Endearing Quirks (Cherik M/M)

[stargazer1122]

Hey everyone, this is just a little fluffy idea I had, there isn’t as much sneezing in this piece as there normally is in my writing. It’s more of a cute description of some scenarios I envisioned! Hope you all like it! - ❤️ Stargazer1122

 

Charles had many endearing quirks that Erik had picked up on during their time together. From the way he insisted on buttering his toast with the back of a spoon to his need to wear socks to bed every night, Erik loved them all. But the most recent one he had noticed was his morning sneeze schedule. Charles is a very sneezy person in general and could sneeze upwards of 10 times on any given allergy-free day. Erik noticed that most of those sneezes happened as he got ready for the day as such:

 

Waking up:

Charles usually wakes up with an itchy nose that he wriggles around until he has to rub his face against Erik’s body to help relieve the tickle. A few minutes later he lets out two to three airy “EHHH-shiewww”s sprayed over Erik’s shoulder at the wall. But Erik still feels a slight mist on his bare shoulder every morning about which Charles is oblivious. The sneezes are followed up by a sweet sigh and a couple of allergic salutes. 

 

Getting dressed:

Charles usually wears a button down and slacks but he sleeps in cotton pajamas. He is very methodical about the process of getting dressed, first the undergarments are changed, then the pants are pulled on, the shirt is put on and buttoned, and then the belt is added. It is usually as he is buttoning his shirt that the second set of sneezes strikes. Erik is still in bed at this point, lazily enjoying as his liebling smirks suggestively between garments. It is always when Charles pulls out his button down that Erin notices his eyes go a little hazy and his nostrils flare, but the telepath always shakes his head and the tickle clears up. Temporarily. It returns as he starts buttoning the top button of his shirt, a slight hitch in breath is Erik’s cue.  He’ll look up and see that adorably confused look Charles is wearing as his sinuses start tickling in earnest. The smaller man’s fingers stall on the fourth button and continues to try and button his shirt despite the impending sneeze. As they scrabble at the fifth, his chest swells with a hitching gasp, eyelids closing as his sinuses burn, “ESHIIIEEWW!! HEH-GSHIIEEWW-sheewww!!” His head alway bobs downward, misting the button down and his hands still grasping the buttons. He always looks startled afterwards and then blushes as he realizes Erik is still there. At this point Erik gets up, stretching and prowling over, enough to distract the telepath for the time being.

 

In the Bathroom:

The next sneezes strike as Charles is brushing his hair in the bathroom. The lights above the mirror always blind him as he goes in, but he claims his eyes adjust the longer he stays there. This remark is always disproved by the two wet sneezes Erik hears from their bedroom moments later. At breakfast when he asks, Charles always mumbles about forgetting how bright the lights are and accidentally staring too high on the mirror at his reflection. The bright lights trigger his photic reflex and, well, you can figure out the rest. 

Breakfast:

At breakfast the telepath’s nose has turned a mild pink as Charles can never resist touching or scrubbing at it in and outside of allergy season. He claims it’s “chronically itchy, congested, and over reactive”. Erik can never resist kissing the bulbous tip, an action that always causes it to scrunch up as though it’s trying to escape his lips. The resulting sneeze makes Charles grumble about how he’s already sneezy enough and his sinuses don’t need any encouragement as he tries to butter his toast. Tries because as he does so, his nose usually becomes curiously ticklish. Everyday he stubbornly continues to butter the toast, maintaining a white-knuckled grip on his spoon handle as his sinuses prickle. Until of course the inflamed tissues become too irritated, he gasps and sprays the pink nosed double into the air (and occasionally onto his toast). After which he grumbles and releases the spoon to wick reddening nares around in vigorous circular motions with the heel of his palm. As he takes the first sip of his orange juice he coughs, and sneezes again, just once, this time the culprit is the acidity of the juice. Blushing he always accepts the paper towel Erik offers him and wipes up the spilled juice that jumped from the glass in his hand as he jerked forward with the sneeze. Breakfast is finished in an uneventful manner, light chats over fruit and kisses are exchanged as Erik sips his coffee. 

 

Bathroom continued:

It isn’t until Charles begins to brush his teeth that he notices the curiously strong smell of mint. It is of course, his toothpaste. But the longer he thinks about it, his sinuses start to burn and one nostril begins a slow leak. He briskly finishes brushing and is about to spit out the toothpaste when he becomes paralyzed by the feeling of feathers drifting in his sinuses. Unable to do anything but hitch, he remains frozen until finally a strong “HAH-RSHIIEEWW!!” breaks his from his trance. It is in this moment that he realizes he never spit out the toothpaste. Said paste has now been sprayed all over the sink and mirror much to his chagrin. Silently he rinses the sink and begins cleaning the mirror, hoping that Erik won’t stumble upon his mess. But as luck would have it he soon hears the telling footsteps of his approaching lover, so he quickly finishes wiping the mirror and discards of the toilet tissue. Breathing a sigh of relief he quickly gargles with his mouthwash and finishes as Erik appears in the doorway. Internally patting himself on the back for recovering from the mess so well, he is confused to see the corners of his lover’s mouth turn up in amusement. He blinks as the larger man chuckles, leaning in and swiping his thumb across the telepath’s chin. They both look at it and Charles whines internally to see that it’s covered in toothpaste foam from his earlier sneeze. “Have a little toothpaste incident liebling?” Erik inquires teasingly, and Charles’ only response is to bury his face in the larger man’s chest that is shaking with laughter.

