wilby snippet
28/1/06 23:44![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
schmericaWilby is apparently just stuck in my head the last few days; here's another 900 words of fic from this evening. Emily, Duck, Dan, Sandra.
*****
Her mom packed up a special basket as a thank you for Duck helping them out with the paint and the renovations in the dining room last weekend; there were some muffins and donuts and cookies and some sandwiches and special tea. She'd wrapped the whole thing with colored plastic wrap and tied a ribbon on it, and Emily had to admit it looked really pretty. Her mom was good at this kind of thing.
She sent Emily down to give it to him in person after lunch, when the place had calmed down and it was just the regulars sitting by the windows nursing their coffees.
"Back in twenty minutes or I'm taking it out of your check!" she called after, when Emily went out the door, and Emily shouted, "Ha!" back at her and shook her head.
There was a truck in the driveway at Duck's house, which meant Emily didn't have to just leave on the front porch and run away. The front door was actually open, even, when she walked up the porch stairs, so she stuck her head in to see if Duck was right there. She didn't see anything at first -- it was dark in the house, compared to the sunlight outside -- but then after a few seconds her eyes adjusted, and she saw that there were people standing over in the corner by the doorway, and that-- They were kissing.
She took a step backwards, immediately embarrassed, but the wooden board underneath her feet let out a loud creak. The earth didn't open beneath her to swallow her up, but the two people did move apart from each other, one of them springing away with almost a jerk. When they turned, she saw that one of them was Duck, but the other person was a man, and she felt even more embarrassed. She recognized him as Mr. Jarvis after a second.
Duck wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Hey, Emily," he said. Duck was a hard guy to read; Emily just hoped that was his friendly face and not his pissed face.
"Uh, hi," Emily said, shifting her weight from one foot to another. "I was just about to knock-- I didn't mean to interrupt anything--"
She trailed off a little, but Duck didn't jump in to rescue for anything. He just kept looking at her and raised his eyebrow.
"Um. I brought you a basket," she said. She stuck it out straight in front of her like an offering.
Duck half-smiled and walked forward a little to meet her.
"It's from my mom. And me, too, I guess. It's to thank you for helping us out last week."
"That's sweet," Duck said. He took the thing from her hands and smiled down at her. "Tell her thanks, and she doesn't have to do anything like this."
"I'll tell her," Emily said, "but I don't think it'll make a difference."
"Probably not," Duck said agreeably. He turned around again, stepping further back into the house. "You want some iced tea or lemonade or anything?" he called back to her.
Emily stuck her hands deep into the pockets on her jeans. "Uh, no, I don't think so. I have to be getting back."
"All right," said Duck. "See you later, Emily."
"Bye." Mr. Jarvis was still standing in the corner; he hadn't moved or said anything the whole time, though Duck was turning to him now, still holding the basket. "Bye, Mr. Jarvis," Emily added.
Mr. Jarvis nodded and didn't say anything, not quite looking her in the eye, and Emily turned and fled. She could hear Duck chuckling behind her, but she didn't look back.
She was a little bit out of breath when she got back to the restaurant, so she slipped past her mom into the kitchen.
Mom came into it a minute later. "Hey, honey doll," she said, and gave Emily a quick hug. "You drop it off?"
"He was home, so I just gave it to him," said Emily. "He said to thank you."
Mom smiled, looking pleased at that. Emily leaned back against the counter, her palms flat against the surface. "Did you, uh--" Emily started and then stopped.
"What was that?" said her mom, not really paying attention.
Emily bit her lip and then said, "Did you know that, uh, Duck and Mr. Jarvis were ... you know?"
Mom looked over at her -- she looked amused, her eyes sparkling just a bit like she was going to laugh at Emily. "I haven't seen Duck this happy in a long, long time, if that's what you're asking."
Emily was pretty sure she was blushing. "Never mind," she said. She pushed past her mom, back out to the front counter and the coffee.
Her mom was making fun of her, damn her; Emily could tell. It wasn't like Emily hadn't come across her making out with people before, too, sometimes right in the middle of the living room -- and that was worse than this, worse by far. But she'd never come across two men kissing before, either, and people she didn't know that well, and that was all awkward and embarrassing in its own way...
Maybe, Emily thought glumly, rearranging the sugar packets, maybe when you were sixteen everything had to be awkward and embarrassing. Maybe it was a law. It would certainly explain a lot.
*****
Her mom packed up a special basket as a thank you for Duck helping them out with the paint and the renovations in the dining room last weekend; there were some muffins and donuts and cookies and some sandwiches and special tea. She'd wrapped the whole thing with colored plastic wrap and tied a ribbon on it, and Emily had to admit it looked really pretty. Her mom was good at this kind of thing.
She sent Emily down to give it to him in person after lunch, when the place had calmed down and it was just the regulars sitting by the windows nursing their coffees.
"Back in twenty minutes or I'm taking it out of your check!" she called after, when Emily went out the door, and Emily shouted, "Ha!" back at her and shook her head.
There was a truck in the driveway at Duck's house, which meant Emily didn't have to just leave on the front porch and run away. The front door was actually open, even, when she walked up the porch stairs, so she stuck her head in to see if Duck was right there. She didn't see anything at first -- it was dark in the house, compared to the sunlight outside -- but then after a few seconds her eyes adjusted, and she saw that there were people standing over in the corner by the doorway, and that-- They were kissing.
