Chapter Text
Their allowance was about 20 dollars every other week-well Vi and Viktor got about 20 bucks. Claggor, Mylo and Powder got 10 dollars give or take, baba was trying to teach them financial responsibility which…was going as good as it can be considering most of their kids spent their money on snacks or things they liked rather than save it.
Vi learned early how to save her money-especially since the good snacks from school or the little store by her boxing classes costed up to like five dollars, and she wasn’t just getting herself something, she was getting something for Powder or her brothers as well. However she might have to go without a snack or two for a day if she wanted to get a candy gram for Cait.
Friends get friends candy grams-it was normal ok? And she asked the counselor who was helping the fundraiser if people do it. It was normal! Maybe. But there was a small dilemma of sorts-the PTA helped run the thing and because of that she’d constantly see Caitlyn at the little table, putting the money in a lock box.
Vi had to wait till Cait was gone but by then it was too late and class started again. It was kinda nice because Cait was helping her mom but then again her mom was…well her mom. Vi was pretty sure the lady didn’t like her or her siblings very much-which didn’t make much sense because they never really talked to the woman.
Although if she thought about it, ever since she argued with their baba she seems to just always be around. Sometimes when Vi makes sure Powder got to class, sometimes in the hallway before classes and mostly after school whenever Viktor came to collect them or when their parents came for them. Afterschool she would make eye contact with whoever came for them and just slowly shake her head-it was weird. Maybe baba was right when he said that PTA members really don’t have a life outside of whatever it was they did.
Vi had to remind herself that today was the day she was going to actually buy and write one for Cait-it was like a cloud over her head as she ate breakfast and grabbed her shoes. Sometimes she liked the fact that she had to wear a uniform everyday-made it easy to not think she wasn’t always dressed like an outsider or a nerd. An upside was she got to wear pants-a down side she hated the bow she had to wear.
The academy uniform was a skirt or pants, pressed button ups, blazers and bow ties for the girls, regular ties for the boys. When they first started attending the place Vi was adamant about not wearing the stupid thing-all of her siblings hated the idea. Powder even threw her blazer out the window once-that was after she locked herself in the car of course. A couple of well placed promises, a few changes or two and now it was like second nature to put it on.
This fated Tuesday she was watching the little table with a plastic pink table cloth as usual when finally-Finally!!-Cait wasn’t there! Instead was a redhead girl, humming as she organized the fancy cards and markers on the table as other students passed by. It was now or never!
Vi weaved her way through the crowd-easily side stepping others getting in the way and finding herself at the table out of breath. “Hi…I…wanna….”
“Buy a candy gram?” The girl finished, smiling sweetly at her. “Do you have five dollars?”
“Yep!” She fixed herself and practically slammed the bill on the table. “I fill it out and everything right?”
The girl nodded, handing her the envelope and card with a choice of maker. “Just the name, and note is needed!”
Perfect. Vi picked a marker at random and wrote her message-being extra careful about what she wanted to write. Honestly she had been thinking of it since Sunday, choosing each word carefully for Cait. She even risked showing her dad and baba it to make sure everything was correct-giving an excuse that it was English homework she didn’t want to bother Viktor about. Once it was done she put it in the little envelope and sealed it.
Wow…wait, was it that easy? Granted she knows she wasn’t a poet by any means, but it came from the heart which her dad said is what counted. He even thought her “homework” was some of the best she’s ever written-which honestly was an amazing compliment.
It was only Tuesday but already Vi was having an amazing week-she got the gram done, baba went grocery shopping yesterday and she didn’t get the dumb end pieces of the bread loaf in her sandwich today, Miss Greyson complimented her work after class earlier as well! She knows school wasn’t her best area, not like Viktor, but she was trying and Cait had been tutoring her sometimes during class.
“I wish middle school still did the whole class valentines thing.” Mylo huffed at lunch, pulling a face at his sandwich. “Do you know how lame i’ll be picking from Powder’s supply for the weekend?”
“Keep that up and you won’t get any!” Powder has a smug smirk on her face as she happily ate her apple slices.
“If you keep acting like that you’ll jinx your chance at getting anything.” He snapped back. “You jinx!”
“Don’t say that!” She pouted, dropping her apple slice.
