Just some drabbles featuring various characters. I know I don’t write a lot of these characters very often, so lmk if you have questions about them.
Cal sat on the floor, petting the puppy at his side. He frowned as he heard another sneeze from Carter’s room. “Hope he’s not getting a cold.” He commented to the dog.
He spent half an hour petting the dog, trying to keep it from pulling the cone off, and getting increasingly concerned as Carter kept sneezing in the other room.
He was about to check on him when the younger goalie stepped into the living room, almost empty box of tissues in his left hand. He saw the dog, stopped and took two steps back.
“You ok?” Cal asked.
“So this is why I’m sneezing,” he mumbled, looking at the dog, too softly for the other goalie to hear. “Why do we have a dog?” He asked, louder.
“This is Beau, Steve’s dog.” Cal referenced their captain. “He got neutered yesterday…can’t be left alone because he’ll pull the cone off. And Steve had a few appointments this afternoon.”
“Hh’Kshhh.” Carter squished a sneeze into well worn tissues. “When’s Steve picking him up?”
“About 4. You ok? Not catching a cold, are you?”
“I’m allergic to dogs.” Carter said with a rueful smile.
“Explains the sneezing.” Came Cal’s comment as they both looked at their watches. About 2 more hours with the dog. “If I’d have…I’d never have told Steve…”
Carter cut him off. “It’s not like you knew.” He held a tissue up towards his nose.
“I don’t know if anybody can take him…or if Steve can get back sooner.” Carter frowned.
“KihhSchoo!”
“Bless you. There’s antihistamines in the bathroom.” The one thing he could offer up.
“IhhKischh!”
“Maybe I can take him to the park?” He offered.
“In a cone?” Carter sniffled, swiping at his nose. “Probably easier for me to get lost for awhile.”
“You sure? I mean, it’s 2 hours, and you’re still dealing with that ankle sprain. Not like you can go for a walk.”
“I’ll grab lunch…groceries…somethiiihKihtschh.”
Carter nodded. “Go take an allergy pill. I’ll check to see if the grocery list is missing anything.”
Sam looked up from her nest on the couch as her roommate stepped into the apartment. Ella slipped off her jacket, looked at her and sighed.
“Blind date went that well?”
Ella rolled her eyes, pushing Sam’s legs aside and slumping down on the couch. “Why do I put myself through these things?”
Sam fumbled for a tissue; not finding one, she buried her nose in her comforter. “UhhChoo!”
“Gross, Sam.”
Sam unearthed the box of tissues for a loud blow. “Bless you sounds nicer.”
Ella looked up at the ceiling as if asking the lord for strength. “Didn’t even make it to dessert. He was so condescending.”
“Oh?”
“Can you actually survive as a writer? Does it pay enough? Isn’t it egotistical to thih..thihh…hihtSchoo!…think you’re funny? On and on and on.”
She sniffled. “And then he droned on about his own work. Because being a patent lawyer is sooooo fascinating.” She brought her hand up. “Ehhtshoo. And on top of it, my allergies are acting up this evening.”
Sam bit her lip. Ella had allergies, but in the 3 years they had lived together, she’d never seen them flare up in January. “I think you caught my cold.”
Ella sighed, burying her nose in her elbow. “Uhhtschoo!” She nodded. “I wasn’t going to tell him that though.”
“You look a little under the weather.” Tim commented as he walked into the office to see Freddie slumped at his desk.
“More than a little.” Freddie moaned. “Caught Jamie’s cold. Everything hurts.” He paused. “HuhhChushh. And I can’t stop sneezing.”
“Bless you.” Tim slipped into his desk chair, setting his backpack on the ground as Freddie sneezed again. “Bless you again.”
Freddie sighed. “There’s gonna be three or four more before they stop for awhile.” He exchanged his crumpled tissue for a fresh one, just in time to need it. “ChuhhSchoo!”
Tim shot him a sympathetic smile as Alex walked in. “Try not to get the boss sick, ok?” He whispered.
Ethan looked over as Toby suddenly stopped talking, cupped his hands over his nose and sneezed again. “Ble-“ Ethan started, only to be cut off by Toby’s quick head shake and another sneeze.
When Toby didn’t move his hands, he slid the tissue box over.
Toby twisted so his elbow covered his nose, reaching for tissues with his free hand. “UhhShuhh! Schuhh! UhhhShuhh-shuhh! ShuhhSheshh!” He came up for air and blew his nose.
“Bless you. I’ve never seen you sneeze like this before. You’ve been sneezing since you got here.”
“HuhhShuhh!”
“It can’t be your allergies. It’s the wrong season. And I’ve never seen them this intense before.”
“HuhhtSchehh, UhhChesshhUhshh!” Toby blew his nose again. “Cat.” He managed before folding over again.
Ethan looked confused.
“Allergic.” Toby said after a fierce blow. Trying not to sniff back his runny nose, he continued. “I didn’t know you had a cat. HuhhhChshh!” That one he managed to stifle.
Ethan’s nodded. “Bless you.” He reached for the cat. “Might be better if I put him in the other room.”
Toby shrugged. “Maybe.” His voice was stuffier than Ethan had ever heard him. He pressed the tissues to his nose to catch four harsh, rapid sneezes.”
“Do you need to leave? I can take you…call your wife…”
Toby shook his head. “I don’t know. I didn’t know you had a cat, so I’m allergyyyy…YihhChushh! ChuhhhEhhShoo! No allergy meds.” He wiped his nose with the tissue.
“I’ll grab a Zyrtec for you after I deposit him elsewhere.” He heard another trio of sneezes as he took the cat from the room. “Bless you.” He called back.
So, awhile back, I wrote Agony, which can be found here.
And yesterday, I wrote a third bit, so here it is:
Tim made it home from the dentist a few hours later. The first stop he made was the bedroom to check on Ethan. “Hey, sleeping beauty.” He rapped lightly on the door frame.
Ethan lifted his head up off the pillow, smiling. “Hi,” he mouthed.
“Your fever’s back.” Tim noted Ethan’s flushed cheeks.
Ethan shrugged. “100.5.” He croaked, then turned to the side. “HatShoo!”
“Bless you. And the sneezing?
“Quit for the hour I fell asleep.” Tim sat down on the other side of the bed. “How are you? How was the dentist?”
“It was about as fun as you might expect. And numb and drooly.”
“And your sneezing?”
Tim shrugged. “A couple times. My eyes itch worse though.” He kicked his feet up on the bed and flopped on his pillow. “Probably should have asked if you needed anything before I laid down.”
“I’m fine. Water, tissues, cough drops. What else could I need?”
“Me?” Tim grinned. “You’re still not gonna cuddle though, are you?”
“Bedtime.” Ethan promised, turning into his shoulder again. “AhChoo!”
“Bless you. I’m just gonna try to see if a nap gets my eyes to feel better.”
“Get a washcloth to put over them.” Ethan directed, hoarsely.
Tim nodded, standing up again. He started for the bathroom, then stopped. “EhhRahhSchoo! RaSchoo! Ugh. Hate sneezing when I’m numb.”
“Bless you. You sure you’re ok?”
“In general or just regarding my sudden case of sneezes?”
“The sneezes.” Ethan sighed, offering a tissue.
“I’m telling you, it’s dust. Trust me, if it was a cold you’d know. If it was any other kind of sick, I’d be sneezing more than this. Something’s just in the air is all.”
He resumed his quest to the bathroom, returning with the damp cloth and another box of tissues. “Can’t use all yours.” He teased, opening the box and blowing his nose.
