Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sun began to set on a typical fall day. The work day was over but the evening is just early enough for the youthful townsfolk who longed to start their hard earned and heavily sought after weekend. It was finally their time to enjoy life unbound even if just for an evening and two days. The seasonal chill breezed through the neighborhood as signs of gray began to take shape on the horizon. Still, hues of reds, yellows and oranges colored the rest of the sky as the night stars had just become visible above an unsuspecting house in an unsuspecting neighborhood. This seemingly innocent household only appeared that way to the equally unsuspecting people that passed by but inside were residents who are anything but. It was the home of none other than Dave Seville, an experienced and successful commercial musician and manager to his three chipmunk sons. His three sons once had a popular music troupe, but eventually decided that it was time for a break in order to focus on a quieter life and a more grounded future so that they could really benefit from their limelight success. Besides some occasional troublemaking, they really were good boys. However, these three wouldn’t be the good young men they are now were it not for their father as well as their neighbors and closest companions -- three chipmunk girls as fun and responsible as any modern lady. One time ago, they once called a treehouse that rooted in one yard but leaned towards the Sevilles’ yard home, but now it serves as a perfect in between for the boys and girls to hang out on an evening just like this, or to be at least somewhat independent again since they were taken in by a kindly old woman whom they consider their mother. 

On this frosty fall Friday evening, the backdoor of the Seville house flung open and the boys headed out into the backyard towards the girls’ treehouse. For all six of the chipmunks, the treehouse’s entrance was renovated to include an extra passageway from the Seville yard into the Miller yard which would take them right to the staircase.
“Yo-You said it was going to be a comedy,” one of the three boys stuttered. “R-Right, Alvin?” He was the shortest of the three and more stout but dressed in a cozy green hoodie and blue jeans. His hair, light in tone like his fur complexion, showed signs of an attempt to properly brush, only to have given up when it was a futile effort.

“Don’t sweat it Theo,” Alvin answered while walking between his brothers in a red baseball cap. He led them in confidence like a natural born leader, even if his completely unkempt hair and worn out red zip up jacket and faded blue jeans led one to believe otherwise. His fur pattern was darker than Theodore’s but not as dark as their third brother, Simon. “We are watching a fun movie. It’ll be fun!”

“Funny how you didn’t answer his question Alvin,” Simon, the third brother, responded with skepticism in his tone. Simon was the tallest and oldest of the three and while Alvin would try to take control of any situation, Simon was the one they all looked to first and it showed with his well brushed hair, clean fitting glasses and a blue hued neat and tidy outfit consisting of pants and a button-up long-sleeve underneath a buttoned sweater. 

“Did too,” Alvin answered.

“He asked if it was going to be a comedy, not a fun movie.”

“Hey, comedies can be fun!”

“Fun movies for you Alvin might not be fun movies for Theodore.”

“Come on, Theodore is a man now, so it’s finally time for the really fun movies. Isn’t that right Theo?”

“Right Alvin,” Theodore chimed in, though his answer was faster than his head and closed back up again after seeing Simon’s look. “Well… maybe not that kind of man…”

“Alvin,” Simon ordered.

“Fine fine fine, it’s a comedy Halloween special.”

“Alvin,” Simon commanded again with a sigh.

“Yeah yeah I know. I’m telling you the truth this time! Besides, I already got the third degree from Eleanor.”

“El-Eleanor is back from her lessons tonight? That's weird I didn't get a text,” Theodore spoke up with a renewed perk in his step. Alvin caught notice of this and gestured to Simon who also smiled. 

“Maaaybe. Could be. Why do YOU want to know,” Alvin teased. Simon didn’t always allow Alvin to tease their baby brother, but even he couldn’t resist this time, crossing his arms with a smile at Theodore who began to turn red.

“Come on you guys,” Theodore cried out. “It wouldn’t be fun without her. And I’m tired of being the fifth wheel to your guys’ date nights.”

“D-Date night?” This time, it was Simon and Alvin’s turn and their big cheeks rosened when they let out that phrase in unison. Picking up on it, Theodore smirked with a smug air all his own. 

“Well duh,” Theodore played. “Alvin, we both know that you and Brittany are just gonna end up cuddling on the couch during the movie like you do every time.”

“Do not!” Alvin cried before covering up his mouth as Simon chuckled.

“It is almost involuntary, isn’t it,” Simon egged on.

“Shut it brainiac!”

“And Simon,” Theodore started, catching their attention. Alvin was ready to bite back as Simon’s eyes widening and his face burning up immediately. “Don’t you and Jeanette want to go out? You choke up and talk about something else every time your relationship with her comes up.”

“H-have not!”

“Suuuure lover boy,” Alvin mocked before laughing at his flustered.

“Oh you be quiet.”

“See? Fifth wheel.”

“Take it easy there shorty,” Alvin sneered, cheeks still warm. Theodore flinched from his brother's words. “You’re not out of the dog house yet..” The three continued to bicker the entire time it took to get to the end of the yard. It was a special walkway built for the boys with decorations courtesy of the girls, where the treehouse looked over them as if it were inviting them to walk right through the chipmunk sized door and up the staircase. 

“Look, all I’m sayin’ is that we don’t do that every time. Or at all!” Alvin continued.

“And Jeanette and I have discussed this in detail before. With proper citation,” Simon added to his own argument. “We decided that the way we are now as friends is just… just fine. Just fine.”

“Just fine,” Alvin teased, causing Simon to look away trying to hide his blushing face again.

“Just fine!”

“Just fine he says,” Alvin mocked again as they approached the front door from atop the staircase.

“Ugh, just knock on the door already!”

“ I’m knocking! Get off my back!” Alvin shouted and knocked on the door, almost as obnoxious and sarcastic as his tone.

“They probably already heard you coming a yard away.”

“Listen you-” Before Alvin could finish his rebuttal, the boys heard a soft familiar but lively voice from the other side, followed by a creaking of the hinges.

“Come on in boys,” a soft, perfectly pitched voice called out from the other side. The voice belonged to one of the girls, wearing a shirt underneath a pink cardigan and matching skirt. She was almost as tall as Alvin, whose fur tone complimented his own albeit just a pigment lighter like the long hair she had tied into a neat ponytail. As she made herself seen with flair, the boys immediately noticed her big smile and rosie cheeks. Alvin in particular couldn't help but look at her with a raised expression as if she were glowing -- even if he did not realize it himself. The three greeted her as they entered the treehouse, but not before Alvin snapped out of his daze, forcing himself to stay cool. 

“Sup Britt,” Alvin said in too casual a tone to hide his enthusiasm. Brittany felt a little disappointed by his act but kept a chipper expression towards the other two chipmunk brothers. 

“Hey Brittany,” Simon and Theodore followed in near unison as they waved to her. Brittany returned the gesture and led the way as Simon closed the door behind all of them. 

“Just in time,” Brittany let out. “Let’s get our weekend started!”

“Where’s Jeanette,” Alvin asked as he kept his hands in his jacket pockets. 

“Huh? Oh, yeah we were, like, just finishing up the food for tonight.” With her hands on her hips, Brittany looked over her shoulder to the treehouse’s kitchen and called out for her sister. “How’s it coming in there, Jean?” All of the chipmunks in the entryway looked on but immediately cringed at the sound of pans and dishes clanking erratically, followed by a softer, yet slightly lower pitched yelp. 

“I-I-It’s coming along alright,” the voice in the kitchen cried out. “I-whoops! I-hold on j-just a moment!”

“ We, Britt,” Alvin asked. He raised an eyebrow at Brittany who answered with rolling her eyes. 

“Yes we. WE were getting it ready,” Brittany answered and with a flip in her voice, continued. “Buuut now I get to be hostess!”

“Uh-huh, suuuure.”

“Oh, Brittany?” Theodore asked, interrupting Alvin and Brittany making rude faces at one another. “Where’s Eleanor? She’s supposed to be home now, right?” Brittany cleared her throat as she lowered her eyebrows. 

“I’m sorry Theodore, but Eleanor…” Brittany paused. “Is going to be late tonight. She texted me a bit ago that her tutoring session was extended. I’m really sorry.”

“O-Oh…” Theodore lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with Brittany as his mouth curved downward. Brittany, Alvin and Simon went back and forth between the three of them, silently trying to think of something to say to Theodore but each of them weren’t too eager to start. That is until Brittany decided to step up. She gave Theodore an assuring grin, placed a hand on his shoulder and gestured towards the kitchen.

“Hey,” she started in a nurturing voice, catching Theodore’s attention. “Why don’t you go and help Jeanette out so we can get started, huh? We can still have fun tonight!” Brittany then nudged Alvin to pick up where she left off. At first he didn’t understand and took her touch as aggressive, but with one quick glare at him, he understood. 

“Y-Yeah,” Alvin let out. “Yeah exactly Theo! You’re the iron chef after all and I bet she could use all the help she could get. With you in there, we’ll be chowing down and watching a movie in no time.” Theodore was almost coming around, which helped Alvin pass the baton and bump his elbow into Simon, except the knowledgeable chipmunk had already caught on to finish their joint effort as he sneered at his painfully obvious brother and adjusted his glasses. 

“Not to mention I’d wager Eleanor will probably be pretty hungry when she gets back,” Simon added in a slightly dramatic way. It was just what Theodore wanted to hear and he quickly got a skip in his step again. 

“You’re right,” Theodore spoke up, puffing out his chest. “Hold on Jeanette, I’m on my way!” Theodore looked on with confidence as the other three congratulated each other in silence. Only, right before the youngest chipmunk headed to the kitchen, they were all surprised by another round of clanking and crashing. 

“Wh-What did you say-ow! Who’s doing what?”

Theodore ran to go help the panicked Chipette leaving the other three to let out a breath of relief as they stepped into the living room. With the two boys distracted, Brittany grew a smug grin across her face.

“Uhm, shouldn’t you get in there and help too, Simon,” she teased. Again, she nudged Alvin and just like before it took a brief moment to catch on before he too got caught in Brittany’s scheme. 

“Riiiight, I bet you would be plenty of help in there, Si,” Alvin added. 

“I-I-I-,” Simon stuttered as he grew flustered but made a swift turn to the other direction away from their gazes to collect himself. “I’m not a cook, you guys know that.”

“Oh come on Si,” Brittany cooed, fluttering her eyes even though Simon kept looking elsewhere. “You’re the science guy. Cooking is totally like a kind of science!”

“I can heat and temper many kinds of mixtures in a lab just fine. But…,” Simon cleared his throat. “Well let’s just say I burn water making instant soup… Trust me, you do not want me in there helping.”

Brittany and Alvin looked at each other in disbelief, but Simon caught on and changed the subject. “Besides Brittany, didn’t you say your TV was on the fritz and it couldn’t connect to your streaming box correctly? Now that is something I CAN handle.”

Simon broke free from their catlike eyes on him and helped himself to slide behind the girls’ entertainment center. He adjusted his glasses and pulled out a pen light to take a better look at the problem. 

“Since when was your TV broken,” Alvin asked.

“Since yesterday,” Brittany quickly answered but then leaned closer to whisper into Alvin’s ear. “But that is so not the point.” Alvin looked at her as she cocked an eyebrow and shrugged her shoulders.

“Ohhh…”

Taking no more than a few moments digging and prodding the backside of the TV and all the tangled cords associated with the girls’ devices, Simon popped out from behind in his own personal eureka. He pulled out a small brown nugget at the tip of a wire.

“There’s the problem,” Simon said, turning to Brittany who tried to feign naivety. 

“Oh,” she let out, putting a hand to her chin and looked to a corner of the room. 

“Well, for starters it wasn’t even plugged in. And second, there appears to be a…” Simon said at a loss. “An ‘acorn toasty bite’ stuck to the connector pins?” Alvin slowly turned to Brittany who made no effort to look at either of them. “Now how on Earth did that-” before Simon could finish Alvin shrugged, took the kernel from Simon’s hand, tossed it into the air and caught it in his mouth.

“Sweet! I love ‘Acorn Toasty Bites’.”

“Ewww, Alvin,” Brittany shrieked in disgust. “That was so gross!”

“Aw come on, it was still clean and… full of electrolytes, get it?” Alvin held onto his gut from his own laughter as Brittany stomped her foot and pointed to the bathroom. “Yeah yeah I’m getting the mouth wash,” he said as he calmed down and headed over, chuckling to himself. “No one’s got a sense of humor anymore.”

Eventually the cooking came to an end and the rest of the night at last started for the five chipmunks. The bright and vibrant scenes from the movie illuminated the treehouse just as well as the laughter and joyful bantering towards the screen made by its viewers. Throughout the movie’s run, Theodore kept a steady attention as nothing could prevent him from having fun with everyone but every once in a while, even in moments unbeknownst to himself, he caught a glimpse of the room around him. To no one’s surprise but their own, Alvin and Brittany were closer than when they started. Alvin had his arm draped over the back of the couch but close enough to be around Brittany’s shoulders. Meanwhile Brittany had curled her legs onto the couch and leaned towards Alvin as she picked food off of his plate, neither of them seeming to mind. Then Theodore noticed Simon watching the movie intently as if he was trying to pick it apart. This was normal Theodore thought, but it was Jeanette who couldn’t help but glance over to Simon from time to time as they sat next to each other, hoping no one would catch her. Theodore looked up above the entertainment center to all of the framed photos of the girls that decorated their second home. To him, the missing Chipette stood out the most, her absence leaving a feeling in him that he didn’t think too much about earlier. He couldn’t have known what kind of expression he made when he saw the picture of Eleanor, but if it was anything like how he felt, it must have not been a normal one for him, so with a quiet sigh he looked back to the TV. 

The door to the treehouse creaked open slowly, as if it were a struggle to push it forward. The entryway felt darker than usual, save for the shades of gray and faint colors that gave a thin light to the living room from the TV, though from the door no one would be able to see anything more specific. 

“Ugh,” a soft voice audibly groaned. “I’m so exhausted.” The figure stepped into the dimly lit living room, her blonde pigtails and light fur pattern glowed and bounced off her primarily green outfit consisting of an overcoat, thin tights underneath her shorts and a long sleeve shirt. She had a large backpack slung over one shoulder with the other dangling as if it gave up. Making her way inside she was too distracted with her phone checking any and all notifications not feeling any better. “It’s already so late,” she whispered to herself yet, from the corner of her eye she noticed the company she expected. She stiffened up at the hope of them not seeing her this way and put a smile on her face right as she was within eyesight. 

“Sup Eleanor,” Alvin said, having his arms around Brittany.

“Ellie,” Brittany exclaimed as she rose up from Alvin’s embrace. “Welcome home! It’s about time.” Eleanor looked around to see that only Alvin and Brittany were sitting on the couch. 

“Movie night’s kind of over already…huh,” Eleanor let out.

“Sorta, you just missed the first movie,” Brittany explained.

“Yeah we’re just about to fire up the next one.”

“Where’s everyone else?”

“Theo didn’t want to watch a scary movie so Simon and Jeanette walked him back home. I guess Simon must have walked Jeanette back too.”

“Oh… they already left,” Eleanor sighed as she looked at the two, holding each other then back to meet their warm expressions.

“Take a seat!” Alvin said, leaning over Brittany to pat the seat beside them.

“Thaaat’s okay. Wouldn’t want to get in your guys’ way.”

At first the two chipmunks on the couch looked at Eleanor confused, but when they switched to look at each other, their faces turned red. For what seemed like less than a personal moment, they smiled at each other once they met each other’s gaze, but as quickly as it came, so too did it leave and they snapped out of it, kicking off each other.

“Woah woah, so not cool Eleanor,” Alvin complained as he scooted over to the arm rest and adjusted his cap to hide his blush.

“S-Seriously Ellie,” Brittany added as she re-adjusted her skirt and smoothed out her ponytail looking away from Alvin to Eleanor in embarrassment. “Way to make it totally weird!” Eleanor raised an eyebrow in doubt.

“Riiiight,” Eleanor said. “So… I guess we’re all done for the night, huh?”

“Sorry Ellie,” Brittany tried to comfort her youngest sister. “We know how much this tutoring job is for you. Extra credits and all that. We were kind of hoping that you’d walk into a party, y’know?”

“N-No, it’s okay really! I’m glad you all had a great time, I just got held up, that’s all,” Eleanor picked herself up. “I…I guess I’ll just go get dinner started. Bet you guys are all still hungry from eating just popcorn or candy, right? What do you want?”

“U-Uhm… actually,” Brittany began as she put a finger to her lip, hesitant to continue. “We kinda… already had dinner.”

“Y-You did?” 

“Yup and ate it too,” Alvin chimed in without any sense of grace. 

“And ate it too,” Eleanor felt herself shrink back down. 

“Oh yeah there was a bit of an accident with the first try, so Jeanette and Theodore made this awesome sample platter with like homemade meatballs, jalapeno pop-” Brittany glared at Alvin and gave him a swift elbow jab to his arm to get him to stop talking.

“B-But there’s still plenty of leftovers for you and Miss Miller! Theo made sure of that!” Despite all that she missed, Eleanor smiled to herself when she heard that remark. Inside, it was a short lived moment, but nonetheless she kept smiling at Alvin and Brittany.

“W-Well that’s great then! I’m gonna… gonna go do that then. After a much needed bath back at the house.”

“Are you sure? You don’t want to just stay the night here since you walked all this way?”

“Positive! You guys have fun,” Eleanor turned around back to the doorway. Not even several steps into the treehouse before she headed right back out again. Making sure the door had firmly shut behind her, Eleanor immediately slumped over onto it, letting herself slide down an inch before getting back up. Exhausted, she blew raspberries to the open air, then took in a large breath that chilled her lungs as she looked toward the Miller household. It was a bit of a walk for someone their size but as safe as can be as it was all within their own backyard so Eleanor didn’t mind the distance too much. She felt the night breeze brush through her hair and fur and enjoyed the feeling. Except this solace came to an immediate halt by a sudden mix of shouting and shrieking voices behind her. Eleanor whipped her head to the door, her heart racing but to her surprise it remained shut. The voices came from inside so she knew exactly who those voices belonged too and why she heard them from the outside. She was curious, but not curious enough to go back inside and kept on as she rolled her eyes. Then the door creaked back open and slammed, catching Eleanor off guard another time. 

“Yo Ellie,” Alvin called out, making a quick pace to catch up to her. 

“Alvin? What are you doing out here?”

“Well,” Alvin began, clearing his throat and rubbing the back of his neck. “A-After you came in and absolutely made a fuss, Brittany and I-- out of mutual concern for you-- decided that I should walk you home.”

“Really,” Eleanor asked, her doubt could not have been more obvious, even to Alvin.

“Yup!”

“Please Alvin, I could hear you two from the outside. You’re not exactly subtle.” Alvin’s eyes opened wider and his cheeks turned red. 

“S-So you heard all that-” he then quickly whipped his head. “The point is, we still think that I should walk you back home. Britt was worried. A-And me too!” The two paused for a second while a lingering silence creeped in as Alvin tried to avoid Eleanor’s doubtful eye.

“Kicked out, huh?”

“I’m choosing to consider it: ‘Calling it a night’!” Eleanor giggled and nodded for him to follow.

“Come on.”

“Thanks Ellie.” They left the treehouse together in silence but as they approached the end of the staircase that touched the grass of the backyard, Eleanor spoke up again. 

“It’s just the backyard, I can walk by myself, y'know.”

“The world’s a big place for such a small chipmunk Eleanor, you could get lost.”

“Har Har.”

Chapter Text

The sun began to rise over a morning painted with distant streaks of red and orange over the lingering gray from a surprise snow filled night before. There was a late fall, early winter chill already in the air but the real cold hasn’t quite arrived. It wasn’t warm either but with the right coat it was cozy. In the Miller household, the lady of the house as well as her three daughters slept soundly still, comfortable and free enough in their schedules to sleep the morning away. All except for one. The youngest of the Miller women sat up in her bed, her golden hair puffed out not in her usual twin tails. She stretched and yawned as she tried to keep her eyes open against their heavy weight. The longer she was up the more she managed to fight her clearly tired body. Thanks to her desire to get out of bed it eventually caught up with her and with feet forced onto the ground she at last stood up in the darkened room where her sisters still slept. She looked around at the dim and foggy gray, how peaceful it was this early and smiled. 