“Jinx jinx jinx!” Mylo chanted, even when he was elbowed hard in the side by Vi.
“Stop!!” Powder covered her ears, “Stop it-daddy told you to stop it!” She buried her head into Claggor’s side, her older brother wrapping an arm around her shoulder as he glared at Mylo.
“Then stop being a-!”
“That’s enough.” Vi grabbed his arm and tugged him backwards, a firm scowl on her face. “Stop calling Powder a jinx-keep that up and im telling dad and baba.”
“You’ll forget when we get home.” He countered, smug for just a second as his sisters grip on him tightened.
“Don’t think i won’t call them now-hell i’ll find Viktor and make him call them.” She warned, eyes narrowed. “And i’ll tell Viktor all about this, and he’s still a little mad at baba for walking him inside this morning.”
That made the color drain from her little brothers face, a pissed off pair of parents he can handle-they’d probably tell him off, make him apologize to his sister and work at the restaurant after school for a whole week. But a pissed off Viktor? Not only mad at an embarrassing morning from baba, but at his work being interrupted in front of his limited friends? Especially if Vi took him with her to make the call? A swift and unmerciful death sentence.
Mylo nods, eyes wide in fear as Vi lets go of his arm and shoves him forward. “S-sorry Powder..” He mumbled, watching as her lower lip wobbled. Oh gods if she cried at school?! He’d be so grounded for a week! And it was only Tuesday!
Thankfully, for everyone in a two mile radius, she didn’t get to cry because Caitlyn had spotted their table and was making her way with a smile. “Violet!” She greeted, placing her tray next to Vi.
“Hey Cait!” Vi greeted, all traces of her scowl and anger gone from her face as she smiled at Cait. “Just in time-we were talking about Valentine’s day and stuff.”
“Count me in then!” She took a seat next to Vi, a light pink dusted across her cheeks. “Anything other than the diorama we have to work on in history class.”
If it was possible to roll your eyes to the moon, Powder would be one of the first to do so. Maybe Viktor could be the second-he rolled his eyes so often it wouldn’t surprise her. Caitlyn whatever her last name was she doesn’t remember-was a pain in her day. She was always around Vi, she shared classes with her and on the way home or before bed she was all Vi would talk about! She slowed down a little when they had the big plushie war of January but Cait was still a topic for her big sister.
It was just something about her that made Powder scrunch her nose and roll her eyes at the mear sight of her-she can’t really explain it. If she had it her way the older girl would never ever come back! Especially if she got to bite her like she did with Viktor’s boyfriend-or Jayce when she finally learned his name. All she needed was a perfect moment to do so, but she was always next to Vi, talking and laughing with her like they’ve been friends for years instead of a few weeks. Not to mention she was a nerd-which probably went without saying.
At some point it mostly felt like Vi was only talking to Cait, in their own little world that went around each other like the sun did. Powder packed up the food she hadn’t eaten and mumbled something about going to play with Ekko-getting only a smile and nod from her brothers and nothing else from Vi. Welp…Cait was officially on the ‘bite/scare’ list!
The two girls were so wrapped up on their conversation they didn’t notice Vi’s brothers leaving till the bell rang and they had to go back to class. Maybe this was going to be a great Valentines day after all…
“So like…what do you think of the candy grams?” Vi asks as they walk down the hall to their class.
Cait shrugs, humming softly. “Well they’re ok i guess.” She finally decides. “I don’t know.”
“You either like them or don’t cupcake, you know?” She teases her, gently nudging her side with a grin. “My old school never did them-so i don’t care.” In fact she very much did care-but that sounded so cheesy, so dumb.
The other girl just giggles and shakes her head. “You really want my opinion?”
“Yes!”
Cait heaved a sigh, even looked around to make sure her mother wouldn’t just appear from a corner to catch her before giving Vi a little smirk. “Honestly? I find them so annoying. I have to help my mother with the whole event pretty much every single break-it’s a miracle i can even stand the colors red and pink.” She laughed before sighing softly. “I can’t tell my mother that though, she’ll get upset you know?”
“Hmmhm.” Vi nodded, her stomach dropping well beyond her body as she takes in the information. Oh crap. Oh crap crap crap! She just majorly screwed up! Her mind was racing all through the rest of her classes, knowing full well she might’ve just screwed up a friendship, wasted five dollars but possibly made one of her few friends never want to talk to her again! She screwed up big time.
