For the launch of Debug: A Collar for His Brat #4, we had some fun and games in my FB group (Robin’s Reading Nest) and one of the games was to make a mood board.
There were some great contributions! My original intention was to host the results here, but since quite a few of them turned out not to be free for use images, I can’t do that 🙁
But! I can still write a bit of flash fiction about one of them, so here goes!
PLEASE NOTE: The featured image is NOT the original image, but a similar one I found on Deposit Photos. To see the original entry, you’ll have to check out the FB post.
Wordcount: 285
Pairing: MM, Nate/Ewan
Content Tags: contemporary
Rating: PG (what? how?)
Summary: Ewan has one job. He’s actually pretty good at it.
A Wee Bit Dreich
“So much for the picnic.”
Ewan lifted his head, glancing across the car. “What?”
“Look at this.” Nate’s gesture took in the rain, the stalled traffic, the heavy sky overhead. “I should have checked the forecast.”
He sounded gloomy. It was unlike him, Ewan thought. Nate didn’t gloom. Nate was sunshine and happiness, except when he was being a sadistic bastard, and even then he *enjoyed* himself. Now he didn’t sound like he was enjoying anything at all.
It was a shock for Ewan to realise that he didn’t like it. It was all wrong. Nate wasn’t supposed to frown like that, lines forming around his eyes under a weight that shouldn’t have settled over him. And for what? Because of a bit of rain?
“Don’t be soft.” It came out rough, more insult than he intended. Ewan tried to make light of it. “I used to walk to school in worse.”
“Barefoot? Ten miles in the snow?”
Soaked through to his socks, often enough, but Ewan didn’t say it. “It’s but a wee bit dreich. No biggie.”
Nate’s mouth curled up, just a little. “We’re still stuck here. Not going anywhere.”
“Who needs anywhere?” Ewan unbuckled his belt and squirmed around to reach behind his seat. “Eh, you want ham and tomato, or chicken?”
“Are you getting into the sandwiches?”
“Aye,” Ewan said because it was too bloody obvious for words. “I’ll go you halves on a fizzy juice.”
Nate eyed him for a long moment, but then his eyes softened. “All right.” He accepted a sandwich triangle and the drink can. “Thanks,” he said, smiling like he meant it, and Ewan settled into his seat with the satisfaction of a job well done.
THE END
Love it! Ewan saves their picnic and makes Nate happy–a beautiful PG moment for them! Though that sounded sad about Ewan when he was younger. If Nate had been there, he would have brought a towel in his backpack and made sure Ewan was dry and taken care of. ❤
Nate surely would have done so 🙂 But Ewan’s warm now, and that’s the best Nate can do <3
Thanks for this, Robin. It was good to see Nate let down his guard around Ewan, and see Ewan not hold back in caring for him. You do so much with so few words!
You’re welcome and thank you 😀 I liked the idea of Ewan seeing Nate’s mood tank and going, “Nope! Grumpiness is my thing, get your own!”