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Bluey’s reunion BBQ’s were always, something. Her parents are out on a date and her sister was at her girlfriend’s house or whatever.
Mackenzie stood stiffly by the fence of the porch, very close to just bolting out of here. It was kind of hard to enjoy these things when you’re only close to like, three people with two of them being a couple and the third person gets easily drunk.
He’d usually stick by Jack and Rusty but they had disappeared after Jack downed a few shots so honestly he didn’t really want to go find them. Bluey was also tipsy now so she was a no go. Mack honestly didn’t understand why she insisted to include alcohol in these things considering how lightweight she was.
Oh. His plate was empty again. Eh, might as well grab another sausage. He hitched a ride with Rusty (and Jack) earlier so he couldn’t really yknow, leave. Grabbing more food was really the only thing he could do to entertain himself.
He was about to go to the grill when he saw him. A Labrador. A dark blue one to be specific. He had scars on him, looks like they were from camping trips or something. Wait, wait. Hold up.
“Who-“ Who let a random Labrador into Bluey’s backyard? Don’t get him wrong, the Lab did look friendly. But that doesn’t give enough of a reason for him to just be here, at a class reunion.
Just then, Bluey walked past him. Mackenzie immediately yanked her by the arm and whispered loudly in her ear.
”Oi, who’s the Lab?”
Bluey blinked at him like he’d just ask if her fur was orange. Then made an oooh sound when the question registered in her head.
”That’s Jean-Luc”
Mackenzie blinked “That guy you wouldn’t shut up about in year 1 and then when you supposedly met him again in year 8?”
”Wow, rude! But yea uhh, I met him again recently and he said something about wanting to permanently move here so-” she waved her hand like this was normal ”I kinda just invited him so he can get to know a few locals and by locals I mean our class because we’re cool haha”
Mackenzie just, stared at her and back to the Lab. He honestly didn’t know what to say. Bluey did answer his question.
He then felt Bluey patting his arm like he was a toddler. “Go talk to him, grumpy. Make a new friend. Or at least stop lurking like you came here uninvited HAHAHA.”
She then left to talk to other people. Well, that was, rude. But it was Bluey so he shouldnt really question it.
He looked back the dark blue Lab, just for a few seconds before turning his attention back to the grill.
.
.
.
Doggggg
how long had he been staring- Ehm, trying to decipher this guy? If everyone else wasn’t so busy to notice he’d probably look like a creep right now. There was just, something about the guy.
After he went to the grill, Bluey had apparently went to chat with the Lab and now they were laughing like they were long time friends. Which they probably were but something about it made Mack’s stomach twist.
”Ooooooooh~ is someone jealous~?”
”Wha-? Oh. Winton.”
”I don’t blame you mate-” he took a sip from his drink ”if my crush was laughing with someone like that I’d be jealous too.”
”I’ve literally never had a crush in my life.”
”Never say never!”
”You still owe Jack 20 from when you said Indy and Rusty would last.”
”-ANDD he still owes me 10 for Coco and Snickers.”
Mackenzie opened his mouth to reply but shrugged instead. You know what. Fair.
”Still, you’re the last person people would go to for dating advice.”
”Hah! Tell me that again when Bluey and that blue Lab gets together.”
Mack rolled his eyes as the bulldog walked away. Still, he couldn’t help but think, why (and how) was Winton kind of correct this time around?
Well, at least it seems like jealousy. From what Mackenzie has read. And what Jack has said. Okay why is Jack his reference for everything!?
Anyways he should probably go and try to find them now. They’ve had their couple time. If he didn’t know any better, they’d probably be…..
”Hey.”
”AH- OH. Hey uh, wheres Rusty?”
Jack groaned and leaned on the fence ”Where do you think? Lucky’s house is literally next door. Lucky’s house that has a cricket pitch in the backyard. I didn’t really want to watch them pass cricket balls all day.”
”Ouch. Must suck for your boyfriend to have a best friend thats into the same thing as him.”
Jack’s glare made Mackenzie shut his mouth.
”Kidding! Kidding..”
Jack rolled his eyes and looked to the direction Mack was looking at before he showed up ”Ooh~ who’s that?”
Mack snorted. ”What? You thinking of hooking up just because your boyfriend’s playing cricket with some other guy?”
”gasps, I would never! He does look hot though.”
Mackenzie rolled his eyes. ”Yea apparently thats the guy that Bluey said she met while camping like years ago”
”That’s the guy? Oh I get all the ravishing now.”
Mackenzie snorted as he looked back into the Lab’s direction. He would be lying if he said he didn’t get the appeal though.
Jack looked back and forth between the border collie and the Lab. Hmm..
”What?”
”Nothing, just, I’ll let you get back to.. whatever this is.”
huh? What does that mean?
Ughhhh why was the only downstairs bathroom in Bluey’s house aside from the master bedroom in the laundry room? Hes been here a thousand times but it still feels wrong to just, see their laundry.
Whatever. Maybe he’ll go to Lucky’s backyard too. He has nothing else to do anyways.
He closed the door to the laundry room only to come face to face with, oh, the Labrador from earlier.
”Oh, pardon, je ne m'attendais pas à ce que quelqu'un d'autre soit là.”
Mackenzie blinked. ”Uh- Sorry?”
”I mean, I didn’t expect anyone else to be in here ahaha”
Wow, he was, actually really pretty up close. His fur in particular was really sleek compared to what Mack saw earlier.
”Uh, I am a bit lost actually, Bluey asked me to get some trash bags, but she didn’t really tell me where they would be-”
Somewhere into Jean saying that sentence, Mackenzie’s brain just short-circuited. Okay, wow, his accent is actually kind of hot. Like, in a ‘Prince Charming in Princess movies’ way. But also Bluey is clearly into him so why do I even care? I don’t care. Do I care?
”Hello-?”
”Oh- Right, uhm yea I’m pretty sure they keep those on top of the fridge.”
”Oh! I just missed them then, okay, merci!”
Mackenzie didn’t know why he wanted to know so bad, but he just, acted on it. ”Wait-”
”hm?”
”Are you and Bluey like uh, a thing?”
”A thing?”
”Like, are you two like, dating or anything-?”
Jean-Luc went quiet for a few seconds before replying. ”Ah, non. I am not into girls.”
Oh.
”I mean, I did have a bit of a crush on her when we were kids, but I genuinely thought she was a boy at that time.”
Ooh.
”Why did you ask?”
”Oh! Uhm, just curious.”
The blue Lab laughed. And something inside Mackenzie did a flip.
You know what Mack has learned from experience? That lightweights really shouldn’t host parties involving alcohol.
Like, yea, the cleaning up stage shouldn’t be done by just the host, but it really shouldn't be left to guests that weren’t completely hammered either.
but he and Bluey has known each other for a long time, he’d honestly feel bad to leave her backyard and porch looking like this.
Most of the others had already left, Jack and Rusty were also helping cleaning up despite being next door most of the time.
They were almost done when Mackenzie caught it in the corner of his eye. The blue Lab again. He was talking to Bluey by the gate. Probably telling her to go get some rest.
Their eyes met for a second. And then he waved. Not like, a subtle nod. An actual wave, an acknowledgment.
something in Mackenzie’s gut told him this isn’t gonna be the last time he’s gonna see this guy.
and yea, he was definitely gonna text Jack tonight.