AN: I know that I'm skipping letters, but listen. I cannot bring myself to write about a prompt that doesn't give me a picture in my head. I tried. A lot. And now that we've skipped some letters, I have a new drabble. I have to do what I have to do to complete this series.
It is what it is.
Disclaimer: I don't own TT.
PLS NOTE: In my head, Jericho and Kole are older than they are in the show. Think in their twenties.
A sunset that cast the clouds in hazy gold. A rustic barn with peeling red paint. A corn maze rippling in the wind. A loud, bumpy hayride. Amber-colored hot apple cider in two ceramic mugs. Heavenly home-baked goods. A wooden trailer bed covered with gourds of every conceivable shape and size. Then the main feature: a pumpkin patch ripe for the picking. All these small delights made Jericho thankful for lazy fall days.
The icing on the cake hung off his arm, humming a cheerful tune.
Kole enjoyed the crispness of the air, only slightly feeling the sharp bite of winter on its heels.
She snuggled closer to Jericho. The hot apple cider in her hands kept her fingers from going numb, and warmed her from the inside out.
Jericho set his own mug on the railing of the pavilion and tugged his arm free.
Kole gave him her full attention.
"Are you cold?"
"It's a little nippy. I dressed for the weather, so I might just be cold-blooded."
Without a moment of hesitation, she leaned her head into his shoulder and tucked herself under his chin.
"As long as you're here to act as my fireplace, I'll be fine."
Kole nuzzled her face into his neck, and she felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
His lips touched the crown of her head. For reasons Kole couldn't fathom, Jericho pushed her lightly away. His hands disappeared into his black turtleneck.
"Oh, Joey. I'm not that cold. Keep your shirt on."
Too late, as Jericho had quickly slung his turtleneck around her shoulders and tied the sleeves in a loose knot.
It was sort of impressive how many high-necked shirts Jericho had collected over the years. No matter how many layers he shed, his scar never saw the light of day.
Kole still stared, no use denying it. She watched him vault over the railing, narrowly missing his drink. He walked a few feet away and entered the pumpkin patch.
He placed his hands on his hips and surveyed all his options. Fat, skinny, oblong, round, squat, and misshapen pumpkins came in a spectrum of colors with two extremes: white and reddish orange. The possibilities were almost overwhelming. The artist in Jericho could imagine designs on designs, most of which a white pumpkin would wear best.
Jericho heard the crackling of straw from behind him.
"What do you think of this one?" asked Kole, cradling in her arms a tall white pumpkin with an abnormally long stem. "I want to turn it into a unicorn. I'm going to carve the stem into a horn and paint it gold, and I will be using tons of glitter. It won't look spooky, but it will be very cute."
Two thumbs up from her boyfriend.
"How about you?"
Jericho picked out a smallish orange pumpkin, and then a bigger one in white, and finally a long, skinny yellow gourd that curved near its stem. He carried them back to the pavilion and assembled them according to his vision. The small pumpkin sat atop the larger one, and the gourd poked out from behind the stack like a tail. Lastly, he held a few pieces of straw up to the top pumpkin.
Kole took it all in, then guessed, "Is it a cat?"
"Yes!"
"What color are you going to paint it?"
Jericho ran his fingers up and down Kole's forearms, and picked the straw out of her black and white striped sweater.
Blushing from his proximity, Kole closed her eyes.
They shared a short, intense kiss.
"Joey, I think we need to buy a farm. You don't kiss me like that in the city."
Kole traced his sides with her fingers. Her palms rested on his temples, and her thumbs brushed his blond hair back behind his ears. It seemed to soothe him, since he closed his eyes in contentment.
With the element of surprise on her side, she leaned in and stole another kiss.
Suddenly, Kole felt the back of her calves press into the railing.
Something furry brushed up against her leg.
"Eek!"
A spotted calico cat purred at Kole. It hopped up onto the railing and sauntered over to Jericho's abandoned mug of cider. After a fair amount of sniffing and one cautious lick, the cat rubbed its scruffy face on the ceramic handle.
"Aw!"
Kole turned to tell Jericho how cute she thought the cat was.
He was already taking a picture of it for inspiration.
AN: THOSE HAZY AUTUMN DAY VIBES THO. Leave a review if this drabble hit the spot for you.
Thanks for reading!
