A Little Bit of Sun Goes Straight To Your Head

by kjt1

Just a little bit of J/D fluff to brighten the day.

Title:  A Little Bit of Sun Goes Straight To Your Head

Rating:  PG-13

Spoilers:  None that I know of

Thanks:  To Lisa for the readthrough – and telling me that a spanner is called a wrench in the US ;-)

A/N:  Just a little bit of J/D fluff to brighten the day :-)

**

"Josh, would you stop that."

"What?"

"Messing around."

"I'm not messing around, I'm trying to get this stupid thing to work."

"No, you're not; you're messing around."

"Donna," he cried with exasperation, "just remember, I'm doing this as a favor for you; there are plenty of other things I could be doing with my time, plenty of people who'd be happy just to have my company, who wouldn't feel the need to torture me like this."

"Yes, but they don't get tortured by you every day."

"Ah, so this is payback."

"Possibly," Donna shrugged, but there was a distinct evil glint in her eyes.  "And anyway, this wouldn't be torture if you were, you know, good with your hands."

"I *am* good with my hands," he shot back, waggling his eyebrows and causing her to laugh heartily, "just, you know, not at manual labor."

"Well, you might have told me that before."

"I did."

"No, you didn't."

Josh dropped the wrench he was holding, stood up and turned to face her.

"Donna, I distinctly remember saying that I wouldn't be any good at this."

"No, you actually said that you had better things to do with your time than help out your pitiful assistant just because she was hopeless at manly tasks."

"I said that?" he queried in his best innocent voice.

"Yes."

"And you didn't, you know, use your knowledge of my skills and attributes to figure out that I meant I wouldn't be any good at this?"

"Actually, I blatantly asked you if you would be any better than me, which is how we got into this in the first place.  You asked what I was doing today, I said this and you laughed because I said it would take all day.  I asked if you'd be any better and you said of course you would.  I then asked you to help, which is when you made your sexist little comment and then had to agree to come help me by way of an apology."

"Okay, your ability to remember things word-for-word like that is kinda scary."

"It was only last night, Josh."

"Yeah, but still…"

"I'd have thought it was an asset, given the nature of my job."

"Oh, it is, but when you start to use your powers for evil instead of good –"

"In other words, against you?"

"Yeah," he admitted with a grin.  "When you start to do that, I worry."

"Scared that I might someday make a fortune by writing a tell-all book about you?"

"Well, *now* I'm worried about that!"

"Well then, my work here is done," Donna grinned.

"Yeah, yeah, pass me the instructions."

"I thought you didn't need them?  Oh wait, no, you said a *man* didn't need them, I was confusing things for a moment there."

"Hey!"

Donna laughed and handed him the instructions, laughing some more when Josh turned the paper every way trying to understand them.

"Maybe I should call CJ?  I'm sure she'd have this done in no time."

Josh narrowed his eyes and then retorted, "Yeah, she'd call out a guy to do it for her."

"Possibly, but at least she'd choose a better guy than I did."

"You're bordering on insubordination there, Donna," Josh warned light-heartedly.

"No, I'm really not and, if you don't believe me, I can run inside and get my dictionary to show you the meaning of insubordination."

A loud sigh left Josh's lips and he grabbed the wrench again and set about trying to find where it should be used.  After a few minutes of Donna's chuckling, he turned around to face her again and said, "You know, usually when someone asks someone else to *help* them, it means that the person asking will actually be doing some of the work as well."

"Really?  It means that?"

"Yes," Josh nodded vigorously.

"Hmm."

"Oh, what, it doesn't mean that in 'Donna World'?"

"Well, it never seems to mean that when you ask me to help you with something at work," she pointed out.

Josh knew she had a point and let out another frustrated sigh.  He turned away from her again and reached for the hammer.

"What are you doing with the hammer, Josh?" Donna asked with a mixture of warning and worry.

"You really don't want to know, but keep annoying me and you'll find out," he warned with a smile.

"Josh."

"I'm just gonna use it to knock this into place," he said lightly.

"Oh no you're not!" Donna cried, jumping up and striding towards him, her eyes focused on the hammer in his hands.  She reached for the hammer, but Josh moved out of the way.

