Quite ironic, isn't it? (M/M)

[riverevanss]

Hello!

I think this is the first story I've written for 2022, so I'm excited to see what happens with it. Anyway, I plan to write a longer piece, probably several parts. I don't know exactly how many, but I want the chapters to be a comfortable length to read. We'll see, I guess.

 

 

Quite ironic, isn't it? - chapter one

 

Adam didn't want to go to the library at all. It wasn't the place he had a problem with, but rather the reason he had to drag himself into the facility. When he had applied to university, he knew it would be exam season at some point (they didn't even mind that), but he was only now realizing that he would have to study as well.

When he woke up in the morning, he wasn't feeling well. Not physically, which he was glad about because the last time he had written a test he had sneezed all the way through, but more mentally. He didn't feel like going out with people. He just wanted to be alone and read or watch some kind of series. Anything to avoid studying and meeting with other people. But he preferred the latter.

Adam sighed, then bent down to pick up his backpack, which he had recklessly thrown on the floor the night before. His dark brown, wavy curls tickled his nose for a moment, but he ignored it, simply grabbed the keys he'd left on the table and a packet of tissues and stepped out the entrance.

His arm was already in front of his face before he looked up properly. The sun's warm rays stroked his face, and the sudden contrast in the light made him feel the usual tickle in his nose.

"Eh... eh'kkgn!" he quickly suppressed the first sneeze, but he could already feel his nose flaring up again. He consistently sneezed twice. Always. He didn't move, just buried his head in the crook of his elbow and paused. He felt a bit silly, as he usually did in this scenario, but eventually... "Heh... he'eh'tsshoo!"

Good thing he'd brought some tissues because that was enough to plug his nose. He'd told his mum many times that he must be allergic to something, but she didn't believe him. So, the boy just had to put up with the fact that whenever he stepped out into the fresh air he would begin sneezing unexpectedly, and in worse cases, his nose would start to run.

"The day is already off to a promising start" he murmured to himself as he shut the door behind him. He decided not to clear his nose just yet, as the library was not far away, and he knew that if he couldn't breathe correctly, at least he wouldn't sneeze again. He hated doing that in a place where someone might see him. He'd always thought of it as a private thing. "Heh... not now please'eh'kkgn-choo! Eh'kkxngt"

He could barely stifle the first sneeze, and after the second, even though he plugged his nose with his thumb and forefinger, he could feel the slight moisture. His face heated up in an instant. He had to blow his nose somewhere. One more sneeze and he could find himself in an even more awkward situation due to the now increasingly wet sneezes.

 

When he got to the library and showed his library card to the lady. Moments later Adam was off in a hurry towards the restrooms. He almost fell through the door and into the stall, which he hurriedly closed behind him. Then, almost without thinking, he ripped off a stack of toilet paper, forgetting his tissues. He tried to blow his nose quietly but quickly. When he finished, he took a hesitant, tiny breath through his nose. He no longer felt the intense tickle, just the usual 'I'm going to sneeze at some point, but not now' feeling. He should have done some allergy tests by now...

Adam was done in the restroom, so he headed to the reading room. He really couldn't afford to be lazy; he had a lot of material to comprehend for his exam in three days. But as he looked around the room, no one else seemed to care, because the place was almost ringing with emptiness, but for one person.

The boy squinted towards one of the shadier corners, then smiled faintly. He didn't know the name of the boy sitting there, but he'd seen him almost every day for the past week, usually hunched over thick books. Adam had been sitting nearer and nearer to the stranger, but today he found himself with only one row of chairs separating them, as they were sitting opposite each other.

The stranger chose this moment to look up. He looked quite good with his wavy golden locks and bright green eyes. The freckles on his cheeks somehow made his features look boyish, yet grown-up. He wore black-rimmed glasses, and before him, there was a big textbook.

Adam nodded shyly, then began to unpack his backpack. A book, notebooks, a pen, and a packet of tissues. He's got everything, so he's just...

“Heh'gnxt...” For a brief moment he found himself in the center of the morning's events, but this time it wasn't him who sneezed. "he'gnxxt... heh... fuck... he'gnxt-chiew... gnxttt... heh'ghnxt... heh'tsCHIEW!" Adam winced at the sound, then looked up.

The unknown guy was sitting in the chair, blushing, his face buried in his elbows. Their eyes met, and Adam didn't want to seem rude, so he decided to speak up to break the audible silence. Although, the last sneeze still echoed in his ears.

