Vinegar 26, Cola 9: Adjustments
Title: Adjustments
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Vinegar 26 (fasten your safety belt), cola 9 (it’s everywhere you want to be), My Treat (Aaron has acquired a small sister), pocky chain, whipped cream (Ivy is five, Aaron nine).
Word Count: 700
Rating: PG.
Summary: "It's hard to be mad at someone who misses you while you're asleep." -- Bill Watterson
Notes: Inspired by binge-reading Calvin and Hobbes and the sudden realization that Ivy as a child was a lot like Calvin.
Aaron woke up all at once when something landed on him.
"Aaron!" the something screeched in his ear. "Aaron, Aaron, get up, it's Saturday!"
"Huh?" He rubbed his eyes, squinted blearily, and caught a glimpse of red hair.
Oh. Yes. His sister. He had a sister now.
"Go 'way," he said, and pulled the covers over his head.
"Aaron!" She landed on his bed again, thankfully missing him. "Get up! There's so much to do!"
He rolled over, shoved her off the bed, and growled, "Go away!"
Ivy stamped her foot. Aaron wished his dad had never gotten married again.
--
His dad had made oatmeal for breakfast. Aaron sighed when he saw it-- oatmeal? On a Saturday?-- but ate it anyway. Better to just cooperate whenever his dad got on a weird health food kick.
Bizarrely, his dad actually seemed to enjoy it. He didn't think his stepmother even noticed what she was eating. And Ivy...
"Ew!" Ivy said, loudly. "This looks like boogers!"
His stepmother glared at her. "Ivy Sophia!"
"Well, it does," Ivy said, unrepentant.
Aaron, who kind of agreed with her but who also knew what was good for him, wrinkled his nose and added more sugar.
--
He was peacefully reading when Ivy raced into the room, looked frantically around, grabbed one of her chapter books and hopped up on the couch beside him.
Aaron stared down at her. "What...?"
"If Mom asks," Ivy said, in a rush, "I was right here, okay?"
Oh, no. "I'm not gonna lie for you."
She turned and pouted at him. "But you're my brother now! Brothers have to lie for little sisters."
"We do not," Aaron said. "And I'm not gonna."
"Jerk," Ivy said, and stuck her tongue out at him.
Somewhere in the apartment, his stepmother bellowed, "Ivy Sophia!"
--
"How'd it go?" Aaron asked, when Ivy got out of the lecture.
"Grounded," she said, sounding way too cheerful about it.
He winced. "Ouch. I'm sorry."
"I'm not!" she said, brightly, and bounced up to him. "Outside's boring anyway. Now you and me can play together all weekend long! Wanna be pirates first? Or space astronauts? You need a box for that."
Aaron stared at her.
"Or," Ivy said, "cowboys? You can be the horse," she added, persuasively.
Ivy probably deserved to be grounded. His stepmother probably wouldn't un-ground her if Aaron asked.
But maybe if he asked really nicely...
--
Someone was poking him. Aaron opened his eyes, realized he'd been woken up again, and tried not to swear.
He wasn't supposed to know any of those words anyway.
"Aaron!" Ivy hissed, urgently. "Aaron, wake up!"
He looked at his clock. One AM. Really?
"No," he hissed back. "It's too early. I am not going to wake up."
"But Aaron," she started.
"No!" he whisper-screamed. "Go away, go back to bed, and stop bothering me! God, you're annoying!" He rolled over and pulled the blankets over his head.
If doors could close abashedly, his bedroom door did a minute later.
--
Ivy was quiet all the next day. Not the quiet that meant she was planning something-- and it worried Aaron that he already knew the difference-- but an altogether more troubling kind of quiet. Aaron got more and more ashamed as the day went on. She was his little sister, for heaven's sake. She was supposed to be annoying.
But she was also supposed to be irrepressible. Had he managed to repress her?
She found him after dinner. "Aaron? I didn't mean to wake you up. Not to be annoying."
"That's okay," he told her, relieved. "You're not so bad."
--
Someone was watching him.
Aaron blinked awake, then rolled over to meet his sister's eyes. She was leaning on his bed, chin propped on her arms, but she bolted upright when he moved.
"You're awake!" she chirped, then hushed. "I mean. Are you awake?"
"Ugh." Aaron rubbed his eyes. "I guess. Yeah."
She beamed at him. "Yay! Get up! It's Monday!"
He blinked at her enthusiasm. "So? That means school."
"Yeah," she said, "but after school, we can have adventures! Come on, get up!"
It was hard to be mad at somebody so glad to see you.