Ethan was relieved to hear Tim didn’t sound congested, like with a cold. Just a sniffly blow. “HahShoo!”
“When was the last time you took something?”
“Not time yet for cold medicine.”
“I feel like drugging you up. You look like you’re in so much pain when you sneeze.”
“Slight improvement from last night.”
“Still. I want to pour the Benadryl down your throat to give you a break.” He paused as Ethan opened his mouth, presumably to protest. “I know, I know, you only like to take it at night.”
“Actually, I…”
He paused as he saw Tim reach for a tissue. “HeyySchoo, AyyYehhScheshh!”
“Bless you. I was going to say, it doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”
“Want me to get it?”
“Nah. I gotta get more water anyway.”
Tim slipped the washcloth over his eyes, waiting for Ethan to come lie next to him.
Ethan returned, set his water on his nightstand. “Thanks for the nudge into the Benadryl. You want some?” He held up the bottle of pills.
“Numb. Can’t drink anything. Well, I can, but it’s going to spill out the corner of my mouth.” Tim reminded. “But maybe in a few hours when that wears off.”
Ethan nodded, pulling the blankets over him. “AhtShoo!”
“Hope that Benadryl kicks in quick.”
“Yeah. I really hope I don’t give you this.”
“Yeah.”
“I mean, as bad as my sneezes hurt, imagine how yours would feel.”
Tim pulled his pillow out from under his head and whacked Ethan in the chest with it. “Good thing we’re not gonna find out.”
Hi. Sorry I haven’t been around. School has eaten me. Now that I’m done and certified, and it’s spit me back out, I’m struggling with learning what to do with spare time again. (I seriously spent the first month asleep).
Anyhow, I can’t guarantee if or when they’ll get done, but as I try to spark my creativity and stretch out my writing muscles, I’m taking requests on any of my OCs.
Tim came home to see Ethan curled up on the couch, hunched over a book, fleece throw draped over his shoulders. “Hey.” Ethan looked up, and Tim bent down to kiss him.
Ethan pulled back. “Might not want to do that. Think I might be coming down with something.” He paused, cleared his throat, coughed and winced. “Have come down with something,” he amended.
“You sure?” Tim frowned. “I know your allergies haven’t given you much of a break lately.”
Ethan nodded. “The sneezing’s allergies. So are the itchy eyes. Headache…could go either way. But this sore throat is not a scratchy irritated allergy throat. I feel like I’m swallowing glass.” He winced again, and Tim’s frown grew deeper. “Cough is different; it’s not from my sinuses draining. Not sure where it’s coming from. The chills and the not quite fever, definitely related to the throat.”
“Think you need to go to the express clinic? Get your throat swabbed?”
“HahShoo!” Ethan grimaced. “Probably not a bad idea.” He stood up, took the hoodie Tim handed him and followed him to the car.
Tim had him at the walk-in clinic within 20 minutes. They had him in a room in another 20 beginning his assessment.
A vitals check revealed that his almost fever was now a definite one. He verified his medications, allergies, then sat on the exam table, waiting for the nurse practitioner, hoodie pulled tight around him.
He didn’t wait long, much to the relief of both of them. He ran through his symptoms for the nurse practitioner, just as he had given Tim the run down. Then he tried not to shiver as her cold hands palpated his swollen glands, and she placed her freezing stethoscope on his back and chest. She inspected his throat and nodded.
“Strep’s going around.” She told them. “I’m pretty sure you’ve got it, but before I start you on anything, I need to run a strep test to be sure. Is that ok?”
Ethan nodded, wiping his nose, then swapping that tissue for a fresh one. “Yeah.” His voice creaked, and he cleared his throat. “Yeah.”
She turned and began assembling the test kit. Ethan turn towards Tim, trying to smile, then covering his face with his forearm. “AhShoo!”
“Bless you.” Tim said, frowning as Ethan winced.
The nurse practitioner turned back to Ethan, tongue depressor and swab in hand. “Ready?”
Ethan nodded, opening his mouth wide so she could reach the back of his throat. He brought his elbow and coughed when she finished, Tim standing to rub his back.
She began running the test and turned back to him to discuss supportive care if it wasn’t strep, and even if it was, to alleviate the symptoms until the antibiotics kicked in. When the timer beeped, she turned back to the test, looked at it, and back at Ethan. “Penicillin allergy…I think I’d like to go with a Z-pack for you. Is that alright?”
Ethan nodded, grateful he wouldn’t just have to wait this out.
“Pharmacy?”
He named off the nearby grocery store, and she sent over the prescription along with instructions on when to go to urgent care and a note excusing him from work tomorrow, until he’d had 24 hours on the antibiotic.
He followed Tim to the car, then slumped in the passenger seat as Tim drove the short distance to the grocery store. “Let’s get your pills and a few things to help your throat, ok.”
“HatShoo!” Ethan had his tissue ready to catch the painful sneeze.
“Bless you.” Tim squeezed his arm, the slipped his arm around his waist as the walked into the store.
First stop was the pharmacy to check on Ethan’s prescription – 15 minute wait, followed by a walk through the store. Ethan gave occasional input as Tim tossed soup fixings, sugar free pudding, jello and popsicles into the cart. He only protested when Tim tried to throw in orange juice.
“That’s gonna hurt too much to swallow. Too acidic.” He pointed out.
“You need vitamin C.” Tim protested back.
Ethan sighed, “try apple juice?” He pleaded.
Tim nodded, moving the cart over to the juice aisle, the walking Ethan over to the pharmacy. “Pick out some cough drops. Think we need cold medicine?” He grabbed a bottle of throat spray.
Ethan nodded, carefully selecting his cough drops. “I’d like liquid, to be honest.”
Tim picked up liquid day-time and night-time cold medicine, paused, then reached for a bottle of liquid Zyrtec, holding it up for Ethan’s approval.
Ethan nodded, stepping into the short pharmacy line.
“Meet you up front.” Tim took the cart and headed for the check-out.
Ethan found Tim at the front of the store a few minutes later, helped him carry the groceries to the car, then collapsed into the passenger seat.
“Had enough?”
Ethan’s response was a loud sneeze, buried in the collar of his hoodie.
“Bless you. I’ll take that as a yes.” Tim grinned, putting the car in gear and pulling out of the parking spot.
The apartment didn’t come quickly enough for Ethan. He headed straight for the bedroom after dropping the groceries on the kitchen counter.
“Hold up.” Tim stopped him, holding up the box of pills.
Ethan turned back, taking the pills from Tim, then the glass of juice. He swallowed the pills, drank the juice, wincing with each swallow as his tender throat protested, the continued his quest for his bed.
Tim finished putting the groceries away before poking his head in on Ethan.
“AhtShoo!” Ethan sat on the foot of the bed, head buried in his arm.
“Bless you.”
Ethan straightened up, giving Tim a pained smile. “Sneezing sucks.”
“Sounds painful.” Tim plopped down next to Ethan. “Even your voice sounds painful.”
Ethan nodded.
“You had lunch, right?”
Another nod.
“I’m gonna make you soup for supper.”
“Creamy chicken dumpling?” He referred to Tim’s specialty.
“You got it.”
“Can you skip the dumplings? And chicken?”
“So creamy chicken broth? Any particular reason?”
“Liquids hurt less to swallow than solids.”
“Gotcha.”
“AhShoo!”
Tim looked at Ethan, frowning. “You’re setting up for an allergy attack, aren’t you?”
“God, I hope not.” Ethan sighed, coughing.
“Can I ask how long you’ve been this sick?”
