Kevin & Darcy | Birthday Plans pt. 2
Apr. 6th, 2024 03:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logs(Backdated) Kevin continues the trend of gifts they'll both enjoy by taking Darcy out on the water for her birthday.
Private docks didn't really exist in the city, but Kevin was standing on an 18 footer in the Brooklyn Navy Yard like he owned the place. He waved to Darcy as she climbed aboard, working a line on his arm with the casual way of long muscle memory.
"Happy birthday."
"I see we're continuing the trend of gifts we'll both enjoy," Darcy responded with a returned wave. "I didn't even know there were private slips here. Are you going to tell me how you managed that feat as part of my gift?"
"Friend of a friend. Although we need to get out because we're on 'looking the other way' time right now." Kevin replied as he waved on her onboard. "I'm going to take her out but once I do, the helm is yours."
"Ah, making me work for my gift. How like you," she teased as she secured her bag and pulled a life vest over her shoulders. "I'm gonna be rusty though, that's what happens when you can't use your new skills for six months." The scar along Darcy's eye and cheek pulled as she smiled while tipping her head back to enjoy the bit of sunshine.
"There's a bottle of bubbly in the cooler. You can have one glass now. The rest is for after you're off the helm." Despite all the jokes, Kevin was deadly serious about certain things like boat safety. He started to tack the small sailboat out into the broader East River, heading north and finding the non-commercial lanes to keep the craft in.
"I can wait until after," Darcy replied, still soaking up the sunlight. "I'm glad I put on the tinted moisturizer with the SPF and tossed a tube of the regular stuff in my bag though, otherwise I'm going to end up all red and tight, itchy skin." Her sunglasses protected her eyes, but they were lightly shut regardless. There was no point at staring directly into the sun, even with the protection they provided. Her body was mostly relaxed, arms sprawled across the rail behind her, curls loose and streaming in the wind. "Did I tell you some of the Ranch folks got me a few gifts for my birthday?"
"Oh god, knowing that crew, I'm curious how many break New York State decency laws..."
She snorted with laughter, and finally sat upright. "None of them, surprisingly. Stacy got me a lovely scarf and book club got me a few toys and some cleaner. I think anything that would break decency laws will just show up next time I'm there." Darcy did jazz hands as she continued to talk. "There will be pretty lingerie with matching cuffs or blindfold and probably some new toy from Bella's line that she'll get me to demonstrate on camera."
"What happens in Vegas and all that." Kevin mused, tacking port and then starboard for a bit, winding his way towards the main East River. "OK, we're in the right lane. Time to show me how much you remember from last time."
"Doesn't stay in Vegas, as you well know." Her eyes crinkled at the edges as she grinned and pushed herself upright, taking over with sure hands. "Did you at least see my insta post of the flowers?" She let out a dreamy sigh. "I'm going to press some of them, but it's nice having that brightness on my desk at work. Pity I can't take them home, because my room would smell amazing, but they aren't kitten-safe. Nothing is kitten-safe unless I lock it in a drawer or my closet."
"I'm told that's how kittens work. Never had one myself. Any kind of pet really." Kevin passed over the tiller and switched spots where he could mind the sail. "My wife had a bird for a few years. That was about it."
Darcy shook her head in amusement. "I could make so many jokes dude, you have no idea how hard it is to resist. But I'd rather not be stabbed. If you ever want a low-key companion I'll let you borrow Crooks. He'd probably love sitting on the arm of that chair you like while you listen to music." The downside to leaving her hair loose was evident once the wind kicked up, dark strands plastering themselves against her face. "Could you grab the folded scarf at the top of my bag? I need to wrangle my mess. Unless you remember how to tie a hair scarf for driving, that is."
"That's right, keep pointing out you'd rather have Nora here without saying outright you'd rather have Nora here." Kevin said with a laugh. He pulled out the scarf and quickly had her hair arranged while she focused on the tiller. "Trim the tuck. There's crosswinds coming from the shore development."
