Chapter Text
Work was going as normal for a wednesday afternoon.
Slow with barely anyone coming into the café, the people that are inside are mostly students from the college a few minutes away from the cafe. Most finishing some of their work on their computers with multiple empty cups next to them. There was some generic pop song playing way too loudly in the background that Quackity had learned to tune out.
Quackity focused on the clock ticking above the door, his shift would be over in 15 minutes, he still needed to go to his other job after this.
He lets his mind distract him, he hears the customers sit up from their tables and leave the shop, Quackity cleans up after them so he doesn’t have to rush when it’s actually closing time and goes back to the register.
He still has ten minutes to go.
Usually no one came in at this hour, that didn’t stop his manager from forcing him to wait until the actual closing time to close up the shop though.
That’s why he was so startled when he heard the ring of the door’s bell.
Quackity looked up at the door, he saw a tall man that looked to be around his age, he wore a black hoodie with, what Quackity assumes, was a band logo, he could vaguely recognize it but he couldn’t focus enough to know for sure, so he started looking at the mans face instead.
He had sharp features, his brown hair covered one of his eyes, he seemed nervous? Quackity wasn’t sure, he looks like another college student if the deep eye bags below his vibrant red eyes were anything to go by.
He softly sighs and gets ready to take his order. Quackity watches as the man comes closer, he doesn’t even get a word out before the man puts a rose in front of him, mumbles something, turns around and leaves hurriedly.
Quackity sits there for a while, trying to process what just happened, he isn’t exactly sure what to do, so he starts closing up, he leaves the rose on the counter.
The clock hits the hour of the end of his shift and Quackity is already out of his uniform and is ready to head to his second job. He looks at the counter.
He had replayed the interaction enough times in his mind to be sure that the man had mumbled ‘for you’, he feels his face slightly heat up.
He takes the rose with me.
He isn’t sure how to put it in his bag without destroying it so he just holds it.
He holds it close to his when he gets on the bus for his next job and continues to do so as he walks to the house.
He knocks and waits. He hears yelling, words close to ‘go open the door!’ followed by ‘no you go!’ and finally the door opens. Phil opens the door, like he always does.
“Hey mate, thanks for coming again.” The blonde man moves to the side to clear the entry way. He sounds like always does, exasperated but happy.
“You don't have to thank me everytime I come here.” Quackity says while coming inside the house, looking around. He has been working for Phil for two months now, the house is always clean but with a messy look to it.
“You’ve lasted the longest out of all the babysitters I’ve hired, let me thank you.” Phil has an easy going smile on his face, he puts a hand on Quackity’s shoulder to guide him towards the living room.
It’s not the biggest house out there but it’s not the smallest either. They both hear Tommy and Wilbur fighting once they reach the living room.
“Oh shut up Tommy, you’re just lying now.”
“I’m not lying Wilbur! You shut up!”
Wilbur is sitting on the couch with the tv remote in his hand, he isn’t looking at Tommy, he looks disinterested in what his little brother is yelling about.
Tommy, on the other hand, is standing on the couch, he looks outraged that Wilbur is ignoring him in favor of looking at the Tv screen.
“Stop fighting you little shits! Quackity is here.”
That gets both of their attentions, they turn to him and start getting out of the couch. Tommy pushes Wilbur out of the way before Wilbur fully stands up.
“Big Q! How are you big man? Did’ya miss me? I bet you did.” Tommy is rambling loudly and excitedly.
“Where did you get that rose?”
Quackity hears Wilbur speak and looks at him, he was standing next to the couch. He feels nervous for a reason he can’t quite place.
“Oh, uh, this guy gave it to me at the end of my shift.”
“Do you know him? What's his name?”
“I don’t know, I don’t think I’ve met him before.” He’s confused as to why Wilbur is asking him this.
“So you just took it? You don’t even know the guy.”
“Wil this isn’t the first time a costumer has flirted with me, it’s fine.” He’s starting to feel irritated.