Fixing her twisted green sleeping gown she headed out the door and to the stairs. The Miller house was already a large and open-air house clearly built for a family or at least many guests, but to a chipmunk that same vast space felt all the more obvious. Each step felt like four and a long exhausting day turns into near unbearable for someone so small as Eleanor and her sisters. Eleanor didn’t mind, most of the time, in fact she welcomed it when she had the motivation to make it into a workout. Much like her room the downstairs floor had a dim and dulling effect on her eyes with every window curtained and the sky outside cloudy. After another uncontrollable yawn she made her way into the kitchen then hopped onto the island bar stool. From there she lifted her nightgown up just enough to give her legs a little more freedom and leapt across the way onto the kitchen counter. 

“Thank goodness Miss Miller wasn’t around to see that,” Eleanor whispered to herself. “She’d flip.” She hummed along as she stepped around the kitchen sink and turned on the coffee maker. She didn't need to do that as she used to, but when no one was around she did it anyway. The girls’ mugs were noticeably smaller than Miss Miller's and given their height they were kept on a custom stand close to the counter away from any human sized cabinet. She grabbed the nearby coffee kit,placed the filter into the coffee maker and next the grounded up coffee itself. The machine rumbled and in time the coffee mixed with the hot water boiled and spurted, then poured down into the mug. Eleanor looked on mesmerized at the comforting rise of the steam, keeping her fixated with its intoxicating aroma. Nothing else mattered to her in that moment than her mug filling up with her much needed coffee. Yet in the meantime she still prepared her sisters’ and mother's mug as she did every morning, placing them nearby with an individualized spoon ready for when they woke up. Her own mug finally filled up to the rim and it never looked so good to the still waking Chipette. With one sip, she became immediately more alert and ready for her day. She sighed in relief at the sudden heat then returned to normal temperature giving her exactly what she wanted. Placing the coffee mug on a stool, Eleanor hopped off the counter, picked the mug back up and headed towards the backdoor, but not before grabbing her appropriate green robe.

The sky was covered in thick clouds keeping the morning in a muted lull. The streaks of sunrise distantly away and not yet through the layer. The ground below Eleanor’s slippers was crunchy from the snow that fell from the night before. The rigid air sent a shiver throughout her body but she accepted that -- embraced it even. She took a deep breath of that air, let it out with a grin to herself and headed towards their treehouse. Each time the wind got just a little too much for her she would hover her mouth over her still hot mug and take an occasional sip, not wanting to drink it all by the time she gets to the patio. With her chipmunk stature, she never could reach the tip of the fence and lean over like she always wanted to, so she found the next best thing: leaning over the porch of the treehouse. She got a better view anyways she thought to herself. When she got to the top of the steps, she immediately went for the railing and rested most of her weight onto it, mug in hand ready to really get her morning started. The sights from above in the treehouse patio were the same as they were every morning. It was quiet and lifeless save the rare car driving down the nearby neighborhood street and she couldn't ask for more. Things stayed the same and to Eleanor that was a good thing. One thing, however, was not the same as always and it immediately caught her attention. Down below in the Seville backyard a familiar blue hue clothed Chipmunk with glasses leaned onto the fence near their entrance to the Miller yard with a mug of his own. His hair was messy and he didn’t wear a coat nearly as padded as Eleanor, instead he wore a simple hoodie and pajama pants. Despite his height being the tallest of his brothers and the Chipettes even he wasn't able to go over either the top of the fence. Eleanor smiled and spoke up. 

“Well hey there neighbor,” Eleanor teased, making it very obvious to catch Simon completely off guard. Simon nearly dropped his mug from the sudden shock. 

“Wha-who-” Simon stuttered as he frantically looked around until finally seeing Eleanor high up above. “Oh-Oh,” he muttered as he calmed himself down, seeing some drops of coffee make a stain on the snow. He adjusted his glasses and appropriately greeted her. “G-Good morning Eleanor.” He did his best to keep up his emotionless composure but Eleanor giggled anyway. “What are you doing out here so early?”

“Probably the same reason you're out here too,” Eleanor playfully answered as she rested her chin in her palm. Simon looked up to her then to his own mug and smirked. 

“Yes, I s-suppose you're correct.” 

“Since when do you come out here for your morning cup of joe?” 

“Well, under normal circumstances I either head to my workshop for my coffee or the front porch. But…”

“Buuuut?” Eleanor waited for his answer.

“Hmm,” Simon paused to think. “I don't really have a particular explanation for the sudden exception to my habitual behavior.”

“Just felt like it?” 

“Yeah, just felt like it.”

“Well gee Simon,” Eleanor exclaimed. “I'm out here all the time! You should come around more.”

“You are? How often are you out here?”

“Well… I try to head out here when I can. Y'know when the weather is good. That or I don't have any morning classes or meetings.”

“Likewise.” 

“Sometimes you just want some cold morning air, peace and quiet.” Eleanor said as she turned around and leaned her back over the porch to stretch, similar to how Simon leaned on the fence. 

“Agreed.” The two had a moment of harmony, but then an immediate revelation and grew embarrassed.

“Buuut I guess hanging out isn't exactly ‘peace and quiet', huh?”

“Heh, I suppose not. It is rather contradictory.” After the awkward silence came between them, the two shared a small chuckle and took sips from their coffee. Eleanor spoke up and broke the silence again.

“Dark roast?”

“N-No actually, light. Dark is-a… too bitter. Even with a creamer.”

“Huh,” Eleanor paused, almost sarcastically. 

“What?”

“Heh, nothing. Just color me surprised is all.” Eleanor smiled at Simon, who gave her a quick grin then looked away. “Sooo, you… save the world last night or something?”

“Save the world?” 

“Yeah in your game! Or were you working on something to save real life, you know, in your workshop?”

“Well… saving the world isn't exactly that likely in any regard. But no, I was just studying for a midterm-”

“With Jeanette?” Eleanor had to ask. Simon cleared his throat nervously as Eleanor raised an eyebrow.

“Y-Yes. With Jeanette.” His cheeks are now beginning to redden. 

“I figured as much.” Simon quickly went in for another sip from his coffee mug, almost burning himself in the process but to him it was a necessary sacrifice. Eleanor smirked and decided to tease again. “So after the movie, you guys went to study? Alone? Iiiiiin the basement?”

“Not like that!” Simon let out before shrinking back into his hoodie. “But you already knew that. She texted you.”

“Bingo.”

“We wanted to head back to the treehouse because it would be more convenient for Jeanette.”

“What a gentleman.”

“But-”

“Let me guess. Alvin-” Eleanor began.

“And Brittany,” Simon finished. 

“I know your pain, Si,” Eleanor answered back. As she spoke up she did so with a playful eye roll at the absent subjects of their conversation. “So like last week, Miss Miller had this anniversary thing and I wanted to try a new kind of cake. And of course, she WOULD be home when I'm starting to bake-”

“With Theodore?” Simon tried to tease back, getting Eleanor to notice with her cheeks turning red. She scoffed then stuck her tongue out. 

“Yes, with Theodore. I love him to death but that boy cannot keep a secret to save his life, especially in the moment when everyone’s excited. Even a little tiny one like that. So I told him that it was for a class meeting and that we were making brownies… which then of course he started talking to Miss Miller about it in the living room!”

“And this led to… Alvin and Brittany…?”

“Huh,” Eleanor let out. “Oh-Oh yeah right. So anyways, the plan was to move everything over to the treehouse. Buuuut…”

“Alvin and Brittany were there?”

“Oh my gosh yes! And it's so awkward walking in on them! First of all, it's not a secret you guys.”

“Tell me about it. We are all aware of your ‘not’ relationship.”

“I know right? And then when you DO walk in on them you feel awkward and they feel awkward…” 

“And then they'll try to make it more awkward for you as a punishment for making it awkward for them.” Simon let out a chuckle before taking a sip as Eleanor giggled from inside her own mug while she drank. There was another break in the conversation as they let out held breaths and enjoyed the morning before the sun completely broke through the clouds. 

“You want to come in,” Eleanor offered as Simon noticed her gesturing to the door of the treehouse with a nod.

“Thank you but I'm fine,” Simon politely declined. Eleanor acknowledged with a quick shrug of her shoulders. For a while longer this morning the two continued their conversation as the coffee in their mugs diminished. For the most part Simon happily smiled and nodded as Eleanor commanded the conversation, occasionally adding in his own input. Once they noticed that the skies were getting brighter behind the layer of clouds and that their mugs were completely empty, they brought their conversation to an end. 

“Well…” Eleanor started. “Guess we should be heading back.”

“Agreed,” Simon said back as he looked into the bottom of his mug. 

“Brittany’s probably up now bugging Jeanette to make her coffee.”

“Oh? Does she have an early day today?”

“Yup, photo shoot. They could only pencil it in on weekends. You wouldn’t believe how much she fought on that.”

“Luckily for us, Alvin is still probably in a deep sleep. He'd probably just cancel or reschedule if he was in that position.”

“No kidding. I'm surprised Brittany didn't.” Eleanor took her one last chance at teasing Simon. “And you're not coming over to bail out your lady?” Simon nearly choked on his own saliva and looked away embarrassed. 

“I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!”

“Just messin’ with ya Si. I'll take care of it, don't worry.”

“Th-Thank you. It's probably too early to go- wait,” Simon quickly caught himself as Eleanor stuck her tongue out again. “And she's not-”

“I know I know.” Eleanor took a deep breath and let it out into the open air. A smile formed over her face as she spoke to herself. “Some things never change.”

“What was that,” Simon asked curiously.

“Nothin’,” Eleanor nodded. Simon pushed off the fence and got ready to head back inside.

“I will talk to you later Eleanor,” he said before turning away. “Feel free to text me too. I'm sure we'll be hanging out soon enough.”

“Bet on it! Don't be a stranger Si, even when we're all together. We've only known each other for years, you know.” 

Simon smiled and said “Thank you. You as well.” 

“Let me know next time you ‘break the habit’. I'll make you a cup too.” Eleanor smiled at Simon, who returned the gesture. 

“Thank you.”

“Light roast? Creamer?”

“Precisely. I look forward to it.”

Chapter Text

Eleanor headed up the stairs as the morning continued on. It was brighter, livelier and far more vibrant in the house now that lights were turned on and curtains were pulled back despite what little sunlight managed to get through the clouds from outside. Coming up to the second floor on the way to her and her sisters’ bedroom with a mug of extra coffee in hand, Eleanor could hear Brittany’s melodic humming. She couldn’t quite make out which tune she hummed along to but she figured it was sure to be one of their greatest hits. Just like downstairs, the curtains in the upstairs windows were also parted and ceiling lights provided more clarity from each of the opened bedrooms, showing now that all of the Miller women had woken up to join Eleanor. The only one of them she couldn’t account for was the Lady Miller, but before heading up Eleanor noticed that her cup of coffee had already been used and left to soak in the sink.

“Mornin’ Britt,” Eleanor said while she approached the loft between the rooms where she heard and felt the pitter-patter of Brittany’s feet going around.

“Gooood morning Ellie,” Brittany nearly sang as she headed out of one room and into the other to get herself ready. She already changed out of her pink designer sleepwear and walked throughout the hall in a matching hot pink robe with her hair in a towel.

“You’re awfully chipper,” Eleanor answered back. “Someone excited for their photoshoot today?”

“They must be! Anyone would be honored and excited to have me as their model for the day. Ask the other scheduled clients.” Brittany said this with such confidence that it would impress anyone who heard it, all except for those truly closest to her. She paid little attention to everything but her morning routine that she didn’t see Eleanor catching up and playfully rolling her eyes.

“That’s the spirit Britt. Knock ‘em dead,” Eleanor let out a hint of sass in her voice with a quick yawn.

“I always do. But today is special.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Because these shots are going to be used to promote the ‘Big City Festival’ concert!”

“Wow, that’s great! Is it that time of year already? When’s the audition?” Eleanor snuck in behind Brittany in the spare room the Miller girls fitted to be a dressing room and politely sat with one leg crossing over the other in an extra chair behind her sister who sat at one of the vanity desks.

“Pfft, auditions?” Brittany asked sarcastically. “Alvin and I already have our set planned. We just need that blank check from Mr. Rochelle when we go to his office next month to get it started.”

“Oh, because you guys are just so going to get the performance then and there, right?” Brittany let out a catty laugh at her sister’s question.

“Dear baby sister, we get it every year and this year is no different. Honestly, they might as well just put our names on it as a permanent fixture.”

“What if you have competition this year?”

“We never do. If you could even call those other auditions ‘competition’.”

“This year could be different. You never know.”

“Oh yeah? Who’s going to try? You and Theodore? ”

“Well… what if we are?”

“Are you?” Eleanor locked her eyes with Brittany who looked from the corner of her view through the mirror’s reflection, refusing to give any more effort. Then they both smirked and soon after giggled, breaking their facade.

“No, we’re not,” Eleanor answered playfully, but then Brittany gasped and turned around to face Eleanor with a warm smile on her face.

“Ellie you totally should though!”

“What,” Eleanor asked, surprised by her reaction.

“Totally! If you guys join me and Alvin and-and we get Jeanette and Simon too, it could be like the old days! Think… a ‘Chipmunk Reunion’ concert!”

“Even though we never separated?”

“You so know what I mean.”

“Do I?” Eleanor shrugged. “Well, as fun as that sounds, you know that’s just not really us anymore.”

“Nonsense,” Brittany scoffed, flipping back to her mirror. “It’s always going to be who you are, even if you avoid it. You’re a Miller and a Chipette, through and through. It’s in your blood.”

“Riiight,” Eleanor half-heartedly answered while she took another sip of her coffee. Her eyes wandered away from Brittany at the desk towards the open doorway across the hall. “Speaking of, where is Jeanette?” She tried to lean towards the door to get a better view into the room but to no success.

“She’s sulking in her bed and refuses to get up. I even offered to make her breakfast but she didn’t bite.” Completely surprised, Eleanor snapped back to Brittany when she said that.

“YOU? Make her breakfast?”

“Okay okay you caught me. Get her the breakfast you already made for us downstairs.”

“Much better.” Brittany didn’t have to look back again but she could feel the air of satisfaction emanating from Eleanor’s response.

“Anyway,” Brittany continued while Eleanor grinned to herself from within her cup. “She’s just not getting up. I think she’s still bent out of shape from last night.”

“What happened last night?”

“More like what didn’t happen. You know, the usual. Her and Simon…” Brittany snidely commented, ever ready to gossip. Eleanor quickly jumped in to quiet her down out of fear of Jeanette listening in on them. Brittany stuck her tongue out and even Eleanor couldn’t help but snicker at Brittany’s audacity.

“I’ll go check on her,” Eleanor spoke out. She calmed herself and headed into the other room, but not before taking her mug with her. “Don’t forget to eat something too,” she said real quick before completely leaving the doorway. “You know, you did make it after all.”

“Oh har har,” Brittany mocked while she remained behind at her desk, sending Eleanor off with a flick of the wrist. Once Eleanor stepped into the bedroom proper, her other sister stuck out like a sore thumb. Jeanette laid there perpendicular on her bed resembling a plank with her arms to her side and her feet dangling off the edge, still in her purple oversized pajama shirt and winter pants. Her hair had not quite yet been put up in the bun she finally felt was right after years of trying.

“Heyyy, Jean,” Eleanor greeted, trying to get her attention. Jeanette hardly budged, staying exactly how she was. Eleanor plopped down on the bed beside her and put her mug on Jeanette’s end table, then she tried to get her sister’s attention again. “Good morning sleepy head!”

“Morning…” Jeanette let out, muffled by her face being buried in the bed covers.

“I made coffee downstairs. Want some?”

“No thanks…” Her words were difficult to hear, but Eleanor had developed a knack for understanding Jeanette and Brittany when they acted like this.

“Well, what about breakfast? You gotta eat and it’s all warmed up and ready to go.”

“Maybe later…”

“‘Later’ will be lunch at this rate and your ‘hot-cakes’ are going to be ‘not-cakes’.”

“That’s fine…”

“What’s the matter Jeanette.” This time, Eleanor asked with a more tender, motherly tone, one that never failed when it came to either family. When she spoke like this, it was genuine, even when her patience was tested and everyone knew that they could come to confide in her.

“You know I can hear you guys from the other room…” Jeanette muffled, causing Eleanor’s eyes to nearly pop out. Eleanor awkwardly cleared her throat and scrambled to come up with an excuse.

“O-Oh what? That? Pfft come on-on, that was just- Britt was just-”

“She’s right though…” Jeanette opened up again. “I totally chickened out again… even Brittany and Alvin think so…”

“Oh Jean,” Eleanor tried to be more empathetic. “ Do YOU think you chickened out?”

“Yes…”

“Oh.” Eleanor paused. She tried to think of what to say next, not expecting Jeanette to answer like that. “Well it’s okay. Don’t even worry about it! There’ll be other chances. Like… tonight for example!”

“Or tomorrow,” Brittany interrupted as she walked in, passing by into the walk-in closet. “Or the next day, or the next day…” Eleanor glared at her in annoyance but Brittany didn’t notice.

“Thanks for that Britt, super helpful.” Eleanor defended while Jeanette groaned with her face still inward.

“I don’t know what the problem is,” Brittany joined in. “You guys have always been into each other since the moment you met. What’s the deal?”

“Brittany come on,” Eleanor tried to defend again.

“I-I-I- just get too nervous to speak up…” Jeanette muttered, at greater length than her responses to Eleanor. “Besides, it's just too awkward now…”

“Because of what? That little agreement and hand shake you guys had when you were kids,” Brittany asked using air quotes and a sarcastic tone. “You’re not seriously still using that as an excuse? Come on Jeanette, that is so lame.”

“If-If I could just- I-” Jeanette whimpered then let out a sigh. “I dunno… nevermind…”

“No no,” Eleanor spoke up. “Go on Jeanette, what’s up?”

“I-I…” Jeanette finally turned her face outward from the bed and towards her sisters. “If-If maybe I just… knew how Simon still felt, maybe it would… maybe it would be easier…”

“Then what,” Brittany tagged back in like a bad cop to Eleanor’s good cop. “You’ll finally say something to him? What if he still thinks your little ‘contract’ or whatever is still on? What then?”

“Okay Brittany, that’s enough.” Eleanor said with a stern voice. She looked at Brittany ready to get in between them, even if Brittany could tell that Eleanor thought the same way.

“I-I mean- I just-” Jeanette stuttered before sinking her head back into the bed.

“Why wait? You’ve only waited for like an entire lifetime already! What you need Jeanette is to take charge!”

“T-Take charge,” Jeanette asked, whipping her head back out.

“That’s right,” Brittany said, waltzing out of the closet with her stylish casual outfit consisting of a white fur laced coat over a pink wool low shoulder sweater, pink skirt and black tights, all complimented by her hair in a nice ponytail as she always did. In her hands was another bag with clothes for her photoshoot. “Take a chance and roll the dice! How long are you going to wait for Simon when you can just make him make a move!”

“Okay you lost me,” Eleanor said.

“Wh-What,” Jeanette had to ask.

“You know, charm him. Woo him, impress him. Send him a message that whatever you two agreed to back then belongs in the dumpster!”

“But Alvin said-”

“Forget what he says. If you can’t take the lead yourself, then take the lead in other ways.” Eleanor looked at Brittany, then she and Jeanette looked at each other with a raised eyebrow.

“But isn’t that just a really roundabout way of handling it? Sounds kind of cruel too.”

“Well the other way isn’t working now is it? It’s time to try a new tactic. She can’t just sit there and be defeated!”

“Tactic? Defeated? What are you, some kind of general now?”

“Why not? Everyone knows that love is war. There are winners and there are losers and I will be darned if my own sister lost this war!”

“Okay now you just sound ridiculous.”

“It’s not ridiculous if it’s true. It’s all about who controls the situation in a relationship. And sometimes that means making them think that they do.”

“You’ve been watching way too many of Miss Miller’s 80’s romance flicks.”

“And you’re still too young and innocent to see how it really is.”

“Uh huh,” Eleanor said, growing a devious look to her face while she picked back up her mug. “So tell me, oh wise older sister. Who’s winning right now? You?... Or Alvin ?” Brittany’s eyes shot open wide as her cheeks grew red. She looked away to collect herself and then answered.

“Nice try but that’s so not the case. We’re not dating, so we don’t have to win or lose anything.” Eleanor and Jeanette cocked their brows again as Brittany tried to take back control of the situation.

“Sounds like ‘loser talk’ to me,” Eleanor quipped, getting Jeanette to snicker.

“So we still like the occasional movie night without you guys, sue us,” Brittany tried to explain, but that only received more giggling from the gallery. “He’s free to do whatever he wants and come and go as he pleases. Just like me. And if I want to use that to my advantage and get him to be extra nice to me when I’m bored then so be it. I’m keeping things casual and superficial right now. I do have other things going on in my life you know.”