"Darling, if I'd wanted Nora for my birthday I would've asked you directly. I'm not generally shy about that." She was obeying his command as he said it, cheeks pink but hands steady. "I have exactly who I want with me on this boat, and don't you dare forget it." Her voice was mock stern, but the gaze she cut in his direction was serious. "This is an excellent birthday gift."
"I'm glad. If you didn't like it, I would have had to drown you and myself at sea in a proper murder-suicide." He said with a sideways smile. "Once we reach the end of Roosevelt Island, you're going to turn back southwest at the tip of Lighthouse Park back to ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina. You have the conn until we get there, so keep an eye on the wind and let me know if you're not sure about anything."
"It's not a proper murder-anything if we don't both stay dead, it's getting rid of an inconvenience," she retorted back with a wink. The wind was brisk, but for the moment she didn't have any concerns. "You didn't answer my question about the flowers. They've been a good mood booster for me this week."
"I saw them on your desk. Not on your... Insta-tube?" He ventured with a puzzled look.
Darcy's laugh was loud. "Darling, you know I'm not fooled by your cute doddering old man routine. My instagram, yes. And I cross-posted it to our internal network. They are the most lovely in person though, so I'm glad you got a chance to see them fresh." They were almost to the end of Roosevelt Island when a gust of wind pulled her full attention to the boat, carefully steering them out a bit farther from the island in an effort to stay safe. "I... might need your assistance fighting the wind."
"Just hold the tiller steady." He popped up to trim the sails, laying on the line to reposition the sails to catch the wind to match her tack.
"That I can do." Her upper body strength wasn't quite restored to what it had been before the mission in Troy, but it was getting closer every day. Enough to keep the tiller steady while Kevin took care of the sails, at least. Darcy spared a bit of a glance to admire the figure he cut as he stretched along the line, mostly focused on keeping steady and paying attention to the water but unable–or perhaps unwilling–to ignore the view.
Even with the wind it was peaceful out here. The water, the birds. Sometimes it made Darcy wish she had a houseboat or a little cottage and a private slip, easy to get away and enjoy her own peace when the noise inside her head was too loud. Or when she'd rather the silence outside of her head be from her own choosing. Still. It was an excellent gift, and she appreciated the time Kevin had taken, and any expense as well. "M's in Europe right now so we couldn't have our normal birthday brunch/lunch thing, so she sent flowers for mine and I'll send her fancy local something for hers, and once she's back stateside or next time I'm in the same part of Europe we'll have our meal together. It's been a tradition for a long time. I'm glad we were able to rebuild our friendship, even if it took us a while."
"Good. It is very easy in this life to let private connections to slip away or become transactional. The job has a nasty bit of unintentional creep." Kevin said, eyes automatically tracking the positions of the ships around them. "When I retired, I realized that outside of my half-nephew and my idiot neighbour Frank, I had no other friends or relations not related to the job."
"Oh, our disconnect happened while you were still dead, I think," Darcy replied breezily, mind partially calculating the time frame but largely still focusing on the wind and her control of the tiller. "The college girlfriend that broke my heart. We ran into each other while I was in law school, but we didn't really rebuild our friendship until after all the stuff with Laurie had gone down. I crash at her place sometimes when I need quiet now, whether she's in town or not." She laughed as she guided the boat around Lighthouse Park. "At this point I might as well just give you a map of all my safe spots. I'll end up telling you about all of them eventually."
"Maybe I'll make one of those 'Maps to the Stars' style brochures with it. Have all the spots marked with a little black dotted line that tracks the route?" He said.
"Surely you wouldn't need a map to find me, Darling." She took a brief moment to catch Kevin's eye. "You know I'd leave you rye crumbs."
"Rye crumbs? Fuck that. I expect proper quarters of lean pastrami. Extra mustard." He grinned at her, flash quick. "I have standards."
