Try Again (m, illness) aka the aforementioned fic 🙇🏻♀️
Jack is a sound designer and he falls super ill once the show opens. a thing goes wrong in the sound setup and here he is trying to give instructions to his assistant on how to fix it.
warning for mess | 525 words
content: messy snz, tissues, caretaking
-
“I dod’t deed to chadge it, I just deed you to listed to be. *snnrff, ah-Hemm!* Yes. It’s id the Saffrod folder. *sddrff!* Uhuh. *hsndrff!* I- hold od, I- yy'ESSCHIEWW!! ESSCHIEWWw!! *snNRK!* g’hhh… *snrk* Thagk you. I’b fide. *hsnnnrk~* Okay, dow add it to the queue…”
Jess is certain that Jack only has a couple of minutes before he drowns in his own snot, trying to get these instructions out. She pulls a couple of tissues from the box on the coffee table and offers them to him. Still in the heat of discussion, it takes a couple of seconds for him to notice, and with a rather thick sniffle, he accepts them.
“Check that… ngh… hihh! k’heihh-! EEIYY’AATCHHIEWWw!!! *hsnNDRFFh! snrgk! snrk*” Thick ropes of mucus burst from his flared, leaking nostrils, oozing down his chin. He has to stop and breathe, finding the rhythm again, eyes shiny and dazed. He lifts the tissues one-handed up to his nose and wipes, pinching away the mess. “I’b fide,” he huffs, voice cracking. "Tell be what happeds whed you hit play.”
As he waits, he slowly rubs his nose with the crumpled tissues in his hand. His eyelids flutter, expression crumbling into a helpless grimace. He pitches forward with another gushing, explosive sneeze. “rrRR’GSSCHHhh!!hieww… *snnrk, sdf*”
He blinks dazedly and pinches his nose, rubbing it hard. “Hehh… hih! Doe, I’b… f-f- haAH’CHIEWWw!!! heih?? eiy’EEESSCHHIEWWww!!!”
Jess pouts a little and reaches over to run her hand gently over his back. Jack takes a few panting breaths, wiping his nose and sniffling thickly. His nostrils are flaring as he wipes them with a folded tissue, and it looks as if it takes restraint not to sneeze again from the delicate cleanup.
“Thagk you. Please excuse be. *sddrffh* ...By siduses are killing be.”
Jess watches as he rubs his slender, rosy red nose back and forth, the rims of his nostrils rounded and dripping with mucus.
“Thahht’s dot a- hehh-! HUUT’CHIEWW!!! CHIEWW!!! Gooddess, excuse- oh! HAATCHIEWWW!!!”
Jack groans and wipes his nose again. He leans forward and grabs three tissues.
“Pardod be, just a bidute.”
He mutes himself on the call, then folds the tissues and gives his nose a loud, gurgling blow, flooding and soaking the tissues. Afterward, he sighs and rubs his red nose so hard it squelches.
“Hehh… excuse be… upload the dew file- hht’CHIEWW!! *hsnnrgk!* HAATCHIEWW!! *hsnnrgk! koFF!* Scuse be. hih-! hiHt’CHIEWW!!!”
“Thagk you. I’b… huhh… I’b… *snngrk!* sdeezig like a bad bad. *hsnnrk!* is it playig? Okay… try agaid…”
Jack sniffles thickly, and his chin lifts, his nostrils flaring wide. "hhehhh..." He sniffles again, hard, the sound wet and marshy. Then- “HAAAESSCHHIOOoo!!!”
“Ohh… *snngk! snnrgk!* Thagk you, I’b… so sorry, I- KSSCHH!! *snngk!* Doe, I’b fide… I’b… hihh-? HAAESSHHIEWWw!! *snnrgk*”
Jess gently takes the phone from him. “He’ll call you back in a bit.” She says, and hangs up.
“HAAAESSCHHIEWWww!!!”
“Just let them go, darling.”
“dDj’EESSCHHIEWWW!!!”
“God bless you.”
“AAD’CHIEEWW!!-Chieww!! EHd’CHIUHHh!!”
“Bless you.”
Jack pants for breath. “Huhh… have to call theb bah-aAH-! hEH?! HAAAARRSSCHHIEWW!!!”
He sneezes again, so hard he has to close his eyes for a moment and breathe.
“Bless you. Shh, just relax,” Jess murmurs.
“uhHG’SSCHIEWW!!”
“Bless you.”