"Bless you," he nodded, then picked up the packet of tissues he'd dropped on the table. "Do you need one?" it only occurred to him how stupid the situation was when he asked the question. Luckily, the stranger nodded.

"Thanks," the stranger mumbled gratefully. His voice was deep, but you could hear how stuffy his nose was. Adam grinned, then politely turned away, trying not to hear the stranger blowing his nose. By the way, his sneezes were quite... cute.

"By the way," the dark-haired guy turned back when he heard the stranger get up and walk to the trash can. Now he could see how tall he was, how his black jeans and dark purple sweater looked quite good on him. "Since we've been avoiding each other for a week... I'm Adam. Adam Smith.

"Clay Johnson," the blond introduced himself. "And sorry about the... earlier... it happens sometimes. Especially when there's a bunch of dust. Or pollen, you decide" he added, and though he sounded a bit embarrassed, something was entertaining him.

"Come on, happens to the best of us" Adam chuckled as he thought back to that morning. He'd want to know why he was sneezing that much. "Do you always sneeze so often, as if your life relied on it?" he asked abruptly.

He clapped his hands over his mouth as he realized how rude his question had been, but fortunately, Clay didn't seem offended. He froze for a beat, of course, but it was more the suddenness of the question that made him freeze, then he nodded.

"Usually. Speaking of which..." the blond held up his index finger, then turned his back to Adam. The dark-haired one, as much as he knew it was inappropriate what he was doing, couldn't take his eyes off the other's back. The muscles tensed as Clay winced and tried to stifle the sneeze that burst from him much more quickly this time. "Heh'gnxt'gxxt'nggxt'gnxt... heh'CHIEW! Okay, that was painful," Clay whined, bending down to pick up the papers that the sudden draft had blown to the floor. And the window wasn't even open.

Adam wasn't surprised. The first four sneezes (yes, he counted) left the blond's body with such speed that Clay couldn't catch his breath between them. Adam was amazed that he hadn't stopped breathing, and also that he could hold back the sneezes to such a capacity. Although the last one sounded loud now, maybe that was just the silence in the library.

"Bless you," Adam nodded, suggesting another tissue.

"Thank you." Clay smiled, taking the small bag held out to him.

 

 

- tbc -

[riverevanss]

Hi! 

I had so much fun writing this, there is the second chapter. I hope y'all will like it. Also I forgot to mention, my natural langue isn't English, so if there are any mistakes, I'm sorry for that.

 

Quite ironic, isn't it? - chapter two

 

They have been sitting in the library for about four hours now. The wind had started to blow outside, so Adam was already started to worry that the sun would come out of the clouds and make him sneeze again. He didn't want to relive the morning, especially not sitting across from the pretty blond guy.

Not that Clay was that ashamed. Every twenty minutes or so, the poor boy took another tissue out of the bag (now put next to him) to blow his nose after a sneezing attack. Adam couldn't understand what the hell he was doing in the library, sitting among the dusty books.

"Bless you!" Adam didn't even look up, he started talking almost out of reflex.  It was all he'd been doing for the last four hours, so he was getting used to it. Although, he still had that weird but pleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach that had appeared when Clay had stifled another set of sneezes.

"Thank yeeh'TSCHIEW! Thank you" he sniffled "Jesus, that was loud, sorry about that." The blond guy smiled shyly. "You know, because of this, I'm happy they don't come to the library that much and they don't have to listen to this all day. I mean... I can usually stifle them just pretty well if I need to, but as you can hear it, one always slips out."

Adam just nodded as if it was a perfectly natural thing to do, but deep down he wondered how Clay could talk about it with such naturalness. Of course, he knew that it was normal (or at least it was for most people), but he could never talk about it. He couldn't blow his nose in front of people, he hated sneezing when someone could hear or see him, and when he saw someone sneeze (especially someone pretty, like Clay), he always got a weird feeling in his stomach and other places.

"Why do you come to the library to study if you're so allergic to dust?" Adam finally asked, and though he felt his face turn a slight shade of red, he decided to be brave this time.

"Here at least...heh'gnxt...heh'gnxxt-chiew...sorry. As I said, at least it's quiet here. I have a sister a brother at home, so I don't have much peace." he finished, and before Adam could reply, he pulled up the neck of his sweater, only to sneeze again. "Eh... eh'TSCHIEW! I thigk it's albost tibe for be to go hobe. Or get sobe fresh air, if the polled doesd't kill be that buch " His voice sounded a little congested, to which Adam wasn't at all surprised about.

