Post by kuno on Dec 30, 2013 16:11:13 GMT 10
Title: Gift Shopping
Rating: G
For: Wildmagesapprentice
Prompt: #4 - Kel/Dom/Neal humor
Summary: Neal decides that Kel is not allowed to do any sort of work on Saturdays.
Notes and Warnings: wildmagesapprentice, I really hope you didn't mind me going Modern!Tortall on this story! If you do, then I promise I will write you another one that is more satisfactory. This idea hit me last minute when I was brain storming so it's a tad rushed, but I hope you like it! I'm sorry it took so long! Merry Christmas!
~~
The day was supposed to be spent studying. Kel had it planned perfectly. Right now she was supposed to be wrapped up in a blanket, drinking hot chocolate with a textbook in hand. For the past week, she'd been determined to set aside time to do some studying over the Midwinter break. Being a snowy Saturday with no errands on her agenda, today in particular had looked good for just that. But as always, Neal had other plans for her.
“What type of stiff studies over the holidays?” Neal glanced at her from the driver's seat of his car.
Kel took off her gloves and let her hands hover over the heated vents. She retorted. “I do.”
“For what, exactly?” He sighed, exasperated. “Kel, you've gotta live a little. It's Saturday. The most glorious of days given to us by the Gods where you're supposed to laze around doing nothing or go out and find something fun to do. Studying is work. Work is not allowed on Saturdays. In fact, it'd go as far as to call it a crime against Mithros.”
She rolled her eyes. “Would you now?”
“I just did.” He made a right at a corner. “You need me, Kel. If it weren't for me your every waking moment would be filled with some sort of work. I've taken on the duty of being your fun monitor.”
“I hardly think you have room to talk.” Kel raised an eyebrow at him. “You spend more time during the week on studying and extra credit assignments than I do.”
“That's different. First of all, I--” He took a hand off the wheel to gesture to himself. “--am in more advanced classes than you are and I am an eighth year. You're only a sixth year. That means more work, dearest. Besides, I'm not talking about the rest of the week. I'm only talking about Saturday.”
“You're not going to let this go are you?”
“Not even a little bit.”
Kel sighed. “Fine. But I don't want to be out all day. I really need to pick up that Common grade.”
“Hooooh.” Neal shivered mockingly. “It dropped half a grade. You'll never graduate now.”
She ignored that comment. “Now what is this fun time your so determined to drag me along for?”
“Well.” He turned into a large parking lot. “You have some last minute gift shopping to do, correct?”
“Yes, for Merric and Orie.”
“So do I. When it turned out that I wasn't completely broke yet I realized that I hadn't bought a gift for my sister.” Kel knew Neal's sister, Jessamine. She didn't ask for much, but when she asked, she asked. “And I think I know just the pair of earrings to get her from the jewelry shop upstairs. I figured since none of us are shopping for each other why not do it together?”
Kel hadn't missed that last sentence. “None.”
“Hm?”
“You said none.” Over the years, Kel had slowly been able to pick up on Neal's very specific vocabulary. “If there were only two of us you would have said neither. Who else is here?”
Neal grinned as he parked the car in front of the Corus Mall main entrance. “You know me so well. Dom's also here. He's shopping around for his mother. That okay with you?”
“Why would that not be okay with me?” She asked, brow raised.
“I don't know. Just want to make sure you're not going to pass out from the all the blood rushing to your face. You know. Because of the weather.” He winked at her.
She shook her head at him. “Just shut the car off.”
“You wish is my command, turtle dove.”
When they got inside, Dom was already waiting by a directory. Kel waved a greeting. “Hi Kel.” He grinned at her, then turned a lofty glare to his cousin. “Meathead.”
Neal glared right back. “I haven't even said anything yet.”
“You didn't have to.” Dom covered a yawn. “Why did we have to get up this early in the morning to go shopping? We couldn't have waited until the afternoon?”
“Think, would you?” Neal ushered Kel and Dom ahead of him and towards the escalator. “It's the busiest shopping season of the year. We need an early start if we're going to snag the good stuff. I don't want to hear it next year with my sister and your mother nagging on us in October about “being prepared” because we got them unworthy gifts. And it's not my fault you're tired. You're the one who stayed up until two in the morning.”
“Two in the morning?” Kel blinked at Dom as the two of them were shoved onto an escalator step. “Why so late?”
“Oh, I'm getting creative with this one gift for someone.” He scratched his head sheepishly. “Just trying to make sure it's perfect. Not a lot of time to do it in the day anymore.”
Kel nodded, remembering Dom's new job down at the police station. “That's awfully nice of you.”