Meanwhile Cait was jittery with nerves and some excitement. She really didn’t mind the candy grams, even helping her mother with them every year had a little spark still there-she knows logically it’ll get old or annoying by highschool but that’s a different issue. She wanted to get one for Vi since the fundraiser began-but her mother was always around, always listening and making sure she was doing as told. It was rather…claustrophobic but it was her mother-and her mother wanted what was best for her.
Today she had gotten lucky, Maddie had offered to take over for the day so she actually got to enjoy her lunch which gave her a chance to buy a gram for her friend. Caitlyn didn’t have an issue making friends, she got along greatly with the people in her riflery practice, the other kids of the PTA, and the occasional kids who are brought along to whatever event her family happens to attend. However…there was just something different about Vi, she was blunt but sweet, she teased her, joked around-everything about her felt somehow both infuriating but so endearing in a way that confused Cait like no tomorrow.
Was it the best idea to get her a candy gram, even if they had only been friends for weeks? Maybe not…but she had somewhat broached the topic to her father one day while he was in his office reading a novel. She was expecting maybe a scoff but her father had chuckled and shrugged, saying as long as she meant the feelings she wrote then it didn’t matter who they went to. Cait took those words to heart and wrote a beautiful if cheesy message before heading to lunch.
Now as she sat next to Vi, she was somewhat rethinking her choice of buying one for Vi in the first place-she possibly could be ruining her friendship with Vi but it was a risk she was willing to make. Probably.
Vi had gone through a pencil and a half since they got back lunch-going through a plethora of plans and schemes to take back her gram. She was considering just taking all the grams and destroying them, granted that risked suspension of a lifetime-but if it meant avoiding an embarrassment of a lifetime it was worth a risk.
She heard the sharp snap of the tip once more and she sighs before going to sharpen it once more. Maybe she can tell her brothers or Powder to grab it and burn it-call little man and take care of it, he’d do it too with maybe enough candy to make the tooth fairy concerned…The bell rang above her, snapping her out of her half baked plans. Right-she had to get Powder but…she can wait a few minuets at least right?
Powder waited in the hallway for her sister, rocking on her feet as she watched parents gather their kids in hugs, kisses and asking how their day went-her belly was in knots trying to find the familiar head of pink hair and coming up with nothing. Ekko was still at her side, looking from side to side as he helped her look for Vi and like Powder found nothing.
“Maybe she’s in the bathroom..” Ekko offered, looking at his friend whose eyes were scanning the crowds. “Pow pow?”
“Vi is never late…” Powder muttered, nails digging into her backpack strap harshly. “Never ever.”
Ekko just nodded, biting his bottom lip before he gently grabbed her hand and held it between them. “I know.” He didn’t mind holding his friends hand, although a part of his mind was sticking it’s tongue out at Powder because she was probably giving him cooties but he can handle it-it was for Powder after all.
After about five minuets, instead of Vi it was Claggor and Mylo rounding the corner. They also seemed confused about the turn of events-and even more confused seeing Powder in the hallway with Ekko. “Hey Pow-hey little man uh…where’s Vi?” Claggor asks, looking around like he was expecting her to just pop out from the empty classrooms.
The two 1st graders shrugged, Powder had slid down to the floor, knees to her chest as she stared out in front of her. “Isn’t here yet…” She mumbled.
Ekko followed her, sitting cross legged on the tiled floor. “She’ll be here.” He assured her, looking to the older kids to confirm his statement.
Said older kids just looked to each other-well Mylo was looking to Claggor, going by the age old rule that the oldest person was always in charge, and when Vi and Viktor weren’t around then Claggor had to take charge. “Uh…”
“Hey-there you all are!” Vi skidded around the corner, out of breath and clutching her backpack.
“Vi!” They all seemed slightly taken aback by the sight of the older girl as she slid to a stop in front of them. Before she can explain, Powder had already gotten up and rushed to her arms.
Muscle memory was already working as she held her sister tightly in her arms, sighing at the familiar weight in her arms. “Hey Pow-pow…” She sighed, hugging her tightly.
“You’re late.” Powder mumbled, upset. “Never late…”
“I know-i know im sorry…” Vi hugged her one last time before letting her down. “I had to do something ok? It won’t happen again.”
