[J1W] Explain
[Set in Live this Life. Elle is not_myfirstday and used with permission from her mun who made a request for Flack/Elle future fic with the prompt “ducklings.” Robin is an NPC originally written HERE, and Adam is just your regular ol’ NPC.]
When they entered the apartment and heard quacking, it was a pretty dead giveaway that something was wrong.
There wasn’t usually quacking in the Flack household. Unless, of course, Robin was having one of those days where she wanted to think she was a duck, but that usually sounded more like a five year-old and less like an actual duck. He glanced back at Elle for a moment, eyebrows going up slightly as they continued to make their way inside. “Adam? Robin?”
“You’re home!” She dashed forward, wrapping her arms around Elle’s legs as she was closer, before reaching for her hand and dragging her towards the living room. “You have to come see!”
Elle and Flack looked at each other again, before Elle started to let her daughter pull her towards the living room, where the source of the quacking was. “Have to see what, sweetheart?” he asked, looking curiously at the cardboard box sitting in the middle of the living room floor. His eyes darted from the box, to where Adam was sitting, looking a little flustered. “Ross?”
Adam took a breath before pointing back to the box. “She kidnapped him from the petting zoo, man. By the time I figured it out we were already in the car-”
“She what?” Elle frowned before looking over the edge of the box. “Oh, Don-”
Flack was hesitant, before slowly moving over and looking into the box. Sitting at the bottom on top of some newspaper was a tiny, fluffy duckling, quacking his head off. Flack looked from his daughter, to Adam, looking a little incredulous.
“She kidnapped him?”
“I found him, Daddy!” Robin said with a bright grin. “And Adam said that if you or Mommy said it was okay I could keep him. So please, please, please?” She clasped her hands in front of her in a pleading gesture, and gave him a big eyed look that she knew he usually caved to but in this situation, he really knew he couldn’t.
“Robin-” he began softly, before looking over at her and placing a hand on her shoulder. “You can’t keep him, sweetheart.”
Then came the eyes. They big-eyed tears that usually made him more inclined to cave to her way, and he hesitated, glancing back at the woman over his shoulder and Elle rolled her eyes. “He’s not a pet, honey.”
“But Mommy he was at a petting zoo,” The tears were starting and she pushed away from her father and made her way around him towards her mother, throwing her arms around her legs again. “Please, Mommy, please. I’ll take really good care of him, I promise.”
“I’m sorry, Robin,” Flack sighed, before reaching over to pick up the box. “But me and Adam are gonna have to take him back to the zoo. He doesn’t belong here.”
“You’re all stupid!” She stormed off in the direction of her room, and Elle took a breath, before starting to follow her.
“I’ll calm her down. You two take the duck back?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Flack nodded, watching as she disappeared into the other the room, before picking up the box and looking over at Adam. “If your mom and dad says it’s okay?”
Adam gave him a bit of an exasperated look. “What did you want me to do, man? We were halfway home when I heard him, and she gave me that face-”
“You say no, Ross,” Flack sighed as the two of them started to walk towards the door. “The answer’s always no.”
591 words
When they entered the apartment and heard quacking, it was a pretty dead giveaway that something was wrong.
There wasn’t usually quacking in the Flack household. Unless, of course, Robin was having one of those days where she wanted to think she was a duck, but that usually sounded more like a five year-old and less like an actual duck. He glanced back at Elle for a moment, eyebrows going up slightly as they continued to make their way inside. “Adam? Robin?”
“You’re home!” She dashed forward, wrapping her arms around Elle’s legs as she was closer, before reaching for her hand and dragging her towards the living room. “You have to come see!”
Elle and Flack looked at each other again, before Elle started to let her daughter pull her towards the living room, where the source of the quacking was. “Have to see what, sweetheart?” he asked, looking curiously at the cardboard box sitting in the middle of the living room floor. His eyes darted from the box, to where Adam was sitting, looking a little flustered. “Ross?”
Adam took a breath before pointing back to the box. “She kidnapped him from the petting zoo, man. By the time I figured it out we were already in the car-”
“She what?” Elle frowned before looking over the edge of the box. “Oh, Don-”
Flack was hesitant, before slowly moving over and looking into the box. Sitting at the bottom on top of some newspaper was a tiny, fluffy duckling, quacking his head off. Flack looked from his daughter, to Adam, looking a little incredulous.
“She kidnapped him?”
“I found him, Daddy!” Robin said with a bright grin. “And Adam said that if you or Mommy said it was okay I could keep him. So please, please, please?” She clasped her hands in front of her in a pleading gesture, and gave him a big eyed look that she knew he usually caved to but in this situation, he really knew he couldn’t.
“Robin-” he began softly, before looking over at her and placing a hand on her shoulder. “You can’t keep him, sweetheart.”
Then came the eyes. They big-eyed tears that usually made him more inclined to cave to her way, and he hesitated, glancing back at the woman over his shoulder and Elle rolled her eyes. “He’s not a pet, honey.”
“But Mommy he was at a petting zoo,” The tears were starting and she pushed away from her father and made her way around him towards her mother, throwing her arms around her legs again. “Please, Mommy, please. I’ll take really good care of him, I promise.”
“I’m sorry, Robin,” Flack sighed, before reaching over to pick up the box. “But me and Adam are gonna have to take him back to the zoo. He doesn’t belong here.”
“You’re all stupid!” She stormed off in the direction of her room, and Elle took a breath, before starting to follow her.
“I’ll calm her down. You two take the duck back?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Flack nodded, watching as she disappeared into the other the room, before picking up the box and looking over at Adam. “If your mom and dad says it’s okay?”
Adam gave him a bit of an exasperated look. “What did you want me to do, man? We were halfway home when I heard him, and she gave me that face-”
“You say no, Ross,” Flack sighed as the two of them started to walk towards the door. “The answer’s always no.”
591 words