Nothing Wrong With a Little Indulgence (tarotgal birthday fic 2021)

[Wig_Powder]

“Good morning, Mr. Byrne!” Lindsay said cheerfully as Nolan entered the office, “Did you have a good weekend?”

Nolan smiled. “I did. And yourself?”

“Oh, yes. I went with my boyfriend to the overlooks to see the leaves. They’re pretty spectacular this year.”

“So it would seem,” Nolan said, glancing at the window behind Lindsay’s desk, where a large maple tree blocked the street from view, its red-orange leaves making a nice contrast to the light walls of the office, “Most of the trees appear to have gone all out this year.”

Lindsay’s smiled dimmed a bit. “What about...the other plants?”

“That remains to be seen,” Nolan said, “But I wouldn’t be surprised if they decide to follow suit.”

“Are you going to be all right?” Lindsay asked, concerned.

“I’ll be fine,” Nolan assured her, “I can handle a month or so of allergies.”

“I know you can, but you shouldn’t have to handle them. Any progress on finding an allergy medication that works for you?”

“Not yet,” Nolan said, “But I’ve still got several big name brands to try, not to mention the store-brand versions. Maybe one of them will finally get the job done.”

“I hope so, for your sake,” Lindsay said, “I bet it’ll be nice to not have to spend all of October sneezing.”

Nolan smiled and bobbed his head slightly, then changed the subject. “Anything I need to know about?”

“Nothing too urgent. You’ve got about a dozen emails to respond to, and Gwynne from accounting sent up the monthly budget report for your review.”

“I’d better look that one over first,” Nolan said, “Hold any calls or visitors for an hour. I’ll poke my head out to let you know when I’m available again.”

“Of course, Mr. Byrne.” Lindsay said, giving him a playful salute. Giving her another smile and a nod, Nolan crossed over to his office, shutting the door behind him.

As he made his way to his desk, Nolan looked thoughtfully at the window on the right wall, giving him a nice view of the park across the way. Tempted as he was to open it, he decided it wouldn’t be wise, given the conversation he’d just had with Lindsay. She obviously was aware of his hayfever, but it was best not to draw attention to it. Besides, Gwynne’s report was going to be the first of many monthly reports crossing his desk, and it was probably best that he didn’t get too...distracted. Better to wait until the worst of the work had subsided and he’d be able to properly appreciate the fall foliage. With a regretful sigh, he sat down and picked up the report, trying to put the season out of his mind for the time being.

Despite numerous reports, emails, and phone calls, the day passed fairly smoothly. Still, Nolan was thrilled when he glanced at the clock and saw that it was 4:55. Shutting down his computer, he gathered up a few papers that he could work on from home and walked briskly out of his office, wishing Lindsay a pleasant evening. She wished him the same, and he smiled wryly. He had a feeling he’d be having a very enjoyable evening indeed, though he knew better than to say so out loud.

As soon as he had navigated his car out of the parking garage, Nolan rolled down the window and took an experimental breath. Other than the faint scent that came from damp, gradually decaying leaves, there was no obvious smell of flowers or plants in the air. But as he took a second breath, he felt his nose prickle, indicating that there was definitely pollen floating around. With a satisfied grin, Nolan rolled up the window and set out for home.

Half-an-hour later, Nolan entered his bedroom, making a beeline for the window. Shoving it open, he took a deep breath, encouraging the prickle to return to his nose, then got to work making himself comfortable. The papers were set safely on his dresser, the fan was turned on low (not enough to chill the room, but enough to help circulate the air from outside) and his jacket, tie, and shoes were removed. Then he stretched out on the bed, folded his arms behind his head, closed his eyes and waited.

Just like his breath in the car, there wasn’t any obvious smell of plant life from outside, no matter how deeply he inhaled. But the more he breathed in, the stronger the itch in his nose grew, so he knew that the various weeds and molds of autumn had already begun to grow and spread their pollen around. Given that it was only October 3^rd, he suspected his comment to Lindsay this morning had been right; all the plants were going to be potent this year. Not that Nolan was going to object too much; in fact, he’d welcome it.

Nolan would never admit it to anyone publicly (well, he’d probably eventually tell a significant other, but he’d cross that bridge when he came to it), but sneezing was a turn-on for him. Although he’d learned he was far from the only one with that particular kink thanks to the internet, he’d also discovered that he had a niche interest within a niche interest; namely, his favorite type of sneezing was his own. Most people who liked sneezing appeared to be self-conscious about their own sneezes, but he loved pretty much everything about the act. The prickling, buzzing feeling in his nose, the sound, the force and movement, the relief that came when it was over, even the dampness and congestion that was left in the sneeze’s wake. And rather than not wanting to draw attention to his sneezing, Nolan was always pleased when people blessed him, or expressed concern if it was clear the sneezing was due to illness or allergies. He saw it as a sign that people cared for him on some level, and while he’d never try to play on people’s sympathies, he’d welcome any kind words that were given.

