Primetime scraps

So they're all in one place.

## Butt Wiggle of Pure Fury

AN: Terrible Twos in a Daemons!AU!

James T attends four-year-old Jackson in Michael's arms as they pace around the kitchen, tail wagging contently.

Snicket stalks across the hardwood, eyes fixed on James T's massive flank.

Jackson drives a toy car along his father's shoulders; Michael snaps at someone on the landline.

James T woofs as to Jackson's welfare.

Jackson giggles, heads the car into Michael's hair.

James T resumes wagging.

Snicket pounces, bounces off James T.

James T looks over his shoulder.

Snicket shakes himself upright, prances over between James T's paws.

James T glances down, whuffs, then attends Jackson.

Snicket pushes himself onto his hind legs, bats at James T's chins, follows the whiff of dog treats to his mouth, investigates, and then falls over.

James T lies down.

Snicket springs back over to James T, paws his nose.

James T ducks his head—

Snicket's paw follows—

Lifts his head up out of Snicket's reach and over to the side.

Snicket burrows into James T's ear, sniffs over the dome of his head, his eye, his nose—

James T slides his head away from Snicket.

Snicket pounces on James T's snout.

James T moves away.

Snicket lands on James T's head, slides down between his eyes.

James T lifts his head.

Snicket tumbles off, springs back to nuzzling his chins.

James T puts up with this for a good minute, then gently pushes Snicket off-balance with a giant paw and pins him under a large forearm.

Snicket wiggles—

Snicket is trapped.

James T rests his head on his paw.

Snicket deflates as much as possible, wiggles—

Snicket remains trapped.

Snicket vibrates with anger.

Snicket will /**NOT** stand for this!

(nor will he lie for this.)

Snicket wiggles furiously.

James T licks his nose.

Snicket wiggles even more furiously.

James T does not appreciate the bobbing and settles his head between his paws.

Snicket finds purchase and claws his way out backwards to freedom.

James T yawns.

Snicket stalks away nose and tail in the air.

James T closes his eyes.

Pattering feet.

James T cocks an ear toward the sound.

Twelve kilos of two-year-old pounces on James T's back.

James T whines.

Jackson squeaks.

"Logan!" yells Michael. "Leave the dog alone!"

Snicket hisses.

Logan slides off James T, crosses his arms, and pouts.

## Coupon

Charlie would like nothing more than to curl up somewhere safe and sort through the maelstrom, but she has two more classes today so she dismisses the need to hug herself, to keep her head down, opts for cocoa instead, and strides across campus with her head held high and her shoulders straight.

Not that she'll get cocoa anytime soon with a queue like this.

Charlie only sighs internally.

Seven more people.

"—like a family—"

Charlie shuts that thought down, rides out the fluttering under her skin.

She ... she doesn't have the cycles to even consider figuring out the mess in her head (and heart and spirit).

Person behind her clears their throat.

Charlie steps forward.

Five people.

""I got this coupon in the mail the other day—""

Jones?

""—apparently it's only good for today?""

The clerks convene.

Person behind Charlie sighs.

Person in front of Charlie shifts their feet.

A clerk calls around Jones, ""Next, please.""

Four people.

Jones takes a step to the right.

The clerks shuffle around a monitor.

""Good afternoon.""

Three people.

Jones rocks on his toes.

The clerks fluster.

""Welcome!""

Two people.

Charlie slips off her bag, digs around for her cup.

""We're sorry, Mx, but we don't seem to have issued a coupon like this."" The clerk hands a slip of paper back to Jones. ""It's a very good forgery, though.""

""Okay, I would like a paper bag now and could you direct me to the nearest corner so I can die of embarrassment, please? I'm so sorry.""

""It's fine, Mx. Have a good day.""

Jones accepts his order, drags himself around, stops short—"Charlie!" he squeaks.

She greets—

"Next?" asks the clerk.

Charlie steps forward, greets the clerk, orders, joins the other queue.

"Yea, so, got this stupid thing—" Flashes the coupon—

Charlie sees a stylized 'Q'—

"—in the mail a couple days ago—"

It's gone.

"Turns out it's fake—you saw all that, didn't you?"

Charlie nods.

Jones makes a strangled sound, hangs his head.

Charlie feels a smile.

"You doing anything tonight?" asks Jones.

"Homework."

"Already? Isn't it only, like, the second day of lectures?"

"Seven classes."

"Good lord, you're amazing."

Charlie smiles in spite of herself.

"You okay?"

Charlie nods, ignores the lump in her throat.

"May I walk you to class?"

Charlie says softly, "Sure." Focuses on the queue.

"Awe/**some**!" Bounces a little. "Do you care at all about /*Mad Max*?"

Charlie shrugs.

"Well, the DVD's coming out in a couple weeks. I put my pre-order in as soon as it was announced, and I'm kinda regretting it based on some of the things the director's said, but it's such a cool movie I kinda just want to ignore them and bask in the bonus features."

Charlie grunts, scoops up her cup.

"Which way?" asks Jones.

Charlie tilts her head.

"Onward at a not-furious pace!" A beat. "Though that's more /*The Fast and the Furious*." He grins.

Charlie huffs.