 

Outdoors:

The final sneezes happen as Charles walks out the door to his car. It seems that no matter the season, the weather always finds a way to make him sneeze. In the spring, summer, and fall it’s the pollen or grass and in winter it’s the shock of the cold or dust. 

 

Spring:

He opens the door and inhales the sweet smelling air before rushing to his car to escape the microscopic grains. But the damage is already done and he sits in his car hunched over and trying not to hit his head on the wheel as he sneezes. When the fit ends he is suddenly struck with the realization that he forgot his morning allergy medications and he stomps back into the house to take them, Erik’s laughter following him to their room.

 

Summer:

The smell of freshly cut grass smacks him in the face as he steps out the door, chasing him to his car. He mentally curses the neighbors who are obliviously mowing, throwing the microscopic torture devices into the air as he sneezes several strong “HASHIEEWW!!”s. Eyes streaming after the fit, he swipes at them, sighs, and backs out of the driveway sniffling miserably and waiting for the allergy medicine to kick in.

 

Fall:

The tree pollen had arrived earlier than expected, catching the telepath off guard. He woke up with his eyes swollen shut and his sinuses blocked. His groan had woken Erik who sat patiently with him and wiped his eyelids with a warm washcloth until he could crack them open enough to administer eye drops. The larger man then placed the basket of his nasal sprays on his lap and held his hand while he snorted and sneezed through them. When it came time for Charles to leave, Erik strapped a paper mask over his face much to his disdain. But Erik kissed his cheek and sent him on his way. The mask did help… he only sneezed once on his way to his car. A fact he would begrudgingly admit to Erik after his sneezy return home. Everyday that fall after, a paper mask was hooked on the front door handle as his reminder. 

 

Winter: 

He shivers as he stumbles out the door against the biting wind. His sinuses burning as he inhales the bitterly cold air, he gives them an impatient swipe with his fingers. They burn painfully in response, his chapped upper lip and nostrils screaming at the contact. His last cold has left them raw and distended from countless blows and wipes. He shivers and turns the car on, cranking the heater as high as it will go. He is met with the smell of heated dust, at the thought of dust his nostrils twitch and he snaps forward, misting his lap with a sudden, wet, “ESHH!!” He sighs as he and his car slowly warm up, easing carefully out of the driveway and off to the mansion. 

[Not Telling]

This was so lovely! Cherik is among one of my favorite fanfiction ships. The detail in your descriptions is wonderful. 

On 10/12/2023 at 8:37 AM, stargazer1122 said:

Bathroom continued:

It isn’t until Charles begins to brush his teeth that he notices the curiously strong smell of mint. It is of course, his toothpaste. But the longer he thinks about it, his sinuses start to burn and one nostril begins a slow leak. He briskly finishes brushing and is about to spit out the toothpaste when he becomes paralyzed by the feeling of feathers drifting in his sinuses. Unable to do anything but hitch, he remains frozen until finally a strong “HAH-RSHIIEEWW!!” breaks his from his trance. It is in this moment that he realizes he never spit out the toothpaste. Said paste has now been sprayed all over the sink and mirror much to his chagrin. Silently he rinses the sink and begins cleaning the mirror, hoping that Erik won’t stumble upon his mess. But as luck would have it he soon hears the telling footsteps of his approaching lover, so he quickly finishes wiping the mirror and discards of the toilet tissue. Breathing a sigh of relief he quickly gargles with his mouthwash and finishes as Erik appears in the doorway. Internally patting himself on the back for recovering from the mess so well, he is confused to see the corners of his lover’s mouth turn up in amusement. He blinks as the larger man chuckles, leaning in and swiping his thumb across the telepath’s chin. They both look at it and Charles whines internally to see that it’s covered in toothpaste foam from his earlier sneeze. “Have a little toothpaste incident liebling?” Erik inquires teasingly, and Charles’ only response is to bury his face in the larger man’s chest that is shaking with laughter.

This entire scene, holy hell! 🔥 Both hot and precious! I love the idea that in Charles's haste to clean the mirror and sink he didn't clean himself properly so Erik knows exactly what happened despite his efforts anyways.

It's so sweet how attentive Erik is. I especially love that he encourages Charles to wear a mask in the fall to try and assuage his allergies. 

Thank you so much for posting!

[dwaekki]

Aww cute! I always love reading about how the partners (in this case Erik) notice and zoom in on their lovers little quirks 😭 

[AntheaHolmes]

This is cute. A sneezy schedule. 

[periwinkle.ducks]

This is so cute! I don’t know these characters but having a sneezing schedule is both adorable and hot.