The problem was, he didn’t get opportunities for sneezing all that often. He had a decent immune system, and didn’t think it was a good idea for multiple reasons to deliberately try to get sick. More importantly, he didn’t have a lot of allergies. In fact, for years he’d assumed he’d had no allergies at all, something he was simultaneously grateful for and annoyed by. But then he’d moved to the East Coast for college, and discovered that he had a sensitivity to the weeds that sprung up in October (including the infamous ragweed). The weeds were generally dead and gone by November, but for one month, depending on his location, Nolan would be surrounded by allergens. It was an opportunity too good for him to pass up, and it was worth some itchy eyes and a drop in productivity as long as he could enjoy the primary allergy symptom.

“Heh...” Nolan’s breath caught, and he felt his heart quicken in anticipation. Moving his arms down to rest at his sides, he gave his nose a deliberate twitch, trying to encourage the sneeze to come out a little faster. “Hehhh...” He felt one last, sharper prickle, and then, at last...“Het-KSHHH!!”

The sneeze was strong enough to snap his head forward by an inch or so, his hands lifting off the mattress only to land back down with a soft thump. Nolan took a moment to revel in what had just happened, then sniffed experimentally to check on the status of his nose. There was still a bit of a tickle there, but it seemed like he wouldn’t be sneezing again immediately. Which was a bit of a disappointment, but understandable; the pollen hadn’t had a chance to fill the air yet, and his nose hadn’t become sensitive from days of exposure. By the end of the week, stretching out like this after work would probably yield a good fit of seven or eight almost as soon as he took a breath. Today, however, he’d probably only get that many over the next two hours. It wasn’t his preference, but he could live with that. Besides, there was something to be said for the slow burn.

(For one moment, as he did almost every year, he debated going outside to try to find and collect some weeds to coax out more sneezes, but it didn’t take long for him to dismiss the thought. As much as he enjoyed sneezing, being so close to the allergen would probably exacerbate the other, less enjoyable symptoms. Better to just enjoy them from a distance and be grateful that he lived in a neighborhood with a lot of plant life.)

Opening his eyes, Nolan grabbed a tissue from the box he always kept near the bed, rubbing his nose as he stood up and moved to collect the work papers from his dresser. Then he moved to his closet and retrieved the laptop desk he’d bought precisely for days like this. This way, he’d have a solid surface to work on, but he could stay close to the window and keep the pollen contained to one room, instead of moving to his office and having to repeat the process there. It also meant there’d be another room to retreat to if the pollen ever got too overwhelming, but he saw that as a lesser benefit in this case.

By the time Nolan had set everything up and gotten himself comfortable, enough pollen had floated into the room that the urge to sneeze had returned. Pulling another tissue from the box, he put it to his nose, closing his eyes and placing his free hand on the desk to steady himself. “Ah...hahh...Hat-CHSHHTT!!”

While the force of the sneeze did cause the edge of the desk to dig into his palm, the combination of relief and pleasure that flooded through him more than made up for the discomfort. Unable to repress a satisfied groan, Nolan set the tissue aside, sniffed wetly—feeling a brief pulse of anticipation when he felt a faint tickle already starting to return to his nose—and turned his attention to his paperwork. Maybe after he’d finished reading and commenting on it all, he’d reward himself by helping the pollen along until he’d worked himself up into a full-blown fit, but for now, he’d let the sneezes come naturally. If nothing else, they’d give him an excuse to stop looking at the papers for thirty seconds or so.

***

“Nolan Byrne’s office,” Lindsay’s voice sounded perky and welcoming, rather than the pleasant but more automatic tone she’d take on after a long day of work, “How can I help you?”

“It’s Nolan himself,” Nolan said, “And I’m calling to let you know that I won’t be coming in to work for a day or two. I’m feeling a little under the weather.”

“A little?” Lindsay said, her tone fluctuating between disbelief and sympathy, “You sound completely blocked, and I doubt that’s due to just talking over the telephone. How long have you been sick?”

“This is just the second full day,” Nolan said, “I felt a little off on Saturday night, but thought it was just a chill from the weather. Then I felt a little worse all throughout Sunday, so I took it easy to see if that would help it to pass. But I woke up today with all the symptoms of a cold, complete with a temperature of 99.7. My brain’s not too fogged to work, but it’s probably best if I avoid coming into the office until I’m not contagious anymore.”

