You Win

[WolfPack]

Because of all the beautiful and helpful advice I received from this topic from lots of wonderful members, I finally decided to make a little one-shot! There isn't going to be much sneezing in this story (SORRY!  ), but I'll try my best next time.

Let me introduce you to my OCS:

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Alex Barroft McCarthy: 18 years old, tall; around 6’2, short straight light brown hair, lean, friendly, a little timid and quiet, and a lovely person in general. 

 

He occasionally wears sweaters or hoodies with long pants or just comfy clothing in general at home. If he is attending something more important like school or a formal event, he wears much more appropriate clothing.

 

Poppy Louise Neal: 18 years old (younger than Alex), fairly tall; 5’6, long straight black hair, thin, extrovert, understanding, sympathetic, and a great friend.

 

She occasionally wears tank tops and shorts at home but more appropriate clothing when attending school.

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I don't intend for them to be in a relationship, maybe just really close friends, but feel free to imagine and let your mind flow freely.

Spoiler

Alex does have a crush on Poppy though. But I don't plan on them to go beyond that. Very good friends is where I stop their relationship.

 This story also doesn't really have a plot. I just wanted to write about someone having the photic sneeze reflex and the other person being completely oblivious to the existence of the reflex. This is also inspired by A RECENT POST in my obs thread. Without further ado, enjoy my first ever story!

 

You Win

One-Shot

 

It was a bright summer day. Alex wasn't sure if he should knock on the door or just barge in. He decided to be a polite guy and knock on Poppy's door. He knocked and a familiar voice shouted back,

 

"In a minute!"

 

Sooner or later, the door opened up and revealed a stunning woman, all dressed up for the occasion, which was going to the lake. Instead of her usual tank top and shorts thing, she actually wore something decent.

 

"You ready to go?" Poppy asked. Her question snapped him out of his imagination and brought him back to reality. He showed off his car keys to her, signaling that everything is ready.

 

He nodded as they both proceeded to the car. The reason they're going on a trip to the park with a few other friends is that they have a massive art project that is due next week. Poppy was humming to the radio music while Alex looked straight ahead at the road. Which can be both good and bad. As expected, a buzzing sensation entered his sinuses again. It wasn't too bad, so he dismissed it. A few minutes later, it became stronger and soon enough made his slightly pink nose twitch. His breath started to hitch, then faced his shoulder.

 

"h'xgT!"

 

"Bless---" Poppy started but was interrupted by the second one,

 

"hih'AASHUU!"

 

"--you! Done?" He nodded to her question. "Allergies?"

 

He swiped his sleeve under his nose, "No. I can sneeze when I look at the sun. It's a reflex. SNIFF!"

 

She looked at him, face full of confusion and disbelief. "That's ridiculous! There's no such thing." She giggled.

 

He didn't want to argue, so he just let it slide. 5 more minutes of awkward driving and they finally met their destination. There were a few people already present at the lake so asking for help shouldn't be a problem. Instead, all Alex is lacking is the courage to stand up and talk to strangers about intuitive ideas. They sat down together on a bench and took a picture of the view for reference. Alex started sketching and planning out the layout of his art piece when the sun shone on his face again which conjured another double.

 

"'Reflex' again?" Poppy asked with that annoyed tone in her voice. He nodded and she continued, "You're really weird, Al. You know that?"

 

Alex looked generally annoyed. He knew it was going to be a hard time trying to convince her that he couldn't help it and it was a reflex. 

 

"It's called photic sneezing. I can't help it!"

 

"Really?" She said in disbelief, "You so weird, but in a really cute way!"

 

This made him blush. Hardcore. He was staring at nothing for a few minutes, only realizing that he had scribbled Poppy's name on his paper. He quickly erased it and acted like nothing happened.

 

"Hey," He heard Poppy's voice, "I know it might seem I'm hard on you or something sometimes, but I just wanted you to---"

 

"hh'NDISSH!"

 

"---bless you! I just wanted you to know that you're a really great friend."

 

Alex just smiled at her in response. He couldn't say anything else as his nose started twitching again. Out of habit, he stifled a near-silent sneeze,

 

"-gxt!"

 

Which lead to,

 

"h'RISHIEW! hih-- h'GYISSHuhh'!" He turned to his side, desperately trying to wipe the mess that he had created using his sleeve. When he finally realized that it was no use he excused himself.

 

'Poor him. He must be experiencing this every day.' Poppy thought. To be honest, she really did feel bad for him. His seasonal allergies, occasional head colds, and now this "photic sneezing" thing.

 

"HEASHEWW! ---GShhiUE!"

 

Meanwhile, Alex is struggling to get a hold of his nose. Finally, after a few more minutes, his nose decided to stop, allowing him to blow his nose, which did him no good. In fact, it set him off again into another fit.

 

'Maybe I'm sick. I did feel slightly groggy and weak this morning. Almost threw up because of coughing, and the sneezing.' He thought.

 

He went back outside looking nicer than what he looked like a few minutes ago.

 

"Maybe we should go back home if you're not feeling it. We took a picture of it anyways. I think you might be getting a cold." Poppy suggested as he sat back down on the bench. He felt up to it. He just wanted to lay down on his bed and take a quick nap.

 

"I'll take you up on that offer." They gathered up all their things and head back to Alex's place.

 

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THE NEXT DAY

 

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Alex finds himself bundled up in a sea of blankets with Poppy approaching him with some soup.

 

"'GShhiUE!" He aimed towards the blankets, "Sorry. SNIFF"

 

"It's fine. Here drink up."

 

After Alex finished his soup, he heard a voice with an annoying tone call from behind,

 

"Who was right? You're sick! There's no such thing as the photic reflex!"

 

Alex chuckled to himself, "Fine. You win."

 

END

 

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Feedback would be very much appreciated. Thanks for reading!

Edited November 20, 2017 by WolfPack

[kushamisukii]

That was ultra cute hehe :') 

[WolfPack]

@kushamisukii Thank you! Tried to add some fluff! 

[facet]

.

Edited December 1, 2019 by facet
Removed by user.

[WolfPack]

@facet , I'm sorry! Compared to all the wonderful stories and fics on here, *ahem* your story *ahem*, my One-Shot seems like it's lacking on sneezes.

In any case, thank you for the support. I will definitely write more soon!