Prompt Collection

There’s absolutely nothing worse than a mid-summer barbecue.

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Loud cicadas, relentless heat, the smells of sweat, and a sunburn that was probably going to hurt later; who’s great idea was this barbecue anyway? Beckett isn’t a very optimistic guy in the first place, but in the summer, oh boy, that cheerful narcissism is more obvious than ever. 

“Hey Beckett, what do you want on your burger?” A simple question really, but one that’s being shouted into his ear and through his very being.

He looks back to the bright orange kid grinning his face off, “Just tomatoes, pickles, and lettuce are fine with me.”

He receives an enthusiastic thumbs up in return and watches with a grimace as the kid nearly bowls his grandfather over (not safe cooking practices kids, don’t try this at home). Beckett settles back down on the picnic blanket, suspiciously eyeing an ant that has decided to make its way over. He sighs in a mixture of annoyance and endearment as Enzo lands practically on top of him, tail vibrating in excitement.

“Grandpa makes the best burgers, they’re so crunchy and he only serves them right off the grill! You’ll love ‘em!” Enzo may or may not be salivating at the mere thought of the burgers that they are about to be served. 

“Well I think I’ll be the judge of that little man, but how about you quit laying all over me like you’re some kind of sloth,” Beckett replies, shoving the young boy off of him. Enzo lands with a soft thud on the picnic blanket - just narrowly missing the rogue ant (not that that’s important). 

Enzo takes what must obviously be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, if the way he’s acting is any inclination, and  rolls off the blanket and down the slight slope that they are situated on, giggling all the way down. When he comes running back to the picnic blanket he’s covered in grass stains and dirt, but his expression is as bright as ever.

Beckett sits up and gently cuffs the other keb over the ear, a sort of reprimand if you would. The younger laughs and shoves Beckett over, resulting in a playful scuffle between the two. A very large paw lands beside their position and the two stop what they’re doing and look up.Buck, now standing behind the two of them, clears his throat as he presents the plate of fresh burgers in his hand. Enzo breaks away and hurriedly puts himself into a sitting position, saliva running down his mouth unabashedly and eyes wide in anticipation. 

Buck seats himself on the picnic blanket, placing the plate of freshly-grilled meat in the center of the group. Beckett needs only to glance once at the food, and he blinks, thinking for sure that he must be delusional. He swears he’s never seen such crispy and burnt meat in his life, if there was a setting more cooked than ever overcooked, then these burgers would be even past that threshold. 

The ant from before makes his merry way onto the plate, marching forward to claim his share of this feast. So to sum up, Beckett’s got a grinning idiot, an old geezer, and a little bug friend; all surrounded by sweltering heat and cicada shrieks. Yep, there’s absolutely nothing worse than a mid-summer barbecue.