When I first read this prompt; a couple of ideas that were a bit fragmented and floating around my head just came together into this little scene.
Prompt: “A character has a cold but just feels a little like sneezing from it. The character doesn't have allergies but does get an itchy nose at really powerful scents. Combine the two and the character has to sneeze so badly" Original Characters
Happy Birthday Tarotgal, I hope you have a lovely day (you probably think this is early; but it’s already your birthday here in Europe!).
….
Becky stumbled through the door, laden with the bags containing the spoils of the shopping trip. Readjusting the bags she entered the lounge. “How’s your cold?” she asked as she dropped the bags, leaned over the back of the couch and pressed a kiss into the top of the head sat there.
“Not too bad” a nasally sounding Nick replied. He was laid back on the couch, a sports game that she had little interest in on the TV. “I keep feeling like I need to sneeze, and then it goes away again.” He scrubbed at his itchy nose as he spoke.
Becky flopped onto the couch next to him. “I’m sorry you caught my cold, but at least you should be well by the time we go on our trip next week!” leaning into him and rubbing the top of his thigh as she sat.
“How did the… ehhh…” Becky leaned forward and picked up the tissue box from the little table. Nick sighed; “It’s ok it’s gone again” he continued as she set the tissue box back down, “How did the shopping trip go?”
“I found everything on your list” Becky smiled and leaned back into him. “I found sunscreen….” She paused as she felt the sharp inhale of breath; “Deed to sdeeze!” he gasped. She leant away to get the tissues, as she did Nick relaxed again; his facial features looking unsatisfied. “I also found those little bottles for shampoo and shower gel”.
“That’s a lot of bags; if it’s just toiletries!” he chuckled, his laugh turning to a soft cough. Then his breath transitioned again; into the build-up to a sneeze; his nose twitching as his chest started to rise. Becky once again collected the tissue box for him; watching and sharing in his frustration as the tickle once again disappeared.
“You know; I’m not going to bother getting up for the tissues for you next time!” she laughed. “And no; the shopping isn’t all toiletries. I also bought a bikini for the beach, and a sundress”.
“So, not that much shopping for a full day out?”.
“We also stopped for lunch; so there’s some nice bits from the deli in there for dinner. I wasn’t sure if you’d be hungry and I’ll just want something light so you can eat as much as you feel like”.
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to taste much anyway, I’m just so stuffy and I really feel like I need to sneeze” he sniffed softly. His nose red and irritated; his eyes watering before he blinked it away.
“I’m sorry; I’d hoped you’d feel better after relaxing for the day” Becky stroked his arm as she sympathised
“I do, I just really need to sneeze a bit I think”. Becky cuddled back into him; feeling sorry for passing on her cold. He looked miserable, with his stuffy red nose, the tickles distracting and irritating him. “Did you see anything else whilst you were shopping?”
“Not really; I looked at perfumes since mine has been discontinued.”
“Any you liked?”
“I didn’t buy any, but I’m wearing four different ones” She proffered her left wrist. “This is a very fresh citrus one, reminds me of summer”.
“HMmm” Nick sniffed, realising that the light scent wasn’t going to penetrate far into his nose.
“And this one” tilting the left of her décolletage towards him “is more an aquatic botanical type, still fresh, but I’m not sure”.
“I can’t really smell that one at all” as Nick once again attempted to smell it.
“I’m less keen on this wrist; it’s a bit old lady floral smelling” Becky mused, wafting her right wrist in Nick’s general direction. “But this one” gesturing to the right side of her neck which Nick got close to “is different to anything I’ve had before, a deeper musk and amber, and I think it’s my favourite so far”.
“It’s quite faint with this cold…. The tick… tickle is back…..”
Becky jumped up, passing Nick the tissue box on her way, and plucked out the tester to Number Four from the bag. As she retuned to the couch, she once again saw Nick’s face fall out of the pre-sneeze expression. She sprayed a few pumps from the tiny bottle into the side of her neck and shoulder.
Almost instantly Nick’s features contorted. “I think… its… making… me…”
Becky jumped up from the couch and away. “I’m sorry; I forgot strong scents made you sneeze!”. Nick caught her hand as she moved, stopping her from running to wash it off.
“Please, I need to be able to sneeze”. He tugged her hand gently, and she sat back on the couch. He leaned into her, resting his head into her shoulder. Staying there as he felt the start of a fresh tickle high in his nose, staying there as Becky passed him a handful of tissues. Staying as she rubbed his back as his breath wavered. “I… ehh… really…”
“I know, I’m sorry about giving you my cold, and about the perfume”.
“I’d be fine… if I could just…” Becky felt his back tense under her fingers, felt his breath deepening against her neck as the sneeze built as he continued to inhale the musky scent.
He pulled away at the very last second; the tissues snapping up to his nose. “hehh-EEETTTCSSSHHHH, Hehh-IIISSTSSHHH!” he finally sneezed.
“Bless you!” exclaimed Becky, “feeling better for that?”
“Buch” he sniffled as he blew his nose into the tissues he held. “I think that one’s my favourite right now!”
---------------------------
And yes, I'm still annoyed that they discontinued my perfume at the end of last year!