Ethan shrugged. “Not long. I promise.” He paused to blow his nose. “I woke up this morning with kinda a sore throat. But I figured it was because last night was awful, and I didn’t sleep well.”
Tim nodded. Ethan’s allergies had done a number on him last night. He’d kept waking himself up with forceful sneezes, and the highlight was an allergy attack at 2 am.
“Anyway, I took a nap after you left, woke up, and my throat felt like it was being stabbed with knives. Hour later, cough had started and my temp was up.”
“Hit you quick. Although maybe that’s why last night was so rough.”
“Maybe.” Ethan tugged his shirt collar up. “HatShoo!” He sighed. “You were right. Allergy attack.”
“When you sneeze that close together…”
“I know, I know. This is going to suck.”
Tim rubbed his back. “What can I do?”
“Make my throat better.” Ethan pouted.
“I bought throat spray…the throat numbing stuff.”
Ethan looked over, eyes a mix of gratitude and relief.
“Be right back.” Tim ducked out, returning with the grocery bag of medications. Pulling them out, “we have your cough drops, the throat spray, and your liquids: DayQuil, NyQuil, Benadryl, Tylenol, and Zyrtec.” He peeled the cellophane off the cap of the throat spray and handed it to Ethan. “Better?”
“My mouth is numb. We’ll give the throat a minute. You thought of everything.”
“I tried. If I forgot something, I’ll run out.”
Ethan smiled before his face scrunched up with another sneeze.
“Bless you. Cough drop?”
“Wait til I’m done. For both.” He referenced both the cough drop and Tim’s blessings. A loud blow punctuated his statement.
“Cough drop will help your throat.” Tim stated the obvious.
“Not while I’m sneezing like this. I’ll either spit it out or choke.”
“You want your snack when you’re done?”
Ethan shrugged. “I guess. The thought of swallowing…”
“I know. We should get some tea in you first.”
Ethan started to nod, then swiftly turned away from Tim, ducking toward the floor, bringing a hand up too late. “HahShoo!” A sudden, exceptionally powerful sneeze ripped through him. “Ow.” He whimpered.
“Cover.” Tim said, reflexively.
“Tried. Barely had time to get away from you.” Ethan pointed out.
“About that sneeze, pretty painful?” At Ethan’s nod, “maybe you should try a bit more honey in your tea right now.”
Ethan opened his mouth to protest, but Tim continued.
“I’m not saying go crazy like I do. But more than just the tiny bit you put in. Maybe twice that. Maybe like a teaspoon.”
“Blood sugars.” Ethan coughed, wincing again. “They’re already high because I’m sick. That’ll just jump ‘em higher.”
“High how?” Tim challenged. “Like ruin your A1C high? Or like maybe for the next day or two you might need to use your sliding scale, like on holidays or your birthday when you let yourself have sweets?”
“The second one.” Ethan admitted, hating to let go of his tight control on his blood glucose.
“And to be able to sneeze without extreme pain?”
“AhChoo!” Ethan winced again. “I guess we could try it. See if it helps.”
“Be back, ok.” He rubbed Ethan’s arm, the disappeared for the kitchen. True to his word, he was back in a few minutes with tea. “It still needs to steep; there’s a little less than a teaspoon of honey in there.” He set the cup on the dresser. “If it’s too sweet for you, we’ll try a little less.” He sat back down as Ethan sneezed again.
Noticing how Ethan clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms, he sighed. His boyfriend must really be in pain with the toll the repeated sneezes were taking on his throat. “Hey, you’ve gotta be almost done.”
Ethan shook his head. “At least another 10 minutes.” He glanced at the clock. “I’ve never had an attack last less than 20.” He looked at Tim, faint appearance of tears in his eyes. After a second, he brushed at his eyes. “I’m sorry. I just feel so awful.”
“I know.” Tim kissed the top of his head, then took his hand. “Squeeze my hand instead of smashing your nails into yours, ok?”
Ethan laughed slightly. “K. You sure you want to do that? I’m pretty contagious.”
“I’m already exposed.” Tim reminded him. “As much as you were sneezing overnight. Plus, I had my tonsils out when I was 7, so that cuts my chances of getting it.” He shrugged. “Had tonsillitis plenty, strep once before I lost the tonsils. Neither since, been exposed plenty.”
“So you’re due.”
Tim shot him a look. “Don’t be so negative.” He paused as Ethan sneezed again, his turn to wince at the force Ethan squeezed his hand with.
Ethan noticed and dropped his hand. “Sorry!” He croaked.
“It’s ok.” Tim reassured him. “I use the left one more anyway.” He teased, taking Ethan’s hand again. He began to chatter about his morning with Alex and Freddie to distract Ethan from the time, hoping to make the next, hopefully, 10 minutes seem as fast as possible.
It was 13 minutes. And it dragged for them both. 13 minutes and 8 sneezes, each one with a pained expression from Ethan, and a whimper with the last one.
“Bless you,” Tim said, relieved when they had passed 3 minutes with no sneezes, deciding it was over. “Snack and drugs.” He offered.
“I’ll take that offer.”
“You want cold meds or Benadryl?”
Ethan looked at his watch. “Benadryl. Stop the sneezing and that way I don’t have to stay up for cold meds. Maybe some Tylenol though, for the throat.” He reached for the cough drops as Tim began filling the provided medicine cups.
Ethan slammed each one, trying not to taste them, ignoring the pain in his throat, knowing that this would help.
“Snack.”
Ethan sighed.
“I know you’re running high, but I don’t need you crashing on me.”
“Just don’t want to swallow.”
“I bought yogurt.”
“K.” Ethan slowly followed Tim to the kitchen where he picked at a peach yogurt. “Can I go sleep now?” He asked when he finished.
Tim turned from the soup pot. “I’ll join you when I’m done with the soup.”
Ethan nodded, grabbing a paper towel from the center of the table. “HatChoo!”
“Bless you. Go sleep.”
30 minutes later, Tim entered the dim bedroom where Ethan lay sprawled out on the bed, cheeks feverishly pink. He gently pressed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey E, I need some of the bed.”
“Oh.” Ethan, waking up, shifted to his side of the bed. “AhtShoo!” He fumbled for a tissue, coming up with an empty box. “Got tissues?” He sniffled.
Tim handed him the box on his side of the bed. “I’ll get get you a fresh box later.” He promised.
“Thanks. Wish I could stop sneezing. It’s better but still painful.”
Tim chuckled. “You stop sneezing?”
“Fine. Cut it down, then. You know, normal levels of sneezing.”
“After last night, I’ll take that,” Tim yawned.
“I kept you up.”
“Let’s just say a nap sounds really…”. He broke off, wrapping his arm across his face. “YehhAhhShehh!YehhShushh!”
“Bless you.” Worry colored Ethan’s tone; Tim picked up on it instantly.
“Just sneezes.” He attempted to reassure Ethan.
“You sure? I mean, you never sneeze; I’m sick, and now, you’re sneezing.”
“I’m sure. Can’t remember the last time I sneezed, so that means I’m due for a pair.” He shrugged.
“Ok.” Ethan sounded at least halfway convinced. “Must be nice to forget when you sneezed last.”
“Want me to start putting it on the calendar? Can I get a tissue, by the way?”
Ethan offered over the box for Tim to pluck one, waited for him to blow his nose. “You gonna chatter or sleep?”
Tim swung his legs up and stretched out next to Ethan. “I know you’re not going to snuggle.” He sighed.
here are the snezcanons questions for your OCs!!!! or your fav characters whatever!!!! sneezecanons!!! whatever you call em, ive got em!!!!!!!!!
