Fic: (DMOC, Josh/Cooper, PG)
Today was a weird day at work. Lots of unreasonable patrons + a broken printer = no one can print their precious hotmail messages. Since the printer is still broken, tomorrow should be just as unpleasant. Therefore I wrote some extremely self-indulgent DMOC curtain fic to cheer myself up. It's short, because my writing mojo has gone missing, and it's probably silly, but whatever. I like it, so I don't care. Part of the Bells universe, for those of you following that.
Warm air hit him in a wave as Josh pulled the front door open. He shivered at the sudden change in temperature, shaking wet snowflakes out of his hair as he pulled off damp gloves and unzipped his coat. It had taken him twice as long to get home as usual and for awhile he wasn't sure he would make it home, but the chorus of "Dad!" that greeted him when he shut the door instantly made him feel a little warmer.
"Hey, guys," he said as two bodies came hurdling toward him, abandoning the movie they'd been watching in favor of trying to out-shout each other in an effort to fill him in on every detail of their snow day without taking a breath.
He peeled off his scarf and coat while he half-listened, catching a few key words like 'snowballs' and 'freezer'. "What?"
"Dad let us freeze some snowballs for summer," Jeremy said, tugging at the edge of Josh's coat. "Come see. Mine's the biggest."
"Just give me a minute," he answered distractedly, hanging up his coat and rubbing his hands together to try to get some feeling back in them. He made a mental note to ditch the frozen snowballs before anybody got a chance to use them as ice missiles, and another note to lecture Cooper on the dangers of frozen projectiles and unscheduled summer trips to the emergency room.
As soon as he thought it Cooper appeared, just in time to herd the kids back toward the living room. "Guys, give Josh a break. Go finish watching your movie, there's plenty of snow for later."
"Hey," Josh said when they were gone, making sure they were out of earshot before he turned toward Cooper. "You didn't really let them fill the freezer with snow, did you? Once it freezes…"
"Josh, relax," Cooper interrupted, reaching for Josh's hands and rubbing them between his own. "They'll forget about it as soon as the snow melts, and then we can just toss them. Jesus, your hands are freezing."
"Yeah, well, it's kind of cold out."
Cooper grinned, but he didn't let go of Josh's hands. Not that Josh was complaining; he was still freezing, and Cooper's skin was warm against his own. "For awhile there I thought you might not make it home."
"If it was that bad I would have stayed at the hospital," Josh said, but they both knew that wasn't true. The roads were practically impassable hours ago, and he probably should have stayed at work where at least he was safe. He almost called to tell Cooper not to expect him, but the thought of spending the night in an empty hospital room when he could be home with his family was too much. Cooper actually looked worried, though, and now that Josh could see his fear he felt a little selfish for taking the risk.
"You're not going back tomorrow," Cooper said, and Josh knew it wasn't a question. He thought about arguing just for the sake of it, but the truth was that he wasn't due back at work tomorrow, and even if he was, he wasn't sure he'd make it. Instead he shook his head and pulled Cooper closer, leaning in to press a reassuring kiss to Cooper's lips.
"I'm fine, Coop."
"You're freezing. Lucky for you I know just how to warm you up."
"The movie's not that long," Josh said, glancing toward the living room where their kids were still staring raptly at the TV.
Cooper chuckled and reached for Josh's hands again, tugging him toward the living room. "On the couch," he said, pushing Josh toward the couch and reaching for a blanket. "Guys, come over here and help your dad warm up."
A few seconds later Josh was flanked by warm bodies and covered in a blanket, and Cooper pressed a quick kiss to his forehead before he headed for the kitchen. "Four hot chocolates coming up," he said, stopping in the doorway that led to the back of the house. "But we can talk about that other idea later."
Josh laughed and kicked off his shoes before he settled a little further into the couch. "So what are we watching?"