They've Discontinued My Perfume
When I first read this prompt; a couple of ideas that were a bit fragmented and floating around my head just came together into this little scene.
Prompt: “A character has a cold but just feels a little like sneezing from it. The character doesn't have allergies but does get an itchy nose at really powerful scents. Combine the two and the character has to sneeze so badly" Original Characters
Happy Birthday Tarotgal, I hope you have a lovely day (you probably think this is early; but it’s already your birthday here in Europe!).
….
Becky stumbled through the door, laden with the bags containing the spoils of the shopping trip. Readjusting the bags she entered the lounge. “How’s your cold?” she asked as she dropped the bags, leaned over the back of the couch and pressed a kiss into the top of the head sat there.
“Not too bad” a nasally sounding Nick replied. He was laid back on the couch, a sports game that she had little interest in on the TV. “I keep feeling like I need to sneeze, and then it goes away again.” He scrubbed at his itchy nose as he spoke.
Becky flopped onto the couch next to him. “I’m sorry you caught my cold, but at least you should be well by the time we go on our trip next week!” leaning into him and rubbing the top of his thigh as she sat.
“How did the… ehhh…” Becky leaned forward and picked up the tissue box from the little table. Nick sighed; “It’s ok it’s gone again” he continued as she set the tissue box back down, “How did the shopping trip go?”
“I found everything on your list” Becky smiled and leaned back into him. “I found sunscreen….” She paused as she felt the sharp inhale of breath; “Deed to sdeeze!” he gasped. She leant away to get the tissues, as she did Nick relaxed again; his facial features looking unsatisfied. “I also found those little bottles for shampoo and shower gel”.
“That’s a lot of bags; if it’s just toiletries!” he chuckled, his laugh turning to a soft cough. Then his breath transitioned again; into the build-up to a sneeze; his nose twitching as his chest started to rise. Becky once again collected the tissue box for him; watching and sharing in his frustration as the tickle once again disappeared.
“You know; I’m not going to bother getting up for the tissues for you next time!” she laughed. “And no; the shopping isn’t all toiletries. I also bought a bikini for the beach, and a sundress”.
“So, not that much shopping for a full day out?”.
“We also stopped for lunch; so there’s some nice bits from the deli in there for dinner. I wasn’t sure if you’d be hungry and I’ll just want something light so you can eat as much as you feel like”.
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to taste much anyway, I’m just so stuffy and I really feel like I need to sneeze” he sniffed softly. His nose red and irritated; his eyes watering before he blinked it away.
“I’m sorry; I’d hoped you’d feel better after relaxing for the day” Becky stroked his arm as she sympathised
“I do, I just really need to sneeze a bit I think”. Becky cuddled back into him; feeling sorry for passing on her cold. He looked miserable, with his stuffy red nose, the tickles distracting and irritating him. “Did you see anything else whilst you were shopping?”
“Not really; I looked at perfumes since mine has been discontinued.”
“Any you liked?”
“I didn’t buy any, but I’m wearing four different ones” She proffered her left wrist. “This is a very fresh citrus one, reminds me of summer”.
“HMmm” Nick sniffed, realising that the light scent wasn’t going to penetrate far into his nose.
“And this one” tilting the left of her décolletage towards him “is more an aquatic botanical type, still fresh, but I’m not sure”.
“I can’t really smell that one at all” as Nick once again attempted to smell it.
“I’m less keen on this wrist; it’s a bit old lady floral smelling” Becky mused, wafting her right wrist in Nick’s general direction. “But this one” gesturing to the right side of her neck which Nick got close to “is different to anything I’ve had before, a deeper musk and amber, and I think it’s my favourite so far”.
“It’s quite faint with this cold…. The tick… tickle is back…..”
Becky jumped up, passing Nick the tissue box on her way, and plucked out the tester to Number Four from the bag. As she retuned to the couch, she once again saw Nick’s face fall out of the pre-sneeze expression. She sprayed a few pumps from the tiny bottle into the side of her neck and shoulder.
Almost instantly Nick’s features contorted. “I think… its… making… me…”
Becky jumped up from the couch and away. “I’m sorry; I forgot strong scents made you sneeze!”. Nick caught her hand as she moved, stopping her from running to wash it off.
“Please, I need to be able to sneeze”. He tugged her hand gently, and she sat back on the couch. He leaned into her, resting his head into her shoulder. Staying there as he felt the start of a fresh tickle high in his nose, staying there as Becky passed him a handful of tissues. Staying as she rubbed his back as his breath wavered. “I… ehh… really…”
“I know, I’m sorry about giving you my cold, and about the perfume”.
“I’d be fine… if I could just…” Becky felt his back tense under her fingers, felt his breath deepening against her neck as the sneeze built as he continued to inhale the musky scent.
He pulled away at the very last second; the tissues snapping up to his nose. “hehh-EEETTTCSSSHHHH, Hehh-IIISSTSSHHH!” he finally sneezed.
“Bless you!” exclaimed Becky, “feeling better for that?”
“Buch” he sniffled as he blew his nose into the tissues he held. “I think that one’s my favourite right now!”
---------------------------
And yes, I'm still annoyed that they discontinued my perfume at the end of last year!