Starkindler (starkindler) wrote in 50episodes, @ 2007-08-20 20:37:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | empire records, starkindler:lucas |
Lucas, Empire Records - Snowed In
Title: Snowed In
Author: Starkindler
Fandom: Empire Records
Genre: Pre-slash, Scene
Pairing: Pre- Joe/Lucas
Rating: Everyone
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Not mine. Empire doesn't belong to me, though the plot isn't one that was intended, I'm sure.
Reviews: Like the cherry on my sundae, lovely and yummy, but not required. All reviews welcome.
Betas: Joe
Summary: Lucas ponders being snowed in with Joe.
Prompt #24 Snowed In
Author's Note: This is for my 50episodes challenge for Lucas. Part of a larger story, which will be a prequel to another story I'm planning for my songfest challenge.
Lucas yawned as he stretched out on the sofa to get the kinks out of his back. It had been a long night, full of howling wind and snow splattering against the windowpanes. It wasn't the nastiest blizzard on record, but it was pretty bad, although being with Joe made it not such a hardship.
Pushing off the pile of blankets, Lucas shivered in the cold. About one in the morning the power had gone out and Joe had built a fire. It was smoldering embers now, since he had fallen asleep on the floor under his own pile of blankets, sometime after Lucas had fallen asleep. Looking down, he could see the top of Joe's head poking out of his little cocoon, and it made Lucas' stomach do those weird floppy things it always did when Joe was around.
Padding to the window in only his stocking feet, Lucas tried to look out on the world beyond, but the window was too iced over. He didn't dare open the window, because a blast of cold air wasn't what the already frigid room needed, but he didn't need to look to tell him it would be a while before they could get out into the world. Mentally shrugging to himself, he instead turned to the fireplace and added wood and kindling to restart the fire.
As the fire began to flicker and then become steady flames, a groan alerted Lucas that Joe was beginning to emerge from sleep. Knowing what a bear Joe was in the morning without his morning cup of coffee, Lucas wandered into the kitchen, in search of instant coffee that he knew wasn't likely to be there. Joe hated it and never kept it, even for emergencies.
Still, there was regular, and Lucas had vague memories of his Cub Scout leaders making coffee over an open flame during his brief stint with the group. Hell, if the pioneers could do it, why not him?
He grabbed one of the long-handled pots Joe had in his cabinet, the ones Lucas never knew why he'd kept, since they were never used, and used a little of their bottled water to rinse it out. Then he poured enough water to make several cups worth and grabbed the coffee, some more water, the instant creamer-that Joe would keep in case of emergencies, go figure- the box of sugar cubes, and a spoon. He went into the garage, cursing as the freezing concrete made his toes burn and grabbed the rack from the small, rectangular grill.
In the living room, Joe was still buried deep in the blankets, and Lucas grinned when a low snore drifted out. Plopping himself in front of the hearth, Lucas put all but the rack and the pot off to the side. Rearranging the logs until they were relatively flat and stable, Lucas carefully placed the rack on top of it, hissing when the flames nearly got him. Then, making a mental note to go and retrieve a couple of potholders, he added some coffee to the pot and placed it on the fire. He sighed in relief when it stayed in place.
It would take a little while for the water to boil, so Lucas went upstairs and into his old bedroom. He couldn't open the window because it was frozen shut, but the top pane was clear and he could see that they were indeed snowed in for the time being.
He sighed to himself, content to stay here as long as Mother Nature wanted. It wasn't often that he got to spend time with Joe alone, especially not since Jane had come into the picture. The thought of her made him want to curse and hit something. For a moment at the Save the Empire party, Lucas was sure Joe had finally noticed the spark between them. And then she'd come back, and the only time Joe really had time for him was at the store.
But Jane was out of town and Lucas was here. He knew Joe and Jane had been having problems, and he wasn't above using subtlety to let Joe know he had other options available to him, should Jane become a part of his past.
Lucas walked away from the window and back down the stairs, smiling. The blizzard had given him his Christmas wish, and he intended to use it.