"Bless you" Adam nodded. Somehow, he never had a problem with blessing someone. When someone blessed him? Yeah, that was another question. "We can go for a coffee if you like, I'm finished learning. I mean if you want to.

"Thanks, but believe me, you don't want to bless me after each sneeze. There is a lot more to come, at least I think" Clay added as he started to pack into his bag. "So, coffee?" he asked after a quick blow of his nose.

 

Adam hoped that this time he wouldn't have any reaction to the sun's rays as they were hidden behind a cloud. Of course, he was too unlucky for that; as they stepped out into the fresh air, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. It was as if they were in a movie where the cloud had been magically moved out of the way by something. Or someone, it's a matter of detail.

"Oh shit," Adam muttered, but he already stopped walking, his head buried in the crook of his jacket-covered elbow. "eh'tshoo'tshoo'tshoo... eh... eh'TSHOO" he looked up gasping for air, his face burning with shame. It was very rare for him not to be able to stifle his sneezes, and he rarely sneezed this rapidly either. And why it was so loud...

"Shit, bless you. Are you okay?" Clay also paused, looking worriedly at the black-haired boy. "And you're the one who told me if I always sneeze as my life depends on it. I think we should have a contest sometimes to find out who can sneeze more."

"Itwasthesun," Adam blurted out, but he was still nervous, so the words burst out of him with such surprising speed and so quietly that even he couldn't hear them properly.

"Come again?" Clay seemed confused.

"I said it was the sun. Like... sudden light makes me sneeze" Adam explained, a little louder now.

Clay raised his eyebrows for a moment but didn't seem to question him. He simply shrugged, then nodded. After moments like this, Adam always wondered if the problem was with him; why he found these little bits of information so interesting. If it wasn't happening to him, for instance, he wouldn't believe that someone could sneeze from the light.

"Whatever," the blond shrugged. "Has anyone ever told you that you sneeze like a kitten?" he asked suddenly, and Adam paused, looking at the guy with raised eyebrows.

"You're to tell me this when you stifle your kitten-sounding sneezes until you can't anymore, and then they're as loud as a tiger's?" Adam asked indignantly. He didn't know where the thought had come from but found the simile rather amusing.

So did Clay because the boy just laughed and continued walking down the leafy path.

 

 

"heh'gnxt"

"Bless you."

"e'gnxxt"

"Bless you"

"eh... eh'tshiew"

"Bless you.

"eh'tshiew... eh... eh... eh'TSSHIIEEW"

"Bless you"

"Will you evee'tsshiew... ever stop?" asked Clay, who finally finished sneezing. Or at least it looked like he finished it.

"Bless you. And I could ask the same" replied Adam, who was clearly amused by now. "You know, if you stop stifling your sneezes, they'll stop. Experience" he added, so the other guy wouldn't think he was weird. Although it might have made it worse, you never knew.

"Okay, sure, if you want me to tear out your eardrums, then I can sneeze without stifling" Clay nodded, burying his face in a tissue.

They sat on a bench in of the lonelier corners of the park. The sun had disappeared behind the clouds and the wind was blowing so hard Adam wondered why the trees didn't drop. Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but still. And this probably meant that there was a lot of pollen flying up in the air, which Clay wasn't too happy about (well, his nose wasn't happy about it). He sneezed constantly for at least five minutes, and Adam amused himself by throwing out an absent-minded bless you every time.

"Maybe we should go inside, don't you think?" the dark-haired one inquired. "My place isn't far away if you want to... you know."

"Eh'TSSSHIEW. Shit... eh'gnnxt... good, that's a great idea" muttered Clay.

"Wonderful, I'll show you the way then" Adam ascended from the bench and the blond boy followed him. "Oh, and Clay?" he turned back over his shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"Bless you," he said with a giant smile, to which Clay just rolled his eyes.

 

[Kolen]

🤤

I would never have known that English isn't your first language if you hadn't typed so. Your writing style is *chef's kiss* and I love the characters, as well as how steadily the story is progressing.

The sneeze spellings 

[funbusej]

Loving this!  Please continue 😍

[MiraKarat]

Oh I'm so I'm inlove with these two! Adorable❤️ Please, more!❤️✨

[Icyfall]

This was awesome thank you

[Evian]

So effing cute I’m melting