"Donna, it's okay, it just needs –"

"It doesn't just need anything, Josh, or not with a hammer at least."

"Look, the manufacturer obviously made it wrong, 'cos it doesn't fit.  Rather than have you go to all the hassle of taking this back, I'm just gonna fix it for you."

"No, Josh."

"Donna, I think the words you're actually looking for are, 'why, thank you, Josh, that's very nice of you'."

"I'm pretty sure that's not the words I'm looking for," she said dryly.

"Okay, instead of standing there criticizing my methods, why don't you go get me some coffee?"

"I'm not getting you coffee, Josh."

He sighed.  "Donna, we're not in the office and I'm doing you a favor; if that doesn't merit coffee, what the hell does?"

"One day, when hell freezes over, you might just find out."

"Alright, alright," he appeased, throwing his hands into the air in submission, "how about a soda?"

"Soda I can do; I'll be right back."  She walked to the open doorway and then turned back.  "Josh, you're not going to hammer anything in my absence, are you?"

"Soda!"

*

"Ow, dammit!"

Donna rolled her eyes, even though Josh couldn't see her, and grabbed the sodas she'd just poured.  Stepping back outside, she asked, "What did you do?"

"I caught my thumb with the hammer," he admitted sheepishly.

"See, this is why I told you not to use the hammer."

"Not helping!"

"Does it hurt?"

"Well, it's swelling up, so what does that tell you?" he replied, inspecting his thumb and then holding it out for Donna to see.

"You'll live."

"You know, if I'd known that you getting a raise would mean you moving to a ground floor apartment and conning me into building garden furniture, where I would get hurt, I'd never have agreed to it."

"To my raise?"  He nodded.  "You didn't have anything to do with it, Leo got it approved."

"Yes, but I had to put you forward for it in the first place."

"That's beside the point, Josh."

"Look, can we not do this now when, you know, MY THUMB HURTS!!"

"Josh, stop shouting and stop whining.  Your thumb will be fine and it's your own fault; you know you can't be trusted with blunt objects."

"I thought that was sharp objects?" he smiled.

"Any objects," Donna corrected.  Josh was still cradling his sore thumb and looking pitiful.  "Oh, come here, we'll run it under the tap to try and stop the swelling," she said, dragging him by the arm into the kitchen.

"You're going to owe me *big time* for this, Donna," he commented as the cold water ran over his thumb causing him to flinch slightly.  Donna took his hand and held it under the tap again.

"Well, let's just think about the number of favors you've done for me and compare it to the number I've done for you, shall we?" she asked with raised eyebrows, gripping his hand more tightly.

"You might have had a point there," he told her, "if it wasn't for the fact that the favors you do for me are part of your job."

"Oh, really?  Alright then, I'll make a list of all the favors I've done for you and then get Leo to check if they're all part of my job description; are you okay with that?"

"You're evil, you know that?"

"Yes, but you like me that way," she quipped automatically.

"Yeah, I do," he murmured, noticing that she was now gently rubbing his hand; he wondered if she even realized that she was doing it.

"Your thumb doesn't look as red now, " Donna commented, breaking the moment between them.  She dropped his hand and stepped away, walking outside again; Josh followed a few moments later, after turning off the tap and grabbing a towel to dry his hand.

"Okay, I'm gonna assemble this stuff if it kills me," Josh vowed as he joined her outside.

"I hope it doesn't kill you," Donna said.

"Because you'd miss me?" he asked with a grin.

"No, because I really don't want to have to explain it to the President and Leo.  Although, if you keep hurting yourself, I might have to call Danny and tell him I have a great story for tomorrow's paper; I can see the headline now, 'Country going to ruin as White House DCoS injures himself due to being unable to assemble simple garden furniture'."

"Funny, Donna, but at least you admitted the Country needs me."

"Oh, God, I didn't think it was possible to inflate your ego any more."

"It's always possible, Donna; you know I like a challenge," he grinned.

"You're incorrigible," she chided.

"That's one of my many talents, yes."

"Well, why don't you use one of your so-called *talents* and assemble my sun loungers?"