“Makes sense,” Lindsay said, “I’ll pass the word to everyone else in the department. Would you like me to email you if anything important comes up?”

“Not today,” Nolan said, “But if you wouldn’t mind sending me something tomorrow so I can see what I missed, I’d appreciate it.”

“Of course, Mr. Byrne. I hope you feel better soon.”

“Thank you, Lindsay,” Nolan said, “And I think I will. Today’s probably going to be the worst day, but with any luck, the fever will be gone by tomorrow, and then I...I...ISHHHH!!”

“Bless you!” Lindsay said, “Have you taken anything for that?”

“No,” Nolan said, “I needed to confirm my illness first, and then calling in sick took precedence.”

Lindsay laughed softly. “I admire your devotion to the job. Well, here’s hoping whatever decongestants you have on hand are enough to keep you from sneezing too much. Personally, I swear by Naztrum; it clears my congestion and reduces my sneezing to something like one every fifteen minutes. If you’d like, I could buy a box for you and drop it off after work.”

“I appreciate that, Lindsay, but no thank you. You’d have to go forty-five minutes out of your way to get to my place, and I’d rather not risk getting you sick. That’s part of the reason I’m staying home, after all. Besides, the medications I use suit me just fine, so I don’t see a need to try something new.”

“I get that,” Lindsay said, “Well, no matter what you use, I hope they kick in soon and don’t leave you too uncomfortable.”

“I’ll be fine,” Nolan assured her, “I’ll see you in a few days.”

They exchanged another set of goodbyes before hanging up. Once he set the phone down, Nolan smiled wryly before pulling the blanket a little tighter around his shoulders before heading to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. He hadn’t been lying when he said he preferred his current medications...he had just omitted the fact that he wasn’t taking any medications at all.

When it came to all other illnesses, including the flu, Nolan was more than willing to take whatever shots, pills, or liquids were prescribed or recommended to him. On the occasions when he caught cold, however, he avoided all processed medicine, and only sporadically used natural remedies like tea and honey. After all, it was one of the few times when his body caused him to sneeze multiple times in a day, and he wanted to take advantage of that as much as he could. The fact that colds were an excuse to stay home, allowing him to sneeze as freely as he liked without anybody knowing what he was up to, only added to his preference for avoiding medicine. Not that he’d deliberately avoid working—he’d work from home where possible, and return to the office once his fever had been gone for twenty-four hours—but why reduce the sneezing down to two or three days when he could have four or five days to enjoy them instead?

As he waited for the electric kettle to boil, Nolan felt his nose prickle, and smiled with anticipation. Pulling some tissues from his bathrobe pocket, he held them to his face, crinkling his nose and taking short breaths through his nose to encourage the sneezes to come on faster. He wasn’t able to get much air into his system thanks to the congestion, but at least the technique seemed to be working; after the fourth inhale, his breath began to hitch. “Heh...hehh...” He remained frozen in place for a moment, and then...“Het-KPSHHHH!!! Eh...Er-CHHHHTTTT!!!”

The sneezes were harsher than his normal ones, and he was unable to repress a groan in the aftermath as his chest and nose tried to recover. But while his body was protesting, his mind was filled with a tired satisfaction. It felt so good to sneeze like this, forcing the congestion out of his system and bringing him that much closer to feeling better. And while he still used tissues out of habit, he was grateful for the opportunity to sneeze relatively freely, without having to stifle or muffle them to keep up appearances in meetings and avoid spreading germs. Above all, this was the one joy he got out of being sick, and even if he couldn’t fully appreciate it the same way he did his October allergy sneezes, he still took some amount of pleasure from them, and he was glad of the freedom to encourage every sneeze that came his way.

(Of course, if he sneezed enough, there was always the chance that he’d end up getting properly turned on by them, which would lead to an entirely different kind of pleasure. He certainly wouldn’t object to that happening, either; it was a good distraction from the other aches and pains of a cold, and the subsequent exhaustion could lead to a good, healing sleep.)

The kettle clicked softly, indicating that the water was ready. Nolan poured it into a cup, watching the steam billow into the air and debating with himself. After a few moments, he made up his mind, stuck the teabag into the water, then bent down until his face was hovering above the mug, doing his best to breathe in the steam. Within seconds, he felt his nose starting to run, and he turned the tissues over in his hand to catch the mess on a dry spot. Shortly after that, his nose started to itch again, his chest twinging in protest from having to deal with more sneezes so soon. But he ignored it, taking a third breath in and feeling a small flutter of excitement when the itch immediately increased. When his breath finally hitched, Nolan straightened up and took a step back from the counter, not wanting to risk making a mess. The steam had done its job well, because it only took two quick “Hahs” before he found himself sneezing once more. “Hah-KRSHHHH!!! Heh-IFSCHHHHHHH!!! Huh...huhh...Hup-ERESHHHHH!!!”

