[Nathan Barley] Drouble: Some Assembly Required
Archivey-housekeeping time! Nuffink new.
Title: Some Assembly Required
Author: thirstyrobot
Words: 200
Characters/Pairing: Dan, Claire (Dan/Jones implied)
Rating: PG for language
Notes: For boosh_shorts Challenge 17: Holidays, originally posted here. For thickets on her birthday. <3 This was based on her booshbattle prompt, but probably not really the desired thing. Birthdays are holidays, right? Oh, it's a big cheat all round. This can fit into the Roadtrip-verse somewhere post-Someone Like You if that floats your boat.
"What the fuck's that?" Claire asks when Dan shoves his way into the flat.
"Pompeii on velvet. What does it look like?" He leans his burden against the wall and tries to stretch some feeling back into his right hand.
"A heap of rubbish masquerading as a cello."
"It's still a cello." Dan winces at the pins and needles in his fingertips.
"Do you need your brace?"
"I'm fine," Dan snaps.
"Pardon my concern," Claire grumbles. "If Steve With the Teeth wants to store his gear here again, he can fuck right back off with it. I don't care what Jones says--"
"It's for Jones."
"For. That thing's on purpose?"
"It's his birthday tomorrow."
"I don't remember you doing anything this time last year."
Dan shifts his eyes away. "I forgot."
"And you're making up for it with a loose suggestion of a mouldy instrument?"
"Shut up and help me find some ribbon."
Claire mutters something under her breath, but gets up and starts looking through drawers. "It's going to need months of repair, you know."
Dan grins, because he's already thinking of Jones with sawdust on his face and hide glue on his fingers. "That's part of the present."