"Dalmatians," Max announced, still staring too raptly at his current favorite movie to see Josh roll his eyes. He was surprised they hadn't worn this DVD out by now, considering how many times they'd played it in the past month. But he was starting to warm up, and he could stand another encore of 101 Dalmatians if it meant he didn't have to go anywhere for awhile.
Warm air hit him in a wave as Josh pulled the front door open. He shivered at the sudden change in temperature, shaking wet snowflakes out of his hair as he pulled off damp gloves and unzipped his coat. It had taken him twice as long to get home as usual and for awhile he wasn't sure he would make it home, but the chorus of "Dad!" that greeted him when he shut the door instantly made him feel a little warmer.
"Hey, guys," he said as two bodies came hurdling toward him, abandoning the movie they'd been watching in favor of trying to out-shout each other in an effort to fill him in on every detail of their snow day without taking a breath.
He peeled off his scarf and coat while he half-listened, catching a few key words like 'snowballs' and 'freezer'. "What?"
"Dad let us freeze some snowballs for summer," Jeremy said, tugging at the edge of Josh's coat. "Come see. Mine's the biggest."
"Just give me a minute," he answered distractedly, hanging up his coat and rubbing his hands together to try to get some feeling back in them. He made a mental note to ditch the frozen snowballs before anybody got a chance to use them as ice missiles, and another note to lecture Cooper on the dangers of frozen projectiles and unscheduled summer trips to the emergency room.
As soon as he thought it Cooper appeared, just in time to herd the kids back toward the living room. "Guys, give Josh a break. Go finish watching your movie, there's plenty of snow for later."
"Hey," Josh said when they were gone, making sure they were out of earshot before he turned toward Cooper. "You didn't really let them fill the freezer with snow, did you? Once it freezes…"
"Josh, relax," Cooper interrupted, reaching for Josh's hands and rubbing them between his own. "They'll forget about it as soon as the snow melts, and then we can just toss them. Jesus, your hands are freezing."
"Yeah, well, it's kind of cold out."
Cooper grinned, but he didn't let go of Josh's hands. Not that Josh was complaining; he was still freezing, and Cooper's skin was warm against his own. "For awhile there I thought you might not make it home."
"If it was that bad I would have stayed at the hospital," Josh said, but they both knew that wasn't true. The roads were practically impassable hours ago, and he probably should have stayed at work where at least he was safe. He almost called to tell Cooper not to expect him, but the thought of spending the night in an empty hospital room when he could be home with his family was too much. Cooper actually looked worried, though, and now that Josh could see his fear he felt a little selfish for taking the risk.
"You're not going back tomorrow," Cooper said, and Josh knew it wasn't a question. He thought about arguing just for the sake of it, but the truth was that he wasn't due back at work tomorrow, and even if he was, he wasn't sure he'd make it. Instead he shook his head and pulled Cooper closer, leaning in to press a reassuring kiss to Cooper's lips.
"I'm fine, Coop."
"You're freezing. Lucky for you I know just how to warm you up."
"The movie's not that long," Josh said, glancing toward the living room where their kids were still staring raptly at the TV.
Cooper chuckled and reached for Josh's hands again, tugging him toward the living room. "On the couch," he said, pushing Josh toward the couch and reaching for a blanket. "Guys, come over here and help your dad warm up."
A few seconds later Josh was flanked by warm bodies and covered in a blanket, and Cooper pressed a quick kiss to his forehead before he headed for the kitchen. "Four hot chocolates coming up," he said, stopping in the doorway that led to the back of the house. "But we can talk about that other idea later."
Josh laughed and kicked off his shoes before he settled a little further into the couch. "So what are we watching?"
"Dalmatians," Max announced, still staring too raptly at his current favorite movie to see Josh roll his eyes. He was surprised they hadn't worn this DVD out by now, considering how many times they'd played it in the past month. But he was starting to warm up, and he could stand another encore of 101 Dalmatians if it meant he didn't have to go anywhere for awhile.