1K giveaway prize: Welcome Home, a familial fic for Dobie and Kirsten
The smell of the ocean hung sharp and sweetly familiar in the air. Seagulls soared and swooped overhead. I steered the boat toward the horizon where a low lying ribbon of land perched between sea and sky.
As I came closer to the island, I scanned the shoreline, searching. Had he forgotten about me after all this time?
A silhouette sat beneath a palm tree, shading the beach. I raised my hand in greeting and the figure rose to its feet. I smiled so big, my cheeks hurt.
Slowly, as the boat progressed, more details came into view: the outline of sharp, pointed ears, dark fur peppered with silvery gray, a neat blue vest with gold buttons marching down the chest.
Dobie was waiting for me.
The boat barely kissed the shore before I’d stumbled over the side, splashing into the water up to my knees. Dobie met me in the shallows, hooked an arm around my shoulders and drew me into a long, warm hug.
“Hey kiddo,” he said. “Long time, no see.”
I closed my eyes and breathed deep. Dobie’s clothes must have come straight from the wash, smelling fresh and clean. The ocean air clung to his fur, accompanied by the scents of baked bread and chamomile tea.
He patted my back and reluctantly pulled away.
He gestured to a picnic basket and a blanket beneath the palm tree.
“Maybe,” I said. “Did you make me cookies?”
As Dobie and I sat on the beach and watched the sunset, he asked questions about my time away from the island and told me everything I missed while I was away.
“Radishes are coming on strong in the garden,” he said. “Thought I’d plant some sunflowers too, up by the house.”
I stopped mid-chew. “Sunflowers?”
He shrugged, glanced away from me and squinted in the sun’s glare. I studied him for a moment.
There was a button missing from his shirt. It was such a simple thing. A small, insignificant detail that anyone else would have missed. But Dobie never let on to anyone else how poor his eyesight was. He couldn’t do little things like sew on a button. I always did it for him.
“Thought you weren’t interested in flowers,” I said.
“I believe you said they were a waste of space and you could use the dirt for more practical purposes,” I added.
Dobie scratched at his ear. “Maybe I changed my mind.”
I waited for him to continue. He swiped a stray crumb off of his lap.
“Wanted the house to look nice, too,” he finally admitted. “When you got back. You know. For a welcome home present.”
I swallowed past the sudden lump of emotion in my throat. When I got back. Not if. There was no doubt in Dobie’s voice that I would always return to the island.
“Do you still have it?” I said.
“Oh. Yeah.” He chuckled as he thumbed at the empty space on his shirt. “I’ve got a whole jar of ‘em. Kept losing buttons while you were away. Had plenty of offers from other people to sew ‘em back on but…” He trailed off with another shrug. Then he added, “That was your job. Wasn’t going to pass it off to someone else.”
“Well, it’s nice to know I’m useful for something,” I replied, teasing.
Dobie ruffled my hair and rose to his feet.
“Come on, kid. I’ve fed you, now it’s time you earned your keep. Let’s go.”
Dobie gathered up the picnic and started up the beach. I hurried to catch up and he slung an arm around my shoulder.
“How long do you plan on staying?“ he said. “Do you already have another adventure lined up on the horizon, waiting to take you away?”
I glanced at Dobie out of the corner of my eye. Was that a pang in his tone? He never tried to convince me to stay. It was my choice to go when I wanted to and he wouldn’t stop me from that.
“How long it takes to sew on all those buttons you’ve been losing.”
Dobie reached down and plucked a button from his shirt. He pressed it into my palm.
“Looks like you’ll be staying for a good long while then.”
I grinned up at him. “I’m okay with that.”