“Mmmhm,” Eleanor egged on.

“Oh yeah? Well, what about you and Theodore huh?” Eleanor showed little emotion as she removed her lips from her mug.

“What about me and Theodore?”

“Last time I checked, you guys haven’t exactly put a ring on it. Or even a label.” Brittany smirked, hoping to get the edge over Eleanor this time but Eleanor immediately caught on. She only looked on in confidence, giving Brittany no inch to take advantage of.

“Theodore and I are doing just fine. Thank you SO much for caring.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes. We’re very happy with the way things are now. And there’s no need to rush him for something he’s not ready for.”

“Not ready for? Oh please. Have you ever even had a talk with him about any of this?”

“Of course we have, and if he’s not ready to take that next step then I won’t push him.” Brittany scoffed and rolled her eyes. For a moment, Jeanette looked at Eleanor in awe. That is until she spoke back up again. “Just like Jeanette. If she’s not ready, then she doesn’t need to be pushed either.” Jeanette looked on in confusion, then her face lowered.

“W-Well- I th-think-” Jeanette tried to answer for herself, but was cut off by Brittany.

“That’s exactly why she needs to be pushed! She is way out of her element and she needs the help of her more experienced sister to get her started.”

“You’re right, she needs to listen to ME,” Eleanor mocked.

“Right, me! W-Wait hold on no-” Brittany stomped her foot but when she tried to get another word in, she noticed the clock behind them and gasped. “This is far from over. We’ll finish this tonight when I get back.”

“Bring it.” Brittany and Eleanor stuck their tongues out at each other and made faces before Brittany left in both a hurry and in a powerful stride directed at Eleanor. Eleanor nodded and with an audible tisk, she focused her attention back to Jeanette.

“Can you believe her Jean?” Eleanor teased. Jeanette tried to fake a giggle, but then she lowered her eyes, avoiding contact with Eleanor.

“Do you…” Jeanette answered back. “D-Do you really believe that Eleanor?”

“Oh totally,” Eleanor answered as she looked at Jeanette, then she looked back out into the open air. “Don’t listen to her, Jeanette. She’s definitely not the kind of role model you need when it comes to this. Her and Alvin are… a special case.”

“R-right, b-but what I meant was-”

“No, no you don’t need to humor that. Or prove yourself to her on her own weird terms.”

“But I-”

“You’ll get there when you’re ready. And that can be today or today ten years from now. Whenever you decide!” Eleanor reached closer to Jeanette with an inspirational look on her face. “But you will get there Jean, I know it!” Jeanette laid there and looked at Eleanor, unable to find the right words to say. The only thing she could do is force the kind of physical response Eleanor was hoping for.

“Y-You’re right Ellie, thanks.”

“Anytime.” Jeanette watched Eleanor sit up from the bed and adjust her gown. “Well, I gotta get ready and head out too. Today’s a big extra credit lecture and I can’t miss it. Then after that I have to help get the next session ready in my other class.”

“Oh… o-okay. You’ll be joining us tonight though right?”

“Of course, wouldn’t miss it!”

“G-Great. I… can’t wait.” While there wasn’t a whole lot of conviction in Jeanette’s words, Eleanor was already too far to notice, heading towards her side of the room and shuffling around her clothes that were outside of the closet.

“See you tonight,” Eleanor said as she carried her mug, backpack and clothes into the hallway towards the other rooms. But as soon as she left, she peaked back inside to get the jump on Jeanette. “And don’t forget…”

“R-Right, get some breakfast downstairs.”

“Well yes that, but I meant confidence. Don’t forget about confidence!” Once Jeanette felt that Eleanor had completely left with no chance of returning, she dropped her face right back into the bed covers and let out a large sigh.

Chapter Text

Wearing a nice purple faux wool coat over a matching turtleneck and her longest skirt to block the wind, Jeanette walked down the suburbs into the livelier main street market. It was a little portion of the old town, somewhat fading away with the passing of time as evident by some closed stores and cracked stones, but reinvigorated by some newer businesses that rests closest to the Miller and Seville neighborhood in walking distance. On her days off, she loves to make frequent trips to main street and shop around the different alternative stores and the local farmers market with Eleanor and Theodore. Garden stores, thrift stores, the main street had it all in a small quaint package, but none were more important to Jeanette than the store at the corner of the other end of the street: a secondhand bookstore named ‘Re-Reads’. As she walked along the sidewalk past the other stores, being met by the occasional car parallel to her, she found herself lost in thought. She thought about the conversation she had with her sisters this morning. The more she kept going back to it, the more lost she became. She felt small bouts of frustration, then confusion and then a lingering sense of defeat. The only thing that kept her grounded during the walk to the bookstore was the crunching of the snow beneath her boots.

Eventually, she arrived at the bookstore at the corner. The open sign hung from the window but due to the cold air, the door itself was closed as opposed to being left open for walk-ins. Jeanette pulled open the door and made herself known to the inside with the chiming of bells tied to the other handle. Almost as if she were back home, she took off her coat and casually hung it on the nearby coat rack then proceeded further inside towards the counter. ‘Re-Reads’, much like Jeanette, was small. It had only a few bookshelf pathways and the light could be brighter but to her, it was cozy and quiet and filled with plenty of interesting material she couldn't find anywhere else.

“Good morning Mrs. Garrett,” Jeanette let out while she picked up a small stack of books to put away back to their shelves.

“Well howdy there Jeanette,” a raspy masculine, but warm and welcoming voice answered back from the backroom, to her surprise. “Lucille's taking a day off today. Somethin’ about a ladies night or somethin’.”

“O-Oh,” Jeanette stuttered. “G-Good morning Mr. Garrett! I didn't see anyone behind the counter. “

“Not a problem. Today's been slow so I've been in the back, watching the game!” Mr. Garrett stepped out of the backroom, revealing an elderly man in a light blue short-sleeved collared shirt and tan pants with suspenders who constantly leaned forward due to his back.

“Good thing I came by when I did,” Jeanette spoke up as she at last made it to the counter to see more books to add onto her stack. “You shouldn't be lifting too much with your back right now.”

“Bless your soul Jeanette,” Mr. Garrett said. “Always comin’ in to help.”

“It's nothing! If anything I think it's admirable to see you come in and help the store when Mrs. Garrett can't.”

“Heh, you know that Lucille. This store's her dream. And she’d gladly keep it open for even just one special customer like you Jeanette. Luckily for me I’m retired and the shop ain’t as busy as it used to be.” Jeanette nodded as she walked by to put the books away. Given her chipmunk height, the higher shelves were a bit of a challenge for even the tallest of the Chipettes, second only in height to Simon of the Chipmunks. However, the Garretts have been very accommodating to their favorite and most frequent customer, giving her her very own step ladder. Jeanette stepped cautiously up higher as she carefully placed the stack of books beside her on the shelf below her. Being Mr. Garrett’s handiwork, the ladder kept its stability with no inaccurate measurement to help against the Chipettes’ natural clumsiness and after years of trial and error, even a guard rail was installed to help further. She was older now but only just slightly more coordinated.

As the morning went Jeanette put way more books, arranged shelves in new or existing orders, even read her own selection in between helping with the dusting all the while Mr. Garrett tried to keep up with her. Yet, while she remained diligent and productive she found herself thinking more and more about that morning conversation, getting lost again in thought. It really didn’t hit her the hardest until she passed by a section of the store, stack in hand, that contained old self-help books. More than likely outdated, she thought, with probably ineffective platitudes that an 80s con man would probably use. She frowned and sighed, then turned away from the section to put away another book from the stack. Fortunately for her, the next few books were within her natural height.

“Paging Miss Miller,” Mr. Garrett announced from the counter across the store getting Jeanette’s immediate attention. “Paging Miss Miller to the front desk.” Jeanette smiled to herself and headed over.

“For a second I thought you meant THE Miss Miller,” Jeanette answered. Mr. Garrett chuckled as he pulled out his tool kit.

“That Beatrice, haven’t seen her actually buy something since she came in looking for sheet music when she auditioned for the ‘Big City Solstice Festival’ concert a long time ago. She was never much of a reader.”

“She’s not much of a reader now either,” Jeanette giggled. “Crosswords and cheesy romance movies are more her taste.”

“How is she anyways?”

“As lively and active as ever. She’s gone for the week and-” Jeanette cut herself off when she recalled what he said. “Wait! Did you say she auditioned for the Big City Festival concert?”

“Not just an audition. She got the part for years until she made it big in Hollywood! She was the pride and joy of our town. Well, back when this place was small enough to be called a ‘town’ and this store Lucille’s parents owned didn't always sell ‘secondhand ’ books.”

“That’s so interesting! My sister Brittany and Alvin of the Chipmunks win it every year too!”

“Heh, even I see that every year. She’s definitely Beatrice’s daughter. You all are.” Mr. Garrett then brought in a tea set and gave a cup to Jeanette.

“Thank you!” Jeanette happily took the cup and Mr. Garrett poured the fresh tea into it. Jeanette smiled softly from his words.

“Lucille makes it much better, but it’s the least I can do since I can’t pay ya.” Jeanette took her cup and sat on a stool at the counter beside Mr. Garrett who walked over to the second stool that needed fixing. “Tea for the ladies. Not me. Give me a snack stick and an energy drink any day!”

“Oh geez Mr. Garrett,” Jeanette giggled. “And it’s no trouble, really. I love this store. Being able to help out with the occasional first dibs on new acquisitions is more than enough for me.”

“Still, I’d hire ya if I could.”

“The gesture is greatly appreciated.” He twisted his screwdriver a few times while Jeanette blew on the top of her cup and took a sip. Still hot, but she didn’t mind thanks to the cold. Mr. Garrett flipped the stool back over and slapped it playfully on the top then he lit up.

“Say Jeanette,” he spoke back up. Jeanette acknowledged him with a nod as she took another sip of her tea. “If ya stuck around long enough… what’d ya say to taking over the store for us?” Jeanette nearly choked on her sip and almost dropped the cup but luckily she caught both.

“Wh-What? M-Me?”

“Sure! Who better?”

“I-I-I don’t… I don’t know what to say…”

“Goodness knows our grandkids wouldn’t touch this place with a thirty foot pole but it means the world to Lucille. We’d much rather have it be in good hands than let it be just another boarded up building on main street.”

“I-I don’t know, this is so sudden,” Jeanette put her cup down to think as Mr. Garrett sat down on his stool with a hearty laugh.

“Well obviously not now, the missus and I ain’t going anywhere anytime soon but y’know. It’s somethin’ to think about.” Jeanette paused, then smiled at the kind old man.

“Yo-You really think I’d be the best choice?”

“Of course! You practically keep this place running around here anyway when you’re here. Lucille’s even let you lock up some times.”

“Oh, I don’t know if I could handle the responsibility of business ownership though…” Jeanette looked away with the lingering grin on her face as she stared into the open air.

“I’m confident that you’d do great!” Jeanette suddenly sat up straight and whipped her head back to Mr. Garrett.

“S-So you’d even say that I’m confident and-and that I'm ready for it?”

“Sure, I don’t see why not. Something the matter?” Jeanette calmed back down and relaxed her posture to something more natural. She picked up her tea and took another drink.

“It’s just that…” I-I guess you could s-say I’ve had some trouble with confidence lately.” It wasn’t so obvious for Jeanette but Mr. Garrett looked at her and smiled.

“What, you ? Never!” He joked while Jeanette scoffed to play along, then they both shared a laugh.

“I-I know, I know. Shocker, right?” Jeanette took another drink.

“Well, Lucille and I have known you for a long time. All six of you in fact. And we’ve been delighted to see you all grow up into delightful young men and women. Well… except for maybe that one with the red hat .”

“He’s better now, we swear,” Jeanette teased, then let him continue.

“But, the most convincing thing we had in choosing you was seeing that little bookworm practically become the boss around here. Lucille thinks so at least.” Jeanette felt herself almost tear up. She sat prouder and more inspired than ever.

“B-But what if something just… makes you nervous down to your core? What then?”

“Hm, well my advice would be to…” Mr. Garrett put his hand to his chin to think, then he snapped his fingers. “Rattle it right back!”

“Huh?”

“Just jump right into it! Like a diving board into the deep end. If you brace yourself, you’ll swim back up in no time!”

“That… I don’t know about that…”

“Worked for me!”

“It did?”

“Sure did! How do you think Lucille became Mrs. Garrett ?” Mr. Garrett pushed her arm with his elbow and Jeanette pushed right back as they laughed again. Then when they took a breath Jeanette let the curve on her mouth flatten out, before forcing it back up for Mr. Garrett.

“It’s definitely something to consider. Thanks Mr. Garrett.”

“Anytime.” Mr. Garrett looked at his watch and quickly added. “Look at that, don’t you have a dinner to get ready for?” Jeanette looked at her phone and gasped.

“You’re right!” She put the finished cup of tea down and hopped off the stool to head towards the door. She left with a quick goodbye to the elderly owner and another expression of gratitude as he saw her off with a wave. Then he gave it a moment before seeing her slide back through the door and grab her coat off the rack. He nodded with a smirk, but before going back to the backroom his phone rang.

“Howdy Hun! Havin’ fun,” he answered. “Yeah, yeah. Jeanette stopped by today. She was really in the zone! She even thought about our proposition. I know, right? I hope so too. Well… she did have something on her mind though but I didn’t ask. Huh? Oh-huh? What? Oh! Oh yeah, it was definitely about that chipmunk boy. You could TELL. Here’s hopin’ the pep talk worked. The wait is killing me too.”

Chapter Text

“Come on already,” Alvin complained into the open air at a metal bench alongside Simon and Theodore. The brothers sat together outside at a recreation area of a large city shopping center. The plaza was filled with people, kiosks and stores ranging across all manner of interests. Today the most important district of the shopping center was of course the quality dine-in restaurants that stretched along the horizon near them. “Who’s late for their own celebration?” He complained again as he stood up from the bench to bend a leg onto it while he checked his phone. Instead of his usual red hoodie and blue jeans, Alvin decided to wear a simple red shirt underneath a black sports jacket and similar darker than usual pants. His hair was free of his hat for the night, brushed nicely and one could swear that he had cologne on. Next to him, Simon wore a more commonly seen outfit being a sweater vest over a nice collared long sleeve and slacks, but that was not a surprise to anyone as he often dressed well and appropriately for an occasion such as this. At the other end of the bench sat Theodore who also didn’t do much to his outfit, still wearing his casual green sweatshirt and blue jeans, but this time he brushed his hair with more effort and had a collared shirt underneath.

“Well gee Alvin,” Simon answered back. “I have to imagine that the one actually busy might not be the quickest one to arrive compared to the one that only got ready twenty minutes before leaving.”

“Hey, I showered!”

“What a hero.”

“Look, all I’m saying is if she was going to get here later, she could have at least said something! I swear that-” The two other brothers leaned to look behind him and started grinning.

“No no, go on. ‘That’ what,” a familiar voice came from behind. Alvin jumped back nearly into the bench from the shock and tried to immediately correct himself. Behind him were Brittany and Jeanette arriving, both still prim and proper, wearing the same outfits they left the house with earlier that morning. Brittany scowled at Alvin, but it was a kind that controlled the conversation as if she already knew what kind of answer he needed and was going to give.

“Thaaat,” Alvin stalled for a second. “Beautiful A-List Model!” Brittany loosened her look in satisfaction.

“That’s more like it.” Brittany looked Alvin up and down, then spoke up again. “You showered. Nice. Love the sports coat.”

“Well someone had to look good tonight.”

“Mmmhm, and until they get here I guess it’ll have to be me then.”

“As if!” The two made exaggerated faces at each other before Brittany turned to the group.

“So,” Brittany said with a smile on her face. “You guys ready?”

“You bet!” Alvin said from beside her. “Who’s ready for some Italian!” Before the others could show their enthusiasm, Brittany brought a halt to the reactions as she raised an eyebrow and turned back to Alvin.

“Italian?” She asked in disbelief. “Alvin, we’re doing Korean tonight, remember?”

“A-Are we,” Alvin stuttered.

“Yes,” Brittany nearly hissed. “You know, when we planned for this a week ago?”

“I’m pretty sure you said Italian.” Alvin tried to keep his eyes away from Brittany’s growing glare.

“Really? Was that before or after you saw me call the Korean restaurant for a reservation and YOU volunteered to confirm it tonight while I was at my shoot?” The other three couldn’t help but start snickering.

“W-Well, I-I uh-we-” Alvin looked everywhere except at the Chipette as she tried to match him. Then she leaned in closer to force his attention.

“What happened to the reservation Alvin,” She asked in a calm but imposing and all too telling voice that made him crack.

“They… may have given our table away?” Alvin braced himself for Brittany’s ire.

“Gave our table away! What happened?”

“How should I know! I called them and they said no problem but they didn’t see us on the list! But they said they had a better table so I told them to go with that!”

“And how did we lose that one?”

“You tell me. I don’t run the place! Look,” Alvin showed Brittany his phone history. “See? I called them!” Brittany took a closer look, then back to Alvin in utter disbelief.

“Alvin,” she said.

“Wh-What,” he answered back defensively.

“That’s not the Korean restaurant number. That’s some restaurant in New Hampshire.”

“Th-That’s impossi-” he looked down to his phone, then back over to Brittany who showed him her phone, turning red in embarrassment.

“Wh-Whoops, looks like I got a couple of digits mixed up there…” Brittany groaned in frustration as she pinched the middle of her brow. “S-So, y-you uh… up for Italian?” Alvin tried to make a joke of it as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. Brittany took a deep breath and then let it out.

“Sure,” Brittany answered. “Italian sounds great, I’m starving.” They all stood back with their eyes popping out, ready to retreat at how sincere her tone felt.

“Y-Yeah?”

“Yes.”

“B-But wh-what about the-”

“It was just a little mix-up. No harm, no foul.” She looked around at them, then back to Alvin who couldn’t register her response. “What?”

“N-Nothing! Nothing at all, let’s get going.” Alvin and Brittany took the lead and started walking as they talked.

“And you actually got a table for this one, right?”

“Uh YEAH. What do you take me for? I fixed things in the end!”

“You JUST messed things up to begin with! Don’t get snippy with me!”

“Oh here we go again, you always do this!”

“Me? I asked you to do one thing…” The further they got away from Simon, Jeanette and Theodore, the harder it became for them to hear the bickering. The three left behind shrugged and laughed it off.

“That turned out better than expected,” Simon commented. Theodore looked at his phone and lit up.

“Guys, guys,” Theodore exclaimed, getting the other two’s attention. “Eleanor’s close! She’s going to meet us at the front!” Simon and Jeanette gave him a supportive smile.

“Yay, that’s wonderful news,” Jeanette celebrated.

“I’m glad she’s able to make it this time,” Simon added. “Let’s not keep her waiting then.” Simon and Jeanette led Theodore to catch up with Alvin and Brittany who had already arrived at the front of the restaurant entrance. Approaching them, they could already hear Alvin and Brittany’s volume, though it wasn’t driven by frustration but instead it was Alvin telling a story and Brittany giggling. “I assume that the arrangements are made.” Simon had to tease. Alvin silently mocked his brother as Brittany answered for the both of them.

“Yup,” Brittany said. “I made sure of it this time.”

“Yeah yeah, give me SOME credit. I told you I got it covered, didn’t I?” Brittany raised an eyebrow at him. “Th-This time.”

“Good.”

“Our table should be ready pretty soon.”

“That’s perfect, Eleanor will be here any minute now,” Theodore had to inject into the conversation, unable to curb his enthusiasm. The group continued to talk about their days and share while the table readied and their sixth got closer. After a few minutes, they could see Eleanor waving at them, getting closer and closer within eyesight at a brisk pace. Her hair was tied into two low tails that rested on her shoulders above a buttoned up green trench coat. The group also noticed that she still had her school bag with her slung across her chest from the shoulder as she smiled and glowed, albeit while trying to regulate her breathing. Theodore wasted no time to jump forward and wave back.

“Hey guys,” she announced between breaths. “I’m here! I’m here.”

“Ellie,” they all welcomed as she got within inches of the group before stopping.

“So,” she breathed, still hoping to get in on the festivities. “What’s this about Korean?” They all laughed as Alvin mocked like he did with Simon.

“Oh don’t even get me started,” Brittany teased while she stuck a tongue out at Alvin. The restaurant was still not yet ready for the group so they continued to talk and catch Eleanor up on their conversation and Eleanor did the same, sharing what she did while on campus. However, not long after Alvin looked at his phone and saw a notification from the restaurant.