“Good.” Powder refused to let go of her hand as they made their way out of the building to find their older brother. Thankfully he was just outside by the gates, sitting on the metal bench with Sky.
At home, the older girls mind was somewhere else as she did her homework, watched as Powder did her work, listened in on the small argument baba and Viktor had before they all went upstairs only just noting the slam of a door from her older brother. In fairness what else is she supposed to do? She nearly did the most stupidest thing in her life and possibly ruined her friendship.
Earlier when the bell rang she had dashed to the candy gram booth to attempt to talk to the girl about either destroying her card or put it under a different name-something to save her the embarrassment. The red headed girl was sitting there like before, putting away the small decorations away.
Vi had practically threw herself at the table, scanning the surface for her card from before. “Hi-uh-question-” She couldn’t get anything else out when the other girl poked her forehead with a marker cap.
“Ah-i’m sorry but no more sales today.” The girl apologizes, “Try tomorrow.”
“I already bought one-i just have a question and-”
“Vi?” Damn it! Cait had walked up to the booth, looking confused at the sight of the other girl. “Hello Maddie, um is everything alright?” It was quite the sight, her two friends at the candy gram booth and seemingly a little pissed at each other.
“This a friend of yours Caitlyn?” The girl, Maddie had asked, her small frown at Vi turning to a bright smile at Cait, which was given back.
That made Vi’s cheeks flush red, something twisting in her stomach that felt suspiciously like jealousy and well…it also twisted her gut and all she can really let out is word vomit. “We’re like barely friends-i mean we’ve known each other for only a few weeks but i have friends outside of her-it’s not like we hang out outside of school or anything and honestly it’s just like hanging out with a great sister-anyways it’s not like i was going to buy a candy gram for her or anything-it’s a lame fundraiser with annoying people running them.” Vi had gotten all of that in one breath, face flushed a deep red before she had ran to the closets bathroom.
She then locked herself in there till the they packed up the booth and left-which explains why she was late to get Powder.
Just rethinking the whole situation made her palms sweaty and gave her the urge to go and bury herself in the dirt and hope it never gets mentioned again. She was pretty quiet for the rest of the day, buried in her blankets and pillows as soon as they got home and refusing to go to dinner when baba called her.
“Violet, i’ve already called you twice for dinner now-come down here.” Silco sighed heavily, arms crossed and frustration in his voice. “I will not ask again.”
“I’m not hungry-i keep telling you baba!” Vi curled in on her pillows, her blanket covering her head in a childish attempt to hide from her earlier embarrassment. She heard her baba sigh heavily before he left, maybe she won but there was a soft knock on the door before a gentle if large hand patted her back.
“Violet? Hey there bun bun, wanna tell me the whole food strike you got going on?” Vander asks softly, having closed the door so that they won’t be listened into.
Vi stayed quiet, holding on tightly to her plush rabbit underneath her blanket.
“Bun bun? You can tell me anything you know-been around the block a few times so don’t think i won’t understand.” He assured her, leaning against the bunk bed.
“You wouldn’t get it…” She finally mumbles, voice soft. “It’s doesn’t matter…”
“Sounds like it does to you.”
“It doesn’t…leave me alone.”
Vander sighed, shaking his head. “You know i can’t do that bun bun, come on…are you hungry at least? Can smuggle a plate for you if you want.”
“Not hungry.”
“Need a hug then-sounds like you do.” He waited for the resounding no but finally his oldest girl shifts up to face him and nod. “C’mere bun bun.”
Vi did have to get out of bed for the hug, resting her chin on his shoulder and sighing. It was good having a dad with big arms, it was like being hugged by a heating pad or big teddy bear that smelled like cotton, bread from dinner, and a mix of spirits from the bar. It was comforting and familiar in a way that smelled like home.
When Vander returned to the table, it was clear they would only have three of their children for dinner tonight as Viktor refused to come out because of a certain action done this morning. Silco had insisted on driving them that morning, even going so far as walking them all inside, which to the younger ones wasn’t as bad, but Viktor had been nothing short of mortified as he was escorted to Heimendingers lab in front of his friend. The resounding argument he had with the school council didn’t help-because before the end of first period everyone in his grade was talking about the parent who practically made a council member cry.