How DO they sneeze?! (Possible details incl. general sound, volume, frequency, build-up, covering method(s), if they ever deviate from the pattern, and so on.)
Allergies? Other sensitivities? Under what circumstances do they usually experience them? How do they deal with it?
When they get sick, do they talk about it a lot or try to hide it?
What are they like with germs? (Their own and others’.)
Do they have a general routine or anything special that they do when they aren’t feeling well?
Feelings/habits surrounding medicine? What about doctors?
Do they have any obvious/visible tells when they’re unwell? If yes, do they know about these tells themselves?
What do they find more irritating, a bad cough or a frequently recurring urge to sneeze?
How do they respond to other people sneezing? (This is the blesscanons question.)
How do they respond to someone blessing them? (The other blesscanons question.)
Do they have abilities that change at all when they’re feeling off? What about other things, like reflexes, energy, and mood?
Are they good at taking care of people?
Good at being cared for?
What is their limit? How bad does it have to get for them to take a day off and stay home?
Do they tend to always catch the same type of cold, or do the symptoms vary each time?
How often do they get sick?
Do they tend to run fevers? How do they take their temperature?
Least favorite thing about being sick?
Do they have any weird beliefs or superstitions about illness? (e.g. the rain thing, or going outside with wet hair…)
You've Got Questions and I've Got Answers OC Edition
Do they have any crafting hobbies?
Do they wear perfume/cologne? If so what scents do they prefer?
Do they enjoy cooking?
Do they enjoy baking?
Do they have any tattoos? If so what are they and do they have any special meaning?
If they were badly injured, and for whatever reason couldn't go to a hospital, who would they go to for help?
Do they have any unusual fears?
Do they collect anything? If so what and why?
When they're sick what do they do to feel better?
Do they have any regrets?
Do they have any addictions?
Do they have any sense of style? Regardless of the answer do they believe they have a sense of style?
Do they enjoy poetry?
Do they have a hard time opening up to people?
What kind of sense of humor do they have? Or do they have one at all?
Do they have or want kids?
How easily would they be convinced to do something that goes against their morals?
How easy is it to become their enemy?
How easy is it to become their friend?
Do they have a strong connection to their culture?
What is more important to them, friends or family?
Would they ever betray someone for money?
How would they want to die?
Do they have any enemies?
Do they have a daily/nightly routine?
Have they met any of their heroes? Did they regret it?
Has a chance encounter ever had an unexpected effect on them?
Are they a #gamer?
If they were real would you be friends with them?
If they had the chance to be famous would they take it? If they are famous would they rather they weren't?
What superpower would you choose for them and what would they choose for themselves? If they have one would they choose something else?
If they could change one thing about themselves what would it be?
Do they play ttrpgs? If so what kind of characters do they play? Or are they more likely to GM?
How well do they deal with grief?
Do they believe in fate or do they believe they are in charge of their own destiny?
Would they ever kill someone? Have they already?
Are they religious? If so do they have a strong sense of faith, are they uncertain, or are they somewhere in between?
What are their dreams like? Do they have any recurring dreams/nightmares?
Would they ever crash a wedding?
If they found a sword in a stone would they try to pull it out? How would they react to being able to pull it out or not?
Do they learn from their mistakes?
Can they speak multiple languages? If yes which all do they speak and why?
Can they handle stressful situations?
Who, if anyone, would they trust with their deepest secrets?
Do they plan in advance or just wing it?
Would they lie to get out of trouble?
Would they lie to get someone else out of trouble? Even if they would have to take that someone else's place?
How likely are they to go on a quest for revenge?
Do they have trouble keeping their enemies and their friends straight?
What is your favorite thing about them?
I love these so I figured I'd make one of my own! Just be sure that if you reblog this ask one or two of these to the person you reblogged from (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
So I decided to make this because I want to get to know my OCs better and all of yours as well. Here is a short collection of asks but here is the rule: Reblog from somebody and you have to send them an ask, its only polite after all.
What is your character's reaction to a minor inconvenience? Such as getting their jumper caught on a door handle?
Tea, coffee, hot chocolate or other?
What does their safe space look like?
What do they consider to be an unforgivable action? Why?
Do they have any nicknames or pet names or other aliases?
What kind of books comfort them? What books help them heal after a hard day?
Are they a naturally assertive person or are they painfully shy?
Do they consider themselves a friendly person or aloof?
What is your character's trigger point? What makes them angry, sad or makes them go off?
What kind of jokes make them laugh?
Do they enjoy pranks or do they hate them? Are they likely to fall for a prank?
Are they an overall healthy person? Do they make for a good patient or a terror?
Describe your character's typical wardrobe for the regular day.
Are they a simple person to please or difficult?
What is the first thing people notice about them?
What do they look for in a friend? A love interest?
Who are they soft for? Do they find being soft easy or difficult?
Describe your character through a Brooklyn 99 gif or line.
What does your character consider to be their lowest point?
Does your character have a comfort item?
What would be one item that they would hate to lose most?
What are their eating habits like? Do they snack throughout the day? Or do they eat sparsely?
What is your character's favourite food and who cooks it best?
What are your character's special skills?
What are somethings they find difficult to do? Or say?
Are they an animal person? Do they have pets?
What are their opinions on children? Do they view children as sweet angels or evil crotch goblins?
If your character was in today's world, what social media platforms would they avoid? Or be prominent on?
Are they an organised person? Or more laissez-faire?
Do they dwell better in chaotic situations or more linear situations?
Your character has been invited to a masquerade ball. What mask do they wear?
Your character is having a prom night/debs. What kind of outfit do they wear?
How do they act around people they don't know? Are they shy around strangers or dismissive of them?
Can your character drive? If so, what kind of driver are they? If not what's their preferred manner of transport?
What attracts your character to another person? What kind of person do they do for?
Tell us something about your OC that doesn't make it onto the page?
Your character has been kidnapped. Who has kidnapped them and how do they escape?
How does your character unwind after a long day?
What's your character's guilty pleasure?
Your character's friend has just been mugged. What's their reaction?
Your character has been punched into the face. What's their reaction?
Does your character celebrate their birthday? If not, why?
What is the DND alignment?
Hogwarts House?
Star Sign?
Does your character believe in anything? Religion? Superstition?
What is your character's reaction when someone does something nice for them?
Is your character easy to make cry? Or angry? Or annoyed?
What is your character's biggest fear? Most irrational?
How does your sleep at night? Are they a heavy or light sleeper? Do they dream or have nightmares? Do they find it easy to sleep or are they more a night owl?
Tim has a broken arm, Ethan has a cold, Tim’s bad mood is infectious
Ethan was lucky enough to sleep until lunch. He didn’t even notice Tim slip out of the bed midway through the morning. There were a few brief awakenings for sneezes, but he was awake no more than a few seconds before falling back to sleep, barely even aware that he had woken up.
He was aware of Tim’s hand on his shoulder, talking to him. He opened his eyes and looked up at him.
“Lunch.”
Ethan started to protest.
“I know, I know. Not hungry, but.”
“I know. Gotta eat.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up. “Hatshoo!” He smothered a sneeze with his forearm.
“Bless you. Go get ready. Get dressed, finally.”
Ethan was in the kitchen a few minutes later, taking a seat at the table with his tissues. Tim set a sandwich in front of him, setting chips and pickles on the table. “Thanks.” Ethan sniffled, noticing Tim rub his arm again. Ethan was about to comment, but something made him think better of it.