“Aw sweet! Alright guys, let’s get some grub!” He corralled the group together and led them into the doorway, holding the door open almost out of instinct.

“Whaaat,” Brittany gasped, pretending to be surprised to make fun. “Actually holding the door open… like a gentleman?”

“You do know that I can still just let go, right,” he played back. First Brittany went in, followed by Jeanette then Simon and at the end of the train were the two youngest. Theodore stepped up and stood to the side to let Eleanor in before him, which she responded by placing her hand on her chest and pretending to be an impressed, old fashioned lady. They giggled but it was interrupted by Eleanor’s phone vibrating in her pocket. They all watched from within the waiting area. Eleanor took out her phone to check, then she smiled as she read but gasped at the end.

“Oh,” she let it out, but tried to save face in front of them. “Y-You guys aren’t gonna believe this but I-”

“Have to go?” Brittany answered back. While she was being rhetorical, she only said what they all already knew. Eleanor sighed as her cheeks began to turn red from embarrassment.

“Y-Yeahhh, turns out I need to head back to campus for like a second! But I’ll be back! I promise!” They all looked at each other at first disappointed, but then skeptical. Theodore looked the most let down. Brittany then spoke up for the group again.

“Go on, we’ll be here. You can catch up in a minute. Okay?” Eleanor looked at her sister from the outside with shame.

“I’ll be right back!”

“You got one minute. Make it count.” Brittany gave her a playful dismissal as Eleanor tried to play it off too.

“Th-Thanks guys, it’ll only take a second!” Eleanor then turned to Theodore who didn’t try to make eye contact. “Th-Theo?”

“No no, I gotcha,” Theodore said as he looked up to meet her eyes. “I know that you gotta do what you gotta do.” He gave her a smile, and while she wasn’t completely lifted up by it she smiled back and went in to give him a hug.

“Thanks Theo, I’ll be back real quick. Promise.”

“We’ll keep your ravioli warm.” She giggled at his comment. Then let go as she headed back out into the plaza towards her campus. Once she was out of their sight, the group turned to resume their route. Theodore sighed and followed suit behind Simon who, along with Jeanette tried to comfort him.

“She went as quickly as she came,” Alvin remarked with Brittany as the group were being escorted to their table by a waiter.

“I swear, the girl’s at that school so much in her free time it’s like she’s cheating on us with another group,” Brittany gossiped recklessly, getting a loud ‘ha’ out of Alvin.

“Or maybe even an affair with an upperclassman,” he continued as Brittany snorted.

“You’re so terrible,” she said, giving him a playful slap on the shoulder. Simon and Jeanette didn’t seem to pay attention as they were already lost in their own conversation, but just within earshot Theodore overheard them. The young green themed chipmunk nearly stopped in his tracks between the other tables as his eyes widened and his look soured from disappointment to concern.

Chapter Text

Brittany sat at her vanity mirror getting herself ready for the day. It wasn't nearly as busy as the past few days turned out to be but to her even a slow day was worth the effort. She hummed to herself another melody from the past as she played around with what kind of style she wanted. Moments went by and every one style after another, the indecisive diva would look at her phone off to the side on the desk and sigh. The screen was black, the metal still and the speaker silent. If she turned it on no doubt she would see hundreds of notifications from the various social media applications she posted on but this wasn't new nor did she care about that. She let out another sigh before trying to focus back on her hair. It didn’t take more than a few attempts before she lost her concentration again and instead just started to brush and pet her hair by hand with a sad expression on her face. Then the phone went off. She could feel and hear the vibration rattle the desk. Her eyes opened wide and she nearly jumped for it. She swiped through all of the notifications, her eyes lighting up more and more as she cleared up the clutter but then her eyes dimmed back down. It may have not been what she was hoping for, but her heart still warmed up after realizing what it actually was: a message from Theodore.

[HI Brittany! Are you home?]

[Sure am! Whats up?]

[Can I come over?]

[Of course! Oh, but Ellie isn't home…]

[I know, I was hoping we could talk?]

Brittany found herself at a loss for a moment but she knew he was serious. In every other conversation Theodore participated in, the youngest chipmunk would always bombard the chat with emojis for his response but not this time. Not only that but it was rare for him to initiate a chat with Brittany of all people, especially without Eleanor. She paused for a moment to ponder on what he could need before replying.

[Definitely. See you at the treehouse in 10?]

[Great! Thank you!!!]

Brittany smirked to herself at his innocent response then put her phone back down to finish up. After getting ready, she put on one of her many casual coats, any one of them still too expensive for the average person. She did nothing particularly different to her hair, just tying it in her signature ponytail was enough for her to see Theodore she thought. Heading out to the backyard she was immediately hit with a blast of cold air.

“Stupid winter,” she grunted to herself. Today was at least free of the snow but the sun struggled to shine behind the cloudy veil across the sky and the winter chill was in full effect, causing her to shiver. She got up to the top of the stairs and noticed that Theodore hadn't arrived yet. Brittany let out a breath of relief then went inside the treehouse to immediately start the various heaters The Chipettes installed over the years before her guest arrived. Once she began to get the treehouse warmed up, there were still no signs of Theodore but Brittany didn't mind. She headed into the kitchen and turned on their electric kettle to boil some water. While it boiled, she grabbed one of her mugs, signified by the color pink and her initials, and placed a bag of her favorite tea inside. The water had barely begun to steam through the kettle when she heard a knock on the door.

“Theodore,” Brittany welcomed. She opened the door to see the youngest chipmunk brother standing out. He was dressed in his usual green hoodie and pants, but his hair was far less kept than the normal amount of effort he put into it. “Come in, come in,” Brittany cooed.

“Thanks Brittany,” he answered back in a normal tone as he entered the treehouse. Brittany raised an eyebrow to herself, still trying to decipher his situation.

“Have a seat anywhere! You know you're home here.” She tried to make him feel extra welcome and warm. Theodore headed into the living space and sat down on the couch. “Make yourself comfortable, kick back, turn on the TV. Whatever you want. Hungry? Thirsty?”

“Huh? O-Oh,” Theodore muttered as he turned to Brittany. “N-No thank you.”

“Nonsense. I can tell you're a little thirsty. How about some cocoa?” Theodore tried to resist Brittany’s offer as she kept pressuring him into accepting by making different facial expressions. “I'll even make it ‘A-La Brittany’ for you.” His face lit up and betrayed him.

“You will? You haven't done ‘A-La Brittany’ in years!” Brittany giggled as she ruffled his hair.

“You haven't asked in years silly.” Theodore sat in the empty, still chilly Chipette Treehouse as he heard Brittany work away in the kitchen. In recent times Theodore once again felt warmth and life whenever he visited the treehouse after a time when things were a little colder, even if it was just him and Eleanor but despite Brittany's attempt and presence, today he could not shake this feeling of restlessness he had. “Okay Theo, here you go!” Theodore whipped his head over to the direction Brittany spoke from as she walked around the couch and handed him a dark green ceramic mug overflowing with whipped cream and chocolate flakes. He looked at it from the bottom upward but once he saw the very top, he looked at her in disappointment.

“O-Oh…” he let out. “Y-You forgot the-”

“Oh did I?” Brittany smirked smugly as she surprised him with a spreading of green colored sprinkles, finishing the presentation off by placing a small green marshmallow to rest on the whipped cream. He couldn’t help himself and he stared at it mesmerized.

“Thanks Britt,” he said as she sat nearby with a grin on her face and a mug in her hand.

“So,” Brittany began as she took a sip of her tea, then placed it on the end table. “What’s going on Theodore?” Theodore tried to take a large gulp of his drink only to partially burn his tongue. Once he calmed down, he instead ate a mouthful of the whipped cream on top with the marshmallow before wiping his mouth on a provided napkin to answer her.

“W-Well…” Theodore tried to answer. “I-I-I-”

“Remember what we taught you Theodore.”

“R-Right… think first then answer…”

“Very good.”

“I-I guess… I should probably start with dinner the other day…” Brittany’s smug attitude immediately fell off when he said that. Her eyes widened as she nearly choked on her tea and her cheeks turned red.

“Th-Theo,” Brittany cut him off. “Are you upset about me and Alvin? D-Don’t worry about us! You know how your brother gets. We have our moments.”

“B-But well-”

“He overreacts then he always ends up hurting himself but we’re fine. I didn’t even like that sweater anyway.”

“Really?”

“Okay no, I loved that sweater. But it’s fine, really.”

“Alvin doesn’t seem to think that way…”

“Oh does he now?”

“Yeah, he’s been so out of it since then.” Brittany smiled to herself in satisfaction, but also felt her heart flutter.

“It’s okay Theodore, things might have gotten a little… ‘heated’,” she said with air quotes. “BUT we worked it all out. We’re just letting things… simmer down some more. That’s all.” She tried to explain herself but then awkwardly looked away as he drank from his mug to add in one last defense. “Y-You know, for your guys’ sake, that is.” Theodore raised an eyebrow, but shrugged it off once he knew that she wasn’t actually looking at him. Brittany took another sip from her tea, but as she looked around the room to avoid Theodore, she saw a photo of her sisters and the Chipmunks and her eyes popped out again. “OH! Oh goodness, the dinner ended early! Oh my gosh Theodore, I am so sorry. Eleanor didn’t even get a chance to get back to us. Typical Alvin…” Theodore lowered his mug and his grip loosened enough to where he would have dropped it on the floor were it not for realizing it just in time. He let out a sigh and put the cocoa down on the end table beside him.

“I’m glad you and Alvin are… working things out? That was one thing I wanted to talk to you about but… that’s kinda not the only thing…” Brittany tried to keep herself from trying to react with too much energy again to let him speak.

“There’ll be other dinners, and if not we can bring the dinner to her next time.”

“It’s… not about the dinner anymore…”

“Hm?”

“It’s… it’s about what you guys said…” Brittany’s heart sank and tried to hide her shame.

“Oh dear… wh-what exactly did we say again?”

“A-About Eleanor… ch-cheating and having an… an af-afa-” Brittany jumped in to cut him off again.

“No! Oh, oh no sweetie we didn’t- I didn’t- Alvin didn’t- no no it’s not like that at all! You know she would never!”

“I know,” Theodore let out in an uncharacteristic heightened emotion. His sudden response caused Brittany to fall back in her seat. “I know she wouldn’t! R-Right?”

“Right, of course.”

“A-And she isn’t-”

“No Theodore,” Brittany answered calmly. “She’s definitely NOT. I know Eleanor. Trust me.” He looked into her confident and comforting eyes with his own innocent and vulnerable ones. She tried to give him a smile, but that only caused him to lower his head.

“I-I… I knew that…”

“You shouldn’t care about what we said. It was just us making some jokes that… I guess could have been misconstrued by certain people.”

“No it’s okay Brittany, I know you didn’t mean it. Thank you for at least telling me the truth.” He tried to force a smile on his face this time, but Brittany could see right through him.

“What else is going on?”

“I-I…” Theodore started again before Brittany gestured for him to take a breath. “Even if it was a joke… it got me thinking… about Eleanor.”

“That’s nothing new.” Brittany let slip out before covering her mouth to stop herself from making it worse.

“D-Do you think she’s happy?”

“Of course she is.”

“W-With me?”

“Ye-” Brittany stuttered. “She is. She even told me.”

“Really?”

“Really really.”

“B-But…”

“But?”

“What if… she isn’t?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if she’s so busy… because she’s looking for something else?”

“Go on.”

“What if she wants to move away from all of us or-or fly away and go be with-” His hands began to shake and his face started to turn red as he went in for another drink to hide it.

“Someone else?” Brittany emphasized her point, causing Theodore to hesitate. “You do know what that means, right?”

“I know what you mean,” he got defensive. “Even I know that! I’m not a kid anymore.”

“You’re right, sorry that was rude of me.” Brittany and Theodore sat in the room beneath an awkward silence for a moment as they both tried to console themselves with their drinks. Then Brittany spoke up again, quickly getting Theodore’s attention with a stern change to her voice. “Theodore.” That tone caused him to recoil. It was comforting, but also confronting like in the rare situation where he got in trouble with Dave and he didn’t know how to address it coming from the Chipette.

“I’m sorry!”

“What do you plan to do about it?”

“H-Huh?”

“Answer me this Theodore: Are you two dating?”

“L-Like boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“Mhm.”

“A-Are we?”

“ Are you? You tell me.” Theodore tried to look up but when he saw the imposing aura from Brittany’s glare, he shrunk.

“A-Aren’t we?”

“Are you, or are you not?”

“I don’t know…” Theodore squeaked. Brittany let out a sigh, then stood up to sit beside him on the couch. She rested her legs underneath her and placed a hand on his shoulder, seeing his eyes getting more moist.

“Then maybe that’s where you need to start.”

“It… It is?”

“Mhm. If you’re worried, then maybe it’s time to settle this. Once and for all.”

“Once and for all?”

“Yup! Put your foot down!”

“Put my foot down?”

“Theodore, do you like Eleanor?”

“Yes!”

“Do you like-like her?”

“Yes!”

“Do you even… love her?” Theodore paused and turned away in embarrassment. Brittany smirked as she reached over to grab another sip from her tea. He hesitated again, but eventually turned to meet Brittany and nod. Brittany smiled at this assurance, but shook her head to him and then stood up.

“Not good enough.”

“Wh-What?” He felt all of his newfound morale come crashing down.

“A nod isn’t good enough!"

“It’s not?”

“No! My sister deserves better than that! YOU deserve better than that. You need to awaken that fire in your soul and let her know!” Brittany jumped up from the couch and pointed directly at his chest, causing him to flinch. “You need to do better!”

“But-”

“Don’t you think so? Of course you think so! This is a fight for Eleanor we’re talking about!” During her monologue, Theodore tugged at her sleeve to get her attention again.

“I don’t know how…”

“Then I’ll help you.”

“You will?” Theodore’s spirits raised again as Brittany gave him assurance with her confident attitude.

“Of course I will. Afterall, you are talking to someone who knows a thing or two about relationships.” She tried to be both humble and boastful but this made Theodore chuckle.

“I dunno, between you and Alvin-”

“Is that how it’s going to be? Well then I guess you don’t want my help and would rather see Eleanor run away with prince charming…” She said with a tone that made him immediately fold.

“No ma’am, sorry ma’am.”

“Good.” She sat back down to comfort him again. “I’ve always thought of you as my little brother too Theodore, and all I want is for you two to be happy. You see that, don’t you?”

“Of course I do Brittany. Thank you.”

“Then are you ready to make it happen? Are you ready to make Eleanor happy?”

“Yeah! Let’s do it!”

“Training begins tomorrow!”

“For Eleanor!”

“That’s the spirit!” She nodded to herself in satisfaction, but then came to another realization. “B-But let’s keep this a secret from her, okay?”

“How come?”

“Because…” Brittany paused for a moment to come up with an answer. “Because a confession isn’t the same if she knows about it.”

“Sounds right to me. You know better.”

“That’s right.”

Chapter Text

Eleanor sat underneath a large oak tree in a park right outside her campus. It was midday and she finally managed to get a break in between her classes and activities. While the gray, cold, unwelcoming weather wasn't ideal for a break outside Eleanor didn't mind. The ground beneath her was wet and soggy, but she didn't mind that either. Between her trench coat and the blanket she brought with her, it didn't make much of a difference. She let her hair down and it blew in the wind, not wanting to put any extra effort into a routine school day like today. She was far from the only person walking about the park, but they were far and few in between and luckily for her, distant enough to not bother the once popular local celebrity.

With a deep sigh and a tired, empty look in her eyes, Eleanor looked up to the dull sky, noticing the vast emptiness in between what leaves that still remained on the branches above her. Headphones in ear, she scanned her phone for music to listen to on a popular music sharing application. Though she would rather avoid the music she and her close family and friends made in the past, it always touched her heart to see all the different covers created by people around the world, both human and chipmunk alike. She also liked to see the different posts Alvin made, especially the ones that involved his brothers and her sisters. At last she stopped at something she wanted to hear and pressed play as she squeezed her school bag to her side, leaned back on the trunk and closed her eyes. Eleanor thought back in her partial-conscious state to a time not too long ago when this park was warmer, brighter and not so lonely.

It was an active and lively day for the people in town but much like now, no one seemed to bother Eleanor. The only one that she spent the day with was none other than Theodore. The two sat together on their blanket under the oak tree as she put down a lunch basket as the branches still shaded them with most of its vibrant green leaves. It was right before the changing of the season when the sun shined but the air started to get a little cooler. Eleanor wore an olive green dress underneath a faded blue denim jacket and sneakers, her hair was free as it was now. Theodore wore his outfit in the same green colors, but his was a simple t-shirt, shorts and flip flops. He brought with him on their day out a ukulele, to which he strummed along to try and warm up. His playing and performance wasn’t nearly as showy or confident as his brother Alvin’s, but he played anyway in a comfortable form that made him and Eleanor at peace. The melody he played was nothing special or rehearsed either, but nonetheless they both enjoyed it as they watched the day away.

“It’s nice to hear that you never get rusty,” Eleanor teased.

“Come on, I play for you all the time,” Theodore answered back innocently, getting Eleanor to giggle.

“I know,” Eleanor clarified. “It just never ceases to amaze me.”

“Alvin wasn’t the only one in the band. I had to learn plenty of the instruments too, ya know.” Eleanor nodded as she acknowledged him, then adjusted her dress to fold her legs and sit closer to Theodore. Theodore blushed, fumbling his melody.

“You ever think about getting back into business with him?”

“L-Like be in a band again?”

“Mhm.”

“S-Sometimes. He seems to really like making his videos,” Theodore began. Eleanor rested her head on his shoulder. He shot straight up as his cheeks turned bright red, but then continued to play with a smile on his face. “It was always fun but it was just so much work. Being retired is way better!”

“Retired? At your age,” Eleanor snarked.

“You know what I mean,” he giggled as she stuck her tongue out at him. Then he calmed down and played more. “Besides, if I’m just going to school I can train more for our restaurant! And I get to spend more time with you!” Eleanor swooned as her cheeks also began to turn rosy as well. Then she looked down with a lowered expression.

“You mean whenever my classes let me hang out…” Theodore thought nothing of her concerns as he played on and smiled, his eyes closed as they leaned back onto the oak tree.

“I know you’re always so busy so I don’t mind. Your school is way harder than mine and you’re putting in way more work than me!”

“Too much work… I’m exhausted…”

“It’ll be worth it, I just know it! And whenever you need a bigger break, like more than today, next time I’ll make the sandwiches and bring my trusty uke!” Eleanor let out another breath of relief and joy as they rested underneath the oak tree.

Eleanor opened her eyes back to the stormy day. As her vision adjusted, she felt the cold breeze brush past her face and shivered. Thankfully her trench coat spared the rest of her the biting chill of the wind. Her music still continued from her headphones whether she was paying attention or not, shuffling into songs she barely even recognized without having to think about it first. She felt it starting to sprinkle rain above her, tapping on her head with no leaves to cover her. When her phone lit up, she noticed two notifications from professors.

[Good Afternoon Miss Eleanor. Thank you again for assisting me with the prep for the 101’s exams as well as covering the after class tutoring. Your help is as invaluable as always. Should you ever need a letter of recommendation, do not hesitate to contact me. Professor Hindenburg]

[Good Afternoon Miss Miller. I received your prior email and I understand your circumstances. Given your high academics and previous track record in class, I have approved your request to let you take the exam next week instead of this week. I look forward to seeing you in class. Professor Ellis]

The cold and alone Chipette sighed, then she swiped the two notifications away off her lock screen. With a sniffle, she looked back up to the sky and then back down to check the time again on her phone. Being time to leave, Eleanor packed up her blanket, slung her bag over her shoulders and started to head out as she brushed off the bottom of her coat. Something else was missing, she felt, but once she got up she took one more look at her homepage and smiled at the background photo of her sisters, the Chipmunks and herself clinging onto Theodore as they posed.

Chapter Text

“Alright, now you pour the water into the kettle,” Alvin mocked as he watched Simon hold the kettle under the sink fountain head. It was later in the day at the Seville house as the sun had passed its zenith. The clouds had parted for the evening in a rare occurrence but the light was already dimming. The two brother’s were hanging out downstairs, while their youngest brother was nowhere to be seen, nor their father Dave.

“I know that,” Simon was quick to defend. He flipped the handle and let the water fill up the kettle. Then he carefully moved it to the stove as the weight of the liquid caused his arms to tremble.

“Just making sure,”Alvin continued to tease. “Then you turn the stove on.”

“Oh be quiet!” Simon then turned the dial and once the ignition clicked a few times, the flames burst from the burner under the kettle.

