If Music Be By Ashleigh Anpilova
Title: If Music Be
Author: Ashleigh Anpilova
Genre: Slash. Established Relationship
Rating: G
Pairing: Leroy Jethro Gibbs/Donald 'Ducky' Mallard
Challenge: Music
Summary: Ducky is the one with knowledge about music. But Jethro knows what he likes.
Length: Ficlet (fewer than 1,000 words)
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, nor am I making any money from them. I merely borrow them from time to time.
Duck knows all about music; he can talk about it for hours. Of course he can talk about most things for hours.
He's tried, over the years, to get me interested. Has asked me to go to this concert or that opera with him, tells me I'll enjoy them. Mostly I don't go; it's not really my thing. I don't like wearing a suit and tie at the best of times, and if you're going to these concert thingies, you're meant to dress up. Well my Ducky always does.
I have been to one or two with him. Well he's indulgent of me and the boat, and has always put up with my redhead obsession. Relationships involve give and take, and although I'd be the first to admit that Ducky does more giving and I do more taking, sometimes it's only fair that I give. So if he promises me I'll like it, rather than just saying I'll like it, I go. Duck's never broken a promise to me. And bastard that I am, I've never broken one to him either.
He talks about the music’s rhythm, melody, harmony, color, texture and form. He talks about the shade in certain music; I guess that must be like the color. And about the drama, the surprise - now I know about that part. That's when you think the tune has ended and you’re about to move, and it starts up again. Except, I don't think that's what Ducky means.
Also I'm not sure how music can have color, shade or texture. It's not real, not tangible. You can't exactly touch it, even if, as Ducky says, it touches you.
And I'll agree with that. Some music does 'touch' me, but not in the ways I think Ducky means. Take a lot of Abby's music, for example, that can nearly deafen me, or make my teeth hurt. But the music suits her. I told Ducky that once; he told me in that case I did understand music!
Or at least I think that's what he told me, I kind of lost track after the first five minutes. I got caught up in listening to Ducky, rather than listening to Ducky.
That was when I realized what Ducky meant about music having shade, tone, texture, and all the other stuff he talks about. Music is sound, right? And voice is sound. And Ducky's voice definitely has different tones. It can be like the shade on a hot summer's day, the warmth in a winter's frost.
And it has textures too, ones that often only I can distinguish. I know my Duck so well; I can read him clearly. I know when he's saying one thing and meaning another, because his voice is a bit different.
The way he says things is different too. So even if I've missed other clues, like his tone or the actual words, then I'll know from his way of speaking. Guess you could say the rhythm of his voice is different. And the highs and lows aren't there; it's more level. It's all shade rather than dark and light. Hey, I'm getting good at this music stuff.
So Duck's right - well he usually is - I do know about music. I like it too. Or at least I know about and like a particular type of music. I know about my Ducky's voice, and I love it. It touches me like I've seen music touch him. I can read it like he can read Mozart, and that gazelle thing he nearly didn't get to.
Yeah, I understand music after all.
Author: Ashleigh Anpilova
Genre: Slash. Established Relationship
Rating: G
Pairing: Leroy Jethro Gibbs/Donald 'Ducky' Mallard
Challenge: Music
Summary: Ducky is the one with knowledge about music. But Jethro knows what he likes.
Length: Ficlet (fewer than 1,000 words)
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, nor am I making any money from them. I merely borrow them from time to time.
Duck knows all about music; he can talk about it for hours. Of course he can talk about most things for hours.
He's tried, over the years, to get me interested. Has asked me to go to this concert or that opera with him, tells me I'll enjoy them. Mostly I don't go; it's not really my thing. I don't like wearing a suit and tie at the best of times, and if you're going to these concert thingies, you're meant to dress up. Well my Ducky always does.
I have been to one or two with him. Well he's indulgent of me and the boat, and has always put up with my redhead obsession. Relationships involve give and take, and although I'd be the first to admit that Ducky does more giving and I do more taking, sometimes it's only fair that I give. So if he promises me I'll like it, rather than just saying I'll like it, I go. Duck's never broken a promise to me. And bastard that I am, I've never broken one to him either.
He talks about the music’s rhythm, melody, harmony, color, texture and form. He talks about the shade in certain music; I guess that must be like the color. And about the drama, the surprise - now I know about that part. That's when you think the tune has ended and you’re about to move, and it starts up again. Except, I don't think that's what Ducky means.
Also I'm not sure how music can have color, shade or texture. It's not real, not tangible. You can't exactly touch it, even if, as Ducky says, it touches you.
And I'll agree with that. Some music does 'touch' me, but not in the ways I think Ducky means. Take a lot of Abby's music, for example, that can nearly deafen me, or make my teeth hurt. But the music suits her. I told Ducky that once; he told me in that case I did understand music!
Or at least I think that's what he told me, I kind of lost track after the first five minutes. I got caught up in listening to Ducky, rather than listening to Ducky.
That was when I realized what Ducky meant about music having shade, tone, texture, and all the other stuff he talks about. Music is sound, right? And voice is sound. And Ducky's voice definitely has different tones. It can be like the shade on a hot summer's day, the warmth in a winter's frost.
And it has textures too, ones that often only I can distinguish. I know my Duck so well; I can read him clearly. I know when he's saying one thing and meaning another, because his voice is a bit different.
The way he says things is different too. So even if I've missed other clues, like his tone or the actual words, then I'll know from his way of speaking. Guess you could say the rhythm of his voice is different. And the highs and lows aren't there; it's more level. It's all shade rather than dark and light. Hey, I'm getting good at this music stuff.
So Duck's right - well he usually is - I do know about music. I like it too. Or at least I know about and like a particular type of music. I know about my Ducky's voice, and I love it. It touches me like I've seen music touch him. I can read it like he can read Mozart, and that gazelle thing he nearly didn't get to.
Yeah, I understand music after all.