Tim sat down with his own sandwich. “Ready to get to work?” He asked, taking a bite.
Ethan closed his eyes briefly, a resigned look on his face. “No,” he sighed, “but, let’s just get it done.” He continued eating his sandwich.
“I made a grocery list.”
“Thanks. I’ll take it to the store tomorrow.”
“We’re out of orange juice.” Tim said, flatly. “You need it.”
Ethan coughed into his fist. “I’m sure I’ll be fine without it for one morning.”
“You’re sick. You need the vitamin C.”
Ethan glanced at the counter. “We still have oranges. I’ll eat one of those.”
“But-“
Ethan cut him off. “I’m sick. I’m tired. I don’t feel like driving to the grocery store and fighting my way through a crowd to get orange juice. If we’re out of NyQuil, I’ll go, but otherwise, tomorrow.” He fixed Tim with a steely gaze for about a second before he ducked down into his t-shirt. “HahShoo!”
“Bless you.” Was it his imagination or did Tim sound like he was pouting?
He finished his sandwich and stood up to put the dishes in the sink. “I know it’s sheet week, but I’m sick on these sheets. No sense in changing them until I’m better. I’ll get the laundry if you want to start the dishwasher.”
Tim began unloading and loading the dishwasher while he started the first load of laundry. They met in the living room. Ethan sprayed a dust cloth down with enddust for Tim and took once for himself, then began wiping down surfaces; Tim followed, much more slowly.
“AtShoo!” Ethan was sneezing after making his way through less than half the living room.
“Bless you. Already?”
“You know being sick like this makes me more sensitive.” Ethan reminded him, in a less than friendly tone. He rubbed his nose on his sleeve and kept working.
“Ugh. We shouldn’t have skipped last week.” Tim was rubbing his nose to stall off his sneezes.
“Yeah, well, I took pity on you.”
Tim looked like he was going to offer something in retort, but instead moved to the bedroom where Ethan heard him sneezing. ‘At least,’ he thought, ‘the dust was going to take both of them down.’
With a powerful “HatChoo!” he moved to the spare room and got to work. Tim would get to relax after this part. He still had to deal with the dust with sweeping and vacuuming. Eyes watering, he made his way over every surface in the room, then headed to the kitchen to pick up the broom.
He made a quick detour into the living room for his tissues. Tim was on the couch, tissue in hand. “UhhHesshoo! HessSchoo!” He watched as Tim snapped forward into his tissue, the blew his nose with one hand, a skill he’d become well practiced at over the last week.
“Bless you.” Ethan sniffled, blowing his own nose and turning to look at Tim. “HatShoo!” He hastily brought the tissue back up, feeling the congestion roll right back in.
“Bless you.” Tim paused for Ethan to blow his nose again. “I’m gonna be doing this all day now.” He sighed.
“Yeah, well, it was already on my agenda.” Ethan said tersely. “Why not amplify it?” He muttered as he made his way to the kitchen and the broom. 2 sneezes sweeping up the kitchen. 3 sneezes in each bedroom, vacuuming, and then it was time to vacuum the living room.
Taking a quick break to switch the laundry (one sneeze), he returned to the living room to find Tim sprawled on the couch. Rubbing his itchy eyes, he coughed, plugging in the vacuum. “AhShoo!”
“Bless you.”
Ethan didn’t respond, just kicked the vacuum on, sneezing again, 2 minutes later. “HahShoo!” And 2 minutes later came an “AtChoo!” so quickly, he didn’t quite make it into his shoulder before he erupted.
“Cover!” He heard Tim snap.
He shut the vacuum off. “I was trying. It was too fast for me.” Ethan snapped back, grabbing a tissue from his box on the coffee table. “Just cut me a break. I can’t reinfect you, for crying out loud.”
Tim glared, but said nothing as Ethan, more forcefully this time, kicked the vacuum back on and continued cleaning…and sneezing. 2 sneezes later he was done, had stalked from the room, and Tim heard him putting the vacuum away, then in the bathroom, running water, presumably trying to wash the itchiness from his face.
He came back and dropped in Tim’s recliner, grabbing his tissue box as Tim let out another double.
“Yyehhshoo! HehhYehhschoo!”
“HahShoo!” Came Ethan’s response.
“What if we run out of tissues?”
“I’m not going to the store.”
“But-“
Ethan cut him off. “There’s a full box in the closet. We should be fine.”
“I still think we should…”
“I’ll use toilet paper.” Ethan’s tone was low, daring Tim to challenge him. “HatChoo!”
“Stop sneezing.” Tim rubbed his nose.
“I would if I could. This isn’t my fault.”
“Your allergy.”
“Your cold. You insisted on cleaning.” He leaned back, sighing and pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes.
“HahTahSchoo! AhhSchoo!”
Ethan looked over to see Tim grimace slightly. “You ok?”
“Fine.” Tim blew off the question with a clipped tone.
“AhChoo!” Grabbing another tissue, he groaned and headed off to check the laundry. Thanks to Tim’s stubbornness, he was going to spend the next hour with an allergy attack he really didn’t want. He switched the laundry to the dryer and started the second load.
Coughing, he walked into the kitchen for some water. Tim was hunched into a handful of paper towels, sneezing, when he stepped in.
“HuhhSchoo! YuhhHuhSchoo! YuhhhSchoo! YuhhShuhSchoo!” Tim finished.
“Bless you.” He noticed Tim rubbing his arm as he concluded his fit. “Arm still hurting?”
“Sneezing doesn’t help.” Tim muttered. “Kinda jars it around.”
Ethan took a drink of water. “Pain pill?”he suggested again.
“No.” Tim snapped.
“HatShoo!” Ethan sighed, blowing his nose again, resisting the temptation to just scrub at his eyes. He coughed again, and sat down. “Think you can handle the laundry one handed?
Tim gave an irritated frown. “My arm hurts.” He reminded Ethan in a tone that implied it was all Ethan’s fault.
Ethan resisted the urge to sigh. “I’d like to-to-AhShoo…to just lay down and have my allergy attack in peace.”
“Go take a Benadryl.”
“Can’t on cold medicine.” Ethan shot back. Blowing his nose again, he got up and went to the fridge, pulling out soup ingredients.
“What are you doing?”
“I want soup. If I’ve got to wait for the laundry to finish, might as well make it now.” He pulled the soup pot out, then ducked away. “AtChoo!”
“You can’t cook sneezing like this.” Tim protested.
“You can’t do it one handed.” Ethan pointed out, not very gently, ignoring the hurt look on Tim’s face. “And I can’t reinfect you anyway.” He began melting butter in the pot.
“HuhhRuhhShoo! RruhhShehh!”
Ethan looked over to see Tim wince. “Just remember, dusting was your idea.”
“And the cat jumping on my arm was apparently yours.”
“That was an accident!”
Tim glared.
“HatShoo!”
“Bless you.” Tim grumbled, grimacing as his arm spasmed.
Ethan caught that too as he poured in the liquid ingredients for the soup to bring to a boil. He gave a deep sigh. “Take. A. Pain. Pill.” He said through gritted teeth.
“No.”
“You’ve taken, what, 4 in the last week? Take one.”
“Don’t wanna.” Tim glared.
“Why not?” Ethan snapped.
Tim sighed. “I really don’t like the way they make me feel.” He finally admitted.
Ethan briefly looked concerned before a sneeze interrupted. “HatChoo! How…how do they make you feel?”
“Groggy, spacey, loopy. They knock me out pretty good.”