The last sneeze nearly bent him double, completely soaked the tissues, caused a stinging sensation in his chest, and wrenched a groan out of him. But at the same time, his entire body felt lighter and pleasantly warm, his heart and stomach feeling like they were tingling in approval. Disposing of the tissues in the garbage can under the sink, Nolan grabbed another fistful from the tissue box he kept near his various countertop appliances and blew his nose, which generated both a sense of relief from his nose and an increase of the tingling in his heart. Once he’d thrown out those tissues, he took an experimental breath through his nose, quickly concluding that the fit had removed the congestion from his system, at least for the time being. Given the nature of colds, he had no doubt that he’d start feeling stuffed up again within fifteen or twenty minutes, though it might stretch out to as long as forty-five minutes if he kept inhaling the steam from the tea while he drank it. No matter how long it took, however, his nose would eventually be blocked again, leading to a constant feeling of itching and causing him to sneeze every few minutes as his body attempted to force the cold out of his system. He smiled at the thought, glad of the one bright spot he could look forward to among the other aches and pains that came with a cold.

In the here and now, however, he was content to enjoy the ability to breathe freely while it lasted. Picking up the mug of tea, Nolan brought it over to the table, where he proceeded to sip it slowly, keeping it close to his chest both to enjoy the warmth and to allow the steam to drift up to his nose, keeping the airways clear while also tickling his nose and teasing him with the possibility of more sneezes. There only ended up being two (forcing him to quickly set down the teacup to avoid spilling it on himself), but the anticipation was almost as satisfying as the actual sneezes, so he wasn’t particularly disappointed.

Once the cup was drained, he forced himself to put it in the dishwasher (bad enough that he was sick without also generating a mess that he’d have to deal with just as he was recovering from the cold), then took himself back to bed, burrowing under the covers before reaching for his book of travel misadventures, hoping to lose himself in stories of vacations gone wrong until either he felt tired enough to sleep...or until the congestion got particularly bad once more. At that point, he’d have to decide what the best course of action was. Use a humidifier, adding in a drop of citrus scented oil, which normally made the house smell lovely but always seemed to set him off when he had a cold? Heat up a can of soup, and use the steam and a little bit of added pepper to get him sneezing again? Or take a shower, which would inevitably end with him pressing both his hands against the wall, water beating down his back while the whole room echoed with the sound of his sneezes? All of them were appealing in their own ways, and he looked forward to using each and every one of them over the course of the next few days. For now, though, he was content to just rest and take it easy, his book in one hand and some tissues in the other, enjoying the respite from work while he waited for the fun to begin anew.

~~~

The original prompt: “Character has a sneeze fetish for his own sneezing (cold or allergies)... and thus flat-out refuses any medication or treatment that would lessen the symptoms whatsoever.”

[anna]

Oh my godddd

[Wig_Powder]

@anna I'm going to assume that's a positive "Oh my God" declaration, and therefore, thank you for the enthusiasm! Glad you enjoyed it!

[Vipiyoh]

Oh my… I’m flustered… Nolan is adorable and I am loving this story! 

[Wig_Powder]

@Vipiyoh I'm glad you enjoyed it! Just as a heads up, though (based on your tense choice at the end), this story is a one-shot and will not be continuing, as I think the story feels complete. I don't want to leave you hanging when there's nothing more forthcoming.

Thanks so much for reading!

[Vipiyoh]

On 4/19/2024 at 11:38 AM, Wig_Powder said:

@Vipiyoh I'm glad you enjoyed it! Just as a heads up, though (based on your tense choice at the end), this story is a one-shot and will not be continuing, as I think the story feels complete. I don't want to leave you hanging when there's nothing more forthcoming.

Thanks so much for reading!

No worries at all! It is very well done and i appreciate your hard work

[Sneeziestofthemall]

Oh my god… this story is amazing. I really enjoyed reading about how Nolan enjoys himself 😏😍

thank you so much for sharing!:)

[Wig_Powder]

@Sneeziestofthemall I'm glad you liked the concept! I can't take all the credit since tarotgal came up with the original prompt, but I'm happy you thought my interpretation of the idea was satisfying.

[AntheaHolmes]

Oh, this is nice. I really enjoyed reading it. Nolan's sneezing fits are perfect. 

[Wig_Powder]

@AntheaHolmes I'm glad it appealed to you! It's always satisfying to know my stories were enjoyable for others to read!