Aaron got up.
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Vinegar 26 (fasten your safety belt), cola 9 (it’s everywhere you want to be), My Treat (Aaron has acquired a small sister), pocky chain, whipped cream (Ivy is five, Aaron nine).
Word Count: 700
Rating: PG.
Summary: "It's hard to be mad at someone who misses you while you're asleep." -- Bill Watterson
Notes: Inspired by binge-reading Calvin and Hobbes and the sudden realization that Ivy as a child was a lot like Calvin.
Aaron woke up all at once when something landed on him.
"Aaron!" the something screeched in his ear. "Aaron, Aaron, get up, it's Saturday!"
"Huh?" He rubbed his eyes, squinted blearily, and caught a glimpse of red hair.
Oh. Yes. His sister. He had a sister now.
"Go 'way," he said, and pulled the covers over his head.
"Aaron!" She landed on his bed again, thankfully missing him. "Get up! There's so much to do!"
He rolled over, shoved her off the bed, and growled, "Go away!"
Ivy stamped her foot. Aaron wished his dad had never gotten married again.
--
His dad had made oatmeal for breakfast. Aaron sighed when he saw it-- oatmeal? On a Saturday?-- but ate it anyway. Better to just cooperate whenever his dad got on a weird health food kick.
Bizarrely, his dad actually seemed to enjoy it. He didn't think his stepmother even noticed what she was eating. And Ivy...
"Ew!" Ivy said, loudly. "This looks like boogers!"
His stepmother glared at her. "Ivy Sophia!"
"Well, it does," Ivy said, unrepentant.
Aaron, who kind of agreed with her but who also knew what was good for him, wrinkled his nose and added more sugar.
--
He was peacefully reading when Ivy raced into the room, looked frantically around, grabbed one of her chapter books and hopped up on the couch beside him.
Aaron stared down at her. "What...?"
"If Mom asks," Ivy said, in a rush, "I was right here, okay?"
Oh, no. "I'm not gonna lie for you."
She turned and pouted at him. "But you're my brother now! Brothers have to lie for little sisters."
"We do not," Aaron said. "And I'm not gonna."
"Jerk," Ivy said, and stuck her tongue out at him.
Somewhere in the apartment, his stepmother bellowed, "Ivy Sophia!"
--
"How'd it go?" Aaron asked, when Ivy got out of the lecture.
"Grounded," she said, sounding way too cheerful about it.
He winced. "Ouch. I'm sorry."
"I'm not!" she said, brightly, and bounced up to him. "Outside's boring anyway. Now you and me can play together all weekend long! Wanna be pirates first? Or space astronauts? You need a box for that."
Aaron stared at her.
"Or," Ivy said, "cowboys? You can be the horse," she added, persuasively.
Ivy probably deserved to be grounded. His stepmother probably wouldn't un-ground her if Aaron asked.
But maybe if he asked really nicely...
--
Someone was poking him. Aaron opened his eyes, realized he'd been woken up again, and tried not to swear.
He wasn't supposed to know any of those words anyway.
"Aaron!" Ivy hissed, urgently. "Aaron, wake up!"
He looked at his clock. One AM. Really?
"No," he hissed back. "It's too early. I am not going to wake up."
"But Aaron," she started.
"No!" he whisper-screamed. "Go away, go back to bed, and stop bothering me! God, you're annoying!" He rolled over and pulled the blankets over his head.
If doors could close abashedly, his bedroom door did a minute later.
--
Ivy was quiet all the next day. Not the quiet that meant she was planning something-- and it worried Aaron that he already knew the difference-- but an altogether more troubling kind of quiet. Aaron got more and more ashamed as the day went on. She was his little sister, for heaven's sake. She was supposed to be annoying.
But she was also supposed to be irrepressible. Had he managed to repress her?
She found him after dinner. "Aaron? I didn't mean to wake you up. Not to be annoying."
"That's okay," he told her, relieved. "You're not so bad."
--
Someone was watching him.
Aaron blinked awake, then rolled over to meet his sister's eyes. She was leaning on his bed, chin propped on her arms, but she bolted upright when he moved.
"You're awake!" she chirped, then hushed. "I mean. Are you awake?"
"Ugh." Aaron rubbed his eyes. "I guess. Yeah."
She beamed at him. "Yay! Get up! It's Monday!"
He blinked at her enthusiasm. "So? That means school."
"Yeah," she said, "but after school, we can have adventures! Come on, get up!"
It was hard to be mad at somebody so glad to see you.
Aaron got up.