Two more 50ficlets ficlets
Angst and humor, one apiece.
Me & You [Drake and Josh, Drake/Josh, G, 354 words]
Drake jams his hands in his pockets so Josh won't notice his fists are clenched as he swings the tailgate shut. "That's the last of it," Josh says to Walter, who nods and gives up on his fumbling attempts to fold the roadmap.
"I'll be back in a minute," Walter says, pressing the map into Josh's chest. Drake wonders if Walter realizes how much he wants a few minutes alone with Josh before he leaves, but as Walter hurries up the driveway Drake decides he probably just needs one last trip to the bathroom before they hit the road.
Josh flips the map on to the top of the SUV and stands there staring at Drake, shifting his weight uneasily from foot to foot. "So," he says.
"So," Drake replies. He's glad the sun is in his eyes so he has an excuse to squint. Maybe Josh will think his eyes are watering because of the glare.
"I guess this is it," Josh says. "Off to school."
"Yeah."
Josh steps forward and pulls Drake into one of his bear hugs. "I'll miss you," he whispers against Drake's ear. Drake just squeezes his eyes shut and nods in reply, not trusting himself to speak. "I'll call you when we get there, okay?"
"Okay," Drake croaks. He pulls back to give Josh a kiss, but just as their lips brush together the front door opens with a bang and Walter's voice comes drifting toward the car. Drake and Josh disentangle themselves slowly. Drake's lips are tingling, and it hurts because he knows it will be months before they can finish the kiss they barely had a chance to start.
"Ready?" Walter asks, and Josh nods at him, unable to meet Drake's eye.
"See ya, Drake," Josh says, rubbing Drake's arm lightly before he turns away.
Drake shoves his hands back in his pockets and watches as Walter and Josh climb into the SUV. He stands there, flexing and unflexing his fingers, grinding his knuckles into his thighs to work some feeling into the numbness until long after his last glimpse of the tail lights fades away.
***
Naughty or Nice [Drake and Josh, Drake/Josh, G, 625 words]
"Merry Christmas, boob." Megan thrusts a box wrapped in shiny foil paper in my direction.
"What is it?" I ask, eyeing the package warily.
She rolls her eyes. "A Christmas present," she says, shaking it in my face. "What else would you expect on Christmas morning?"
I reach out hesitantly. "You've never bought me a Christmas present in your whole life." I brush my fingers over the ribbon and then jerk my hand back as though it tried to electrocute me. "Why would you get me something now?"
"Just take it," she says, shoving the box into my chest. I stumble backwards with a yelp, waving my hands as though shooing away a rabid dog.
"No, thanks," I reply, rounding the couch so it can act as a safety barrier between us. "I don't want your present. You just get away from me with that."
"Fine," she says huffily, tossing the package back under the tree.
"Merry Christmas!" Josh sings as he pushes through the kitchen door. He's balancing a tray with a pile of toast and three glasses of orange juice on it. "I thought you might be hungry," he says with a smile, sliding the tray onto the dining room table, "so I brought us all a bite to eat."
"Thanks, Josh," Megan says brightly, scooping up the gift I'd rejected. "Merry Christmas."
Josh's eyes are shining. "Aww, thanks, Megs," he says, giving her brief, one-armed hug. This oughta be good, I think to myself as he tears the paper off and casts it aside. "Whoa! It's an underwater G-O! Megan, this is amazing! How did you ever afford this?"
"I've been saving my babysitting money all year," she says with a proud smile.
"Well, this is really --"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I say, hustling around the couch and looking over Josh's shoulder. Sure enough, he's cradling an underwater G-O between his hands. "This is really what you got me for Christmas?"
"Yeah," Megan replies, her eyes going wide in that mock innocent way she has. "Or anyway, it was, but you said you didn't want it, remember?"
"Megan!"
"All right, all right, calm down." She crawls under the tree and comes up with a box identical to the one Josh just opened. "Here."
This time I snatch it out of her hands eagerly and rip the paper away almost before it leaves her grasp. It hits the floor as I fling the top of the box aside. There's a flash of gray, a snap of teeth, and a bloodcurdling hiss as something leaps out of the box and lands on my shoulder. With a shriek Josh bats it away, but not before its claws leave five neat gashes in my skin. A slimy tail smacks me in the face as whatever it is leaps to the ground with a thud, shakes itself off, and hurtles toward the door leading to the garage. It's gone before I can get a decent look at it.
I stand there for a moment, panting as though I've just run a marathon. The scratches in my shoulder are starting to sting, and when I reach up to rub at them my fingers come away wet with blood.
"Megan!"
She smirks and raises one shoulder in an apathetic shrug. "How much money do think I made babysitting this year, anyway? There's no way I could afford two of those G-Os." She stands up and moves across the room toward the stairs. Josh and I are staring at each other with our jaws hanging down to our knees. "Don't worry," she calls over her shoulder. "The ones bred in captivity aren't poisonous. Usually."
