ALLERGIES

Spring was his favorite season. With all the flowers in bloom, it reminded him of springs he spent back on Earth as a child. Chasing after his little sister when she had stolen his toys, picking honeysuckle out of their backyard and sucking out it's sweet nectar, swinging on his tire swing as the crickets chirped and as he watched his little sister running after fireflies with her mason jar. The garden on the starship was where he went when he was homesick. The garden was what made her sick. Specs hated Spring, all the itchy bugs, the pollen that made her sneeze, and most of all, Specs hated the sickeningly sweet smells in the air. Winter was always her favorite because no matter what she never got a single allergy, well maybe besides her allergy to dust. Plus, Spring reminded her of home, of Earth. Earth, where she was awkward and even more nerdy than she was now. Earth, where the only boys that wanted to date her were boys that she was in the AV club with. Earth, where her nickname got her in awkward situations with the jocks and in deep conversations with the nerds. Yes, she certainly hated Spring. And that was why she was dragging her feet as Krayonder pulled her down the hallway toward the garden.

"C'mon man! I want to show you this flower. Its, like, amazing, man!" Krayonder said dragging her down the hallway. Specs rolled her eyes, trying to stop the crazy ensign from pulling her arm out of socket.

"Krayonder," Specs said in her nasally voice, "if I agree to go with you of my own free will, will you let go of my arm?" Krayonder stopped for a moment and looked at her, eyebrow cocked at a questioning angle. "But, Krayonder, you should know. I might sneeze all over your precious flower, I'm terribly allergic to them."

Krayonder waved her warning away, "You won't sneeze on the flower. Allergies are overrated." Now was Specs's turn to cock an eyebrow.

"You wouldn't think that if you actually had any," Specs mumbled and crossed her arms as she followed him to the garden. Krayonder pushed open the screen panel, it was one of the only manual things on the ship, and a sickeningly sweet scent hit Specs like a tidal wave. Realizing how fast she would start getting an allergy headache, Specs hurriedly covered her mouth and nose with her shirt.

Krayonder looked at her and laughed, "Man, once in a while you got to get out here and smell the roses."

Specs glared at Krayonder, "Roses make me sneeze and I never wanted to come out here anyway, you dragged me halfway and the only reason I agreed to go with you was because you were pulling my arm out of socket." Krayonder bent over and picked one of the prettiest day lilies she had ever seen. "Krayonder, what are you doing? You know it will just make me sneeze more the closer it gets to my face."

He smiled and put it in her hair, they blended perfectly together, "I know, but you're cute when you sneeze." Specs glared at him. "Look, all I know is that when I would pick flowers for my mom, she would always tell me how beautiful they were and how my expert taste in flowers would always get me any girl I wanted. I guess she was wrong. The girl I want can't stand flowers and I thought maybe, just maybe, if she actually saw how beautiful they were then she would change her mind. Well maybe its too late for her to change her mind about flowers, but maybe she will change her mind about me."

Specs rolled her eyes and huffed, "I'm sure any girl that you've fallen for loves flowers; all the girls on this ship are lame and giggly, like February. Well, unless you count Taz." She gave a half smirk and looked over pleadingly to the door, she did not particularly want to talk about his love life right this second. That was another thing Specs hated about Spring, everyone thought it was perfectly fine to share their feelings whenever they felt like it. And they always came to her because they knew she would to try to help them out.

"No, not really. The girl I'm going for hates flowers for sure and I'm hoping that this time she won't shut me down like every time before. I could only love her," Krayonder said looking deep into Specs's eyes. 'Oh, gosh,' she thought, 'The boy I've been falling for for forever is going to tell me who he truly loves. I just hope its not some shallow schientist.' "Specs," Krayonder said averting his gaze, "I've thought about her ever since I met her. She is beautiful in her own way, but she never believes it. She has been in my group during all the wars and during Bug-World. She was the only reason I jumped in front of that Pincer, to save her life." 'Oh gosh! He loves Taz!' she thought, horrified. "What?"

"You...," she said uncertainly, "you love Taz."

Krayonder's eyes shot open as wide as saucers, "What? Where on Earth did you get that from? I was talking about you!"

Specs's eyes widened as well, "Really? You meant me? But... but why would you be in love with me?"

Krayonder smiled lovingly, "Because, man, you're fantastic. You should know that since I risked my life for you. You think that you aren't worth anything and that you aren't beautiful. But you are Specs, you're amazing! Why would you be surprised that I love you?"

She smiled softly, "Because I'm not that loveable. I'm a nerd and a geek and no one as good as you have ever even shown interest in me. I've always loved you, but I never thought you would ever love me."

"Well, think again Ensign Specs," he said cupping her face in his hands and pulling it upward as he bent down and their foreheads touched, "because I never have and never will stop loving you." He pulled down her collar, the part that covered her nose and mouth and closed the gap between them. 'Maybe,' she thought, 'Spring isn't that bad after all. If allergies could kill, his kiss would be the heaven she kept waiting on. And, maybe this one kiss was worth all the problems she'd been through in the past Springs. Maybe the kiss could even send allergies to the grave.'