So suffice to say he was pissed. Didn’t help their daughter was in a mood and refused to come out her room too, the younger ones seemed alright but knowing them something might come up and Powder might cry. Dinner for tonight was a meatloaf and salad-and from the sour look on the kids face they were less than impressed-knowing full well that they’d be eating the leftovers for the next two days.
Their older siblings have been acting weird all day, they could explain Viktor being weird-even they heard about the blow up baba had done that morning-but they couldn’t explain why Vi was acting weird. Not only was she late to gather Powder and her brothers, but she’s just been…quiet. No questions, no fussing over them no nothing. It was weird. Typically after dinner, whenever weird things or arguments happened they’d hunker down in a bedroom and find ways to minimize the damage but both rooms are currently occupied so the coffee table in the living room had to do.
Powder drew two pictures of Vi and Viktor, one from this morning and one from when they got home from school. In the morning they were fine, happy and a little tired. By the afternoon, the pictures had big frowns on their face with little notes that might’ve contributed to their weirdness. “Ok so we have baba making a school person cry…he made meatloaf so maybe that did something?”
“Dad makes the meatloaf Pow…but lets add it just in case.” Mylo nodded, adding it to both pictures. “Uh…maybe he got in a fight with his girlfriend-or boyfriend. Can you have both?”
“The lady down the street is always holding the same man and lady whenever they come to the bar. Anythings possible!” Powder added, “Maybe he did get in a fight, cause Vi didn’t snitch on you to him.”
“Or they could just be in a bad mood-happens enough with baba and dad.” Claggor pointed out, “They’re older, and it just happens with older people right?”
“You’re clearly forgetting the most obvious idea though.” Mylo stood up to grab his backpack, rifling through it before dropping a magazine on the coffee table. “Alien abduction!” The magazine was a little wrinkled but it showed a picture of a alien in a grainy photo-holding what looked to be a chicken or a duck as it ran away-the title was ‘Believers are everywhere’ in kinda ugly red font.
There’s a moment of silence as the two read the cover, glancing at it and their brother before splitting into laughs and cackles-much to the eyeroll of their brother. “Aliens?!”
“It’s a rep-re-reputable source!” Mylo argued, crossing his arms. “You guys just don’t understand science!”
“Science means like-facts-and these aren’t facts.” Claggor finally wheezed out, taking off his glasses to wipe the tears away. “But it’s a great pick me up.”
Mylo huffed but flipped through the magazine anyways, showing them all the proof and evidence he gathered from just a day and a half of snooping. “It’s all out there!”
“You are too loud.” They looked over to see their eldest brother walking into the living room, a mug of steaming hot chocolate in his hand as he raises an eyebrow at the them all gathered around the coffee table. “What’s got you all so…zazzed.”
“Mylo says aliens are real.” Powder pointed to her older brother, a teasing tone in her voice. “So we’re teasing him!”
“Ah…carry on then.” Viktor shrugged, making his way back to his room.
“Wait-your a science man!” Mylo scrambled up to stop Viktor from leaving. “Tell us now-do you think it’s possible that aliens are out there?” He shoved the magazine in his face, a firm pout on his face showing he will not be ignored.
His brother just sighs deeply, offering him the mug in exchange of the glossy pages. He read through them quickly, raising an eyebrow. “Well…space is such an infinite area. They have found germs in space-meaning there is a chance-”
“Ha! See i told you so!” He cheered, pumping up the arm that wasn’t holding the mug.
“But! It’s still unlikely-”
“Anything that can get published has to be true!” He argued, “Or else we wouldn’t have history books.”
“We have science textbooks as well-which you should read-”
“Maybe you should my books more Vik-”
“Maybe you should just read in general-”
“But i’m right-”
“You aren’t though?!”
“That’s your opinion!”
Vander came out of the kitchen a towel over his shoulder and saw quite the sight of his eldest arguing with his middle son-a magazine in his hands nearly leaning down to argue. “What’s with the yelling-why are we yelling?”
The two boys try to explain why they were arguing and it turns very petty very quickly. Honestly it makes a grin bloom on his face, and why wouldn’t it? A high school sophomore arguing with his younger brother in the 6th grade-and yet here they were, asking him to take sides in an argument about aliens. He wishes his kids never grew up.