Josh studied the disassembled furniture in front of him again.  "Why did you buy flat-pack stuff?  I mean, couldn't you just have got the store to deliver them assembled?"

"It's cheaper this way."

"Oh, so that's why you wanted me to build them, cheap labor?"

"Yes," she admitted with a sly smile.

He looked from her to the furniture and back again.

"Okay, I think this needs teamwork, Donna."

"You want me to call someone?  Charlie?  Will?"

"No, I want you to come here and help, like you're supposed to."

"Josh," she whined.

"Scared you'll break a nail?" he challenged.

"Gimme that," she snarled through a grin, grabbing the wrench from him and dropping to her knees beside him.

*

"I just don't get it," Donna complained half an hour later.  "The instructions say that part 1 should fit into part 3; this is part 1, right?" she queried, holding the part in question aloft so that Josh could see it from his place on the other side of the lounger, which was still lying flat on the ground while they tried to figure out the leg assembly.

"Yeah, that's part 1.  *Now* do you believe me that the instructions are wrong?"

"Maybe the instructions are right and the parts are wrong?" Donna surmised.

"That's what I said earlier and you dismissed it!" Josh grumbled.

"Yeah, well, a girl can change her mind.  Anyway," she continued, trying to change the subject, "the point is, what do we do now?"

"Throw this stuff in the trash and buy decent ready-built furniture?" Josh suggested.

"Are you buying the new stuff?" she queried hopefully.  Josh just looked at her.  "Yeah, that's what I thought.  We're not throwing this out, there has to be a way."

"Donna, we're gonna be here all night at this rate.  I mean, I'm one of the brightest minds in the country, and," he raised a hand to stop her interrupting, "I know for a fact that the President himself has said that about me, so it's not my ego playing tricks again."  Donna rolled her eyes.  "So, as I was saying, I'm one of the brightest minds in the country and I've been at this for three hours and still haven't gotten anywhere; don't you think there are better things I could be using my brilliant mind for?"

"It's the weekend and the President is out of town so, no, I don't think there are better things you could be doing with your so-called brilliant mind."

"I'm sure I can think of tons of things to do that would be better than this.  It's a beautiful sunny day, there are plenty of better things to do."

"Better for you maybe, but they wouldn't be helping me.  Please, Josh?"  Donna used her best pout and pleading eyes to get Josh to acquiesce.

"Alright, anything for a peaceful life."  He looked back at the pieces of furniture to be built.  "Come here and hold this for me," he beckoned.

 "I'm building this one," Donna pointed out.

"Yeah, I know, but I have a feeling that this is a two person job."

"Okay, hang on."  Donna dropped the piece she was holding and moved beside Josh.  He handed her a piece of the leg assembly and together they pushed it against the main frame.

"Alright, hold it there while I screw," Josh said.

"Why, Josh, I bet you say that to all the girls," Donna giggled.

"Donnatella Moss, do you want this done, or not?" Josh asked in his best stern voice, but he couldn't stop his dimpled grin forming.

"Alright, I'll behave," Donna complied.

"Well, that'll be a first," Josh grinned.

"Hey!"  Donna tried to slap his arm but he was too fast and moved out of the way.  Not to be outdone, Donna grabbed her glass of soda, scooped an ice cube out of it and slipped it down Josh's back, under his t-shirt.

"Donna!" Josh squealed as he squirmed around trying to remove the ice cube.  "What the hell are you doing?"  He didn't mean to sound angry, but he knew from the look on Donna's face that he had.

"I'm sorry, Josh, it was just a joke."

"I know," he said softly.  "You know this means payback though, right?"  He was grinning wickedly and Donna's eyes grew wide.

"What do you have in mind?" she asked nervously.

"You'll find out, when I'm ready," he assured.  "Right now though, I think we should get this furniture built, don't you?  I'm not going to let it defeat me."

*

"Finally," Josh sighed, throwing his arms up in glee as he tightened the last screw on the furniture.

"Thanks, Josh," Donna said honestly, full of appreciation for his efforts.

"It only took us, what, six hours?" he queried wryly, glancing at his watch.

