Dinnae Miss Nae Puddles
Main characters: JD and Vin
This was written as a sort of an epilogue to Sue M's recent Monarch of the Glen story, Belonging.
Thank you Sue for writing that awesome story and thank you Katy for creating this wonderful AU. Note: Not betaed and written entirely in fun. Hope you enjoy it.
Feedback most appreciated.
"So, are ye happy ye dinnae miss nae puddles?" asked Vin with a grin as JD drove his new flame red Toyota pick-up truck towards the large estate house.
"Shit yeah! That was so much fun! I guess I better wash the mud off right away before it dries. You promised to help."
"Aye, that I will, but next time I get to drive," Vin agreed with a lop-sided grin as he directed the youth to park in the grassy area beside the kitchen garden and near a garden hose.
"I'm surprised everyone's gone already; guess we were gone longer than I expected. I promised to have a dance with Casey, hope she's not pissed," commented JD worrying his bottom lip.
"She'll understand and there's the ceilidh on the weekend at the village hall, you'll have lots of dances there. I've got clothes in here I can change into, and you better get out of your best kilt," teased Vin.
"You know it's my only kilt," laughed JD.
JD didn't hear Vin's snickered response of , "probably not for long," as he raced upstairs to his room.
A few minutes later they met in the mudroom where they found sponges and buckets, filled them with hot soapy water and were outside heading towards the truck when Nathan spied them through a window and rushed out the back door.
"Vin and JD put those down. Neither of you should be walking around carrying heavy things! Vin, park your arse and elevate your foot, you've been on it too long already today, and JD you're still recovering, you need to take it easy. Your truck's not that dirty, the rest of us can wash it later or tomorrow."
"I'm fine, Nathan, It's my truck, I wanna wash it myself, please? I'll take it easy, I promise."
Nathan was unable to say no to those pleading big eyes, so he picked up the buckets and carried them over to the truck. "Ok, just take it slow and easy, don't over-do it. I'll be watching you, and Vin, get off that foot!"
"Sorry JD, I wanted to help but what can I say," smirked Vin as he sat in a lawn chair and propped his injured foot up on another one then leaned back to watch his new friend work, as he enjoyed the warm sunny weather.
JD was smiling as he scrubbed his truck. His very own brand new Toyota Hillux 4wheel drive truck; he still couldn't believe that the truck, and the land and the house and everything was all his, well he liked to think that even if Buck wouldn't take any of what JD felt was really his inheritance that at least he was sharing it all with him, well maybe not the truck! His smile grew wider. If you'd have asked him a year ago whether he'd even own any type of vehicle by now he wouldn't have thought it remotely possible. A loud voice interrupted his reverie.
"JD! Looks like you missed a spot on the right front tire there!" shouted Vin from his seated supervisory position.
JD looked up and gave him a one fingered wave to which Vin just laughed and gave a regal wave in return, then turned to speak to Buck who was just coming out the back door.
"Should he be doing that by himself?" Buck asked Vin. "He's still recovering."
"Nathan knows, he told him not to lift the full buckets and to take it easy," answered Vin as he turned back to watch.
JD grabbed the two large sopping wet soapy sponges and threw them, both making direct hits onto Vin's chest.
Vin yelped, Buck roared with laughter and JD giggled as he went back to work with a huge smile. Tanner sat up, pulled his shirt off, exposing his tanned toned torso, then threw the soaking wet shirt, scoring a perfect hit on JD's hair.
JD scowled, grabbed the shirt then gave his audience a wicked grin. "Thanks, I needed another rag," and dipped it into the bucket.
"Don't you dare use that on your truck, it's one of my good ones," shouted Vin as he leaped from the chair and dashed towards the laughing youth. JD tried to dance out of his reach holding the shirt high above his head, but Tanner's taller reach prevailed and he grabbed JD's other arm with one hand and the shirt with the other, but JD wasn't going to let go that easily and struggled to get away, slipping and pulling Vin down with him onto the now muddy grassy area by the truck.
