Disclaimer: I don't own it
Summary: A house warming gift goes awry.
A/N: Written for LJ's 30 Kisses challenge. This is prompt 11, Gardenia.
Allergies
"Er, thank you ma'am," Ito stammered, staring at the potted plant in some wonder
"Er, thank you ma'am," Ito stammered, staring at the potted plant in some wonder. The woman before her laughed.
"Ito, darling, call me mother! After all, it's what I'm going to be, isn't it?" she replied with a smile. Ito looked away from the plant and up at her mother-in-law in shock and nodded dumbly as Makoto chuckled beside her.
"A Kuchinashi mother, thank you," Makoto interjected with a small smile as the woman beamed at him.
"Pardon me, a…what?" Ito asked, feeling stupid. Makoto's father snorted behind his wife.
"A Gardenia," he stated gruffly. At Ito's blank look Makoto chuckled and took the plant, motioning his parents into the house. He placed the pot on the table and smiled.
"It's just a flower bush Ito-san, for our garden, mom grows them all the time at father's dojo, whether he likes it or not. They stand for feminine grace and artistry isn't that right?" His mother nodded in reply.
"Exactly. Of course they're notoriously difficult to grow and maintain," she stated.
"Oh?" Ito asked, her face falling.
"Of course, Makoto should remember how to take care of them. He used to help me all the time, it'll be a lovely bonding project!" the older women quickly added, Ito smiled and nodded.
"It sounds great, I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun. Thank you again!"
--
Ito sighed and ran a hand through her hair, staring down at the script and muttering the lines quietly.
"All men are married women's property," she muttered.
"Pardon?" Gasping Ito looked up at Makoto who was grinning.
"And here I thought we were entering the marriage as equals," he stated. Ito blushed.
"Oh! Makoto! No, it's…it's for the play—well you've got the movie so you—well a few of us thought it might be fun to put on an Oscar Wilde play, A Woman of No Importance. They assigned roles today, I'm Mrs. Allonby," she rambled before stopping and staring at Makoto.
"You're covered in dirt." Makoto smiled and waved towards the house with a trowel.
"While you were out enjoying a day at the theater, I was working hard in the garden." Ito stared at the Gardenia bushes Makoto planted underneath the windows of their house.
"I thought your parents only got us one."
"And I went out and got us more," Makoto replied with a shrug, turning around to survey his handy work.
"Wow, it…it looks really good Mako," Ito stated, closing the script and staring at the house.
"You know, we just need a few more tweaks on the outside, and this place will actually look half way decent," she continued. Mako nodded.
"It's amazing what a garden can do. I had a few more plans for out front as well, but we'll do that some other time," he replied, turning to grin at her.
"For now, I need a shower, and I want to hear about this play of yours."
--
"Ungh…" Ito shuffled towards the kitchen, rubbing her sternum, eyes bloodshot, wheezing slightly. Makoto frowned at her from the table.
"Ito, are you okay?" he asked as she stared out the open window, standing there in the middle of the room in his pajamas.
"I have a headache," she slurred, turning her bloodshot eyes slowly towards him. Makoto frowned and stood up, putting down his glass and moving towards her.
"Come sit down, you look horrible—I mean that in the best way possible, of course—did you get any sleep last night?"
"A little bit. I don't know, I was feeling fine yesterday," she grumbled as Makoto pushed her down into a chair at the table. She immediately folded her arms on top of it and rested her head.
"What are your symptoms?" Makoto asked, looking through the medicine cabinet.
"Headache. Hurts to breathe too," she murmured. Makoto frowned and stared at her.
"I think you might need to go to the hospital, Ito-san," he said carefully. Ito groaned.
"Call Ryuya, he'll take me. Your manager will kill me if she finds out you were skipping out because your girl got the flu."
"My wife."
"Her too." Makoto grinned to himself and moved over to Ito. He crouched next to her and ran his hand through her hair.
"Let's think, you said you felt fine yesterday?"
"Mhm."
"And we didn't eat anything unusual, did we?"
"No."
"What did we do different yesterday or last night that could've caused this?"
"Left the windows open," Ito mumbled, turning her head towards Makoto. "For the first, and last, time. That sickeningly sweet smell woke me up no less then five times."
"Smell? What smell?" Makoto asked curiously, sniffing the air.
"You can't smell that?" Ito asked, sitting up and staring at him. "How can you not smell that?"
Makoto frowned and sniffed a few more times.
"I smell breakfast, and…you…and me…and the garden—oh. Oh Ito. It's allergies." Ito stared at him as he stood up and went to the medicine cabinet.
"What?"
"Allergies," Makoto repeated, bringing over the Benadryl and grabbing his glass of orange juice.
"Allergies?"
"Yes, allergies. Here, take two."
"Mako, those make me pass out."
"Its fine, I'll call the troupe and explain."
"But Mako we have to rehearse!"
"Ito you won't get anything done in this state, now take your medicine." Ito sighed and did as she was told, watching as Makoto got up and closed the windows.
"I've never reacted this bad from allergies before," she mentioned, sipping the juice. Makoto smiled.
"It doesn't surprise me. Gardenias are supposed to bring happiness, unfortunately their scent is so strong that sometimes all they bring the exact opposite and leave people miserable. For all of mom's Kuchinashi bushes at the dojo, they were still far enough away so that the scent wouldn't overpower the students. Father only allowed it because people who are not used to the scent are at a certain disadvantage when the flowers are at their peak and smell their strongest, even if the bushes are at the furthest possible point from the dojo," Makoto explained easily.
"That's cheating," Ito murmured.
"That's what they call the home-field advantage," corrected Makoto with a grin, coming back to the table to sit down. He ran a hand through Ito's hair.
"I'll call and let them know you can't come, and I'll pick up some non-drowsy allergy medicine on my way home. The first chance I get, I'll get rid of the gardenias out front," he said softly. Ito frowned at him.
"But they're pretty! And your mother—"
"Will understand. Besides, gardenias take so much work and time. I was thinking we should put something else there, something with a bit more color in the flowers," Makoto interrupted with a smile. Ito stared at him blankly as her head throbbed in protest of even the idea of her protesting.
"Fine, but I'm only agreeing because I'm miserable," she muttered, looking away and sipping the orange juice.
"Of course, Ito-san," Makoto replied, smiling brightly.
"Come on now; let's get you on the couch for when you pass out. If you're lucky a nap might be all you need to get back up on your feet."
Makoto helped Ito get up and settle on the couch, the television on, turned down low as she snuggled into her favorite pillow—Makoto's pillow.
"I'm sorry your mom's flowers made me sick," she muttered, her eyes fluttering close as the medicine kicked in. Makoto chuckled.
"Silly girl," he whispered, kissing her temple.
Please Review!