Chapter Text
Chip hated rainy days, what Big City resident didn’t? Anytime it rained in this city it poured, and it poured hard.
The sidewalks and roads became an absolute nightmare, even if you did happen to own the strongest pair of rainboots in existence. The incessant patter of all that stupid rain against your rooftop was also an incredible annoyance. So obviously the smart thing to do in times like these is to remain inside and spend the day watching tv or something.….too bad their power went out.
Bill was lighting the last of his emergency scented candle supply that very moment. It was like a Bed, Bath, and Yonder right there in the living room.
Everyone in the house was huddled there too, making the already small room seem even more cramped. Chip didn’t know why everyone chose now of all times to hang there, he also didn’t know why he didn’t just grab a candle for himself and head to his room.
Tilly and Cricket laid on the floor, kicking their legs back and forth as they pieced together a puzzle under the candlelight. “Hey Tilly can you hand me that black piece?”
“Which one? They’re all black Cricket, it’s supposed to be a night sky remember?”
Cricket hummed, nodding his head towards his preferred piece as Tilly reached down to pick it out for him. “That one..no not that, the other one…no the one besides that one Tilly..”
Chip sighed, letting his bored gaze travel elsewhere as he slunk further down against the couch’s armrest. Gloria hung sideways off the recliner as she continued dabbling in her latest hobby, art journaling.
Basically scrapbooking, but without the pictures.
“Oh yeah, totally coming together.” Gloria whispered to herself as she tore off a page of Alice’s last week Tuesday Gazette to cut another random shape out with her safety scissors.
Speaking of, Alice was busy contenting herself with petting Dirtbag as he sat curled up in her lap. And Bill, once he’d finally calmed down, realizing he couldn’t just snap his fingers and fix the blackout, had settled into a silent calm as he started whittling a new animal carving, this one was looking like a Sparrow, not that Chip cared obviously.
Yeah, he really should just head to his room. Chip stretched his arms out with a yawn, sinking further down against the cushions. With Bill and Alice both sitting on the couch with him he didn’t have much choice ,but to prop his legs up on the coffee table.
Chip sighed, his cheek smooshing up against the curve of the armrest. He probably looked ridiculous right now, especially with the hood of his sweatshirt riding up and falling over his eyes. The darkness just intensified all the sounds going on around him, the scrape of Bill’s carving knife, Dirtbag’s purring, Gloria’s pen hitting the paper, and of course that stupid pitter patter of the rain as it just, kept falling.
Five more minutes and he’d get up…five more minutes and he’d…
“Hm?” Bill raised his brow as he looked to his side to see Chip freshly unconscious, his quiet, yet high pitched snore giving him away.
Heh, rain must’ve lulled him to sleep. Bill shrugged, reaching over the passed out blonde to toss the couch quilt over him. Chip hummed in his sleep, snuggling deeper against the couch’s arm.
Bill smiled as he turned his focus back to his carving. He loved rainy days, always seemed like they brought the family closer together.
Cricket wasn’t exactly sure when he noticed it, could’a been stirring in the back of his head for weeks, but what he did know, was the moment he couldn’t ignore it any longer.
And that moment came that very afternoon while He, Tilly, Gloria, and Chip were all out at the mall. Gloria needed a to pick up the dress she ordered to wear at her friend’s wedding, (a wedding that may or may not have caused her to have a full on existential crisis days prior) while Chip was on the search for a new pair of sunglasses since his kinda got, miraculously destroyed by an unknown assailant. At least that’s what Cricket told him (hey how was he supposed to know that sunglasses weren’t meant to be used as a makeshift grappling hook?).
Cricket and Tilly decided to tag along to stretch their legs, and maybe also for the slim chance of one of them being able to guilt Gloria and Chip into buying them a milkshake at the food court, Cricket had his bets on Tilly.
Course the only reason they hadn’t been left back at the house in the first place was because of Gramma.
“Ugh, do we have to take you guys everywhere, you know we’re not babysitters!” Chip complained with his arms slumped as Gloria nodded in frustrated agreement.
“Oh no of course not.” Gramma spoke up for them from the couch as she continued knitting herself a little yarn kitty. “After all y’all already have so much to deal with, like paying rent-Oh now wait a minute...”
“Urgh, Touché.” “What’s rent?”
So yeah, their chances of a milkshake were looking pretty slim, but that wasn’t what was getting on Cricket’s nerves. No what was grinding his country gears was the complete shift in their dynamic. Ever since the whole saving his life fiasco, Chip’d been getting way closer with him, Tilly, and Gloria and now the whole balance to their relationship was completely off!
Take now for example, usually whenever him, Gloria, and Tilly happened to be out, Tilly’d more often than not take his side when deciding what wacky hijinks they’d get into next, stead of going along with whatever frilly city activity Gloria propped up.
But, now!?
“Hey should we hit up Flaire’s? I could use a cheap of earrings for Hallie’s wedding.” Gloria asked, her shopping bag hanging off her elbow as she walked.
