Coffee Shop Shenanigans

[Mash]

The clinking of silverware and cheap plates surrounded me as I leaned back in my seat, the intoxicating aroma of freshly-brewed coffee filling the room.

I yawned, arching back as I stretched. I normally didn't spend much time in this homely coffee shop, but today I had an extra work-load that I had been unable to do the night before. My laptop whirred contently as I typed away at the keys, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I concentrated on forming coherent sentences.

I took a sip of my coffee, wincing as it burned my tongue a little. A tinkering laugh echoed outside the shop, followed promptly by the sound of the door opening. I knew that laugh anywhere, unfortunately.

"...-nyways, I'll talk to you later, okay? Alright! Call me later!" the voice paused, "Well if you don't, then I'll tell Melinda that you snuck your friend into the boat for your honeymoon. Yeah, that's what I thought. Later pal!" A sharp snap followed the dialogue as the person in question closed their phone.

I continued typing away, silently hoping that I wouldn't be noticed. I had always had a talent for blending into the background, so with any luck-

"Maaaaaaac! Hey, partner!" came the obnoxiously familiar voice that haunted me at night.

I cranked my neck upwards, a scowl plastered on my face as I stared into the sparkling eyes of Molly Maloney.

"For the last time, Molly, we are not partners." I grumbled, sipping more of my coffee. "You are an intern, and I am your supervisor. You are the grunt, and I hold the whip." I snapped, trying to get my point across as she sat down next to me, pulling out her laptop.

"Ohhh, whips? Naughty boy." she giggled, opening up her laptop as she pulled up several documents. I groaned internally. Note to self: think before speaking.

"Did you complete the papers I needed last night?" I asked, downing more of my coffee. "If Buckland doesn't get those by noon today, I'm going to have your ass shipped out of here."

Molly nodded, bouncing in her seat as she pointed to the documents. "They're all done! I haven't gotten them printed yet, but that's be-... because S-sally and I were held u-up in traffic."

I quirked an eyebrow as I glanced at her, the hitches in her voice quite noticeable. Her lips tugged up a fraction of an inch as her nose twitched a little. She blinked rapidly, sniffling a little as she caught me staring. "S-sorry, I've had a tickle in m-my nose all morning."

My throat suddenly ran dry, and I was only able to mumble out a brief acknowledgement as I turned to my laptop, pretending to continue working. I continued to shoot her glances as her face contorted, her nose wiggling from the tickles. She rubbed her nose against the back of her hand, and I couldn't help but grin a little. The obnoxious Molly, finally hung up by something.

"Are you okay?" I asked, finally getting the courage to speak up again, forcing my face to cool down a little.

Molly twitched in response, "I'll l-live... but this tickle is d-driving me nuts... I wish I could just sneeze..." she muttered, rubbing her nose a little more fiercely.

I smirked, enjoying the scene a little more than I should have. "You're going to rub your nose off if you keep that up." I muttered, draining the rest of my coffee.

The frustrated girl huffed, wiggling uncomfortably as she sniffled. "Well, do you have a better i-idea, Mister Smartypants?" she asked, shooting me a pretend glare.

I did have an idea, but the thought of actually suggesting it made my face heat up. "Well... you could induce a sneeze." I said, trying to sound non-nonchalant. I turned back towards my laptop as I tried to hide the raging blush on my face.

I looked at the assortment of various flowers and plants in the vase in the middle of the table. I grinned as I saw several feathers mixed in for decoration. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed one, showing it to her. Molly stared at it, blinking. "Th-tha-at doesn't actually w-work, does it?"

"It can sometimes work if you have someone else do it. Sort of like how you can't tickle yourself." I lied. I really had no idea, nor did I actually care. It was worth a shot.

Molly nodded, but leaned in close. "O-okay... but let me move behind you like this... I'd rather people think we were kissing than sticking stuff up my nose." she stated, a small blush coming to her face.

I nodded in agreement, moving in front of her so that my head blocked any view of us from the rest of the coffee shop. Molly leaned her head back, exposing her nose more as she sniffled, nodding for me to begin.

I slowly began tracing the feather around her nostril, tickling the edges. She recognized the tickle immediately, her nose wrinkling up a little. I didn't bother to hide my blush after Molly closed her eyes. I wiggled the tip of the feather a little farther into her right nostril, tickling along the edge. She began squirming in her seat a little, her nose twitching from the tickles. Her jaw started to become slack as her lips parted.

"Ehh... I uhhh... th-think its w-wehhh... working..." she mumbled, sniffling.

Working the feather in a bit farther, I watched her face contort into the pre-sneeze expression, her chest heaving a little. I gave the feather a quick twist, stroking the tip along the inside of her nostril before pulling the feather back. I slipped the feather out of her nostril as her nose and lips began quivering.

"Ehhehh... ahhh... Hhhehhh... HHeeEEECHEW!" her head ducked to the side as she sneezed, a look of complete satisfaction washing across her face as she relaxed, sniffling once before sitting up once again.

"Phew. I really needed that!" she stated, slinging her arm across my shoulders. "Thanks, partner!"

The scowl returned to my face as I faced my laptop, resisting the urge to growl at her.

Interns...

[Pearlised]

BRILLIANT!!

OMG, I adore feather sneezes!! This is so well written too, I love how you set up the characters!! Thanks for sharing!! (would totally feel greedy asking for more but really wants it anyway )

[Mash]

Feather sneezes are by far my favorite. Thanks for the feedback! ^^;

You're very welcome, also. I'm new here, so I decided to drum up a story really quick. Took me about 5 minutes to brainstorm, and maybe a half-hour to get out this draft. My writing skills are a little on the 'eh' side, but oh well.

[NoV]

Hey there - great story and welcome to the forum by the way

Feathers are a much neglected cause of sneezing in the Stories section - glad to see you are readdressing the balance