Darcy winked. "You don't get the pastrami until you find me. Maybe some of that extra mustard on your crumbs. Consider it a reward for a lovely birthday gift."
Private docks didn't really exist in the city, but Kevin was standing on an 18 footer in the Brooklyn Navy Yard like he owned the place. He waved to Darcy as she climbed aboard, working a line on his arm with the casual way of long muscle memory.
"Happy birthday."
"I see we're continuing the trend of gifts we'll both enjoy," Darcy responded with a returned wave. "I didn't even know there were private slips here. Are you going to tell me how you managed that feat as part of my gift?"
"Friend of a friend. Although we need to get out because we're on 'looking the other way' time right now." Kevin replied as he waved on her onboard. "I'm going to take her out but once I do, the helm is yours."
"Ah, making me work for my gift. How like you," she teased as she secured her bag and pulled a life vest over her shoulders. "I'm gonna be rusty though, that's what happens when you can't use your new skills for six months." The scar along Darcy's eye and cheek pulled as she smiled while tipping her head back to enjoy the bit of sunshine.
"There's a bottle of bubbly in the cooler. You can have one glass now. The rest is for after you're off the helm." Despite all the jokes, Kevin was deadly serious about certain things like boat safety. He started to tack the small sailboat out into the broader East River, heading north and finding the non-commercial lanes to keep the craft in.
"I can wait until after," Darcy replied, still soaking up the sunlight. "I'm glad I put on the tinted moisturizer with the SPF and tossed a tube of the regular stuff in my bag though, otherwise I'm going to end up all red and tight, itchy skin." Her sunglasses protected her eyes, but they were lightly shut regardless. There was no point at staring directly into the sun, even with the protection they provided. Her body was mostly relaxed, arms sprawled across the rail behind her, curls loose and streaming in the wind. "Did I tell you some of the Ranch folks got me a few gifts for my birthday?"
"Oh god, knowing that crew, I'm curious how many break New York State decency laws..."
She snorted with laughter, and finally sat upright. "None of them, surprisingly. Stacy got me a lovely scarf and book club got me a few toys and some cleaner. I think anything that would break decency laws will just show up next time I'm there." Darcy did jazz hands as she continued to talk. "There will be pretty lingerie with matching cuffs or blindfold and probably some new toy from Bella's line that she'll get me to demonstrate on camera."
"What happens in Vegas and all that." Kevin mused, tacking port and then starboard for a bit, winding his way towards the main East River. "OK, we're in the right lane. Time to show me how much you remember from last time."
"Doesn't stay in Vegas, as you well know." Her eyes crinkled at the edges as she grinned and pushed herself upright, taking over with sure hands. "Did you at least see my insta post of the flowers?" She let out a dreamy sigh. "I'm going to press some of them, but it's nice having that brightness on my desk at work. Pity I can't take them home, because my room would smell amazing, but they aren't kitten-safe. Nothing is kitten-safe unless I lock it in a drawer or my closet."
"I'm told that's how kittens work. Never had one myself. Any kind of pet really." Kevin passed over the tiller and switched spots where he could mind the sail. "My wife had a bird for a few years. That was about it."
Darcy shook her head in amusement. "I could make so many jokes dude, you have no idea how hard it is to resist. But I'd rather not be stabbed. If you ever want a low-key companion I'll let you borrow Crooks. He'd probably love sitting on the arm of that chair you like while you listen to music." The downside to leaving her hair loose was evident once the wind kicked up, dark strands plastering themselves against her face. "Could you grab the folded scarf at the top of my bag? I need to wrangle my mess. Unless you remember how to tie a hair scarf for driving, that is."
"That's right, keep pointing out you'd rather have Nora here without saying outright you'd rather have Nora here." Kevin said with a laugh. He pulled out the scarf and quickly had her hair arranged while she focused on the tiller. "Trim the tuck. There's crosswinds coming from the shore development."