She took a step backwards, immediately embarrassed, but the wooden board underneath her feet let out a loud creak. The earth didn't open beneath her to swallow her up, but the two people did move apart from each other, one of them springing away with almost a jerk. When they turned, she saw that one of them was Duck, but the other person was a man, and she felt even more embarrassed. She recognized him as Mr. Jarvis after a second.
Duck wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Hey, Emily," he said. Duck was a hard guy to read; Emily just hoped that was his friendly face and not his pissed face.
"Uh, hi," Emily said, shifting her weight from one foot to another. "I was just about to knock-- I didn't mean to interrupt anything--"
She trailed off a little, but Duck didn't jump in to rescue for anything. He just kept looking at her and raised his eyebrow.
"Um. I brought you a basket," she said. She stuck it out straight in front of her like an offering.
Duck half-smiled and walked forward a little to meet her.
"It's from my mom. And me, too, I guess. It's to thank you for helping us out last week."
"That's sweet," Duck said. He took the thing from her hands and smiled down at her. "Tell her thanks, and she doesn't have to do anything like this."
"I'll tell her," Emily said, "but I don't think it'll make a difference."
"Probably not," Duck said agreeably. He turned around again, stepping further back into the house. "You want some iced tea or lemonade or anything?" he called back to her.
Emily stuck her hands deep into the pockets on her jeans. "Uh, no, I don't think so. I have to be getting back."
"All right," said Duck. "See you later, Emily."
"Bye." Mr. Jarvis was still standing in the corner; he hadn't moved or said anything the whole time, though Duck was turning to him now, still holding the basket. "Bye, Mr. Jarvis," Emily added.
Mr. Jarvis nodded and didn't say anything, not quite looking her in the eye, and Emily turned and fled. She could hear Duck chuckling behind her, but she didn't look back.
She was a little bit out of breath when she got back to the restaurant, so she slipped past her mom into the kitchen.
Mom came into it a minute later. "Hey, honey doll," she said, and gave Emily a quick hug. "You drop it off?"
"He was home, so I just gave it to him," said Emily. "He said to thank you."
Mom smiled, looking pleased at that. Emily leaned back against the counter, her palms flat against the surface. "Did you, uh--" Emily started and then stopped.
"What was that?" said her mom, not really paying attention.
Emily bit her lip and then said, "Did you know that, uh, Duck and Mr. Jarvis were ... you know?"
Mom looked over at her -- she looked amused, her eyes sparkling just a bit like she was going to laugh at Emily. "I haven't seen Duck this happy in a long, long time, if that's what you're asking."
Emily was pretty sure she was blushing. "Never mind," she said. She pushed past her mom, back out to the front counter and the coffee.
Her mom was making fun of her, damn her; Emily could tell. It wasn't like Emily hadn't come across her making out with people before, too, sometimes right in the middle of the living room -- and that was worse than this, worse by far. But she'd never come across two men kissing before, either, and people she didn't know that well, and that was all awkward and embarrassing in its own way...
Maybe, Emily thought glumly, rearranging the sugar packets, maybe when you were sixteen everything had to be awkward and embarrassing. Maybe it was a law. It would certainly explain a lot.
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I'll tell you a secret
29/1/06 07:55 (UTC)Yay!
Re: I'll tell you a secret
29/1/06 08:14 (UTC)I think Duck can definitely be quite hard to read. He's quiet, and he just stands there and waits for you to fill in your own silences with whatever you're going to say.
Re: I'll tell you a secret
29/1/06 17:31 (UTC)Me. Too.
Re: I'll tell you a secret
29/1/06 20:07 (UTC)(no subject)
29/1/06 08:46 (UTC)This, in particular, is genius. *hearts*
(no subject)
29/1/06 22:28 (UTC)(no subject)
29/1/06 10:19 (UTC)(no subject)
29/1/06 22:29 (UTC)(no subject)
29/1/06 11:11 (UTC)(no subject)
29/1/06 22:29 (UTC)(no subject)
29/1/06 11:56 (UTC)Thank you!
(no subject)
29/1/06 22:29 (UTC)(no subject)
29/1/06 12:36 (UTC)Truer words have never been written. Though, I'm long past 16, I think I'd be pretty embarassed too if I interrupted Duck and Dan kissing. Great story.
(no subject)
29/1/06 22:29 (UTC)(no subject)
29/1/06 13:33 (UTC)(no subject)
29/1/06 22:30 (UTC)I am glad you enjoyed this!
(no subject)
29/1/06 15:16 (UTC)(no subject)
29/1/06 22:30 (UTC)(no subject)
29/1/06 16:31 (UTC)Maybe, Emily thought glumly, rearranging the sugar packets, maybe when you were sixteen everything had to be awkward and embarrassing. Maybe it was a law. It would certainly explain a lot.
*love love LOVE*
(no subject)
29/1/06 22:31 (UTC)(no subject)
29/1/06 17:31 (UTC)(no subject)
29/1/06 22:31 (UTC)(no subject)
29/1/06 22:36 (UTC)(no subject)
29/1/06 23:02 (UTC)(no subject)
29/1/06 23:33 (UTC)(no subject)
30/1/06 01:22 (UTC)(no subject)
2/2/06 00:00 (UTC)(no subject)
2/2/06 17:31 (UTC)