Character (PG)
Dec. 14th, 2007 03:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deelaundryOriginally written 11/25/07
Title: Character
Author: Dee Laundry
Rating: PG
Summary: Interlude in the Keeper universe; takes place between Part Eight and Part Nine.
"Where the hell are your gloves?" Church shouts.
Jack shifts the rake to his other hand and stares at him. It's chilly, but it's not chilly enough to need gloves. And since when does Church mother-hen him?
"You're going to get blisters," Church admonishes, throwing his own rake down and yanking the stiff, heavy gloves off his hands.
"Oh, I guess so," Jack replies, looking at the rake and his hands, and then jerking back as Church's gloves smack him in the face.
He stoops to find them in the ankle-high layer of leaves up while Church walks to the fence and starts raking with short, quick strokes. "I can't believe you've never done this before," Church says scornfully. "Did you grow up in the tropics?"
"We had a lawn service. Don't you need these gloves?" Jack waves them in Church's direction.
"I'm planning on sticking you with ninety percent of the work, so no. Lawn service. Pussy elitist."
"Your parents were both doctors!" The gloves are weather-stiffened, tough and awkward on Jack's hands. "I can't believe you guys didn't have a lawn service."
"Chores build character," Church intones. He's creating a two-foot wide clean path all around the fence line, Jack notes. "Dad did hire a couple of guys to rake leaves one year, when I was ten or so," Church continues, "but Mom put a big old stop to that."
Jack puzzles over that as he tries his hand at making a similar open path further along the fence line. His is nowhere near as straight or clean as Church's.
"In your stories," Jack says, grunting a little with the exertion of raking, "and accounting for the way I know you, um, color them, your Mom doesn't seem like that much of a slave driver. What was his objection to hiring the service?"
Church stops and regards Jack with a smirk. "They weren't a service. They were two guys, nineteen or so."
"So they weren't insured?"
Church laughs loudly, the sound ringing through the crisp air. "That wasn't the problem. They were nineteen. And built."
Totally confused, Jack stares at Church. Strong, healthy - sounds like the kind of people who'd be good at physical labor.
"And," Church continues, "they raked with their shirts off..."
"Oh." Jack turns back to the raking to hide his embarrassment at missing the point.
Church laughs again, and then an armful of leaves are raining down on Jack's head. "Mom didn't mind being known as the queer doctors down the street, but he didn't want to be known as the perv queer doctors down the street. Besides, chores build character."
Jack glares at Church from behind the veil of leaves, because it's expected, because Church wants him to, because saying I love you, dude, would get him soundly mocked. "That explains why Pop never made me rake leaves, then," he says.
"Why?" Church asks. There's a tiny bright-red leaf caught in one of his curls, and it makes him look like a faun.
"Because I already had character."
The pile of leaves isn't large enough yet, so Jack's back thumps soundly into the ground when Church tackles him.
Title: Character
Author: Dee Laundry
Rating: PG
Summary: Interlude in the Keeper universe; takes place between Part Eight and Part Nine.
"Where the hell are your gloves?" Church shouts.
Jack shifts the rake to his other hand and stares at him. It's chilly, but it's not chilly enough to need gloves. And since when does Church mother-hen him?
"You're going to get blisters," Church admonishes, throwing his own rake down and yanking the stiff, heavy gloves off his hands.
"Oh, I guess so," Jack replies, looking at the rake and his hands, and then jerking back as Church's gloves smack him in the face.
He stoops to find them in the ankle-high layer of leaves up while Church walks to the fence and starts raking with short, quick strokes. "I can't believe you've never done this before," Church says scornfully. "Did you grow up in the tropics?"
"We had a lawn service. Don't you need these gloves?" Jack waves them in Church's direction.
"I'm planning on sticking you with ninety percent of the work, so no. Lawn service. Pussy elitist."
"Your parents were both doctors!" The gloves are weather-stiffened, tough and awkward on Jack's hands. "I can't believe you guys didn't have a lawn service."
"Chores build character," Church intones. He's creating a two-foot wide clean path all around the fence line, Jack notes. "Dad did hire a couple of guys to rake leaves one year, when I was ten or so," Church continues, "but Mom put a big old stop to that."
Jack puzzles over that as he tries his hand at making a similar open path further along the fence line. His is nowhere near as straight or clean as Church's.
"In your stories," Jack says, grunting a little with the exertion of raking, "and accounting for the way I know you, um, color them, your Mom doesn't seem like that much of a slave driver. What was his objection to hiring the service?"
Church stops and regards Jack with a smirk. "They weren't a service. They were two guys, nineteen or so."
"So they weren't insured?"
Church laughs loudly, the sound ringing through the crisp air. "That wasn't the problem. They were nineteen. And built."
Totally confused, Jack stares at Church. Strong, healthy - sounds like the kind of people who'd be good at physical labor.
"And," Church continues, "they raked with their shirts off..."
"Oh." Jack turns back to the raking to hide his embarrassment at missing the point.
Church laughs again, and then an armful of leaves are raining down on Jack's head. "Mom didn't mind being known as the queer doctors down the street, but he didn't want to be known as the perv queer doctors down the street. Besides, chores build character."
Jack glares at Church from behind the veil of leaves, because it's expected, because Church wants him to, because saying I love you, dude, would get him soundly mocked. "That explains why Pop never made me rake leaves, then," he says.
"Why?" Church asks. There's a tiny bright-red leaf caught in one of his curls, and it makes him look like a faun.
"Because I already had character."
The pile of leaves isn't large enough yet, so Jack's back thumps soundly into the ground when Church tackles him.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-11-25 08:52 pm (UTC)Okay, this, just Made Me So Happy. You must continue. NOOOOW. *HISS* Or I will sick the WGA on you!
LOOK! I can EDIT AGAIN! "Because I already had character."
SUCH PWNAGE! AND SO TRUE!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-11-25 09:59 pm (UTC)But Ch. 8 & Ch. 9 are just waiting for Nicky/Sage approval.
(Of course they've been waiting for a couple of weeks...)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-11-25 11:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-11-26 12:07 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-09 12:55 pm (UTC)Thanks! That Church, he's a hoot.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-11-26 08:07 am (UTC)I can't see anything beta-y, but I'll have another look later if you like.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-09 12:57 pm (UTC)