Tilly hummed in thought as Cricket scoffed. Ain’t no way he was going into a place with that much glitter-
“Ooh, I should totally get hoops this time.” Chip nodded his head emphatically-Wait, this time?-as Tilly then made up her mind and shrugged in agreement. All three of them walked ahead as Cricket slowed to a dumbfounded slog, taking a second to close his eyes and groan in defeat before he jogged after them towards Flaire’s.
Urgh, ten seconds inside and Cricket was already starting to get eye strain, the close space of the shop didn’t help things, felt like everywhere he turned he was about to bump into someone. Not to mention he didn’t even want anything this place was selling to begin with. Still, all the rest of them had to do was pick out a couple of earrings and they’d been on their way. Shouldn’t take too long right? It was just jewelry after all.
“Hmm,” Chip stroked his chin as he looked back and forth between two pairs before snapping his fingers. “Tilly, c’mere I need your advice.”
Tilly poked her head out from behind one of the spinning display cases as Chip showed her the earrings. “Black or silver?”
Tilly hummed, narrowing her eyes and pressing her fingers together beneath her chin. “Black. It’s simple, elegant, and it matches your nails.” Chip’s eyes widened as he looked back at his nails that, yes Cricket had been forced to watch him paint the other day while him, Tilly, and Gloria were all having a ‘spa day’. Whatever that meant.
“Tilly, you’re a genius.” Tilly nodded graciously as she walked around the spinning display case. “Now the real question is,” Tilly raised up two sets of necklaces, one with a dog pendant, the other with a cat. “Puppers or Ki’cats?”
“Uh easy cats, every time.” Gloria piped up as she walked up from behind them. “You’re a cat person at heart Tilly, never forget it.”
“I’m a friend to all animals-cept snakes and horses-,but your recommendation is duly noted.” Tilly nodded as she set down the other necklace.
“I meant aesthetic wise.” Gloria shrugged before gesturing to the dangly earrings in her grip. “Think I’ll go with these, they’re purple so they’ll match my dress.” Oh thank goodness, they were finally gonna get to leav-
Chip and Tilly shared a look.
Gloria groaned. “What is it?”
“That’s not the same shade as your dress, it’ll totally throw everything off.” Chip supplied bluntly.
“What?? They’re totally the same shade. They’re lilac just like my dress.”
“Gloria your dress is clearly Wisteria.” Tilly argued.
“Wha-No way, oh hold on maybe it is-”
Cricket tuned everything out around him with a deep seated groaned. “Urghh, this is torture!” Everyone paused to look at him. “How are y’all not dying of boredom right now!?”
Gloria and Chip kinda just looked at each other with a frown and a shrug. “Mhm.”
Cricket groaned again, running his hands down his face. Tilly tilted her head as she took a step towards him. “You know brother, we don’t often get to do things like this-”
“Well we sure have a lot more lately!” Cricket argued, throwing his arms out in frustration. “I don’t get it Tilly, how can y’all have so much fun with frilly stuff like this?” It’s not like he wanted to be left out ,but, like seriously.
Tilly frowned at that, glancing towards the floor with a shrug. “I don’t know, I guess I like being a bit ‘frilly’ every now and then again, just as much as I love being wild and hectic with you brother.”
Now it was Cricket’s turn to frown, he lowered his arms in confusion. Urgh, he thought that maybe with Chip coming to live with them, it’d be cool to have an extra guy in the house ,but boy was he-
“That said Cricket, maybe if you let loose and, gave some of this a shot too, you might actually have fun.” Tilly finished, casually clasping her hands together. “After all I didn’t see you shopping for yourself none.”
Cricket scoffed, folding his arms. “Tilly I don’t even have my ears pierced.” And he couldn’t have them pierced til he was thirteen (or forty depending on whether you asked Mom or Dad).
“Well duh that’s what clip ons are for.” Chip snarked, gesturing over his shoulder at the wall of magnetic earrings. “Especially if you uh keep chickening out of getting them actually pierced, til eventually they just have to hold you down while you’re kicking and scream-heh, not that I would know anything about that.” Chip finished with a forced laugh. Gloria patted him on the back.
Cricket rolled his eyes. “Listen I appreciate y’all trying to include me, but there’s nothing in this store that I’d wanna wear any-”
“They’ve got Barry Cuda merch.” Chip sang, not looking up from his phone as he lifted the singing bass earrings.
“………….” Cricket blinked, lowering his head with a sigh as he walked over and made grabby hands.
“Gimme.”
He uh, may or may not have also nabbed a America Rat snap bracelet on their way to checkout.
Okay so maybe the dynamic shift wasn’t so bad after all, at least that was Cricket’s current mindset as he sat at the dinner table that night taking whatever excuse he could to dramatically turn his head back and forth so he could flaunt his totally cool Barry Cuda earrings, definitely almost hitting Gramma in the face with them several times.
After all it wasn’t like things were completely different. Tilly was still more than ready than to help him throw down during that night’s mud football tournament against Chip and Gloria.
Poor Chip looked like a swamp creature by the time they all went inside.