Ethan stirred the soup. “Is that such a bad thing today? You’re in pain, you’re cranky.”
Tim started to protest.
Ethan wasn’t having it. “And all I wanted was to spend the day in bed too. Go take one.” He ordered.
“Are you coming?”
“When I finish here.” Ethan’s tone warmed. He stirred the soup again.
“The laundry?”
“Can just take longer.”
Tim headed off to take the hated pain pill, the crawled into bed with an ice pack, waiting for it work…and for Ethan. He could hear Ethan sneezing away in the kitchen as he finished the soup, and he felt a twinge of guilt for making him dust, knowing how his cold would impact his allergy.
Ethan came in a bit later, pulling fresh tissues from his box. “HahShoo! Sneezing’s starting to slow down.” He gave a weak smile. “How’s the pain?”
“Starting to get better.” Tim admitted, yawning.
“Think maybe we can go to sleep and wake up with both of us in a better mood?”
Tim looked way as Ethan sat down. “Yeah,” he said softly.
Ethan lay down. “Gonna take me awhile to fall asleep.” He pointed out. “Still sneezing from the dust.”
“Sorry. And I’m not gonna have that problem.” He yawned again, pulling the blanket up around him.
“AhtShoo!” Ethan curled around his tissue box and closed his eyes.
“Bless you.” Came Tim’s last drowsy comments before he started snoring.
Do you still write about Jaime or Alyssa? Jaime was my favorite of your characters!
I think I wrote one ensemble fic with the two of them in it. But as for solo fics, I haven’t lately. I want to; I just haven’t had any good plots for them. 🙁
If you have any ideas for fics involving one or both of them, feel free to send them my way. I can’t promise they’ll get written, but I’ll certainly try.
I’m so glad you love Jamie. She was my first OC, and is super special to me. 💕
I felt like writing some more broken arm Tim, only this time Ethan is the one who’s down with the cold.
“HahHahShoo!” Ethan’s sneeze was exceptionally loud that morning and startled Cashew, who immediately leapt from his side to Tim’s casted arm.
“Yeow!” Yelped Tim, shoving the larger of the two cats away, glaring at Ethan. “Do you have to scare the cat? And, cover!”
Ethan rolled his eyes; he hadn’t known Tim was awake when he’d just let the sneeze go. “Can’t reinfect you. How’s your arm?”
“Hurts.” Tim pouted. He’d broken his arm a little over a week ago and immediately come down with a mild cold. He’d recovered quickly, and they thought Ethan had escaped it. But just as Tim’s symptoms were down to a few stray sneezes and a lingering cough, Ethan started with a sore throat and an upward trend in his sneezing. By bedtime last night, he’d had his tell tale earache and despite NyQuil, had spent the night waking up to sneeze.
Ethan pulled a tissue from the box to blow his nose. “Sorry.” He sighed. “I have no control over the volume. Or how your cat will react.”
Tim grumbled under his breath, getting out of bed. Ethan chose to ignore it, not feeling up to engaging Tim in a fight this early in the day. Besides, he had to sneeze again. He pressed his damp tissue to his nose. “AtChoo!”
“Bless you.” Tim muttered, pulling his jeans on and walking towards the bathroom. Ethan pulled the covers up over his head and tried to go back to sleep, a feat made more difficult by the fact that his nose was already awake and started on his morning sneezes.
Tim was back in the bedroom 10 minutes later. “Breakfast.”
Ethan sighed. “Wannahh AhShoo! Try to sleep.” He mumbled around his tissue.
“You need to eat.”
“It’s Saturday. I’m sick. I’m allowed to try to sleep in a little.”
“I already made oatmeal. It’s getting cold.” Tim’s tone was steely.
“Don’t want oatmeal.” Ethan sniffled.
“It’ll feel good on your throat. Get up; it’s time for cold medicine anyway.” He turned and headed back to the kitchen.
Ethan dragged himself out of bed and into the bathroom. Insulin and cold medicine on board, he glanced in the mirror to see if he looked as bad as he felt before turning away to direct another powerful sneeze at the floor. “HatChoo!”
Blowing his nose, he plopped in a kitchen chair in front of the oatmeal and fruit Tim had out for him. “I wanted an omelet.” He complained. “I’m sick. I need protein.”
“Oatmeal’s about all I can make with one hand.” Tim was short. “We’re out of Raisin Bran, and you can’t eat Fruity Pebbles.”
“I could have made it.”
“If you ever decided to get out of bed.”
Ignoring Tim’s tone, Ethan ducked down into the crook of his arm and sneezed. “AtChoo!” Straightening up, he picked up his spoon and began slowly eating, timing bites between sneezes.
“I thought we’d start cleaning once you’re washed up and dressed.” Tim said as Ethan put their bowls in the sink. Only, it didn’t sound like something Tim was just thinking about.
Ethan sighed, almost inaudible. “Tim, I’m going back to bed.”
“Let’s just get the cleaning out of the way.” Tim persisted.
A deep breath from Ethan, followed by a quick inhale as he lifted his t-shirt over his nose. “HahChoo! I want to go back to bed.” He repeated, patiently. “I didn’t sleep well.”
“I know.” Tim grumbled. “You’re not the only one who kept waking up.”
“Sorry. The cleaning can wait.”
“I want to get it done.” Tim was irritated. “Not save it for Sunday.”
“Then do it without me.”
Tim glared. “You know all I can do is dust. And maybe laundry. Slowly.”
“And I’ll do the rest when I get up.”
Tim looked petulant. “This is the plan for the weekend.” He said, shortly, unconsciously rubbing his casted arm.
“Plans change.” Ethan sighed, picking up a napkin to blow his nose.
“We’ve got to go grocery shopping, too.”
“Tomorrow.” Ethan was firm on that as he brought his napkin up. “AhShoo!” He turned to head towards the bedroom when he caught Tim grimacing and rubbing his arm again. “Arm hurts?”
“Can tell you graduated nursing school.” He snapped. “20 pounds of cat jumping on it felt wonderful.”
“Take anything for the pain?”
“I’m not taking a pain pill.” Tim snapped again.
“Tylenol? Ice pack? Both? Maybe rest it?”
Tim glared. “It’s your fault.” The irritable tone was back in his voice.
“And it’s yours if you do nothing about it. I’m sorry I sneezed. I’m sorry I scared the cat. I’m sorry he jumped on you. I’m done apologizing. I’m going back to bed.” This time he turned and walked to the bedroom.
He sat there on the bed, rubbing his temples for a few minutes before directing another sneeze over his shoulder towards the headboard. “AtChoo!”
“Cover!” Tim snapped, walking into the room. “Jeez, is this how you act when you’re alone? You’re a nurse; you should know better.”
Ethan sighed, blowing his nose, then crawled under the blankets. “What do you want?” He sighed. “Other than for me to get up and clean?”
Tim grabbed a t-shirt, slipped it on, then replaced his sling. Coughing, he cleared his throat. “We’re cleaning after lunch,” he informed Ethan.
Ethan shrugged, wrapping the blankets around him and snuggling in. “Sure. I mean, I’m already sneezing like no end. What’s a little more?” He pulled his tissue box off the nightstand and nestled it in next to him. Looking at Tim, he sighed. “I forgot water. Can you please get me some?”
With an disgruntled sigh and no small amount of just audible grumbling, Tim fetched the water, plopping it on Ethan’s nightstand.
“Thank you.” Ethan bit his lip before speaking. “Given anymore thought to resting your arm?” He yawned.
“I took some Tylenol.”