"Darling, if I'd wanted Nora for my birthday I would've asked you directly. I'm not generally shy about that." She was obeying his command as he said it, cheeks pink but hands steady. "I have exactly who I want with me on this boat, and don't you dare forget it." Her voice was mock stern, but the gaze she cut in his direction was serious. "This is an excellent birthday gift."
"I'm glad. If you didn't like it, I would have had to drown you and myself at sea in a proper murder-suicide." He said with a sideways smile. "Once we reach the end of Roosevelt Island, you're going to turn back southwest at the tip of Lighthouse Park back to ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina. You have the conn until we get there, so keep an eye on the wind and let me know if you're not sure about anything."
"It's not a proper murder-anything if we don't both stay dead, it's getting rid of an inconvenience," she retorted back with a wink. The wind was brisk, but for the moment she didn't have any concerns. "You didn't answer my question about the flowers. They've been a good mood booster for me this week."
"I saw them on your desk. Not on your... Insta-tube?" He ventured with a puzzled look.
Darcy's laugh was loud. "Darling, you know I'm not fooled by your cute doddering old man routine. My instagram, yes. And I cross-posted it to our internal network. They are the most lovely in person though, so I'm glad you got a chance to see them fresh." They were almost to the end of Roosevelt Island when a gust of wind pulled her full attention to the boat, carefully steering them out a bit farther from the island in an effort to stay safe. "I... might need your assistance fighting the wind."
"Just hold the tiller steady." He popped up to trim the sails, laying on the line to reposition the sails to catch the wind to match her tack.
"That I can do." Her upper body strength wasn't quite restored to what it had been before the mission in Troy, but it was getting closer every day. Enough to keep the tiller steady while Kevin took care of the sails, at least. Darcy spared a bit of a glance to admire the figure he cut as he stretched along the line, mostly focused on keeping steady and paying attention to the water but unable–or perhaps unwilling–to ignore the view.
Even with the wind it was peaceful out here. The water, the birds. Sometimes it made Darcy wish she had a houseboat or a little cottage and a private slip, easy to get away and enjoy her own peace when the noise inside her head was too loud. Or when she'd rather the silence outside of her head be from her own choosing. Still. It was an excellent gift, and she appreciated the time Kevin had taken, and any expense as well. "M's in Europe right now so we couldn't have our normal birthday brunch/lunch thing, so she sent flowers for mine and I'll send her fancy local something for hers, and once she's back stateside or next time I'm in the same part of Europe we'll have our meal together. It's been a tradition for a long time. I'm glad we were able to rebuild our friendship, even if it took us a while."
"Good. It is very easy in this life to let private connections to slip away or become transactional. The job has a nasty bit of unintentional creep." Kevin said, eyes automatically tracking the positions of the ships around them. "When I retired, I realized that outside of my half-nephew and my idiot neighbour Frank, I had no other friends or relations not related to the job."
"Oh, our disconnect happened while you were still dead, I think," Darcy replied breezily, mind partially calculating the time frame but largely still focusing on the wind and her control of the tiller. "The college girlfriend that broke my heart. We ran into each other while I was in law school, but we didn't really rebuild our friendship until after all the stuff with Laurie had gone down. I crash at her place sometimes when I need quiet now, whether she's in town or not." She laughed as she guided the boat around Lighthouse Park. "At this point I might as well just give you a map of all my safe spots. I'll end up telling you about all of them eventually."
"Maybe I'll make one of those 'Maps to the Stars' style brochures with it. Have all the spots marked with a little black dotted line that tracks the route?" He said.
"Surely you wouldn't need a map to find me, Darling." She took a brief moment to catch Kevin's eye. "You know I'd leave you rye crumbs."
"Rye crumbs? Fuck that. I expect proper quarters of lean pastrami. Extra mustard." He grinned at her, flash quick. "I have standards."
Darcy winked. "You don't get the pastrami until you find me. Maybe some of that extra mustard on your crumbs. Consider it a reward for a lovely birthday gift."
