One-Shot Wonders

Short stories, drabbles, and one-shots featuring Matt, Mohinder, and Molly

by Jennifer Rubio (nee Wand)

Four drabbles.

One

"Well, I thought it was rather nice of her, actually," Mohinder sniffed as he put the key in the door.

"Are you kidding me? That whole spiel about how we should welcome alternative family arrangements? Like we needed more attention than we were getting." Matt dumped his coat over the back of his favorite easy chair and sat down in it with a gruff humph.

Mohinder leaned over him, hands on the arm rests, and smiled devilishly. "Well, you've done your parental duty, at the very least. It wasn't that bad, was it?"

Matt looked at his thumbs. "Nah, I guess not. Kind of cool to think about coaching soccer, you know? Sort of thing I thought I'd never get to do."

"You should go ahead and volunteer," Mohinder said, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "It'd be good for you."

"I'll think about it," Matt said evasively and grinned.

"Speaking of thinking," said a rich voice in his ear, "do you know what I'm thinking about?"

"How can I not? You're practically screaming it." Matt stretched out his arms and pulled Mohinder onto his lap.

Mohinder's hands moved up to anxiously stroke the sides of his face.. "I can't help it. You're sexy when you're parental."

"I never asked you to help it," groaned Matt as he leaned forward.

Two

It was cold, Mohinder had said. You've got to wear a scarf, Mohinder had said. You're going to catch your death of cold, Mohinder had said. For a guy with an education in England he sure couldn't take the cold. Hell, Matt was from Southern California and he didn't think it was cold enough for scarves.

Well, fine, if Mohinder wanted him to wear a scarf he was going to wear a scarf.

And nothing else.

Mohinder took one look and decided he'd do the rest of the job of warming Matt up.

By the end of the night they were both plenty warm and wrapped up in scarf and sheet and each other.

Except for Matt's feet were cold. But he wasn't going to let on, because next thing you know, Mohinder would start insisting he wear boots.

And that? Might hurt.

Three

"You are absolutely bull-shitting me," said Mohinder.

"I am not! Why does it seem so hard to believe?"

"I refuse for one moment to believe that Mister Law and Order could possibly have gone skinny-dipping with his high school girlfriend in Regis Philbin's swimming pool." Mohinder had had a few too many, and his record with alcohol was abysmal. He could barely get a few words out. "It's bullshit!"

"Hey, I had to do something traumatizing enough to get roped into law enforcement," Matt shrugged, leaning in lecherously to his neck. "And he only lived a few blocks away. Why, are you jealous?"

"Noooo, that's rillijukus." Mohinder slurred, squinting at him. "I just would like to think that if I had been there I would have had the good graces to at least put on a Speedo."

Matt's jaw dropped (and something else rose... just for balance's sake). "You wear Speedos?"

Mohinder grinned. "Now I'm bull-shitting you."

Four

"That's the one," Molly said, pointing. She'd dragged the both of them, one by each hand, for the past three blocks, insisting that she'd found the absolute cutest thing in the world and if she never got another Christmas or birthday present as long as she lived she had to have it.

They'd thought it was a toy. Or maybe a dress. It wasn't.

It was a real live, mewling, yawning, furry grey kitten.

And it was damned cute. Matt started with the "No way, nohow" bluster, but Mohinder seemed oddly transfixed by its gray-green eyes.

"You can't trust that thing," Matt insisted. "Those eyes are planning something."

"Oh, let's just go in and let Molly hold her a minute," Mohinder said in a voice like molasses. It made Matt a little sick to his stomach.

The kitten's name was Lila, and the woman who ran the shop was rambling on about vaccines and declawing and neutering and litter boxes and things Matt couldn't begin to try to comprehend as she scooped the animal out of the cage and gave her to Molly. At the first feel of the weight and warmth and slipperiness of a real live animal in her arms, Molly squealed and nearly dropped her. The kitten pawed at her tamely and settled in, regarding Matt with suspicious eyes.

"Oh, she's so cute!" Molly said when she could speak again. Her eyes were diamonds of delight. "We've GOT to have her!"

"We'll think about it," said Mohinder.

"How about a dog? Dogs are friendly," said Matt, just to be contrary.

"Would you cut it out?" Mohinder hissed at him.

"You can't trust cats!" Matt warned. "Unless you were planning to murder your furniture one way or another and you were really sick of your apartment NOT smelling like pee."

Mohinder turned away from him, huffing, and asked Molly, "Can I hold her?" Molly nodded and held Lila out.

As with everything and everyone he'd ever come across, Mohinder charmed the kitten immediately. She walked across his outstretched arm and actually settled on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck and chin. Mohinder laughed, tickled by the fuzzy nose, and Matt suddenly needed a shot of insulin.

"She is adorable," Mohinder said, his smile brilliant.

"See? See? Mohinder likes her!" Molly entreated.

Matt looked down at the girl by his side and over at the curly-haired man with the brilliant smile. "We'll... think about it," he heard himself say.