(fic) transcontinental
transcontinental |radishface
Dan, Ror, Deng, and Red. China!AU playing in daylilymoon 's western!AU. 702 words.
Cowboy!Dan goes to the laundromat.
A/N, Written for the KM AU mashup thread.
*
There's a place that'll do yer washin for yeh right down a few, they tell him. But don't let 'em ching-chong the sweat off yer back, yer hard-earned gold. Them Orientals got their beady eyes on yer pocketbook, thas' why they're a-squintin' most of the time, boy.
Dan thanks the old-timers as politely as he can before he sets off to the Oriental part of town, Walter riding behind him, just to see, is the accompanying growl. It takes him roughly half an hour before he hits the first road sign made of squiggly stroke and box-shapes, and another five before he's in the hub of it, suddenly surrounded by the soy-sweet smell of roasting meat and the heady tang of garlic and onions. Chattering, nasal sounds everywhere, men calling to one another and trying to barter, sell things buy things. Walter is looking somewhere between appalled and morbidly curious, and Dan, for that matter, is getting curious looks all around. He and Walter must stand at least a head taller than the average of them, but Dan only clutches the load of denim tighter to his chest, eyes forward on the road, before he finally reaches the laundromat.
"You just wait outside for a bit," he tells Walter, whose head is still whipping around and trying to process every little thing. Dan almost laughs, but thinks better of it. "I won't take but a minute."
An Oriental of short stature and sun-lightened hair and freckles borne of working in the outdoors greets him with a solemn tip of the head, and Dan wonders for a moment if he's back outside with Walter again, he's definitely seen that movement before, carefully measured and-- Dan shakes his head, ridding himself of the sparks. The man behind the counter takes his Levis in his hand and inspects them closely. Dan shifts from one foot to the other and looks anxiously on.
"Can fix this." Fingers run across the tear in the knee. He runs another hand along the inseam, stops at the tear at the... Dan flushes as the other man raises an eyebrow.
"Should I-- er--"
"Come back tomorrow." The light-haired man turns away from Dan and Dan can't help but stare at his queue, long and rippling down his back, the faint sunspots on his neck. A part of him thinks that he needs to negotiate the price now, but a part of him wonders if he should even-- nah.
"Okay," Dan says, and backs out the door. "Tomorrow."
He's so flustered that on his way out he bumps into someone on the way out, upsetting the entire load of laundry the other man is carrying. He's scrambling for his hat and trying to help pick up the clothes from the floor. When he looks up, he's face to face with someone who seems as surprised to find that-- Lord, it's eerie, like looking into a mirror, and Dan would be unnerved if not for the rumors that these people carry around Eastern enchantments and spells and things with them, that would explain a whole lot--
Stop that, the reasonable part of his brain says. They're just people, too.
"Aiyah, Deng!" It's the other man's voice, sharp from behind the counter.
"I'm sorry," Deng is apologizing, swift bows of his head and before Dan knows it he's reaching into his back pocket and pressing a few bills into the other man's hand--
"No, no, I wasn't watching where I was going, please, take this--"
And they push on the cash at each other, each muttering apologies fiercely.
The door opens again and Walter walks in, blinking as his eyes adjust to the dim light inside the room. "Dan. Taking a while. Thought I'd--"
"Sorry, sorry!" Dan shoves his hat firmly onto his head and seizes Walter by the hand and drags the both of them out of there.
They're on their way out of the town and Walter's casting him curious glances now as Dan rubs at his eyelids and mutters something about coming back alone to pick up the laundry tomorrow. Walter doesn't ask any questions, though, and for that, Dan is grateful.
*
Dan, Ror, Deng, and Red. China!AU playing in daylilymoon 's western!AU. 702 words.
Cowboy!Dan goes to the laundromat.
A/N, Written for the KM AU mashup thread.
*
There's a place that'll do yer washin for yeh right down a few, they tell him. But don't let 'em ching-chong the sweat off yer back, yer hard-earned gold. Them Orientals got their beady eyes on yer pocketbook, thas' why they're a-squintin' most of the time, boy.
Dan thanks the old-timers as politely as he can before he sets off to the Oriental part of town, Walter riding behind him, just to see, is the accompanying growl. It takes him roughly half an hour before he hits the first road sign made of squiggly stroke and box-shapes, and another five before he's in the hub of it, suddenly surrounded by the soy-sweet smell of roasting meat and the heady tang of garlic and onions. Chattering, nasal sounds everywhere, men calling to one another and trying to barter, sell things buy things. Walter is looking somewhere between appalled and morbidly curious, and Dan, for that matter, is getting curious looks all around. He and Walter must stand at least a head taller than the average of them, but Dan only clutches the load of denim tighter to his chest, eyes forward on the road, before he finally reaches the laundromat.
"You just wait outside for a bit," he tells Walter, whose head is still whipping around and trying to process every little thing. Dan almost laughs, but thinks better of it. "I won't take but a minute."
An Oriental of short stature and sun-lightened hair and freckles borne of working in the outdoors greets him with a solemn tip of the head, and Dan wonders for a moment if he's back outside with Walter again, he's definitely seen that movement before, carefully measured and-- Dan shakes his head, ridding himself of the sparks. The man behind the counter takes his Levis in his hand and inspects them closely. Dan shifts from one foot to the other and looks anxiously on.
"Can fix this." Fingers run across the tear in the knee. He runs another hand along the inseam, stops at the tear at the... Dan flushes as the other man raises an eyebrow.
"Should I-- er--"
"Come back tomorrow." The light-haired man turns away from Dan and Dan can't help but stare at his queue, long and rippling down his back, the faint sunspots on his neck. A part of him thinks that he needs to negotiate the price now, but a part of him wonders if he should even-- nah.
"Okay," Dan says, and backs out the door. "Tomorrow."
He's so flustered that on his way out he bumps into someone on the way out, upsetting the entire load of laundry the other man is carrying. He's scrambling for his hat and trying to help pick up the clothes from the floor. When he looks up, he's face to face with someone who seems as surprised to find that-- Lord, it's eerie, like looking into a mirror, and Dan would be unnerved if not for the rumors that these people carry around Eastern enchantments and spells and things with them, that would explain a whole lot--
Stop that, the reasonable part of his brain says. They're just people, too.
"Aiyah, Deng!" It's the other man's voice, sharp from behind the counter.
"I'm sorry," Deng is apologizing, swift bows of his head and before Dan knows it he's reaching into his back pocket and pressing a few bills into the other man's hand--
"No, no, I wasn't watching where I was going, please, take this--"
And they push on the cash at each other, each muttering apologies fiercely.
The door opens again and Walter walks in, blinking as his eyes adjust to the dim light inside the room. "Dan. Taking a while. Thought I'd--"
"Sorry, sorry!" Dan shoves his hat firmly onto his head and seizes Walter by the hand and drags the both of them out of there.
They're on their way out of the town and Walter's casting him curious glances now as Dan rubs at his eyelids and mutters something about coming back alone to pick up the laundry tomorrow. Walter doesn't ask any questions, though, and for that, Dan is grateful.
*