“Get an ice pack, lay down and elevate it. If you didn’t sleep well either, then the nap will be good.”
“So you can keep waking me up sneezing? And get the cat to jump on me again. Please make it Coco this time.”
Ethan sighed. “Lay on the couch?”
“Not comfortable with my arm.”
“Suit yourself. I’m going to try to sleep.”
“Fine.”
“HatShoo!”
A grumpy blessing.
“Thank you.” Ethan rolled on his side.
“Cover. Don’t sneeze on my pillows.”
“Can’t reinfect you.” Ethan sighed again. He shut his eyes as Tim left the room, and had to admit, he was grateful for the other man’s absence.
He had just nodded off when he sensed someone in the room. Opening his eyes, he saw Tim next to the bed, holding an ice pack. “AtShoo!” He clasped a hand over his nose.
“Bless you.” Tim’s tone was slightly gentler this time as he carefully got into bed, elevating his arm. He struggled placing the ice pack.
“May I?” Tim nodded, and Ethan adjusted the ice pack over Tim’s cast. “How’s that?”
“Pretty good.”
“Well, I did go to nursing school.” Ethan remarked in reference to Tim’s earlier snarky comment.
Tim looked away. “Sorry.”
“Arm is pretty sore, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Ethan coughed. “I don’t think I’m going to be as lucky with this cold as you were.”
“I’m sorry I got you sick.”
Ethan shrugged. “Happens.”
“I’m sorry I can’t really take care of you. That you’ll probably still have to do almost everything around here.”
Ethan looked at him, realization spreading across his face, then quickly jerked his head away into his shoulder. “HahShoo!” Looking back to Tim, “is this why you’re in such a bad mood?”
Tim shrugged. “I unno. I mean, my arm hurts. I can’t do anything. And then, I get you sick. Pretty much sucks.” He bit his lip, looking away.
Ethan put a hand on his upper arm, above the cast. “Hey,” he smiled. “We’ll make it work. But for now, can we catch up on sleep?”
Despite Tim’s lingering sniffles and Ethan’s relentless cold, they’d managed to enjoy a nice dinner out and a walk through the neighborhood before retiring back to the room.
“HatShoo!” Ethan sneezed loudly into his shoulder, sitting down to take off his shoes.
“Bless.” Tim offered, with a slight sniffle. “You’re sicker than you’ve been letting on.” He commented.
“‘M fine. Just sneezing more than usual.” At Tim’s glance, he sighed, “ok, a lot more than usual. But it’s stuck to basically that and a runny nose. Barely even a headache.” He yawned.
“Wanna go to bed early?”
“Honestly? Yeah, but I doubt you do.”
Tim shrugged, rubbing his nose. “I’m a little tired from the drive. Might read for a little bit, but I think an early night sounds good.”
Ethan nodded. “Not gonna lie. It sounds very good. Rest now, I’ll be up for more tomorrow.”
A short bit later, Ethan was under the covers, and Tim was curled up on the loveseat in the room, reading. An hour and a half later, he joined Ethan in bed; Ethan woke enough to mumble “sleep sweet” but otherwise didn’t stir.
Ethan did fully wake around 2 am, feeling the bed shake with Tim’s sneeze.
12 more sneezes followed, and Ethan sighed. “That’s not leftover allergies?” He asked hopefully, grabbing the tissues off his bedside table and offering them.
His response was a head shake and five loud gurgles as Tim blew his nose. “No.” Tim sighed, finally. “Unfortunately, it’s not.” He’d caught Ethan’s cold and they both knew it.
Ethan got up and pulled a blister pack of NyQuil from his toiletry bag. Tim downed it with a long swallow of water.
“Looks like the next stop…” he trailed off pressing the back of his hand to his nose. “Hatchoo! Next stop on our romantic weekend: a pharmacy.”
Tim nodded. Ethan had only brought enough cold medicine and tissues for himself. “And maybe we are spending most of the weekend in bed.” He sniffled.
“I’m not going to complain about that. I don’t care what we do as long as we’re together.” He snuggled against Tim and started to close his eyes as Tim shifted away to sneeze again.
“HeyyeckShoo! EhhdShoo!”
“Bless you, love.” Ethan moved away, resting the tissues in between them. This wasn’t the anniversary they’d planned, but in so many ways, it mirrored the start of their relationship. It’d do.
Ethan forgot his allergy meds but still has to go about his day
“Hachoo!” Ethan covered the sneeze with a tissue from the box on his desk and resisted the urge to rub his eyes.
“Bless you.” Toby said, softly, from the next workstation.
“Thanks.” Ethan swiped at his nose and began making his way through his emails and patient messages.
He’d started to make a dent in his messages when he was forced to press the tissue to his nose again. “HatShoo!”
“Bless you.”
Ethan nodded, blowing his nose and depositing the tissue in the wastebasket under his desk. He plucked another tissue from the box and kept it in his hand, at the ready, a move that didn’t go unnoticed by his colleague.
He progressed his way through the messages, hoping to get through them before he and Toby had to start teaching diabetes education. And before Toby killed him. Although, he mused, that might be a blessing today.
“AtChoo!”
“Bless you. You sick?” Toby frowned.
Ethan shook his head, sniffling.
“Stop and play with a dog on your way to work?”
Ethan laughed. “That’s never gonna happen.”
“Forget your allergy pills, then?”
Ethan looked down at his keyboard. “Yeah,” he admitted, sheepishly.
Toby stared at him in disbelief. “You? You forgot your pills?”
Ethan sighed. “I had the worst migraine last night. Tim woke me for my insulin, but we both forgot about the allergy meds.”
“Picked a hell of a day to do it. Pollen’s through the roof.” Toby commented.
Ethan picked up on the congestion in Toby’s voice and sighed. For Toby’s allergies to actually be audible in his voice, they had to be bad. Which meant Ethan was in for a long, rough day.
“Hey guys!” Toby called out to the room. “Mr. Perfect forgot his allergy pill. Prepare yourselves for a long day of listening to him sneeze.”
His announcement was met with sighs.
“Sorry.” Ethan blushed.
“I’ve got some Benadryl…” Neelah offered.
Ethan hesitated, remembering the last time he’d tried to mix Benadryl with work. He’d been so sleepy he couldn’t keep his eyes open, and Dustin had had to come pick him up.
“Thanks, Neel. But no. I’ll be nonfunctional in 30 if I take it.” He looked at Toby, hopefully. “You don’t have a Claritin stashed somewhere in your desk?”
Toby shook his head. “Sorry, man.” Concern flashed across his face. “You gonna be ok today? I mean, we’ve got class til noon. Then you’ve got patients.”
“I’ll manage. I’m inside now; it’s shoul- AhShoo! Should slow down. Besides, not the first time I’ve had to do this. Might be the first time I forgot Zyrtec though.”
“We know.” Paul called from across the room. “We’ve had to listen to you every time your allergies flare. At least the two of you sit in the corner.”
Ethan wiped his watery eyes, looking apologetic.
Toby nodded, eyes glazing over. He pulled his scrub top up over his face, sucking in a deep breath. “HehhhEptschoo! EmmpSchoo, EhhhtSchehh! Looks like I won’t be the only one sneezing through class today.” He grabbed a tissue from his box and blew his nose.
“Fucking allergies.” Ethan grumbled, turning back to his desk, hoping he could get through his messages before class time.
“You got that right,” Toby sniffled.
They walked into the classroom with 4 students sitting there, waiting for them. Ethan cleared his throat as he set the box of tissues on the table. “Hi. I’m Ethan, and this is Toby.” He glanced down at the tissues. “And just to warn you all now, we’re both really struggling with allergies today. I apologize for our sneezing in advance.”