My 50ficlets table is here.
Me & You [Drake and Josh, Drake/Josh, G, 354 words]
Drake jams his hands in his pockets so Josh won't notice his fists are clenched as he swings the tailgate shut. "That's the last of it," Josh says to Walter, who nods and gives up on his fumbling attempts to fold the roadmap.
"I'll be back in a minute," Walter says, pressing the map into Josh's chest. Drake wonders if Walter realizes how much he wants a few minutes alone with Josh before he leaves, but as Walter hurries up the driveway Drake decides he probably just needs one last trip to the bathroom before they hit the road.
Josh flips the map on to the top of the SUV and stands there staring at Drake, shifting his weight uneasily from foot to foot. "So," he says.
"So," Drake replies. He's glad the sun is in his eyes so he has an excuse to squint. Maybe Josh will think his eyes are watering because of the glare.
"I guess this is it," Josh says. "Off to school."
"Yeah."
Josh steps forward and pulls Drake into one of his bear hugs. "I'll miss you," he whispers against Drake's ear. Drake just squeezes his eyes shut and nods in reply, not trusting himself to speak. "I'll call you when we get there, okay?"
"Okay," Drake croaks. He pulls back to give Josh a kiss, but just as their lips brush together the front door opens with a bang and Walter's voice comes drifting toward the car. Drake and Josh disentangle themselves slowly. Drake's lips are tingling, and it hurts because he knows it will be months before they can finish the kiss they barely had a chance to start.
"Ready?" Walter asks, and Josh nods at him, unable to meet Drake's eye.
"See ya, Drake," Josh says, rubbing Drake's arm lightly before he turns away.
Drake shoves his hands back in his pockets and watches as Walter and Josh climb into the SUV. He stands there, flexing and unflexing his fingers, grinding his knuckles into his thighs to work some feeling into the numbness until long after his last glimpse of the tail lights fades away.
***
Naughty or Nice [Drake and Josh, Drake/Josh, G, 625 words]
"Merry Christmas, boob." Megan thrusts a box wrapped in shiny foil paper in my direction.
"What is it?" I ask, eyeing the package warily.
She rolls her eyes. "A Christmas present," she says, shaking it in my face. "What else would you expect on Christmas morning?"
I reach out hesitantly. "You've never bought me a Christmas present in your whole life." I brush my fingers over the ribbon and then jerk my hand back as though it tried to electrocute me. "Why would you get me something now?"
"Just take it," she says, shoving the box into my chest. I stumble backwards with a yelp, waving my hands as though shooing away a rabid dog.
"No, thanks," I reply, rounding the couch so it can act as a safety barrier between us. "I don't want your present. You just get away from me with that."
"Fine," she says huffily, tossing the package back under the tree.
"Merry Christmas!" Josh sings as he pushes through the kitchen door. He's balancing a tray with a pile of toast and three glasses of orange juice on it. "I thought you might be hungry," he says with a smile, sliding the tray onto the dining room table, "so I brought us all a bite to eat."
"Thanks, Josh," Megan says brightly, scooping up the gift I'd rejected. "Merry Christmas."
Josh's eyes are shining. "Aww, thanks, Megs," he says, giving her brief, one-armed hug. This oughta be good, I think to myself as he tears the paper off and casts it aside. "Whoa! It's an underwater G-O! Megan, this is amazing! How did you ever afford this?"
"I've been saving my babysitting money all year," she says with a proud smile.
"Well, this is really --"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I say, hustling around the couch and looking over Josh's shoulder. Sure enough, he's cradling an underwater G-O between his hands. "This is really what you got me for Christmas?"
"Yeah," Megan replies, her eyes going wide in that mock innocent way she has. "Or anyway, it was, but you said you didn't want it, remember?"
"Megan!"
"All right, all right, calm down." She crawls under the tree and comes up with a box identical to the one Josh just opened. "Here."
This time I snatch it out of her hands eagerly and rip the paper away almost before it leaves her grasp. It hits the floor as I fling the top of the box aside. There's a flash of gray, a snap of teeth, and a bloodcurdling hiss as something leaps out of the box and lands on my shoulder. With a shriek Josh bats it away, but not before its claws leave five neat gashes in my skin. A slimy tail smacks me in the face as whatever it is leaps to the ground with a thud, shakes itself off, and hurtles toward the door leading to the garage. It's gone before I can get a decent look at it.
I stand there for a moment, panting as though I've just run a marathon. The scratches in my shoulder are starting to sting, and when I reach up to rub at them my fingers come away wet with blood.
"Megan!"
She smirks and raises one shoulder in an apathetic shrug. "How much money do think I made babysitting this year, anyway? There's no way I could afford two of those G-Os." She stands up and moves across the room toward the stairs. Josh and I are staring at each other with our jaws hanging down to our knees. "Don't worry," she calls over her shoulder. "The ones bred in captivity aren't poisonous. Usually."
My 50ficlets table is here.