Buck sat in Vin's chair to watch the entertainment and his loud laughter brought Nathan outside again.
"JD, leave Vin alone! He's not to be running around like that, and you shouldn't be roughhousing. I told you to take it easy!" yelled Nathan
"I didn't start it, it wasn't my fault," started JD then stopped when he realized he wasn't going to win this one.
Vin gave JD a wicked smirk as he pushed the youth back down into the mud, and ‘accidentally' tipped the bucket JD's way while getting up and then limped over to reclaim his seat.
"Vin, get that leg up again," huffed Nathan as he shooed Buck out of Vin's chair.
JD hopped up, but by now his shirt was totally soaked and clinging tightly so he pulled it off, exposing his surprisingly strong muscular chest, and threw the wet shirt towards the laughing Buck who easily ducked out of the way of the flying missile. JD picked up the thrown sponges, refilled the now empty buckets and let Nathan carry them back to the truck.
"Hey Buck, can you help me? I can't reach to wash the roof."
"No way kid, it's your truck, but here, this will help," he said as he walked over and retrieved an old wooden chair.
"Buck, he really shouldn't be stretching too much," said Nathan quietly.
"I know, I'm going to help him, just funning with him first," the big man answered as he carried the chair over and set it on the far side of the truck. "There you go, do you need me to give you a boost up?"
Once again JD employed the universally recognized hand signal in reply as he stepped onto the chair and began to wash the top of HIS truck. Standing on the chair he could easily reach the entire roof of the truck and he stopped for a moment as he watched his audience of Vin, Buck and Nathan watching him work while they chatted with each other and continued to offer suggestions. The conversation lulled for a moment and the audience's attention was on JD as his dark hair flopped around his face while both arms sponged his truck's roof when they saw his head suddenly disappear followed by an ‘aw shit' and the sound of the chair hitting the ground. Buck dove out of his chair and his ground eating strides ate up the distance as he rushed around to the far side of the truck.
"Laddie, are you okay?" Buck asked as he saw the toppled chair and JD lying unmoving next to it. He dropped to his knees in the mud next to his younger cousin just as JD's head turned towards him and a shit eating grin appeared on the teen's face.
"You are so easy," JD exclaimed, as he grabbed the bucket and threw the soapy water at Buck.
Buck roared and pounced on the dark haired youth giving him a face rub in the mud. "You little shit, I thought you were hurt," growled Buck, trying to hold onto the slippery teen who was wiggling out from under him.
"Sorry," replied JD, his wide grin and actions belying his words as he grabbed the now muddy sponge and threw it in Buck's face.
As soon as he'd heard the chair crash Nathan had raced inside to grab his large first aid kit and he came running to a stop next to the snickering Vin who had limped over to the truck and was now leaning on it chuckling at the antics of the two dark haired men. Nathan quickly assessed the situation and immediately backed up out of range. Smiling he growled, "don't be expecting me to patch up you two idjits if you get hurt," followed by "get back in that chair Tanner," as he grabbed Vin by the shoulders and steered him back towards the house.
Buck's long arms easily captured JD and he grabbed a handful of mud and rubbed it into the boy's hair then released him with a slight shove towards his truck. "Come on, let's get this baby washed and shined."
JD wiped mud out of his hair and off his face, then patted his muddy hand on Buck's wet shirt. "Thanks, I'd appreciate the help."
Buck frowned at the muddy handprints on his soaked shirt then quickly stripped off the rugby jersey exposing his large muscular torso and huge bulging biceps. "So JD, if I help you wash the truck can I borrow it tonight? I've got a hot date with that new waitress at the Crown Rose pub."
The loud peals of laughter had drawn Josiah, Ezra, Chris and Nettie out back. They all had smiles on their faces as they watched Buck and JD working so well together to complete a task just like they usually did, all of them were thinking how hard it was to believe that those two had never even met each other until only a few short months ago, and how much their arrival had added to the lives of all of the rest of the inhabitants of Glenneaval.
The End