“Not really. They're pretty special. They deserve it.” He smiled wide at her then stepped forward when they reached the second floor. “Okay, Meathead, where's this jewelry shop you were talking about?”
“Be patient would you?” Neal grumbled. “It's down here.”
Neal led them to the jewelry shopped and showed them the earrings he had his eye on for Jessamine. “No way.” Dom looked at him with raised eyebrows. “You can't be serious.”
“What do you mean “no way”!? These are fourtwen carat!”
“They're also the ugliest things I've ever laid eyes on.” Dom crossed his arms. “Meathead, I'll be offended for Jess if you get that for her.”
“Alright then. Since you're such an expert.” Neal huffed. “What do you suggest?”
“Mmmm.” Dom leaned over the glass and pointed out another pair. “How about these?”
“Those?” Neal looked appalled. “They look like cat toys.”
“What's that even supposed to mean?”
Kel, who had been looking at a gold chain for Orie, finally sighed and walked to stand between the two. “Stop arguing would you? You're in public.”
“Kel, what do you think? Since this ogre over here knows nothing about fashion.”
Dom raised his eyebrows at Neal. “Mature.”
She ignored them both and looked down at the glass case. In the corner, She spotted a pair of small, silver hoops. “Why not those? They're simple and nothing says the earrings had to be made of gold did it?”
Neal and Dom looked at each other, then the earrings, then each other again. Together, they shrugged. Neal dug out his wallet. “Sure, why not? She'll find some occasion to wear them for. How much?”
The rest of the day went by without a hitch. Kel, Neal and Dom all found their last minute gifts and by the time they knew it, the longest night of Midwinter had come upon them. Returning from a relaxing evening with her siblings at the family townhouse, Kel came home to her apartment to find a wrapped gift at her door. When she unwrapped it, she was astonished to find that it was a wide frame already filled with pictures of her and all the people she'd come to know in Corus.
“There's the one at Esmond's birthday party and that one from Faleron's debate event. Lalasa's first dress sale and there's even one from my first day at the academy...but who could've gotten all these pictures together..?” As Kel finished tearing away the wrapping, a note fell out of it. She picked it up off the ground. It read:
For a special person who deserves it,
I had a time tracking down all these pictures, but you're friends were more than happy to help out. You've made a lot of friends over these five years. I bet you can't believe it's been that long, huh? Well, I guess you could say this is a gift from all your friends. Midwinter luck, Kel.
Sincerely, Dom.
Rating: G
For: Wildmagesapprentice
Prompt: #4 - Kel/Dom/Neal humor
Summary: Neal decides that Kel is not allowed to do any sort of work on Saturdays.
Notes and Warnings: wildmagesapprentice, I really hope you didn't mind me going Modern!Tortall on this story! If you do, then I promise I will write you another one that is more satisfactory. This idea hit me last minute when I was brain storming so it's a tad rushed, but I hope you like it! I'm sorry it took so long! Merry Christmas!
~~
The day was supposed to be spent studying. Kel had it planned perfectly. Right now she was supposed to be wrapped up in a blanket, drinking hot chocolate with a textbook in hand. For the past week, she'd been determined to set aside time to do some studying over the Midwinter break. Being a snowy Saturday with no errands on her agenda, today in particular had looked good for just that. But as always, Neal had other plans for her.
“What type of stiff studies over the holidays?” Neal glanced at her from the driver's seat of his car.
Kel took off her gloves and let her hands hover over the heated vents. She retorted. “I do.”
“For what, exactly?” He sighed, exasperated. “Kel, you've gotta live a little. It's Saturday. The most glorious of days given to us by the Gods where you're supposed to laze around doing nothing or go out and find something fun to do. Studying is work. Work is not allowed on Saturdays. In fact, it'd go as far as to call it a crime against Mithros.”
She rolled her eyes. “Would you now?”
“I just did.” He made a right at a corner. “You need me, Kel. If it weren't for me your every waking moment would be filled with some sort of work. I've taken on the duty of being your fun monitor.”
“I hardly think you have room to talk.” Kel raised an eyebrow at him. “You spend more time during the week on studying and extra credit assignments than I do.”
“That's different. First of all, I--” He took a hand off the wheel to gesture to himself. “--am in more advanced classes than you are and I am an eighth year. You're only a sixth year. That means more work, dearest. Besides, I'm not talking about the rest of the week. I'm only talking about Saturday.”
“You're not going to let this go are you?”
“Not even a little bit.”
Kel sighed. “Fine. But I don't want to be out all day. I really need to pick up that Common grade.”
“Hooooh.” Neal shivered mockingly. “It dropped half a grade. You'll never graduate now.”
She ignored that comment. “Now what is this fun time your so determined to drag me along for?”
