Fic: Holiday Traditions - Ch. 7
Author's Note: So sorry it’s been a while, but unfortunately that’s the way real life has bit me in the butt recently. *sighs* Don’t ask…
I love the idea of Frankie knowing so much by watching his brothers and their cluelessness. But I also had to figure they would clue in eventually. They wouldn’t be that dumb or selfish. It’s kind of trying to find a balance between typical teen-boy behavior and caring best friends. Besides, they would probably be a little forgetful because of their busy lifestyle, much like in Forgetting Stella’s Birthday. (But that never made sense to me because Joe remembered their Friend-a-versary in Karaoke Surprise, but forgot her birthday. Seriously?)
I’m interested in seeing how the new season goes. I know the tone has changed from the usual goofy Disney sitcoms, but it kind of reminds me of Even Stevens or Jett Jackson. Most of the time I don’t realize how much I miss the old Disney series’ until something reminds me of those old shows. So I’m actually hopeful. This might be a good change. We’ll see…
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Frankie, despite the fact that he was only nine years old and firmly convinced that all girls - with the exception of Stella and Macy - were gross, loved Valentine’s Day. Mainly because his brothers were famous and received candy and stuffed animals from their fans by the ton. They always shared with their little brother than donated the rest to places like children’s hospitals and women’s shelters and any other charities they thought deserved something to make people down on their luck feel better about the holiday. And thanks to Nick’s fans they even had plenty of sugar-free chocolates, so nobody was left out.
As the gifts began to trickle in days before the holiday the Lucas family began to diligently sort through it all. And Frankie was right there with them. It gave him the first pick of what he wanted.
Not that that was the only reason he helped, but it was a strong motivator. He was only nine after all.
So the days leading up to Valentine’s were spent organizing and donating. Even Stella pitched in to help, like she always did because Joe couldn’t organize his way out of a cardboard box. Macy came along too when her various sports teams didn’t keep her too busy.
And his brothers, being the clueless dorks they are, put off getting the girls anything for Valentine’s Day until the very day.
Frankie often found himself wondering how they’d survive college without him.
“Okay, the deal is, you can’t just hand them a box of candy a fan mailed you,” Frankie explained with a roll of his eyes. “It screams, ‘I didn’t even think of you once this week, so I didn’t buy you a gift, so here, have an afterthought.’”
“You don’t mind getting candy our fans send us,” Joe pointed out.
Frankie sighed - much like their mother did on a daily basis - and looked at him like he was suffering from significant brain damage.
“Well, a - I’m nine years old. And b - I’m a boy.”
“Okay Frankie,” Nick stepped in before Joe could start an argument. “What exactly do you suggest we do?”
Frankie tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I know Macy agrees with Kevin on the coolness of bears in bikinis and trumpet playing otters. And he does have some artistic talent. So make her a hand-made card with those things on it. For Stella just look through some of those fashion magazines and make a card with a collage of fashion. Then ask mom if you can pick a couple roses from her bush. I’m sure if you explain what it’s for, she’ll let you. But not without a speech about how insensitive it is to put off getting the girls gifts. Didn’t you learn anything from Christmas?”
“Apparently not,” Nick mumbled under his breath.
Frankie huffed. “But seriously. Start being prepared. They might enjoy this whole hand-made, thoughtful - and I use that term loosely - gift idea, but they’ll catch on soon that all this is, is you guys running around trying to figure out presents because you forgot. It’s really kinda disappointing. They’re your best friends, treat them that way. ‘Kay? I’m outta here.”
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That evening, Frankie was mildly impressed with his brothers. Not only had they taken his advice to heart, but they had baked cookies for the girls instead of giving them a box of chocolates from their fans.
Although it was Nick who handled the baking - he was the most competent in the kitchen - and Kevin and Joe were responsible for getting the ingredients. Nick gave them a detailed list in hopes of avoiding any catastrophes. They had even found two heart-shaped cookie tins left in the store. Not bad for two boys who were notoriously scatter-brained.
“Are these your famous Blue Chew cookies, Nick?” Macy asked with a delighted grin.
Nick gave her a smile and opened the cookie tin. “In honor of the holiday I changed them a little,” he explained showing her and Stella the pink, red and white sprinkles and chews that decorated the heart-shaped cookies. He glanced at his older brothers when Joe cleared his throat. “Well, it was Joe’s idea and Kevin was the one who found the cookie tins at the store when they picked up the ingredients.”
“This is so sweet of you guys,” Stella said pulling Kevin and Joe into a hug. Macy and Nick joined in.
“Frankie helped give us the idea for your gifts,” Kevin explained as he threw out an arm to beckon Frankie into the hug.
He tried not to appear too excited as he scurried over to join the group hug.
Maybe there was hope for his brothers after all.