“I'm just trying to help. You said it yourself, you burn water making ramen.”

“That doesn't mean I need you to help.”

“Clearly you do. Even I can make instant-ramen.” Simon leaned on the island directly facing the stove as it heated up whereas Alvin hopped on top and sat around to wait as well. “So you do know how long it'll take, right?”

“Of course I do.” The two brothers paused before Simon spoke up again ashamed. “At least in theory. I've… attempted this numerous times. I just don't know what goes wrong in the execution.”

“We all have our flaws.” The steam began to seep out of the kettle's release and the two continued to sit around, getting ready for that eventual whistle. In the meantime, Simon peeled back the paper lid of the instant ramen bowl and spread the seasoning across the dry noodles. “Don't forget to give it a good shakin’,” Alvin teased again.

“Do you really not have anywhere else to be?”

“Nope!”

“Great…” Simon rolled his eyes, but then turned away from his brother to mix the powder throughout the dry noodles by shaking the bowl. Alvin smirked to himself in satisfaction.

“You know, you could just ask Theo for pointers.”

“Not necessary. I can do this.”

“Suuuure.” After Alvin’s latest round of teasing, Simon's phone went off on the island counter. A ring tone echoed across the kitchen from the text message and Alvin could feel the vibration across the marble countertop. Simon did nothing to acknowledge his own phone and continued to keep an eye on the water. “You gonna get that?”

“I'm not missing my opportunity. Everytime I start this, something happens and it all goes wrong.”

“Theeen… can I get it?”

“That's a terrible proposition.”

“Come on, I'll just take a look and see who it is.”

“No.”

“Please?” When Alvin asked, the phone buzzed from another text. “Pleeeease?”

“Ugh, fine. JUST check.” Alvin tapped the phone screen, but once he rotated his head to get a better look, he started to grin deviously out of Simon's line of sight.

“Oh Simon. You might want to answer this one.”

“It can wait.”

“Theeeen can I answer it?”

“Absolutely not.”

“It does require immediate attention.” Alvin tried to make his argument sound more professional and educated to manipulate Simon.

“Fine! Just do it.”

“Perfect.” Alvin picked up his phone and tapped away. “Hey, you free tonight?”

“Why do you care?”

“Oh I don't.”

“Yes. I am.”

“Sayyy… in two hours-ish?”

“ Yes, what is with these questions?”

“I'm just getting your answer together. Jeanette wants to know.” Simon turned bright red as he swiftly shot around to grab his phone back from Alvin who kept it away. “Ooo, she's asking about dinner plans too? I'll tell her to wear something really nice.”

“A-Alvin stop, wait!” Simon chased after Alvin who hopped off the island to the other side of the great room. They ran and bickered at one another as the kettle began to whistle, but neither one of them noticed. Failed attempt after another, Simon managed to catch up and get the phone back after Alvin gave up. One would think that Simon was flush from the sprint, but instead, he was still red with embarrassment from Alvin's taunts.

“Come on, at least buy her some flowers,” Alvin added as he laughed to himself. Simon kept his phone back and looked at the conversation. He calmed down once he noticed that Alvin hadn't actually followed through with his actions other than giving Simon's answer to her question. “See? All that for nothing.” Simon cleared his throat and collected himself more.

“Y-Yes. Well, still. That's not funny.”

“Relax, even I wouldn't go that far. The last thing I want to do is ruin your guys’... thing.” Simon looked back down to his phone and let out a sigh.

“Thank you.”

“Besides, you guys don't need my help for THAT,” Alvin snarked. He had almost gotten a rise out of Simon but they stopped when they at last managed to hear the final moments of the kettle's whistle, catching both of their attention.

“Oh no! Not again,” Simon exclaimed as he ran back to the kitchen. He rushed in to turn the stove off but when he tried to pour out the water, his entire face dropped when nothing had come out. All of the water had evaporated. Simon groaned in frustration as Alvin laughed obnoxiously.

Chapter Text

Moments pass, days pass, a break comes and goes. College exams were over for some but not all and it was now time for a little rest before it all began again right for the winter to grow harsher. The festival approached and all of the town began to prepare in full. It was no doubt that the town had already anticipated that two particular chipmunks were a shoo-in for the show to kick off the celebration, but until the audition day arrived they all had to wait for the formal, albeit predictable announcement.

The air was more rigid than days past but as fortune would have it there were no signs of another abrupt snowstorm, making outdoor activities still possible. Past the old main street into the suburban neighborhoods Jeanette walked back to her home alongside Simon as they watched the last bit of leaves fall from the barren tree branches. They both carried fabric bags filled with different books and other small reading material they purchased from Jeanette’s favorite secondhand book store.

“It’s a good thing we got to the bookstore early,” Jeanette said happily while Simon nodded. He didn’t immediately vocalize his attention, but it was clear to anyone passing by that he was completely engaged with the conversation.

“Agreed,” Simon said. “Although, admittedly I may have gotten carried away.”

“I disagree,” Jeanette answered back. “You love that old series. And today the Garretts got their hands on a very lucky find.”

“Absolutely. The next few installments. And in sequential order!”

“I also made sure that they put them off to the side,” Jeanette turned and winked to Simon. Then they both blushed and smiled as they nervously broke eye contact. They continued down the neighborhood street towards their own. Simon felt a sudden vibration in his pocket and pulled out his phone to see the notification. Jeanette stopped for him to check while she watched a squirrel climb up a tree and took out her own phone to take a picture.

“Who was it,” Jeanette asked as she handed the squirrel an acorn as reward while Simon put his phone back into his pocket.

“It was Theodore,” Simon answered. “He says dinner will be late today. Nothing too concerning.”

“Speaking of Theodore… What's been going on with him? Eleanor told me that he hasn’t been around as often as he used to and that his responses aren’t like his normal ones.”

“It hasn’t been too different on our end. He’s usually so open to me or Dave but even now he just avoids the topic.”

“I hope he’s alright…”

“He appears normal in every other situation, but it does feel like he’s hiding something.”

“At least he knows we’re there for him when he needs us.”

“Agreed.” Passing house after house, yard after yard they were closer to their neighborhood. Simon then spoke up again. “H-How is Eleanor, on that subject?”

“She seems fine. I can tell it’s really bothering her but at least she’s been kept busy with her exams lately. You know Ellie.”

“She excels at keeping it together.”

“At the very least it’s distracting her…”

“Unfortunately there comes a point in which keeping busy can create more problems than solutions.”

“I just wish there was something we could do to help them…”

“My sentiments exactly.”

Eleanor walked home across town from her campus. It was still light out so she decided it would be better than taking a bus or asking someone to pick her up. The bags under her eyes were more pronounced than usual despite Brittany’s efforts in the morning to conceal them. She shambled along with her bag dangling off one shoulder as she let out a long winded sigh. The path headed into the suburbs but no one took it this afternoon, save for the very rare car that passed by the head down Chipette. Eleanor looked at her phone but right as she was ready to put it away her face lit up. She immediately put both of her hands on the phone to reply to Theodore’s sudden message. She felt a second wind and smiled to herself from this development. Less than a moment to think, she didn’t waste anymore time and instead decided to tap the screen and call him directly.

“Hey Theo,” she exclaimed with renewed enthusiasm and energy. “I-I’m on my way back now! I-yeah-y-yeah. No yeah I’m all done until next week, isn’t that great!” Eleanor walked and talked, almost with a skip in her step from hearing his voice over the phone. “I know, right? But don’t worry, this week is for fun only! No studying or preparing! And- huh? Wh-What? Wait, already…” She began to slow down. “B-But I still got some time before I get home, I was thinking we could- y-yeah okay… but we- okay, okay I’ll talk to you later…” She and Theodore had a brief, uncharacteristic sign off, telling each other their abrupt goodbyes. Eleanor looked at her now darkened screen for a moment longer as she stopped walking. She could see the look on her face worsened in the reflection. She was tired, but also worried and a little scared. She swallowed her spit, let out another long held breath then continued with a once again weakened spirit.

Simon and Jeanette arrived at their street but decided to stop at the front of the Miller residence first around the corner. Simon walked Jeanette to the door step. They expressed the fun they had that morning and with each other’s company, then Jeanette saw him off as headed back around the corner to the Seville house, bag in hand. Simon looked back one time and waved, to which Jeanette reciprocated. Even though he didn’t turn around a second time, Jeanette kept her eyes on him until he was no longer in sight, looking at him longingly. Her heart fluttered and she twirled around to face the door, humming and spinning her bag whimsically as she opened it. Immediately upon getting through the doorway her face turned bright red from embarrassment when she heard voices down on the first floor and eventually saw a figure running around.

“I’ll be right back Britt,” Theodore announced as headed towards the backdoor, completely ignorant of Jeanette’s presence.

“Take your time Theo! You’re not on the clock,” Brittany exclaimed from the second floor. He left without even noticing Jeanette but she could see him jog out into the backyard towards the fence gate shared between the two houses. Jeanette raised an eyebrow in utter confusion, but then became suspicious.

“B-Brittany,” Jeanette called out as she placed her bag on the kitchen island. “Brittany?” She called out again.

“Oh,” Brittany gasped. “Hey Jean! I’m upstairs!” Jeanette headed up the stairs and met her sister sitting in their loft. She sat on one of the cushions of the couch with her legs folded in as she read on her phone. Her outfit was more casual than what she would wear outside but still kept to the higher standards that she is known for. “Well hey there! How did your date go?”

“O-Oh-uh-” Jeanette began to stutter as her cheeks warmed up. “It-It wasn’t-I- wait,” Jeanette shook it off. “What was Theodore doing here? Eleanor isn’t home yet.” Brittany took a quick second longer to answer.

“Oh, you know. He was just excited to show me a new recipe idea.”

“H-He never does that in person though…”

“I’m home today, aren’t I?”

“Y-You’re right…” Jeanette felt herself backing off from Brittany’s imposing air. She paused but then spoke up again. “Di-Did he bring up Eleanor by any chance?” Brittany hesitated another time, but this time long enough for Jeanette to catch on to it.

“Didn’t come up, The boy has other interests you know.” Jeanette did her best to keep looking at Brittany as the suspicion on her face grew more expressive. “What? ” Brittany’s tone turned more cold.

“Th-That just doesn’t s-sound like Theodore at all though…”

“Well maybe you don’t know him as well as you think you do. Ever think about that?”

“Brittany, what are you hiding?” Jeanette caught up faster than Brittany had initially braced for.

“N-Nothing, can’t I just support Theodore’s career choices? It’s not music like it should be but it’s something at least.”

“I-I’m n-not saying you can’t b-but-”

“Then what’s with the third degree, huh?”

“So you are hiding something!”

“Oh, you think so? Get a warrant!”

“Theodore’s not over for just a recipe is he? It’s about Eleanor, isn’t it?”

“No!”

“Brittany, we both know and see that things between them have been weird. He’s been avoiding her like… like something happened.”

“Well aren’t we observant? You know, ‘avoid’ is such a strong word.”

“O-Okay… maybe not avoiding, but it’s a lot less contact than usual. Something’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong! If he has to run away to keep a secret then he can do whatever he wants-” Brittany said too much and immediately tried to cover her mouth, but it was too late.

“S-Secret? What are you talking about? What secret?” Brittany hopped off the couch and started walking away shaking her head.

“How should I know, whatever's going on in his head is his business.”

“Why is he doing all of this then? You have to know something.” Brittany tried to stare Jeanette down but in a rare move Jeanette’s innocent and genuine concern caused her to fold.

“Okay so I’m helping him ask out Eleanor, big deal,” Brittany revealed as she flung her arms up. “It’s not a crime!”

“Brittany,” Jeanette gasped in shock. “Eleanor doesn’t want you messing with her relationship. She’s going to be furious!”

“Oh please, if no one interferes now it’s never going to be a relationship! I’m just getting the ball rolling on Theodore’s side. Show him that sometimes a boy has to be a man and make it happen!”

“But Brittany,” Jeanette tried to convey softly before being cut off from Brittany.

“No no. No buts,” Brittany dismissed her as she patted her cheek with a smug and controlling tone.

“I just think-”

“Look, you just keep that pretty little head on, okay?.” Brittany smiled confidently. “I’m only doing what’s best for the both of them. And what’s best for them is best for all of us.”

“I don’t know if that’s-”

“Don’t you agree that them being happy will make us all feel better?”

“W-Well yes but they were already-”

“I’m only looking after them like a good big sister should. Once they clear the air, they’ll be much better off than just laying around in doubt forever. Theodore already thinks so.”

“Brittany I don’t…” Jeanette sighed then yielded. “Okay… if you say so…”

“I know so. I’ve got it all taken care of. Just be a dear and don’t say anything to Eleanor.”

“Brittany, she’s been so upset by this. To have Theodore distance himself from her? That just seems… cruel.”

“Hey,” Brittany snapped, causing Jeanette to flinch. “I didn’t tell him to do THAT or anything like it. If he feels like he can’t see Eleanor without blowing it then that’s on him! I would never make him do that. I’d never cause a rift between them. I’ve just been helping him with his confidence and how to go about asking her.”

“J-Just…” Jeanette sighed. “Just be careful… good intentions can turn bad very fast…”

“It will be fine. Theodore is a good kid and very aware these days. He knows what’s going on.” Brittany walked away from Jeanette but after a few steps down she got one more thought in, one that Jeanette could not ignore. “Don’t worry, it’s going to work out. Trust me. And once they’re all set, we’ll work on you next.” Jeanette turned in disbelief towards the direction her sister was heading.
“Wh-What’s that supposed to mean?” Jeanette’s voice became more stern but Brittany failed to notice as she still headed down the first floor.

“I mean we’ll figure out what to do about you and Simon. It’s tricky but I’ll figure something out, as long as it takes.” Once she said that she was gone and out of view from Jeanette. Alone on the second floor with her face turning warm, Jeanette only growled in frustration.

Chapter Text

There was a knock on the door to the Seville Household. Alvin slept and snored the day away on the living room couch in only a pair of pajama pants and a black tank top underneath his jacket but woke up abruptly by the sudden noise of the hand hitting wood. Only partially conscious still, Alvin lunged off the couch in a daze, forcing himself to be more alert. Although far from snow, a rain storm rolled in over the neighborhood, making the once clear days back into a cold gray lull.

“Huh? Wha-” Alvin struggled to speak, then he heard another knock on the door. It was with a stern intent, but still ladylike which Alvin could easily narrow down to who it could be. He got away from the couch as he considered laying back down and stumbled his way towards the door. “Yeah, what?” He answered as he rubbed his eyes and yawned while he opened the door. Once he could see clearly, he looked right over a head of golden messy hair and changed his approach. He looked down to see Eleanor and she looked back up to him with exhausted and puffed up eyes. “R-Right.” Alvin let out as he zipped up his jacket for both the guest and from the cold. “Come in.” Alvin slowly slid out of the way to the Chipette pass right through without hesitation. She had her casual school wear on, with her trench coat covering her but to his surprise she didn't have her backpack.

“I-Is Dave here today,” Eleanor asked weakly.

“Nope,” Alvin answered as he closed the door and followed her.

“Vinny maybe?”

“Mom's back in the woods this week. Dave thought it would be a good idea to practice his bushcrafting skills,” Alvin chuckled to himself at the imagined thought.

“S-Simon,” Eleanor asked again, as if she didn't hear him.

“Nope.”

“O-Oh…” Eleanor let out dejected, her presence almost like a phantom. She turned away back towards the front door. “Sorry… I'll uh… come back later…”

“Woah wait,” exclaimed Alvin as he jumped in between her and the front door. “Hold on! What's wrong with me, huh?”

“N-Nothing, I'm sorry!”

“I'm your friend too, aren't I? I can help!”

“I-It's not that you can't-”

“Ellllieee… come on now,” Alvin helped her to the living room. “Haven't I always been there? Through thick and thin?” Eleanor let out a faint giggle as Alvin hoped.

“Well… with mixed results…”

“Point is I was still there.”

“That's true… Y-You're right. I'm sorry Alvin, I didn't mean it like that.”

“I don't blame you, I'd be my last resort too,” Alvin snarked, getting another weak giggle out of Eleanor. Eleanor sat down on the couch with Alvin's help. She settled in and he went off to the kitchen and prepared her a glass of water then a can of cola for himself. He cracked it open as she took a sip of water and placed it down on the coffee table. “I'm not THAT blind to what's been going on.”

“S-Sorry, I just… yeah I know. It's not subtle…”

“Not in the slightest.”

“I just… Jeanette's not great at this kind of talk and Brittany won't listen for some reason. Miss Miller is out of town and… I-I needed someone to talk to.”

“Well, I'm all ears,” Alvin enthusiastically volunteered himself. He put his can down as well and sat on the arm rest beside Eleanor, placing his elbows on his knees, palms on his cheeks and gave her an obnoxious look to get her to smile.

“Okay, okay I get it,” Eleanor giggled. “Thanks.”

“Now, what's going on?”

“I…” Eleanor paused, then her energy heightened. “This has never happened before! Even when things were hard, he never felt…” Eleanor sighed and lowered her head. “...so far away. He's never avoided me like this.”

“Aw come on Ellie. ‘Avoid’ is such a strong word. He's not avoiding you, he's still responding, isn't he?” Eleanor looked back up at him but with a displeased expression. “What?”

“He is, but this feels different… and I don't blame him…”

“You think he's mad or something?”

“Who wouldn't be? I did this to myself, I deserve it…” Eleanor lowered her head back down, her eyes growing moist.

“Ellie no, don't.” Alvin stuttered. “Don't do that. Don't put that on you, we all know that you're really putting in the work at school for everyone's sake.”

“But every time we try to meet each other, I keep having to bail or cancel or reschedule…”

“We know the deal and we don't hold it against you…” but then Alvin thought aloud. “But I guess sometimes that doesn't make it better. Especially for Theo.”

“You think I don't know that!” Eleanor snapped.

“Woah, woah easy,” Alvin tried to defend himself. “I know you know.”

“I-I'm sorry…” Eleanor began to sniff and close herself off.

“Don't worry. Theodore’s patient. Probably the most patient out of all of us.”

“If anything, he's too patient… I've been really abusing that lately…”

“Well, even Theodore has to have a limit I guess…" Alvin began to let slip out without realizing. "Guess it's not impossible for him to be movin-”

“Alvin stop!” Eleanor shouted, echoing across the house. She shot up from the couch and whipped directly towards Alvin, causing him to fall off onto the hardwood vinyl floor in surprise. He picked himself back up but when he looked over the armrest he saw the hurting Chipette facing him. Her eyes were red and tears were flowing down her cheeks. He could see that she was starting to shake. “Don't you dare say that! Anything but that!”

“El-Ellie I-” He saw her shaking more.

“He-He would never… he w-wouldn't leave me… not him…” Alvin stopped his attempt at lightening the mood and crouched there speechless as Eleanor stood there and cried, unable to say anymore. He stood up completely, rubbed the leg he landed on and cleared his throat.

“H-Hey…” He said in a tender, soothing voice. Eleanor wiped her eyes but saw Alvin invite her in with open arms. He playfully raised and lowered his eyebrows to try and make her feel better again. She tried to collect herself but when she couldn't, she waddled over and planted her head face down into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back to try and give her comfort, even if all he could hear was her sniffling being muffled by his jacket. “Hey there,” Alvin tried to console her. “I'm sorry. That was stupid. Really, really bad choice of words. I didn't mean that.” He let it stay silent for a moment as she breathed heavily and sniffed. “That was just me being dumb out loud. Ellie.” He pivoted. “You know Theo's not that kind of guy. For crying out loud, the kid would move the earth for you.”

“But-But-” Eleanor tried to respond.

“No, no,” Alvin cut her off. “No buts.”

“I'm sorry,” Eleanor tried again but Alvin interrupted her a second time.

“Don't be. That one's on me.” After a moment, Eleanor was able to calm herself down enough to speak up more.

“Y-You… didn't say anything I wasn't already thinking…”

“Oh Ellie. That's a bad road to go down, you know that.”

“I-I just… out of everyone, he wouldn't…”

“Shhh… Theodore’s not going anywhere. Not Theodore.” Eleanor shifted in his chest and squeezed him. “No one's going anywhere. Not me, not Simon, not Jeanette or Brittany or Miss Miller or Dave. No one, especially not Theodore.”

“But what if he-” Alvin began to pet the top of her head.

“Those are just some bad old thoughts. That's all they are. Remember what Britt and Jeanette told you.”

“I don't know what to do…” Eleanor let out weakly from his chest.

