Vandermatthews drabble “Sunspots”
Hosea always compared Dutch to a lion or some sort of large feline. He was docile until he got mad. He struck with careful accuracy. He walked with a grace that one rarely saw in someone so broad. Another thing was grooming. Dutch was always primping, or grooming himself. Always clean, hair always neat, clothes always washed. The best thing about him though that Hosea always found endearing is his ability to find sunspots and nap in them.
Dutch hadn’t been seen in a few hours, which to everyone else it was odd. To Hosea, John, Arthur, and even Susan it meant Dutch was napping somewhere. Hosea looked at the sky to figure out the sun, Dutch would usually be where the sun would be the highest. Tracking him would be easy.
“I’ll go look for him,” he said and made his way down to the shore and followed the sun further down the lake. The camp was out of sight before he found a meadow with few trees covering it with shade. He stepped along it until he saw a familiar body on the ground.
Chuckling to himself he approached it and saw Dutch, coat, and waistcoat off and rolled up under his head. His shirt unbuttoned and hands resting on his stomach. Soft snores escaped his lips while he dozed, and for the first time, he looked like he didn’t have a care in the damn world.
It was the most endearing sight Hosea has ever seen.
Hosea sat down with a soft groan, his old joints aching and popping. He settled back on the ground next to Dutch to look up at the clear blue sky. Not a cloud in sight. Honestly, he should be worried about Pinkertons, the local law, and local gangs, but when he turned to look at Dutch and see the relaxed look on his face he allowed himself to relax. He turned his body to press his face into Dutch’s shoulder and slung his arm over the younger man’s chest. He never saw the appeal to sleeping in sun spots before, but he was starting to appreciate them now. If it meant he could snuggle up to Dutch like this. With that thought he allowed himself to fall into a slight sleep curled up close to his lion.
It would be Arthur and John who would find them later. Still curled up in the sunspot. The two looked at each other and John just shrugged with a smile before turning away back to camp. Arthur went to follow when a thought occurred to him and he took out his camera. He took a quick photo before walking away. He would get it printed for their ‘not anniversary’.