“Well.” He turned into a large parking lot. “You have some last minute gift shopping to do, correct?”
“Yes, for Merric and Orie.”
“So do I. When it turned out that I wasn't completely broke yet I realized that I hadn't bought a gift for my sister.” Kel knew Neal's sister, Jessamine. She didn't ask for much, but when she asked, she asked. “And I think I know just the pair of earrings to get her from the jewelry shop upstairs. I figured since none of us are shopping for each other why not do it together?”
Kel hadn't missed that last sentence. “None.”
“Hm?”
“You said none.” Over the years, Kel had slowly been able to pick up on Neal's very specific vocabulary. “If there were only two of us you would have said neither. Who else is here?”
Neal grinned as he parked the car in front of the Corus Mall main entrance. “You know me so well. Dom's also here. He's shopping around for his mother. That okay with you?”
“Why would that not be okay with me?” She asked, brow raised.
“I don't know. Just want to make sure you're not going to pass out from the all the blood rushing to your face. You know. Because of the weather.” He winked at her.
She shook her head at him. “Just shut the car off.”
“You wish is my command, turtle dove.”
When they got inside, Dom was already waiting by a directory. Kel waved a greeting. “Hi Kel.” He grinned at her, then turned a lofty glare to his cousin. “Meathead.”
Neal glared right back. “I haven't even said anything yet.”
“You didn't have to.” Dom covered a yawn. “Why did we have to get up this early in the morning to go shopping? We couldn't have waited until the afternoon?”
“Think, would you?” Neal ushered Kel and Dom ahead of him and towards the escalator. “It's the busiest shopping season of the year. We need an early start if we're going to snag the good stuff. I don't want to hear it next year with my sister and your mother nagging on us in October about “being prepared” because we got them unworthy gifts. And it's not my fault you're tired. You're the one who stayed up until two in the morning.”
“Two in the morning?” Kel blinked at Dom as the two of them were shoved onto an escalator step. “Why so late?”
“Oh, I'm getting creative with this one gift for someone.” He scratched his head sheepishly. “Just trying to make sure it's perfect. Not a lot of time to do it in the day anymore.”
Kel nodded, remembering Dom's new job down at the police station. “That's awfully nice of you.”
“Not really. They're pretty special. They deserve it.” He smiled wide at her then stepped forward when they reached the second floor. “Okay, Meathead, where's this jewelry shop you were talking about?”
“Be patient would you?” Neal grumbled. “It's down here.”
Neal led them to the jewelry shopped and showed them the earrings he had his eye on for Jessamine. “No way.” Dom looked at him with raised eyebrows. “You can't be serious.”
“What do you mean “no way”!? These are fourtwen carat!”
“They're also the ugliest things I've ever laid eyes on.” Dom crossed his arms. “Meathead, I'll be offended for Jess if you get that for her.”
“Alright then. Since you're such an expert.” Neal huffed. “What do you suggest?”
“Mmmm.” Dom leaned over the glass and pointed out another pair. “How about these?”
“Those?” Neal looked appalled. “They look like cat toys.”
“What's that even supposed to mean?”
Kel, who had been looking at a gold chain for Orie, finally sighed and walked to stand between the two. “Stop arguing would you? You're in public.”
“Kel, what do you think? Since this ogre over here knows nothing about fashion.”
Dom raised his eyebrows at Neal. “Mature.”
She ignored them both and looked down at the glass case. In the corner, She spotted a pair of small, silver hoops. “Why not those? They're simple and nothing says the earrings had to be made of gold did it?”
Neal and Dom looked at each other, then the earrings, then each other again. Together, they shrugged. Neal dug out his wallet. “Sure, why not? She'll find some occasion to wear them for. How much?”
The rest of the day went by without a hitch. Kel, Neal and Dom all found their last minute gifts and by the time they knew it, the longest night of Midwinter had come upon them. Returning from a relaxing evening with her siblings at the family townhouse, Kel came home to her apartment to find a wrapped gift at her door. When she unwrapped it, she was astonished to find that it was a wide frame already filled with pictures of her and all the people she'd come to know in Corus.
“There's the one at Esmond's birthday party and that one from Faleron's debate event. Lalasa's first dress sale and there's even one from my first day at the academy...but who could've gotten all these pictures together..?” As Kel finished tearing away the wrapping, a note fell out of it. She picked it up off the ground. It read:
For a special person who deserves it,
I had a time tracking down all these pictures, but you're friends were more than happy to help out. You've made a lot of friends over these five years. I bet you can't believe it's been that long, huh? Well, I guess you could say this is a gift from all your friends. Midwinter luck, Kel.
Sincerely, Dom.