“You want me to kick his butt for you?” He tried to help.

“No…”

“Well… have you,” Alvin paused to brace himself. “Have you tried talking to him?” He readied himself for getting yelled at again, but much to his surprise, he simply felt her head nodding slowly from left to right. “Why not?”

“I'm scared.”

“Pffft, scared of Theo?”

“Of what I won't want to hear.”

“No way. He's probably just going to be like,” Alvin changed his voice to mimic Theodore in a teasing manner. “Sorry Ellie, I got distracted at school and my homework that I left my phone on silent all the time instead of that really annoying ringtone everyone hates.” Eleanor burst into laughter into the jacket fabric as Alvin grinned to himself.

“That ringtone is so annoying…” she added.

“Right? Anyway, I'm sure things will be fine. Just talk to him.”

“You and Brittany never just talk.”

“That's because there's nothing to talk about. She's a free agent, and if she gets mad at me, that's her own fault.”

“Alvin.”

“Hey this isn't about me, this is about you.”

“Right, sorry.”

“If anything, just give him a taste of his own medicine! Ignore him for a change and force him to open up!”

“I… I can't do that…”

“Well you can't just sit here and cry forever can you?”

“N-no. Fine…”

“Sometimes, you just have to play dirty. That's how you win these things.”

“Oh no, not again…”

“What?”

“N-Nothing.” Eleanor removed herself from his chest to make eye contact. Alvin gave her a sincere and assuring look on his face. Though, it lasted only for a moment before he tried to lighten things up again by making a comical and exaggerated expression. She laughed, then dug her face deeper and squeezed him, to which he returned the gesture. Then she pushed herself away from him.

“When did you get so mature and helpful?”

“I know, it's scaring me too,” Alvin joked.

“Guess you guys don't need me to be the mature one anymore either…”

“Eleanor,” Alvin stopped her.

“Sorry, sorry.”

“Good. Now go wash your face. I might need to do an emergency load of laundry for my jacket.” They both stuck their tongues out at each other before Eleanor headed into the downstairs bathroom. Once he heard the door close and the water turn on, he grimaced. “I swear, if they don't get it together, we will.” Eleanor splashed her face with water and washed her eyes. While she felt somewhat better, she still couldn't shake this feeling that loomed over her. Then her phone vibrated from her pocket. Without thinking, she quickly took it out and once she saw that it was Theodore, her hands gripped the phone ready to tap and respond. Yet, once she looked at the reflection she stopped. Her eyes were still sore and red and she her nose still running. She firmed her resolve and with another sniff, she put her phone on sleep mode and stuffed it back into her pocket.

Chapter Text

The camera turned on, showing a small enclosed room with posters of pop stars from days past and sound suppressing foam along the walls. Normally, the center of the focus would be a standing microphone and a lone chair. However, this time it was more than that. There were two chairs: one off to the side of the standing microphone where an acoustic guitar rested on the seat and another behind an electric keyboard and synthesizer setup. The room became far more cramped than usual so Alvin squeezed in and addressed his audience as he tried not to mess up any part of the set.

“Hey everyone! Welcome back to Alvin’s Jam Sesh Live,” Alvin greeted his audience with enthusiasm. “Today we have a VERY exciting session for you all. A lot of you deep cut lore enthusiasts are especially in for a real treat. Today has not one, but TWO special guests. The first of which is ‘my ever thrilled to be here’ brother: Simon!” Alvin gestured to the edge of the camera where Simon walked in and nearly tripped over the tangled wires of the different devices.

“Geez Alvin, why are we doing this in here,” Simon let out as he nearly lost his footing but caught himself by holding onto the edge of the keyboard. “This closet barely had enough room without all of this extra equipment.”

“It’s to give that whole ‘uncut’ illusion the audience loves so much. Right guys?” Alvin cocked an eyebrow at the camera and saw that the chat gave plenty of praise and reaction. “Are you ready Simon?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Simon inched over and wedged himself in the second chair with barely any space left between him and the wall behind him. He powered on the board and tested it thoroughly. The chat was in uproar, sending a constant stream of emojis like blue hearts, glasses and even a custom one made specifically for when Simon appeared on Alvin’s live stream.

“This of course isn’t Si’s first rodeo here on ‘Jam Sesh’, but it is for this next guest,” Alvin looked off camera again and gestured for the third person to enter the scene. “I won’t even introduce them. I think they can do it much better themselves anyway.” From the side of the camera lens, Eleanor walked into the scene and stood in the center as Alvin got out of her way. Alvin was amazed at the response from the chat which made Simon’s reaction pale in comparison, seeing only green hearts and messages of their nostalgia for seeing Eleanor perform with her sisters. “Eleanor, it’s all yours.”

“H-Hi… everyone,” Eleanor nervously said and waved to the camera. “Gosh, this is so weird. Uhm, well… I- well, you older fans probably haven’t seen or heard from me in a long while. Not since… I guess not since ‘The Chipettes’ were still touring. But Alvin and I thought that today would make a nice change of pace. I- huh, what?” Eleanor leaned forward and squinted to see the chat’s questions. “Oh, no. I’m not really planning on returning to music.”

“Not yet at least, we’re still working on that part,” Alvin teased as he quickly jumped back into view to wink at the camera. Eleanor rolled her eyes and continued.

“Riiiight. Anyway, he thought that today would be a good way for me to… get some stuff off my chest. And Simon agreed.” Eleanor looked over to Simon next.

“Correct,” Simon said to the camera. “When Alvin asked me to do another collaboration so soon, I initially said no.”

“Hey,” Alvin whined off-camera but still within the microphone audio's reach. The other two smirked.

“But when Eleanor asked me to help since it required a third, I of course said yes.” Eleanor looked at Simon again and Simon fondly smiled back at her.

“Thank you Simon,” Eleanor expressed with a shy smile growing on her face.

“Anything for you Eleanor,” Simon answered back.

“So, uhm…” Eleanor spoke up and addressed the eager chat. “Without further ado, uh… well, Alvin? Care to get us started?” Alvin joined back in and sat beside her as she stood in front of the microphone.

“Ready when you are Ellie,” Alvin responded as he picked up the guitar and began to play. He strummed a melody to warm up, then looked over to Simon as he played to make sure his brother kept up with him. Successfully doing so, Simon nodded back and the two began to play the song Eleanor had chosen. She took a deep breath and at the right moment to jump in with the instruments, she began to sing.

Looking from a window above, it's like a story of love

Can you hear me

Came back only yesterday

I'm moving further away

Want you near me

All I needed was the love you gave

All I needed for another day

And all I ever knew

Only you

Eleanor stopped to take a deep breath. Her nerves were finally starting to get the better of her which surprised not only Alvin, Simon and the chat but herself as well. Her hands were starting to shake, though it could not be seen by the viewers. She had always performed with her sisters and even the Chipmunks in the past, but this time felt different. She paused a little longer to look over at Alvin as if she were waiting for his instruction. He took a quick look at the chat, and noticed that it filled the screen with never ending messages of support and green hearts. He stuck a thumb up and assured her without saying a word. She then looked to Simon who also gave her an assuring and supportive look and without saying anything either, gestured for her to keep going. She smiled and continued.

Sometimes when I think of his name

When it's only a game

And I need you

Listen to the words that you say

It's getting harder to stay

When I see you

All I needed was the love you gave

All I needed for another day

And all I ever knew

Only you

All I needed was the love you gave

All I needed for another day

And all I ever knew

Only you

The camera stayed completely on Eleanor as she sang, and while Alvin and Simon could still be seen off to the side it was easy to tell that no one was paying attention to the two brothers. They looked on as Eleanor remained in the moment of her singing just as she did when the girls used to perform. They then looked at each other, not missing a beat or a note in the meantime, and grinned. Eleanor’s eyes grew moist but she kept her smile and sang passionately to the end as if she had never taken a break from music.

This is going to take a long time

And I wonder what's mine

Can't take no more

Wonder if you'll understand

It's just the touch of your hand

Behind a closed door

All I needed was the love you gave

All I needed for another day

And all I ever knew

Only you

Chapter Text

Gasping and sweating, Theodore rushed down the street towards his house. It was close to sundown and he raced the best he could against the setting star.

“Please pick up,” Theodore cried to himself as he tapped on his phone while running. He went into his contacts and scrolled past his brothers, Vinny and Dave to tap on Brittany’s icon. The phone rang, but went to voicemail after a minute. As he approached the front door he slowed down to catch his breath but when he turned the door knob to head inside he turned pale white. Theodore lost his footing and nearly fell back from what awaited him inside. Standing behind the doorway, Brittany looked at him from the middle of the entrance with her hands on her hips and a stern, judgmental look. Jeanette sat close by on the couch, patiently waiting for Brittany’s lead. Her look was far more concerned, but even Theodore could feel that same faint air from Jeanette.

“B-Brittany,” Theodore shouted.

“Theodore, Theodore, Theodore,” Brittany said with intent. “Awfully in a rush tonight, aren’t we?”

“Oh Brittany,” Theodore cried out as his eyes began to water. He picked himself up and ran right into her arms. It did catch the Chipette off-guard at first but nevertheless she held him. “You gotta help me! I think I messed up! Eleanor isn’t talking to me anymore!”

“Oh Theo,” Brittany said in a soft voice, but then that same tone became hostile. “You think!” This caused Theodore to wince and recoil out of her arms. “What were you thinking?”

“I-I-I” Theodore stuttered before being cut off by Brittany.

“Why have you been ignoring and avoiding her? You only have yourself to blame! I didn’t tell you to do that!”

“I-I didn’t mean to,” cried Theodore as he panicked to find a way out. “Honest!”

“Then what were you doing this whole time?”

“I was-I was-” Theodore stumbled over himself trying to answer her. Brittany shook her head and took a deep breath.

“It's fine. Everything’s fine. Give me a second, I’ll figure something out and fix this.” Then the three chipmunks felt a jolt down their spines as they heard another voice enter the living room.

“'Didn’t tell you to do that’, huh,” the voice said aloud, coming from the kitchen but approaching them fast. Walking through the dark of the unoccupied kitchen Alvin and Simon came into view with judgmental expressions of their own. Alvin’s voice suddenly became more energetic. “I knew this had something to do with you Britt!”

“And what is that supposed to mean,” Brittany scoffed.

“Oh please, can you be any more of a homewrecker,” Alvin accused. Brittany stepped away from Theodore to confront Alvin more directly. Stuck in the middle, Theodore began to breathe faster until he saw Jeanette gesture for him to sit beside her on the couch.

“Excuse me,” Brittany asked.

“Did I stutter,” Alvin answered. Alvin and Brittany scowled as they locked eyes in a deadlock. Simon was about ready to step in but then Brittany rolled her eyes.

“Oh sure, blame me for something that’s not even my fault, just like always! You think this has been easy for me? I’ve been hiding in my own home from Eleanor because of how guilty I felt about him doing this!”

“Not your fault? You told Theodore something that caused this whole mess!”

“He made his own choices! It’s not MY fault he stopped answering Eleanor!”

“And look where that got us!”

“All I did was help him build up some confidence, something his brother clearly didn’t care about!”

“Didn’t care about it? We’ve been taking care of Eleanor this whole time! What about YOU, huh? Sister of the year over here guys!” Brittany taunted him with a mocking laugh.

“Oh is that so, huh? Then what did you tell her, Alvin?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb, I know you Alvin. I know you probably gave her some dumb idea to retaliate and ignore him right back, right?” Alvin paused, but still kept his stern deadlock with Brittany. “It's been a few days, you probably egged her on even more, didn't you?”

“Wh-Where’s your proof?” Alvin tried to cover it, but Brittany latched onto that stutter as she began to gain more ground in their battle of the eyes.

“Don’t need any,” Brittany boasted. She waited as her eyes got more intense and confident as he became weaker and reserved. Then he finally spoke up.

“Alright, alright! So I might have said something once or twice at that moment! I didn’t think she’d actually do it! Eleanor’s supposed to be better than that! Besides, we didn’t start this. You two did-”

“That’s enough,” Jeanette shouted loud enough to get them all to listen. Due to how rare it occurs, that loud call to order caused a crack in her voice, but Alvin and Brittany quickly stopped arguing and looked over, stunned. Even Simon did despite not being involved. Jeanette held herself back but once she saw Theodore’s lowered expression and Simon's assurance, she spoke back up. “I-It doesn’t matter what you two did.”

“Y-Yes,” Simon joined in. “J-Jeanette is correct. From the sound of it, both of you meddled when you shouldn’t have.”

“But I-we-but-” Alvin and Brittany talked over each other trying to explain themselves.

“Y-You two meant well and supported them when they needed you, but you went too far,” Jeanette stood her ground with Simon next to her.

“What’s done is done. We’re detracting from the point.” Simon looked down to Theodore from the corner of his sight. “Theodore?” Theodore shot up, trying to find the words he wanted to say. At first he struggled until Jeanette put one hand on his shoulder then held his hand with her other one.

“Go on Theodore,” Jeanette comforted him. “We know you would never do this on purpose. Just… tell us what’s going on.” Theodore looked to Jeanette. His watery eyes and panicked pupils tried to keep eye contact, and it would have broken were it not for Jeanette keeping up with concern and encouragement. He calmed down then moved his head towards the other three. Simon met him with encouragement too, while Alvin and Brittany softened their expressions.

“Okay…” Theodore began. “Okay, okay. I-uhm… I haven’t…” Theodore then let out a sigh. He looked to Jeanette again who gestured for him to continue. “I… wasn’t avoiding Eleanor. I-I- mean I didn’t mean to! Brittany never taught me that, it’s not her fault!” Alvin shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and rolled his eyes at a smug Brittany who grinned and nodded in satisfaction with her arms crossed. “Brittany was just trying to help, that’s why I went to her. I figured if anyone could, it would be her. I was just… a-afraid that with Eleanor spending so much time at school or her projects she-she didn’t want us anymore…”

“‘Us’,” Jeanette investigated, getting Theodore to clear his throat.

“Me…” Theodore admitted. “S-So when I went to Brittany, she helped me get ready to… to…” Theodore paused as his cheeks grew warm. The rest of the group smirked, knowing what he meant. “So I did what Brittany taught me! I practiced and practiced. Look, I even started working out!” Theodore pointed to his muscles-lacking arms and still soft stomach. The group tried to hide their snickering.

“Well…” Simon said for them. “It is certainly noticeable.”

“Right! And I guess I got caught up with all of the practicing. I want to ask Eleanor so bad but-but in the right way!”

“So then why were you getting harder for her to reach you?”

“I…” They looked at the youngest chipmunk in anticipation. “I started to think about what the right way even is and I got scared…”

“That’s it,” Alvin asked in hyperbole without thinking. “All of this headache because you were scared!”

“Alvin,” the group, except Theodore, shouted at him in unison.

“Sorry, sorry.”

“Every time she messaged me or called, I kept thinking about it and I-I didn’t know what to do or say!”

“Perhaps a kind of innate fight or flight response I suppose,” Simon thought out loud.

“More like ‘flight or flight’,” Alvin quipped.

“It just got harder and harder to talk to her. I didn’t want to mess things up because I-I…” Theodore stopped to breathe. “I love Eleanor…” Brittany and Jeanette blushed and smiled at his conviction. Simon nodded in acceptance.

“Well DUH,” Alvin interjected obnoxiously, once more getting everyone’s ire. Theodore lowered his head in shame. Alvin rolled his eyes at them, but cleared his throat as he approached his younger brother. Simon followed suit, placing his hand on Theodore’s other shoulder. “Look Theo, you got scared. It happens.” Alvin said to him, but as he said it his eyes wandered over to Brittany. She looked back at him and the corner of the Chipette’s mouth curved upward, and as Alvin saw that his mouth did as well before going back down to talk to his brother. However, Simon took over from there.

“Correct,” continued Simon. “It’s only natural for one to have this kind of instinctive response when confronted with a situation they’re not accustomed to and didn’t have time to adapt properly. You’ve never had to make any serious deliberations on the subject.” Theodore looked at Simon in bewilderment.

“I-I mean, I always kind of felt this way, I just never… thought about it, and I freaked out,” Theodore reiterated as Simon rolled his eyes and Alvin snickered.

“R-Right. That’s exactly what happened.”

“But now the problem has gotten out of hand,” Brittany rejoined as she moved forward towards the boys. “You have no idea how bad she’s been taking this.”

“No… I do know. At-At least I have an idea…” Theodore let out weakly. “I-I just don’t know if I’m ready Brittany.” Brittany sighed and sat next to Theodore on the opposite side of her sister. Jeanette still did her best to comfort him.

“I know we spent a while now talking about this,” Brittany began. “Going over this and that, being a man when you need to. But the truth is… there’s never going to be a right time. At least not one you’ll be completely ready for.”

“Wait, what,” Theodore asked in disbelief and looked at her.

“There’s just going to be a time where, even though you’re scared, you do it anyway. You just gotta hope that it’s not too late.” This time, even though Brittany’s speech was directed at Theodore, her eyes first wandered to Alvin who warmly met her. Unbeknownst to the three, Simon couldn’t help but do the same towards Jeanette, and to his surprise, discovered that she looked back at him as well. They gazed at each other for a brief moment before breaking apart nervously.

“So all of this was for nothing then… I don't know what I’m going to do now…” Theodore sighed as his breathing began to pick up. He planted his face firmly into his hands to hide from them.

“Well,” Brittany stood back up and looked at him directly. “If you still feel that way about Eleanor and want to make up for it. Then you’re just going to have to do it now.” Alvin and Jeanette nodded in agreement.

“Wh-Wha-” Theodore stuttered, raising his head to Brittany. “I-I can’t n-not like this, she won’t talk to me anymore! I-I messed up and now she hates me!”

“She doesn’t hate you Theodore. Far from it. But now, all you can do to make it right is to be that man we talked about.”

“You’re in too deep Theo,” Alvin jumped back in. “It’s now or never.”

“N-Never?” Theodore started to panic.

“Never,” Simon added. “Now is that time, ready or not.” They all waited for Theodore to say something. His expression changed back and forth between confused and anxious. He mouthed words, but nothing came out. Then, with the group holding in a breath, he looked at them all.

“Okay,” Theodore said out loud, unsteady with uncertainty and fear in his voice. The rest of the group collectively let out their held breath. Brittany and Jeanette smiled at one another while the brothers nodded with Alvin giving a thumbs up. “Y-You’re right. I-I-I n-need to do this,” but he lowered his head back down. “Oh… I don’t even know where she is. She stopped answering…”

“Not a problem,” Jeanette answered in a peppy tone. “I figured as much so I planned ahead.”

“You did,” Theodore exclaimed, his energy and hope renewed. “Where is she?”

“Where else? Her campus.”

“Thank you Jeanette,” Theodore said as she squeezed Jeanette. Jeanette wheezed as she felt a bone or two crack from Theodore’s sudden bear hug.

“N-Not a p-problem Theo,” She tried to say as she stopped herself from squirming out of his hug so as to not hurt his feelings.

“I-I need to head over there right now! B-B-But-”

“No buts,” Alvin said and Brittany nodded.

“I-I was working on a plan to-to-”

“No time for that, you just need to tell her,” Brittany said and Alvin nodded.

“Right! Time to go.” Theodore jumped off the couch and headed towards the door. Once he put his hand on the door knob, Simon spoke up.

“Wait, Theodore. You’re not going to make it at this rate.” Theodore turned back, antsy to get a move on. “Let me give you a ride.”

“You guys are coming too,” the young green clothed chipmunk asked with a big smile across his face.

“Of course, we want to support you two,” Jeanette answered. Alvin and Brittany instead looked every which way but towards their siblings.

“Y-Yeah... support,” Brittany said looking at her nails, turning around and away from them.

“W-We can totally do that… from here… in s-spirit…” Alvin mumbled as he tried to find a spot on the wall to focus on, rubbing the back of his neck.

“No, you two are coming too. It’s the least you can do,” Simon ordered.

“Yeah yeah, we’re going,” Alvin answered as they both followed Simon and Jeanette, knowing they couldn’t stay behind even before this conversation began.

“R-Right behind you,” Brittany nervously responded as she paced quickly behind them close to Alvin.

Chapter Text

The sun lowered under the horizon and the street lights turned on to assist the clear starry sky in giving students still left on campus enough light to make it in and out of their classes. Eleanor exited out of one building alongside several of her classmates who all towered above the green clad Chipette. They talked and laughed around her about their last class while Eleanor followed along in silence, carrying her laptop between her arms and school bag over her shoulder. Her eyes, exhausted as they were, remained attentive to her friends and their conversation as she did her best to stay engaged.

