplish anything, I’m fairly certain. It was quite handsome of her to give up the art table at that fair, don’t you think?”
Laurie’s reply was slow coming as a strange look passed over his face. Jo watched with amusement, knowing he was struggling with a sneeze, and fortunately for Jo, the sneezed appeared to be winning. Not five minutes into their game and Jo was going to win. “I…I…ehh…” Laurie twitched his nose briefly, sniffling and running a hand beneath it. Unfortunately for Jo, his actions seemed to have stalled the sneeze, and he smiled triumphantly at Jo as a sign of his unspoken victory. “I’m glad that her pieces sold so well,” he finally said, sounding a bit congested but otherwise no worse for wear.
Jo sighed but accepted the fact that she needed to play a bit longer in order to win the battle. “Have your studies been interesting?” she asked, feeling a need to change the subject.
Laurie laughed. “Hardly,” he replied, swiping a hand beneath his nose again and causing Jo to study him carefully. “But it’s a comfort to know that I get to return to such loving neighbors.” He looked pointedly at Jo, and she turned her head in frustration.
“You know quite well that we all love you dearly, Teddy, but not when you’re mucking about, endangering your health in such a manner. If you would only listen to the well-intentioned advice I’m trying to give you, you would…”
Jo’s sentence, to her delight, was cut short by a well-placed sneeze, in her opinion at least. “ESSHHoo!” The sneeze was forceful and wet, causing Laurie to bend forward at the waist and try to cover his mistake with his hands.
As Laurie reluctantly pulled out his handkerchief, Jo sat up properly with an air of success. “Ha!” she exclaimed with triumph in her voice. “There it is: proof of your illness. I win, and therefore I expect you will head to your quarters at once.”
Laurie blew his nose softly, failing to hide the wetness and congestion in his nose. He drew back and gave Jo a look of defiance. “Now, you don’t expect to have won over a little sneeze, do you?” he asked with merriment twinkling in his eyes.
Jo seemed appalled at his impudence. “Why, of all things, Theodore Lawrence!” she said testily. “You know as well as I that a sneeze most definitely makes the list of proof as to one’s health. I dare you to say otherwise.”
Laurie chuckled. “Come now, Jo, don’t upset so. But I challenge your dare readily: suppose you were to sneeze. Would I then force you into bed so dramatically?”
Jo knew herself to be trapped, and she ungratefully accepted her fate. “You may have won this time, you rogue, but don’t think I’m giving up!” She settled herself into her seat as though preparing for battle. “I’ll catch you at some sort of unhealthy act in which your illness will be perfectly undeniable.”
Laurie sniffled discreetly, grinning at the challenge. “Some weather we’re having, no?”
The nonchalant tone which he had used to utter his sentence tested Jo’s patience, but she played along, waiting for Laurie’s downfall and passing the time with small talk. “There’s talk of snow tomorrow,” she replied. “But seeing how things are, I hardly think any mortal has the ability to predict the weather.”
Laurie could feel a small tickle building in his nose, and he tried with all his might to ignore it. “How are your stories coming, Jo?” he asked, hoping the topic would distract her enough to avoid bringing attention to his increasingly bothersome nose.
“As well as to be expected; thanks for asking,” Jo answered properly. She paused as her eyes focused on a twitch in Laurie’s nose, but she continued on with grace. “I must say, it is strange to see my simple scribblings in print.”
Laurie hated very much to betray his discomfort, but if it meant keeping a sneeze at bay, he was willing to do so. He twitched his nose again and gave it a small rub, trying to be as discreet as possible. He could feel it begin to run now, and he inwardly groaned, knowing that his fate was soon to be sealed. He sniffled, more wetly than before, and offered the comment, “I suppose it would be. I don’t see how you invent new stories so frequently, Jo. You never fail to impress with an original plot and fanciful characters.”
Jo inwardly cherished the compliment dearly, but she refrained from being prideful. “I only attempt at legitimacy and try to please the public with the foolishness I come up with.”
Laurie sniffled yet again, surprised and embarrassed by the wetness of the sound. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, the need to sneeze becoming much more urgent.
“Something wrong, Teddy?” Jo asked innocently, playing with the folds of her skirt and enjoying the moment thoroughly.
“It’s…really noth…nothing,” he managed breathily, giving his nose a good rub and sniffling hard in one last desperate attempt to eradicate the sneeze. But sadly for the poor boy his sniffle did more harm than good, and he finally surrendered to the ticklish feeling. “Ehh…HehCSSHH! AahSHHHoo! KCCHH!” Laurie pitched forward helplessly with each wet sneeze as Jo smiled a satisfactory smile and waited for the sneezing fit to pass.
“You…” Laurie tried to say something but the urge to sneeze was too strong and it overcame him quickly, leaving him defenseless to Jo’s gleeful statement.
“I hardly call this a ‘little sneeze’…” she said drolly as poor Laurie succumbed to yet another attack.
“TCCHH!” He managed to pull out his handkerchief to catch the last sneeze, trading it for his rather damp hands. “HehCSHHoo!” His nose finally decided to give him a rest, although it still ran rather badly. He buried it into his handkerchief, blowing vulnerably and rendering the cloth to a nearly unusable state. He then wearily raised his head to meet the all-knowing gaze of Miss Jo March. Her arms were folded in a business-like fashion, and a raise of her brow told Laurie all he needed to know.
Standing obediently, he managed a small smile at Jo and murmured in a thickly congested voice, “I don’t suppose you happened to miss that, did you?”
Jo smirked despite herself and rose to grab Laurie’s arm in a surprisingly gentle fashion. “I would have to be deaf and blind, dear,” she answered, guiding him away from the visiting parlor and in the general direction of his bedroom. She felt strangely maternal as the now dependent Laurie leaned into her, sniffling softly and saying not a word of protest. She had to admit, his defiance had been quite trying, but now as they walked silently through the halls of the Lawrence house, Laurie’s endearing qualities were pressing in Jo’s mind. She placed an assuring hand on his back while he stifled a yawn, and she smiled. He would always be her boy, and she hoped that she would always be his girl.
All characters and situations described belong to Louisa May Alcott and her publishers; this is definitely not mine! Author's notes: I love Jo/Laurie, even if it's not in a romantic sense. Their bantering chemistry is so great that I just had to write this.