Toby finished handing out packets and nodded. “Just bear with us on that part. Ethan’s going to start you off on a brief overview of Type II diabetes.”
“One second,” Ethan paused. “Hatshoo!” He pressed his nose into his shoulder. “Just wanted to get that out of the way first. Although, unfortunately, that won’t be the end of it.” He smiled, launching into his prepared lecture.
He was only too grateful to switch out with Toby half an hour later after answering a few questions, so he could step out to blow his nose. Toby was trying to explain carb counting when his first round of sneezes hit, forcing him to take a step back from the table. “Hehtchehh, ehptchuhh, heptschoo, heyyechtschoo, ehhtscheshh. Excuse me.” He apologized. “I may not be sneezing as frequently as Ethan, but it’s never just once for me. Excuse me for just one more minute.” He stepped out of the room, and they heard two more sneezes and the door across the hall close.
“I can answer any questions you may have so far.” Ethan offered, stepping in for Toby, who he hoped had just stepped out to blow his nose. He’d listened to Toby’s portion enough and had enough of his own experience to answer any basic questions, but if there was anything in depth, he’d have to wait for Toby to come back.
He was in the middle of answering a question about foods that were a mix of carbohydrates and proteins when Toby slipped back in, listening to his answer. “And now I’ll turn this back over to Toby,” he grinned, finishing his answer. “Hopefully, he can see if there’s anything I left out.” He looked at Toby. “Combination food, like pizza.”
“I think you covered it.” Toby cleared his throat. “Ethan’s been teaching this class for so long, I’m sure he can do the whole thing by now.” He resumed where he’d left off, explaining that what he was giving was a general guideline, but that everything would be individualized when they met with their nutritionist, then turned the class back over to Ethan to cover hypo- and hyperglycemia management.
Ethan approached the white board and began talking the class through the signs and symptoms of a low blood sugar. He was starting to switch gears to treatment when a sneeze snuck up on. “Atshoo!” He turned his head quickly to the side, managing to get his forearm up to block it. “Excuse me. As I was saying,” he sniffed, “you’ll want to treat with fast acting carbohydrates. You should carry glucose tablets with you as you may not always have access so something to eat or drink.” Clearing his throat, he filled them in on other options for treatment, and when they should recheck.
“Now, switching gears to hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, excuse me. Hashoo!” He smothered another sneeze in the crook of his arm. “The best way to prevent hyperglycemia is good management of diabetes, but it can rise if there are changes in your diet, if you’re ill or under a lot of stress.” He began covering the symptoms. “For issues that are not transient, such as one day, you ate an extra piece of cake, or you have a cold, or a brief stressful situation such as an exam, it will resolve. But for anything that lasts longer, you’ll need to contact your doctor to help adjust your medication to bring your blood sugar back down.”
He paused. “Now, switching gears to sick day management, I’m going to turn things back to Toby.”
He looked over at Toby who was fiddling with a tissue and who shook his head. “On second thought,”
“HeptSchoo!” Toby interrupted.
“Let’s take our 15 minute break now. I’m sure we all could use it.”
“Ehckshoo!” Toby agreed as Ethan gave the 4 students directions to the restrooms and cafeteria.
“Hehhtsheshh, ehtshoo. Heyyyehhshoo-ehshoo!”
“Bless you.” Ethan frowned. “You ok?”
Toby blew his nose. “Making it. You?”
“I’ll get through it. Not gonna lie; counting down till I get home and can grab an allergy pill.”
Toby laughed slightly. “I still can’t believe you forgot.”
“Tim had to give me my insulin last night.” Ethan admitted.
“Damn…that bad?”
“Yeah.” Ethan bit his lip.
“Hey, thanks for covering for me earlier. Just couldn’t stop once I started.”
“No problem. Like you said, I could probably teach this solo by now.”
Toby cleared his throat. “I’m gonna go grab a drink. You want anything?”
“Sure. Diet whatever.”
“I know, I know.” Toby blew his nose again, sanitizing his hands after tossing the tissue in the trash.
Leaning back in the chair, Ethan sighed. It had already been a long day, and it wasn’t even close to 4. “Hatshoo!” He grabbed the hem of his shirt, ducking forward with the force of his sneeze to cover.
When the class returned, Toby launched into how to get enough carbohydrates to keep your blood sugar from dropping when you’re having a hard time eating. Ethan took over at the end, stressing the importance of continuing medications as usual, and contacting your doctor if difficulties persist more than a day. Pressing hard against his nose with the back of his hand for a second, he continued. “You should…AtShoo! Excuse me. You should go to the emergency room for the following.” He sniffled, launching into emergency management. Sniffling again, he concluded, “I know we’ve thrown a lot at you in the last 2 and a half hours, so Toby’s going to start taking questions, and I’ll be back in just a second.”
He stepped across the hall into the restroom to blow his nose and caught sight of his puffy eyes in the mirror. ‘At least he didn’t look a total disaster,” he thought, ‘considering the way he felt.” He’d looked much worse, but fortunately that had lately been reserved for Tim. Rinsing his face, he blew his nose again, washed his hands and headed back to the education room.
Toby was fielding food related questions when he entered, but the questions quickly turned to him. After 45 minutes, the questions had ceased, and the students were looking at them expectantly again.
“Hands on portion time.” Ethan cleared his throat, as Toby handed out glucometers to the students. “These are yours. The machine given to you is what your insurance covers and the supplies you get from now on will match the machine. We’re going to cover the use of these, making sure you all know how to use them. One of us will work with you individually to make sure you’re comfortable with the technique and the machine.”
He and Toby each paired up with a student, giving two students time to review course materials for a final Q&A at the end, then switching.
Fortunately for Ethan, his two students caught on quickly and were able to demonstrate with no problems within minutes following his example.
Toby, on the other hand, had a student who was having trouble with the machine and a nose that was starting to give him trouble again.
“Hehhptschoo.” He sneezed for the third time since starting his instruction, quietly thanking the student as she blessed him and apologized for struggling.
“It’s alright.” He reassured her, rubbing his nose.
“Want me to see if I can make it simpler? I’m basically an expert.” Ethan grinned, stepping next to Toby.
Toby shot him a grateful look, burying his face in his arm again. “Huptschoo. UhhtShuhh!”
Ethan took the spot next to the woman as Toby moved on to the final student and immediately knew what Toby’s problem had been: the perfume the woman was wearing was nice, barely noticeable (at least with his congestion) from a distance, but strong and very floral up close. And after a few seconds, he saw her problem as well. She wasn’t penetrating her skin far enough with the lancet, so by the time she had enough blood, the meter had timed out.
Using the demo meter, he showed her how to pierce the skin of her finger enough so she had enough blood, then slide it onto the strip. He adjusted her lancet to make it easier on her, and a few minutes later, she had the process down.
Burying a sneeze in his arm, he regrouped with Toby for the final Q&A. After another half hour of questions, they were able to dismiss the class a half hour early and return to the office.
“Thanks for covering for me with that woman.” Toby sighed. “Her perfume.” He groaned. “And I didn’t want to say anything.”
Ethan laughed. “No problem. You had a rough morning.”
“You were pretty undeterred by yours.”
“Just sneezed like 20 times as I was trying to teach…or interrupted you.”
Toby shrugged as he sat down at his desk. “I did my fair share of sneezing while you were talking.”
“AhChoo! Now to work through messages before lunch…and patients.”
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