“Man, can you believe that bonus question at the end,” one of the guys in the group asked sarcastically.

“I can’t believe that was actually worth points at all,” another said as one of the girls giggled.

“What did you put for it Eleanor,” one of the other girls asked. Eleanor straightened out her posture in surprise. Her mind already wandered off before her name was brought up.

“O-Oh,” Eleanor answered. “I didn’t put anything.”

“You didn’t,” they all asked in unison, surprised by her response. Eleanor chuckled to herself.

“I couldn’t think of anything that wasn’t completely sarcastic so I figured I should probably just leave it blank.” The group all laughed at her answer and made her the center of attention.

“Oh Eleanor, you are hilarious,” one of the girls commented.

“Am I?”

“Are you sure you can’t join us tonight? It’s tradition after a test!”

“Thanks Muffy, but I have to head over to another classroom.”

“Another class? That was the last one for the night,” one of the guys explained.

“Yeah, it’s not another lecture or anything, but a professor asked for my help again.”

“Do you really not have anything better to do all the time than getting extra credit?”

“Not to mention it's Friday!”

“I…” Eleanor paused, lowering her eyes, but then spoke back up with a forced smile. “I guess I don’t.”

The group left it at that and continued to walk and talk between the different buildings whose paths connected the college campus. They reached the main intersection where Eleanor had to part ways with the group, but upon approaching the turn Eleanor felt her phone vibrate from her coat pocket. She gestured for her to step to the side and check. Away from the sight of the group Eleanor looked at her phone and once she saw the notification, her eyes opened wider.

[Theodore: Hi Ellie. Can we talk?]

Her pupils shrunk. She noticed how unusual this way of messaging her was compared to his normal style and felt her heartbeat begin to speed up and her stomach churn.

“Yo, Ellie, everything good,” one of her friends asked. She whipped her head over to answer them.

“Yup! All good,” she said out loud, then turned back to type on her phone.

[Eleanor: If you want.]

[Theodore: I do. Can you meet me on that walkway to the park outside your school?]

Eleanor started to feel herself breathing in faster, shorter breaths. She felt like she was going to need to sit down, but she knew she couldn’t. She cleared her throat and stuttered back to her group.

“A-Actually, something came up just now. I-uh- I gotta go. I’ll see you guys later.” Unsure of what to say, the group acknowledged her and they all said their goodbyes. Eleanor turned around to face the pathway she needed to take and quickly marched off to Theodore.

Theodore looked down at his phone to the same few lines of text over and over as he paced back and forth underneath the light of street lamps. He scrolled up and down to the conversation he and Eleanor just had, causing his breathing to speed up and his hands shake with each step. The cold winter winds blew strong but he kept the pace unbothered, unlike Brittany and Jeanette who shivered from its harsh bite as they hid out of sight beside Alvin and Simon in a nearby bush. Simon reached into a bag they brought with them and handed Jeanette a scarf as Alvin instinctively tried to help Brittany warm up. Jeanette quietly expressed her gratitude but that silence was broken by Brittany soon after.

“Are we really hiding in a bush,” Brittany complained, hunched over as they watched on at Theodore, her teeth chattering until Simon also handed her a scarf. “Thanks, Si.”

“Do you want to be out in the open when Eleanor gets here,” Alvin teased as Brittany quickly wrapped the scarf around her neck and mouth.

“It just feels so… ‘80s’. Like, played out, y'know?”

“Well we're kinda limited on options out in the middle of nowhere. But you're more than welcome to be out there when it all hits the fan.” Brittany looked over to Alvin, then back to the campus quad walkway Theodore paced on.

“No, no. I'm good. Point taken.”

“How are you doing Theodore,” Jeanette whispered from the bush, startling Theodore.

“Oh, you know,” Theodore said, his eyes fixated on the path ahead. “R-Ready to pass out.”

“Hang in there,” Simon encouraged him.

“Be the man you want to be for Eleanor,” Brittany added.

“R-Right. I-I’ll try!” He turned over to the bush to face the other chipmunks, to which they all gave him a thumbs up. He nervously nodded back to them and swallowed his saliva and went back to wait for Eleanor. Once he turned back, however, they all looked at each other with concern and then crept back behind the outward shrubbery. Moments passed while Theodore stood by himself in the middle of the concrete like a pillar in a hallway, but at last he saw Eleanor finally within view. His heart and stomach dropped and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. His knees began to shake and he felt light headed. Seeming to be better off, Eleanor walked ever closer, calm and stern, save for the serious face she made. None of the chipmunks in the bush or Theodore could see how anxious she might have been at that moment and that worried all of them. She stopped just within earshot and faced him directly.

“E-Eleanor,” Theodore barely let out, his voice cracking and losing its sound. Eleanor locked onto him with an icy stare, yet at the same time Theodore saw that a thin watery veil began to cover her emerald eyes. “I-I- uh- I ne-” he tried to piece his words back together under the breaking pressure that was on him.

“Look, Theodore,” Eleanor answered back, taking control of the conversation. Her voice came off as calm, but it too showed signs of frailty. This commanding call to the chipmunk caused the rest to almost involuntarily shrivel back further into the bush so as to not be caught within its gravity. “I- I-” Eleanor almost lost the rising momentum, but then took a breath to collect herself. “I know what this is.”

“Y-You do,” Theodore asked, becoming more anxious. “Wh-Who told you-”

“Yeah, I get it. Ignoring me, avoiding me. Being short with me the moment I get a hold of you. You think I don’t see it?” Her voice started to shake as she looked away from Theodore. Theodore could only stand and worryingly look onward at her.

“What? W-Wait a minute I didn’t- Theodore panicked and tried to correct her. “I’m sorry! That’s not-”

“Just-Just get it over with!” Eleanor let out, louder than she intended. “You and I both know how this’ll turn out so t-tell me and-and we can just be done with it!” Eleanor stood her ground, but Theodore took quick notice to see her eyes had already begun to tear up and that her bottom lip quivered as she tried to stiffen them.

“Eleanor,” Theodore called out. The group from behind the bush looked at each other in shame.

“Well,” Eleanor pushed him. “Say it!” Theodore flinched from her sudden snap.

“Say… say you don’t want me and go!”

“What,” Theodore gasped. “No, that’s not it at all!”

“Then-Then tell me you’re not interested anymore and that… and that I took too long…”

“Eleanor,” Theodore cried out. “I love you!” He shouted as loud as he could to get her attention. Eleanor gasped, and so did the others from their hiding spot.

“Wh- huh,” Eleanor mumbled, trying to understand what he said beneath her breathing and tears. Her eyes flickered rapidly and the adrenaline began to wear off. She started swaying back and forth from her own weakening knees as her school bag flung off her shoulder. Without thinking, Theodore ran to her side and helped her from completely falling to the ground.

“I love you Eleanor! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you! I-I-” he took a break to breathe and lost his train of thought. The two looked deeply into the other’s eyes, which only made Theodore start to tear up as well. “I’m sorry Eleanor. I wanted to tell you so bad but-but it just got so hard.”

“Y-You wanted t-to-” Eleanor looked at Theodore as their cheeks turned red. “Th-That’s what all of this is about!” Eleanor shouted as her laughter became mixed in with her crying. Her body didn’t know which one to do more of. Theodore wasn’t sure how to reach, but in that moment it didn’t matter and the two held onto each other tightly in complete sync, resting their heads over each other’s shoulders.

“I-I-” Theodore tried to explain further as soon as they let go. “I was trying to be more confident and-and be a-a man for you. B-But I got scared…” Eleanor looked at him, then started to laugh again.

“Theodore, you-” she wanted to shout again, but exhaled and playfully punched his chest in frustration. “You… you… that is the dumbest thing you’ve ever said to me!”

“Wha-O-Oh…” Theodore sighed and looked away, embarrassed. Eleanor sniffed, then smiled. She gently shifted his head back towards her with the tips of her fingers.

“I love you too Theo,” she confessed as she leaned over to take his hand between hers. Theodore shot up in surprise. Her hands were still cold, but he felt them start to warm up just like his.

“Y-You do!”

“Of course,” Eleanor smirked. “And you know why?”

“No, wh-why?” Eleanor tilted her head down and tenderly rubbed his hand with her cheeks still rose tinted.

“Because ever since the moment we met in that hotel when we were kids, you’ve always been right by my side. You’ve been my best friend, just the way you are. The way you care, the way you listen, the way you always think about me. You’ve never had to try. YOU are the man I want Theodore.”

“I-I am?”

“Yes! I don’t want anyone else BUT you! So don’t try to be something you’re not and-and drift away and leave me all alone!”

“I’m sorry Eleanor I didn’t mean to!” Eleanor sighed but then smiled to herself. She pushed herself closer and lovingly brushed against him underneath his chin with her head.

“Just don’t let it happen again. The next time you even think about doing something this stupid, remember what I’m telling you now. If not, I’ll come and knock some sense into you myself.” The two chuckled and Theodore raised his eyebrows.

“I will-I mean I won’t- I mean I-” He took a deep breath and started over. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“Good. You do have a lot to make up for, but…” Eleanor smiled at him. “I’m in no hurry. We’ve only got our entire lives, right?” Theodore was about to respond but not before being flicked on the forehead. “Honestly! What were you even thinking? You nearly gave me a heart attack over all this!”

“W-Well I wanted help, so Brittany thought-” Theodore quickly stopped himself from saying anymore but it was too late. Eleanor scowled and pushed herself away from him.

“Who thought what now?”

“N-Nobody!”

“Theodore!”

“Hah! Busted,” Alvin obnoxiously shouted by accident from the bush. Theodore tried to cover for them but Eleanor looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow.

“ALVIN,” Simon and Jeanette yelled, making themselves known.

“Alvin, you idiot,” Brittany shouted back, revealing herself as well.

“Wh-Whoops…”

“All of you,” Eleanor barked in disbelief. Theodore tried again to get her attention back on him, but Eleanor moved him aside and growled. “Alright, everyone out here! Now!” At first the bush rustled violently, but then one by one each of the other four chipmunks showed themselves. Simon and Jeanette wanted to explain themselves together, but Eleanor looked them from top to bottom, then back to the expressions they made and sighed. She gestured for them to get out of the way, to which they rushed over to the side of the walkway in fear. Then Alvin and Brittany stepped forward, guilt-ridden and doing everything they could to avoid eye contact. Eleanor crossed her arms and looked first to Alvin in frustration. Alvin nervously chuckled once they did make eye contact and spoke up first.

“E-Ellie,” he forcefully cheered.

“Stop,” Eleanor ordered, shooting him down.

“It-It was all Theodore and Brittany!”

“Alvin,” Brittany whined from his betrayal.

“I had nothing to do with it! It was all them!”

“HE was the one that tried to make it worse! He-” The two went back and forth for another second before Eleanor exhaled, getting both of their attention. She glared at Alvin, then nudged her head for him to also move along. Not wasting any time, Alvin ran off to join Simon and Jeanette. Brittany tried to sneak by with him until she was caught by Eleanor.

“Not you,” Eleanor snapped, stunning Brittany in place. Brittany made a quick 180 degree turn around to address her sister.

“Now Eleanor, I-I know what this looks like b-b-but I swear I-”

“Brittany,” Eleanor nearly breathed fire at her sister. Brittany flinched and kept quiet. “After I told you time and time again to stay out of our business, you just had to-”

“Eleanor, stop! Wait,” Theodore jumped in for Brittany. Eleanor looked at the sincerity in his eyes as he physically stood between them. Without the need to say anymore, Eleanor groaned and shook her head.

“I literally can’t even with you right now. Just go,” Eleanor said to Brittany with a sigh.

“No arguments here,” Brittany squeaked in panic and scrambled to run and hide behind Alvin. Eleanor took a moment to calm down and take another breath as she wiped the streams of tears down her eyes dry.

“Come on Theo,” she rubbed one of her temples and spoke up without facing him. “I’m exhausted. Let’s just go home and get something to eat.” She picked her bag up off the ground. “I’ll even email my professor that I had to leave early.” She turned her head over her shoulder and gave Theodore a wink. His eyes lit up and he blushed as Eleanor looked back forward, but then snapped out of his daze to rush and grab Eleanor’s hand.

“Wait,” he let out, “E-Eleanor?”

“What,” she asked, turning around to him. She noticed the serious look he gave her.

“I-I… didn’t come all this way to stop now.”

“Theo, I don’t-” Eleanor paused, then blushed once she realized what he meant. “Oh. OH!”

“Th-There comes a time when-when, even if you’re s-s-scared, you just have to do it anyway.”

“Y-You don’t have to- I mean, if you’re not ready- I-”

“Please. I need to.” Once more in complete harmony, the two closed the gap between them and he held her hands between his own. Eleanor only looked on with her mouth open, her emerald eyes wide and her cheeks warm. “Ellie- er, Eleanor. W-Will… will you-” before he could finish his question, Eleanor nearly tackled him from the excitement she could no longer contain. He stayed upright just long enough for them to smile from ear to ear before they both lost their balance and fell down into the grassy field that ran parallel to the walkway. Theodore collected himself and realized that he still remained underneath Eleanor, taking the blunt of the fall. He saw Eleanor on top of him with her flowing golden hair all over, veiling them from the outside world. They stared deeply and lovingly into one another’s eyes before giggling, then Eleanor leaned closer and kissed him. It was soft and quick, and once she removed herself she saw how dumbfounded he became. She smirked, then cupped his face in her hands and playfully pecked him several more times on his nose and cheeks, before one last longer and passionate kiss on the lips again, to which he reciprocated. The group watched on from the walkway at the new couple laughing to themselves where the light of the street lamps barely reached them. Simon and Jeanette grinned while Alvin smirked and tucked his hands into his jacket pockets, but not before Brittany wrapped herself around his elbow and upper arm.

“It’s about time,” Alvin said to the group.

“They’re so adorable,” Brittany cooed.

“I knew they had it in ‘em.”

“Agreed,” Simon commented.

“They’re going to have a beautiful future together,” Jeanette also added with a flutter in her voice.

“As if there was any doubt,” Brittany snarked as they all chuckled.

“See, I told you Si,” Alvin began. “Those kids were ready all along. They just needed a push, that’s all.”

“When did I ever-” Simon tried to correct him but Alvin continued anyway.

“If you’re really into someone, you just gotta go for it.” Brittany and Jeanette stayed quiet as they quickly listened in on their conversation.

“W-Well… yes, I concur.” Simon thought, then blushed. “At least for individuals such as these two who have a notion that their feelings might be mutual, anyhow. There really should be no need for such hesitancy and cause room for a misunderstanding. It’s a simple situation really.” Alvin wanted to add more, but he suddenly felt a swift elbow jab to his arm.

“Ow! Wha-hey,” Alvin reacted as he turned to Brittany who glared back at him. “What? What did I do this time?” He felt like she was about to let him have it, but the two were distracted by another response.

“J-Jeanette? What’s wrong,” Alvin and Brittany looked over to a now nervous Simon. Jeanette shot daggers at the bewildered chipmunk with her cheeks completely red. She growled under her breath, but made it clear for them to hear, then with a huff she stormed off towards the direction of the parking lot. “Jeanette!” Simon called out but to no success as she kept walking with a chip on her shoulder. “D-Did I do something? W-Wait up!” Simon ran off to catch up to the Chipette who picked up her own speed as Alvin laughed.

“Sounds like trouble in paradise, am I right,” Alvin mocked, hoping to divert the attention away from himself. Brittany just scoffed, rolled her eyes, and also left him for the parking lot. “Brittany! Wait, hold on!” He rushed to try and catch up. “I still don’t know what your problem is!” Eleanor and Theodore watched the entire situation unfold from their spot on the grass, but then looked back to each other and snickered. The new couple smiled once they caught their breath, then rested their foreheads together as they stayed behind beneath the lamp light’s glow and the stars above.

Chapter Text

The front door to the Seville household opened to only darkness as two entered, breaking the interiors silence with their laughter. One, a taller human, reached for the nearby light switch on the wall and flipped it up to illuminate the entryway showing him and a shorter female chipmunk. Household patriarch Dave, dressed in his normal business casual outfit and sports coat, and the chipmunk mother Vinny who dressed in a dark toned dress and older styled overcoat, her hair tied and draped over her shoulder.

“So Vinny,” Dave spoke aloud as Vinny clung to his arm nervously, though she kept most of her composure with a smile. “How was your first time going to a movie theater?”

“Oh David,” Vinny replied, trying to contain her nervous stutter. “It-It was such a thrill! The movie was so real I thought I was going to lose my head! And even though my ears felt like they were stung by a bee, it only lasted a few minutes!”

“Sorry, they're really loud in there. But I'm glad you liked it. Movies these days are just getting so wild with their CGI.”

“It was far different than watching a movie here. The television is quieter and the movies look a lot more like the ones they used to play at the Ranger station.”

“Well, the movies here are what we call, ‘The Classics’. From around the time we were kids.”

“I… I think I like those better.”

“Me too.” Vinny and Dave smiled at each other, making her cheeks grow a faint rose tint, then she let go of his arm.

“I'll go turn on the kettle David,” Vinny said as she grinned and headed towards the kitchen while Dave put their coats away.

“I'm always going to be David, huh,” Dave snarked. “After how many times I keep saying it's okay to call me ‘Dave’?”

“No can do,” Vinny teased as she walked ahead.

“Thought not,” Dave said with a smirk. To his surprise, Vinny suddenly peaked her head playfully from the kitchen, her cheeks still red.

“But I CAN do ‘Davey’,” she coyly responded. “Davey.” Dave blushed and cleared his throat as he made his way towards the living room. “Boys,” Vinny called out as she filled the kettle with water from the kitchen sink. She carried it over to the stove with both her hands but was cut off by Dave calling for her from the other room.

“Vinny, don't forget that the stove ignites itself. Just wait for the clicking!” Vinny shot up and giggled.

“Thank you Davey!” She turned the stove on, hearing the clicking sound and soon the flame erupted from the burner. She moved the kettle closer, but was once again interrupted by Dave.

“Oh, Vinny! Don't forget that the blue kettle is electric! We got rid of the other one!” Vinny stopped herself right before the blue plastic touched the fire, blushing in embarrassment.

“Th-Thank you Davey!” Once the water was settled, Vinny stepped out of the kitchen as Dave waited for her on the couch. “Where are the boys? It's getting awful late.”

“They had plans tonight with the girls,” Dave smiled and brought out his phone to show her. “Take a look.” Vinny adjusted her glasses and squinted to take a better look at the bright screen. Then her face beamed and she smiled.

“How wonderful! My little Theodore, all grown up,” Vinny cooed. Eleanor is such a sweet young lady. I'm so happy that they found each other.”

“You and me both. It's been a long time coming but I'm glad they finally sealed the deal. They've been inseparable since they were kids.”

“I'm so proud of them. Er-” Vinny changed subject. “And the other two?” Dave chuckled.

“Give them a little more time. They're a lot more stubborn than Theodore. But, they're in good hands.”

“Mm, I agree,” Vinny giggled as she sat next to Dave while he turned on the television. “Where are they now?”

“See for yourself,” Dave teased. “You can hear them out from the kitchen window.”

Alvin leaned back on the patio chair of the Chipettes Treehouse as he strummed along on his guitar. Though he had his jacket on, he sat in front of a portable heater that the Chipettes use for just such a winter night. He played a directionless melody, letting his hands make music for a song that didn't exist yet. He sat alone until the treehouse door creaked open and Brittany walked out, wearing an extra layer of designer winter wear. He stopped playing to look at her. She met his eyes and gave him a pure smile to which he reciprocated and nodded for her to head over to the larger seat nearby. Brittany grinned and nodded. He stood up and walked over with her to sit together. Once he plopped down with his guitar he took her by the hand and helped her sit down beside him, then began to play again.

With impeccable timing, the two heard and felt two more sets of footsteps come up from the staircase right as he strummed again. Jeanette walked ahead of Simon and once she nodded to both Alvin and Brittany, she headed towards the patio chairs with Simon not far behind, acknowledging them with a bothered, pensive nod. He offered Jeanette the seat closer to the heater where Alvin once sat, but with a huff Jeanette sat in the chair next to it. Simon sighed and sat down in the first chair, shifting the heater to aim towards Jeanette anyways. Alvin and Brittany looked at each other with raised eyebrows and catty grins while he strummed away. They managed to catch Simon's attention while Jeanette was distracted and silently encouraged him. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, bewildered about what to do. Alvin rolled his eyes and kept playing as Brittany teased him.

