Chapter Text
“I quit this family!” Matty all but growls as he stomps his way into the kitchen. He throws his backpack against the wall where it lands with a thump on the floor, before making his way to the fridge. He opens it, glares inside it for a few moments, before huffing and slamming the door closed.
Lizzy watches the whole interaction from the kitchen table, her homework out in front of her (though her Instagram account is getting more of a work out then her pencil), and smirks as her little brother crosses his arms over his chest and literally pouts at the fridge like it offended him.
She waits for a second, curious if Matty’s tantrum will continue, before sighing, “Nothing pains me more than to ask this, but why are you quitting the family?”
Matty’s glare turns on his sister, “Like you care.” The twelve-year-old grumbles.
Lizzy shrugs, “I’m not saying I’m going to try to change your mind. You can think of my question as...a general curiosity. At this point, I’m up for anything that will keep me away from reading about Charlemagne.”
Matty seems to consider her offer, pouting his lips, before huffing and sitting heavily in a chair across from his sister.
“Dad and Papa grounded me because I got a D on a test!” He explodes.
Lizzy raises an eyebrow, “And…?” She prompts.
Matty’s eyes go wide, “And that’s totally unfair!”
The sixteen-year-old stares at her brother for a moment before bursting out laughing. Matty scoffs before pushing up from the table and heading to the door.
“Wait, wait, wait.” Lizzy says, calming her laughter and making a calming gesture with one outstretched hand, “Come back.” She says.
Matty seems skeptical, but eventually drops back into his chair.
“Okay, so why did you get the D?” She asks.
Matty shrugs, “It was a hard test.”
Lizzy shrugs in response, “So you studied really hard and tried your best? It was just a really difficult test?”
Matty goes to answer but then stops and slumps against his chair with a sigh, “Not...exactly.”
Lizzy tilts her head, “So you didn’t study at all and played video games with Nash instead.”
Matty splutters the beginnings of a few sentences before saying, “It’s not fair! Dad and Papa are being dictators!”
Lizzy laughs softly, “Dictators, maybe. But I have always found them to at least be benevolent dictators.”
Matty stares at her, “What does benevolent mean?”
Lizzy sighs, “It means that they may tell us what to do but at least they’re nice about it.”
Matty considers her words before sighing, “I guess. Nash got punished WAY worse.”
“That’s because there is nothing benevolent about Aunt Rachel.” Lizzy says knowingly, “But don’t tell her I said that.” She warns with a point.
The front door opens and closes down the hall from the kitchen and both Matty and Lizzy turn in its direction.
“The dictators are home.” Matty grumbles, “I should have been practicing my bow.”
Lizzy smirks, “Study next time. And leave the video games for after the test.”
Matty gives a reluctant nod as Kurt and Blaine enter the kitchen with grocery bags in their hands. They stop short when they notice Lizzy and Matty sitting at the kitchen table, “You’re sitting in the same room and there isn’t yelling.” Blaine says.
Kurt looks around the room, “And nothing is broken.”
Lizzy and Matty roll their eyes at the same time, “We can be civil.” Lizzy says.
“Uh huh.” Kurt says, not convinced, as he and Blaine put the groceries on the counter.
“Matty, do you want to help put this stuff away?” Blaine asks.
Matty’s chest puffs out in anger, about to ask why Lizzy doesn’t have to help (is he being further punished?), when he realizes that Blaine is smiling at him and that with Lizzy doing homework, it makes sense for them to ask the child currently not doing anything.
He deflates with a sigh, “Sure.”
Blaine’s smile widens, “Good man. And then you and I are going to study for that make-up test together.” He says, extending a bag of celery toward Matty.
Matty takes the celery with another sigh and a nod, “Okay.” He says, making his way to the fridge.
Kurt and Blaine strike up a conversation about weekend plans and while Matty listens to the conversation, participates some, and puts more groceries away, he figures he doesn’t ACTUALLY want to quit his family. Though he DOES want to quit math...