Chapter Text
June 21, 1973
June was helping little John Carter Cash put his shoes on since they needed to run a few errands.
“Duck.” John Carter Cash stated.
June looked at her toddler confused "Hun there are no ducks ?" She stood up taking his hand.
“DUCK,” John Carter said louder.
"Did you learn this from one of your sisters ?" She raised an eyebrow, walking out of the house with the little one.
“DUCK” John Carter repeated.
June sighed this was gonna be a long trip if he kept repeating 'Duck'
“DUCK DUCK DUCK DUCK DUCK,”
She smiled and put him into his car seat before driving off.
John was pointing at random shit yelling “DUCK”
"John honey there are no ducks"
“DUCK DUCK DUCK DUUUUUCK”
June sighed just letting him be.
“Mama,”
"Yes ?"
“DUCK!”
_______________________________________
Once June and John Carter came home with the things from the errands he was still repeating this newfound interesting word.
He pointed at his father and Waylon who was over for some reason. “DUCK!”
“What.” Johnny blinked.
"It's his new favourite word apparently but I don't know who he learned it from"
“DUCK!” John jr said, pointing at Waylon.
“No, I’m Hoss,”
"That's all he's been saying today"
“DUCK”
"Did you two teach this to him?" She looked at the two cowboys
“No ma’am I’m scared of ducks,” Waylon shrugged.
“I only like ostriches,” Johnny added
June sighed walking away with the toddler, still wondering where he learned this new word.
“DUCK DUCK DUCK DUCK DUCK DUCK DUCK” John jr squealed, bouncing up and down.
"John, where could you have learned this ?" She ruffled his hair
“You!” He pointed at June.
"Me ?" She raised a confused eyebrow
“Duck…” John paused. “You!”
June just looked at the toddler more confused
“Duck you,”
June gritted her teeth now knowing why he kept repeating duck.
“Duck.”
"You learned that from Daddy didn't you ?"
John nodded.
"I'll have to have a little talk with him so can you get to your room hun" She smiled at the small boy
John ran off.
June walked back over to the cowboys. "So I find out where he learned it from"
Johnny was having a deck of cards thrown at his head.
"John you cursed in front of him didn't you"
“Nope, that was Waylon,”
"I don't think he calls Waylon Daddy,"
“Yeah but Willie does,”
“Shut up John,”
"Both of you hush,"
“No,”
June covered Waylon's mouth and kissed Johnny's
Waylon licked June’s hand.
"Your nasty Waylon" June rubbed her hand on him
“But I got you to let go,”.
"Still nasty"
“I know”
"And your sleeping on the couch" June looked at Johnny
“What did I do?”
"The only reason John Carter had been saying duck all day is him miss hearing you cuss"
“I don’t curse,”
"That's a lie"
“I’m very well behaved,”
"That is also a lie"
John Carter fucking appeared, making direct eye contact with Waylon. “DUCK YOU!” He said, holding up his ring finger instead of his middle finger.
June glared at her husband again before picking up the toddler "John Hunny where'd you learn that" she raised an eyebrow.
John pointed at Waylon.
"Ah so you're both in trouble" She looked at both of the cowboys.
“It’s not my fault you let your kid witness Johnny and I bickering,"
"You could have brought him to me so he didn't have to"
“We didn’t see him,”
"How he's an extremely tall three years old"
“We were drunk,” Waylon shrugged.
"Why were you with a toddler drunk then"
“Because he wasn’t asleep like he was supposed to be??”
"He should've been asleep in this room"
“He’s fine June,”
"I know"
“Okay I’m leaving before she kills us, I left Willie home alone,” Waylon grabbed his coat, patting John jr on the head on the way out.
"You're still sleeping on the couch until you can earn yourself back to bed" June looked at the man in black
“Fine,”
June kissed his cheek before walking off with John Carter
John Carter looked over his shoulder at his father.
“Duck you!”
"John Hunny you can't say that word anymore"
John pointed out the window at an actual duck. “DUCK!”
"Nevermind well just don't say it in the way Daddy was saying it"
John tilted his head. “Quack,”
June giggled "Hunny need to ask you something"
John looked up at her.
"Do you think daddy needs to stay on the couch"
John shook his head.
"Do you wanna go get him and tell him"
John shook his head again. He wanted to watch the ducks.
"Alright" She smiled walking back over to Johnny "Be glad he got you out of trouble" she hugged him from behind
Waylon reappeared.
“SO WE CAN LIVE ANOTHER DAY??”
"I wasn't gonna kill either of you-"
“You sure?”
"Yes"
“Where’s John anyway?” Johnny asked, sitting back down.
"He's looking at actual ducks from the window"
As if on cue, John jr ran towards Waylon and Johnny, dragging them to see the ducks.
June smiled at the toddler managing to pull the two grown-ass men
John jr ran right into the window, he fell backwards before Johnny grabbed him.
“I don’t see any ducks,”
"Maybe they left cause they were here a minute ago"
John pressed his nose against the window “No! Look!” he pointed at a few wild ducks in the pond.
"Do you wanna go outside and get a better look ?"
John nodded, leading Johnny and Waylon to the door.
June followed behind them slightly surprised how a toddler was pulling them so easily.
He strong
John ran down the hill, startling the ducks. “NOO DUCKS!!”
"John Hunny you have to walk slowly to not scare 'em"
“Oh”
John sat down to wait for the ducks to come back.
One of the ducklings waddled over to John with its mother
John grabbed the duckling and ran.
The duckling's mother ran after John Aggressively quaking
John ran inside, slamming the door with the duckling. Leaving Johnny to fight an angry duck.
The duck ran back towards Johnny nipping him since he looked the closest to John
Johnny kicked it at Waylon, who screamed in response.
June walked back into the house "John Hunny you have to put the duckling back"
John shook his head, the duckling was his friend now.
"We can get you another one cause this one's mother is trying to kill your father"
“WE’RE HAVING ROASTED DUCK FOR DINNER,” Johnny screamed from outside, holding the duck up by the neck
The duck was still tingling around bitting Johnny
Johnny threw it in a bucket and locked it in the garage.
The duck now armed started chasing Waylon
Waylon jumped up on the fucking roof via the roof of Johnny’s car.
The duck was still coming towards Waylonlon.
Waylon screamed.
June opened the garage door seeing the sight and pushed John Carter forward to return the duckling.
John Carter pocketed the duckling, throwing a shovel at the mother duck.
June sighed getting duckling from the boy's pocket “We’ll get you another one ok”
“NO! I want that one!”
“Just give the kid the duckling June”
"Alright then" June handed the ducklings back to John Carter leaving the duck to kill Waylon
With that, John headed back inside with his duckling and Waylon got in his car AND DROVE HOME AS FAST AS POSSIBLE
The duck continued to chase him all the way home.