“But you don’t usually keep the stuff with you. What if he’s just some creep, huh. You don’t know him.”
“Neither do you!” He felt the need to defend the guy that gifted him the rose, besides it was just a flower, he doesn’t know why Wilbur is acting like this. “It’s a flower, Wilbur. It’s not like I accepted a marriage proposal.”
“Well-” Wilbur is interrupted.
“Stop acting like a child, Wilbur.” Phil’s voice is powerful and demanding. “You’re twenty-four, not fourteen, act like it.”
Phil has his hands on Wilbur’s shoulders, he was standing between the two men.
“We’re leaving now.” The older man says in a serious tone, he leaves no room for discussion. He turns back to Quackity.
“You know what to do by now mate, food’s in the fridge but I’ve left some money on the counter if you want to order something.” He’s giving instructions in a softer tone, Wilbur isn’t looking at Quackity anymore. “Get Tommy in bed before one a.m. but him sleeping by eleven would be great.”
“Oh and by the way, you can put the rose on one of our vases.”
Quackity nods, things pass as a blur for the rest of the night, Phil and Wilbue get to go out, they say goodbye at the door, they leave, he takes care of Tommy for the rest of the night, he gets the food ready and convinces Tommy to sleep by midnight.
Quackity looks at the rose again.
He thinks about the stranger, he thinks about the man’s bright red eyes that had a tiny bit of dark brown on them, the man’s shiny brown hair, the man’s sharp features that should make him feel intimidated and want to get away but instead made him want to stay and talk with the man.
He wants to talk to him again.
He wants to ask why he gave him the rose and then left.
Quackity hears the front door open, the man looks at his phone to check the time.
It’s two a.m. he should be leaving soon.
“How was he this time Quackity?” Phil is standing at the living room entryway. Wilbur goes past behind him to his room.
“He was more calm today, we ate the leftovers from the fridge.” Quackity says, semi-distracted.
“That’s good, do you want a ride home?” Phil is counting the money to give to Quackity.
“If it’s not too much trouble.”
“‘Course not mate, c’mon.” The older man gives him the man and signals Quackity to come with him. “Oh, do you want to bring the vase with you?”
Quackity looks at the rose and nods at Phil. “I’ll give the vase back when I buy one.”
The younger man follows the older to the car as they talk.
“There’s no need for that mate, I never use that old thing anyways.” Phil gets on the driver seat and waits for Quackity to get in so he can start driving.
The drive to Quackity’s house is quiet, no one talks, he holds the vase close to his chest so that it doesn’t tip over. The vase is a pretty green color, its tall and too big for just one rose.
He has to buy one soon.
His thoughts keep wandering to what type of vase he would get but they’re interrupted when the car stops and Phil looks at him.
“I’m sorry for Wilbur’s behavior today, he has no right to question your decisions. I hope this doesn’t make you want to stop babysitting Tommy.” Phil has worry and regret in his voice, he sounds genuinely sorry for his son's behavior.
“It’s okay, it doesn’t matter that much to me.” It might’ve sound rushed or rude but Quackity feels too tired to care, it’s almost three a.m. and he just wants to get out of these clothes and go to sleep.
Quackity opens the car door and gets out of the car. “I’ll see you monday.” He closes the car door and gets his keys out of pocket to open the door to the apartment building. He can feel Phil’s eyes on him as he gets inside of the building, he hears the car go away when he goes deeper and deeper into the building.
He goes up the stairs, the elevator still isn’t working, he unlocks the door to his apartment when he finally reaches it. Quackity feels sore, he feels tired, emotionally and physically.
He sets down the vase on his bedside table and sets everything else that he has on the floor, he goes to his closet and changes clothes.
He sits down at the bed and looks at the roses for what felt like the millionth time that day, he doesn’t know why he felt so drawn to them but he hopes to see the stranger again, he hopes that he can learn the man’s name.