"Yes, but it was worth it," Donna commented as she flopped back onto the lounger.

"Hey, don't I get anything for all my hard work?" Josh asked.

"Like what?" she questioned, sitting up to look at him.

"Well," he slowly replied, falling back onto the lounger nearest him and crossing his feet, with his arms folded behind his head, "this is the perfect setting for a drink.  Why don't you get me a glass of cold beer and then stand over me with a fan while feeding me grapes?"

"What, you think you're a Roman emperor or something?"

"No, but I do have about the same power as them, if not more."

"Well, I'm not a slave, although I do feel like one most days, since I have a slavedriver for a boss.  Anyway, if you want a beer, get it yourself."

"Fine," he sighed.  "Last time I help you though, if that's the gratitude I get."

Donna grinned at him from her comfortable position on the lounger; she was now lying with her arms folded behind her head and her feet crossed, emulating Josh's previous position.  She was totally exhausted after a day filled with frustration at not being able to build the furniture and laughter at Josh's frustration; it had been a good day and she closed her eyes while she remembered the fun they'd had.

*

"Aaaaaagh!"

Donna jumped up as the cold water hit her face and splashed onto her top.  Josh was standing beside the sun lounger, half-empty water glass in hand, and was grinning widely.

"What the hell?" Donna shrieked.

"Payback!" he grinned, putting the water glass and his full beer glass onto the ground as he lay down on the other sun lounger.  Stealing a glance at Donna, and noticing how drenched she was, he started laughing heartily.

"You're gonna regret that, Joshua!" Donna warned.

"Really?" he asked with raised eyebrows and a smug smirk.

"Yes," she confirmed as she lunged at him, practically lying on top of him, and started tickling him.

"Donna," he squealed, unable to prevent his girlish giggles as her fingers moved over him.  The only way he could think of to stop her actions was to retaliate, so he started tickling her back.  He sat up and dragged his fingers across her waist, feeling her squirm around to avoid his hands.  He leaned closer and, suddenly, the sun lounger started to fold up.

"Josh!" Donna shrieked.  She looked at Josh and, finding him helpless with laughter, she started laughing harder herself.

The lounger continued to fold up, pushing them closer together.  Instead of moving back so that the lounger would go back down, Josh moved further forward, pulling Donna towards him.  Looking into her eyes and seeing no resistance, he caught her lips with his own and kissed her.  His hands wrapped around her waist gently and started caressing her instead of tickling her.

When they finally broke apart, Josh moved back to get the lounger to open up again.  Looking at Donna's flushed, but happy face, he commented, "Well, if that's the result of buying crappy furniture, I say, let's not give you any more raises."

Donna rolled her eyes, but laughed.  "Yes, but if I get another raise, I can get some more comfortable furniture and just think what we could do with that," she said seductively.

"Okay, I think we might have to debate this issue some more; I'm always open to bribery though," he grinned.

"Is this what a little bit of sunshine and heat does to you?" she queried with a smile.

"Oh, Donna, you have no idea what a little heat does to me… yet," he winked.

"And I won't find out for a while yet either," she commented, "because it's time for you to cool down."  With that, she picked up the water glass and emptied its remaining contents over Josh.

It was Josh's turn to jump up and he attempted to glare at Donna, but failed when he couldn't stop himself joining her in laughter.

"You know," he grinned, "if you wanted me to have to remove my t-shirt, you only had to ask."

"You really do have an answer for everything, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," he nodded in agreement.

"Well, let's see if you have an answer for this."  She pushed him back on the lounger and captured his lips.

"Oh, I do," he replied as they caught their breath, "but you know how I like to explain things properly."  He flashed his dimples as he spoke and Donna laughed.

"It's just as well I like to let you explain then, isn't it?"

"Yes, Miss Moss, it is."  Josh gently placed his hands either side of her face and looked into her eyes.  "We make a good team," he said breathlessly, "both professionally *and* personally.  Do you agree?"

"I do," she smiled.

"Save those two words for sometime in the future, Donnatella," he murmured as he brought her lips to his once more.  "I have a feeling this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

**

The End