They sat around for a little longer, enjoying the night time air and Alvin’s playing, before the last two of their group arrived. Theodore and Eleanor walked up together, each with a basket around their arms, and Theodore holding a ukulele but the both of them holding hands. Theodore had a large smile across his face while Eleanor grinned with her cheeks red. The rest of the group smiled at them, causing the two to blush even brighter. Eleanor took the other basket from Theodore and placed them both on the table while he sat down at the bench under the treehouse window. Within the two baskets, Eleanor revealed sandwiches and drinks to everyone's excitement. Simon grabbed an extra drink and offered it to Jeanette. Jeanette looked at him, still annoyed, but when she saw how desperate his eyes were when they made contact, she sighed and with a tired smile, she accepted. Simon lit up with a newfound spirit and went on to help pass around the food and drinks to everyone. Alvin made him put a sandwich into his mouth in order to still play to which Simon obliged, too spirited to fight him on it. Brittany kept her head down and refused Simon's offer as she tried to avoid Eleanor’s sight. Eleanor smirked then grabbed both a sandwich and drink, and approached her sister. Brittany raised her head then lit up when seeing her sister's offer. Brittany couldn't help but accept. With a smug air to her, Eleanor patted Brittany on the head as she passed by to sit with Theodore. Brittany said nothing and blushed while she took a bite. They ate but remained quiet to listen to their personal concert, and once everyone settled, Brittany joined in with Alvin. They paused, then changed from an aimless melody into purposeful song.

I took my love, I took it down

Climbed a mountain and I turned around

The rest of the group immediately took notice and turned to pay more attention. Whether in the studio or now on their porch, Brittany's singing was pitch perfect.

And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills

'Til the landslide brought me down

As she sang Jeanette looked down to her drink, then shyly wandered over to Simon who sat in his chair with his attention on the performance. She sighed underneath her breath as she took a sip then placed the drink on the table. She wanted to look towards Brittany and Alvin but could only groan to herself instead. Theodore waited for his opportunity and jumped right into the session with his ukulele. Eleanor felt him shuffle about, so decided to lay down on the bench with her head resting on his lap, away from his arms. They shared a quick loving gaze as he played, then they both looked back to Alvin and Brittany. But then to all of their surprise, they heard Jeanette join in and sing the next verse before Brittany.

Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?

Simon whipped his head over to Jeanette in awe. Brittany stopped for just a moment as she noticed Jeanette became more involved and confident in the song. Eleanor lifted her head then grinned as she put her head back down.

Can the child within my heart rise above?

Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides?

Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Eleanor smiled from Theodore’s lap as she rested her eyes, then hummed along with Brittany and Jeanette. Even the boys joined in too for a brief moment, until it was time to sing again and they kept quiet for the three sisters to sing as one in perfect harmony, the same harmony that made them stars in what felt like another life.

Well, I've been 'fraid of changin'

'Cause I've built my life around you

But time makes you bolder

Even children get older

And I'm gettin' older, too

All the while, Brittany inched closer to Alvin until the two were physically touching. They both turned red but didn't move apart and the Chipette leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. Her hands moved through the gap between his arm and his chest and held onto him tightly. Simon's eyes wandered over to see Jeanette look back at him. They stared at each other longer than before as Jeanette sang along. Their cheeks turned red, and Jeanette could see that Simon wanted to say something as he started to mouth the words. Yet nothing came out and he looked down with a sigh. Jeanette frowned and looked away as well, but it didn't disrupt her singing. In shame, Simon picked up his sandwich and shoved it into his mouth, but continued to listen.

Well, I've been 'fraid of changin'

'Cause I've built my life around you

But time makes you bolder

Even children get older

And I'm gettin' older, too

I'm gettin' older, too

Ah, take my love, take it down

Oh, climb a mountain and turn around

And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills

Well, the landslide will bring it down

And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills

Well, the landslide will bring it down

Oh, the landslide will bring it down

The girls ended their song as Alvin and Theodore let the strings of their instruments resonate until completely silent. The sisters smiled at one another and giggled as the boys clapped for them.

“Simply astonishing,” Simon praised, though he was looking in one particular direction from the corner of his eye.

“Yeah! You guys sounded great,” Theodore added with enthusiasm. “Like you didn't stop performing!”

“Well, some of us never did,” Brittany boasted. They all shared another laugh, all except for Alvin who interrupted with an obnoxious groan. “What's your problem,” Brittany pushed herself off of Alvin and asked with a change in her tone. “That was perfect! And spontaneous too, you couldn't write that better!”

“I know! That's why I should have been recording! It would have blown up!” They all groaned back and rolled their eyes at Alvin as he asked if they were willing to perform one more time while he bringing out his phone.

Eleanor fluttered her eyes awake. It had been several hours if she remembered correctly once she had collected what little consciousness she had. It was dark in the room she found herself in, with the only trace of light coming from a faint glow around the window curtains. She was in the treehouse, of that much she could tell. Part of her had this feeling that her sisters weren't around, but when she stretched to yawn, she did feel another presence close by. First it was a soft but deeper breathing than any Chipette, then a feeling that her bed was weighed down beyond her own self. She looked over and smiled innocently. Theodore slept soundly, still in his hoodie and jeans with his back facing her. She playfully flipped his hood up and down before laying back down. Then without thinking, she pulled herself closer to sleep with him. Her arms wrapped around him and her forehead rested on his back, falling back asleep to the quiet open air.

Chapter Text

The snow covered the walkways and roads of mainstreet, but that morning it let up enough to allow locals some time for a tour around the downtown. For a Chipette, any time to go out and go window shopping during this time of year is worth the effort and Brittany seized this opportunity alongside her younger sister Eleanor. However, today they weren’t accompanied by their own resident genius as they usually are but instead the other family’s: Simon. They walked down to the mainstreet around the first corner shop, surprised at how alive it was despite the weather.

“Wow,” Eleanor said aloud while she looked around to see the other shoppers. “Someone’s cutting it awfully close for Christmas shopping.” She carried a double strap backpack on her while dressed in her dark green trench coat, visible skirt and leggings while her hair flowed down from underneath a light green beanie.

“You’d think they’d all be at the new mall up over by the Gallery,” Brittany answered back. Her hair, tied in her usual ponytail, covered most of her ears so the cold didn’t bother her there, but she still wore her designer brand white overcoat with faux fur lining around the hood and her neck. While her own skirt was covered, her black leggings were still noticeable down to her faux fur lined snow boots.

“Imagine coming here to shop,” Eleanor sarcastically added, getting a giggle out of her sister.

“Well, vintage or ‘retro’ is in these days,” replied Brittany. “Guess you can say one gen’s trash is literally another gen’s treasure.” The two continued to giggle together before Eleanor looked back to their third with a lingering smile. Simon grinned back, dressed in a simple blue padded winter jacket and jeans. Following Eleanor, Brittany also looked back to their third for the morning and also smiled, albeit a little more deviously. Simon looked between the girls as his grin slowly faded. Once he read Brittany’s expression, he grew red and broke away, getting the sisters to giggle again.

“Wh-What,” Simon stuttered.

“Nothing,” Brittany playfully denied, shrugging her shoulders. “You’re always so suspicious Si.” She held back to wait for Simon to catch up, then latched onto his arm. A shiver spread throughout Simon’s body but he knew it could only be an ill-omen. “It’s just a nice day to have a nice time outside with friends. And it's, like, extra nice that you tagged along!”

“R-Right,” Before Simon could finish, he felt a sudden rush and his other arm tugged outward. He shivered again once he turned his head to check and see Eleanor holding onto him just like Brittany with a catlike grin. “Oh no, not you too!”

“Come on Si,” Eleanor teased. “How often do we go out? Y’know, just the three of us?”

“Well, not ever I think.”

“Exactly,” Brittany exclaimed. “It’ll do you good to have a little girls day out.”

“That’s not… quite how I would describe it.” While Simon tried to make his case, the two Chipettes spoke over him with a cheer.

“Girls day,” they let out loud enough to catch the attention of a nearby passerby, making Simon feel even more embarrassed. The sisters laughed harder as they clung to the chipmunk that towered over them.

“It was just a coincidence,” Simon defended while he looked away. “I’m only out to-”

“We know,” Eleanor interrupted. “Buut, since we’re going the same way, we can at least have some fun together before going back! Right?” Simon looked down to Eleanor who tilted her head upward to meet him. This time, she showed an innocent smile with her teeth showing. Simon couldn’t help but smile back and nod.

“Y-You’re right,” Simon answered. “We’re here now, so we should spend our time here together. I-It would be awkward otherwise.”

“That’s the spirit Si!”

“Not to mention,” Brittany chimed back in. “It’s, like, almost impossible to get you alone without your brothers.” Brittany’s devious smirk grew back, but this time Simon was too focused on Eleanor to take immediate notice. “ Or your… other half.” While her voice came from behind his focus, he heard her clear as day and it was something he couldn’t consciously shake off. Simon tried to break free, worming around but ultimately unable to escape Brittany’s ironclad hold of him. When they finally faced each other, Brittany gave him a teasing but all too knowing look. When his ability to maintain eye contact struggled, he snapped back over to Eleanor. However, this gave him no relief as her expression now mirrored Brittany’s. With nowhere left to go, all he could do was sigh in defeat. Brittany and Eleanor snickered as they walked along.

“So what’s she got you out here for anyway,” Eleanor asked. Simon shook off his dissociation from the situation to answer her.

“Originally we planned on going to the bookstore to pick up an order,” Simon explained. “But…”

“Buuut?”

“She told me this morning that she was feeling unwell. More specifically, she told me that it was a lingering migraine from the night before.”

“Yeah, she told us that too this morning when we asked her.”

“She’s been bailing on us a lot lately,” Brittany added.

“Being sick isn’t bailing Britt,’ Eleanor tried to defend. “But it has been going on for a while now. I hope it’s nothing serious.”

“I hope so as well. Though, if she assures me that she’s fine, I’m sure she’s done the same for you.”

“Mhm.”

“And always remember,” Brittany jumped in again. “When a woman says she has a migraine, you just leave her alone.” Eleanor playfully rolled her eyes before patting Simon on the chest and the three shared a chuckle as they walked past the closed businesses and towards the open ones. It ranged from storefronts that haven’t opened yet, to ones with nothing inside to see through the glass and a few that were boarded up and even lacking a proper painted sign. The three chipmunks passed by them as other small groups of people did, all migrating to the different shops that remained in business. Many shoppers were locals and neighbors who have long since been accustomed to living close to former celebrities so they did nothing but exchange the occasional greeting or pleasantry. It was a relaxed and casual air for the chipmunks. Though every now and then a fan of Brittany’s or an older fan of the two groups would still catch up and break that air for a quick autograph or picture-- not that they minded.

Eleanor and Brittany kicked off the window shopping circuit by guiding Simon to a few shops for quick glances through the window but the tour quickly slowed down in order to make a stop at Eleanor’s favorite place on the street: the café. She was the first to walk in yet the last to leave, but when she did she met back up with Brittany and Simon outside the doors, all of them holding a small travel cup that each steamed out of the lid mouths. Eleanor passed a small paper bag to Brittany, getting a big smile out of her sister who practically snatched it out of her hands. Simon watched as he stirred his coffee just a little more, keeping his lid tightly between his free fingers.

“Thanks Ellie,” Brittany cheered. “You’re totally the best!” She hugged her little sister but Eleanor made sure that the squeeze didn’t make her lose grip of her cup.

“Last one for the day,” Eleanor replied. “Your favorite would be the first thing to sell out.”

“What can I say? I just have fabulous taste.” The sisters made faces at each other as Simon put his lid back on to finally took a sip.

“So, light enough,” Eleanor teased, getting Simon to raise a corner of his mouth after the cup came down. “Sweet enough?” He playfully rolled his eyes and nodded. Eleanor continued to look at him with a raised eyebrow and a smug look.

“But of course it’s not as satisfying as when you make it.”

“That's right,” Eleanor expressed with an air of self-satisfaction. Next to them Brittany wasted no time and practically shoved her baked pastry into her mouth.

“So you, like, heading to the bookstore now,” Brittany asked with her cheeks still stuffed. Simon nodded and took another sip of his drink. Without thinking Brittany nodded and took a drink as well to wash down her pastry. Then Eleanor couldn’t help but join them.

“It won’t take long,” Simon said. “It’s just a pick up and they’re already expecting us.”

“Who else would they expect,” Eleanor jokes. “You’re probably their only customers.”

“I do recall seeing other customers…” Simon started. “About a year ago approximately.” Eleanor started laughing and patted him on the back.

“Wow, he’s got jokes people! Who knew?”

“I-I’m sure they must have other customers. They’re still in business after all.”

“That’s not saying much around here,” Brittany mocked, getting another giggle out of Eleanor but also a smirk out of Simon.

“In any regard, I’ll find you two when I’m finished.”

“We’ll be around,” Eleanor assured.

“Yeah, half of the stores aren’t even open yet,” Brittany added. “We’ve got plenty of time.” Simon agreed without needing to say more and Eleanor gestured to him with a raise of her coffee cup. He looked at her confused, then over to the trash can. Eleanor huffed and cleared her throat.

“D-Did you… want another,” Simon asked, unsure of her meaning. Eleanor sighed and rolled her eyes. She raised his cup along with his hand and tapped it with her own as if they shared a toast. Simon looked at her ashamed and embarrassed as she began to snicker. The girls waved him off and the lone chipmunk headed into the bookstore just across the street from the café. The sound of jingling bells welcomed him as he pushed open the door, making himself known to the store. Upon stepping deeper beyond the doorway, he didn’t hear anyone else inside, not even chatter from the front counter but he shrugged his shoulders and proceeded regardless. He passed by the different shelves of the many genres the small shop still had to offer, catching only quick details of some of the bolder designed titles. Other than the odd book left out of order, he smiled to himself at how tidy and orderly the aisles were, knowing just who was responsible for it. All of his assumptions, no matter how correct they might have been, were fully confirmed when he looked at one of the signs posted to the side of the bookshelf under the genre listing. A simple piece of printer paper had been neatly taped to the shelves’ polished wood. It primarily noted pertinent information but that’s not what caught his attention. Underneath was a small message written in a glossy purple ink: “Please put books back the way you found them. Thank you!” The message ended with a tiny smiling face. He didn’t realize it, but reading that message made a large, warm smile grow across his face. However, that instantly wiped away when a voice called out from the front desk.

“Jeanette,” Mr. Garrett called for. “Jeanette, is that you? Didn’t see anyone tall enough to come through the door!”

“Good morning Mr. Garrett,” Simon greeted the old owner. “Not Jeanette, I’m afraid.”

“Who-What,” Mr. Garrett stuttered. “Simon? That you, boy?”

“Yes sir. It’s me.” Simon approached the register as Mr. Garrett came out from the backroom.

“Simon! How’re ya?” Simon reached over the flat countertop to shake his hand. Unfortunately for Simon, his small Chipmunk hand never stood a chance against Mr. Garrett. The older gentleman quickly grabbed on with a vice-like grip, nearly taking Simon’s whole body with it on each enthusiastic up and down motion.

“Just fine,” Simon’s strained voice rattled at a louder volume as he was practically thrown around, getting a hearty laugh out of Mr. Garrett before letting him back down.

“You’re getting stronger,” Mr. Garrett said. “You almost stayed on the ground this time!”

“W-Well, practice makes perfect I suppose. Jeanette couldn’t visit today. So I-”

“Picking up her order?”

“That is correct.” Suddenly the air changed as the two remained in eye contact. Mr. Garrett stared Simon down with a new stern expression. Simon stood in front of the counter, awkwardly waiting for the silence to end.

“And you say she couldn’t come today?”

“C-Correct.”

“Hmm…” The stern look on Mr. Garrett’s face became stronger, making Simon even more uneasy. “Did something happen?”

“I-I’m sorry?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Mr. Garrett went back to the other room as he kept talking aloud. “Nah, couldn’t be that. You’re not the other two. Y’know the one with the hat and his girlfriend.” Simon overheard Mr. Garrett and let out an involuntary snicker. The further away; however, the harder it became for Simon to hear him. “But then again, at least something happens between them.” Instead, all Simon could hear was the shuffling of things around the backroom. He looked back and forth to see different tools scattered along the counter, and off to the edge a stack of books needing to be put back.

“You know,” Mr. Garrett said, loud enough to catch Simon’s attention amidst the search in the back. “She comes in all the time to help me and the missus.”

“Yes, I’m… aware. She tells me about it when she gets home.”

“Always bailing us out when it comes to keeping this place running. All out of the kindness of her heart.”

“Y-Yes, she certainly loves to be here.”

“Eyup. Wonderful girl that Jeanette.” Mr. Garrett said as the shuffling in the back stopped. “Kind, smart, reliable… confident.”

“I-I agree…” Simon answered and listened but his cheeks grew red. “I’m g-glad you have such a mutually beneficial relationship.

“A real winner if ya ask me.” The chipmunk tried to look around anywhere except the counter but he jumped when Mr. Garrett came back with a small brown box. “Here we are!” Mr. Garrett announced with another change of tone, as if he were just greeting Simon all over again. “Already paid for and ready to crack open.” Mr. Garrett smirked and raised an eyebrow as he passed over the box. Simon refused to make eye contact this time and took the box from him.

“Lately it feels like this place practically runs off her. Eh, but even without her I wouldn’t let this place sink. Lucille loves the old book box and I… well, certainly beats the USACE.” Simon’s eyes lit up and he snapped back over to Mr. Garrett.

“YOU were in the corps of engineers?”

“Sir, yes sir! Did all sorts of projects way back when.” Mr. Garrett gave Simon a wink. “I even got to do some things with the ‘ol’ R and D’ for a few years too.”

“Remarkable! That must have been a dream come true!”

“It was for a time,” the older gentleman smiled to himself as he paused. Then he spoke back up. “But not as much as being here.”

“Now I find that hard to believe,” Simon scoffed.

“Scouts honor!”

“What could be more exciting than developing new technology for the betterment of society!”

“Mm, spendin’ the day away right here with Lucy.”

“I-Wha-” Simon tried to get his words in order, but Mr. Garrett continued.

“Seein’ her get so giddy when we make a sale. Getting the yard fixed up before going to an expo, lookin’ for some new junk to sell.” Simon made a quick attempt to get a word in, but this time he stopped himself. Instead, he just stood and listened. “You’d never know how nice days like that are if you’re alone in some rusty old base somewhere.”

“B-But what did you do with your hobbies? Or-Or your scientific interests? Your talent!” Simon’s voice grew more vigorous, only getting Mr. Garrett to chuckle.

“Still gottim’, but I realized there were other ways to use ‘em. So I don’t work on new alloys for bomb shielding. I still make a mean birdhouse! I might not be fixing a jeep engine, but I can tell ya I’ve never had to buy a new car in over forty years!”

“How have you gotten by? I can’t imagine this store is your sole source of income.”

“Hey! You watch it. This place might not be in the money makin’ business but it IS in the happy makin’ business. Besides, you’d be surprised how many folk want an ex-army engineer to do their taxes for them. We get by.”

“Huh…” Simon let out. A strange expression swept across his face, both pensive and uncertain. Yet somewhere between those two was something else, something more glowing and Mr. Garrett could see that.

“What you think might be best for ya now, might not be best for ya later. Just gotta think about what's most important.”

“I see…” Previously lost in thought, Simon jumped again when Mr. Garrett slapped the counter to snap him out of it.

“Well enough listenin’ to an old man ramble on! Go on, get that order home.”

“Wha-Oh! R-Right. Yes. I should probably get back and catch up with my friends.”

“Say hi to Jeanette for me.”

“Of course.”

“And tell your brother he still owes us for that last book case!” The two of them laughed and Simon turned away toward the door.

“He’s working on it. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to remind him.”

“And I don’t want money! I want his butt in this chair working!”

“You as well as the rest of us. Believe me.” The two men exchanged one final nod in solidarity and Simon left. The main street shopping center looked to stretch longer with shops from where he stood. Now it felt even more populated than before but it didn’t take long for him to reunite with Brittany and Eleanor.

“Get whatcha came for,” Eleanor asked as he closed the distance between them, holding the package under his arm. He noticed Brittany already carrying a bag and Eleanor with a new cup of coffee. He paused, then answered.

“Yes I did.”

“Great,” Eleanor cheered. “Now let’s pick up where we left off!”

“I’m surprised you're not already finished.”

“Well we had to make a pitstop, duh,” Eleanor joked again as she raised her cup. Brittany half-mindedly joined in by raising her bag up, most of her attention was focused on her phone.

“Ugh, Alvin! That’s not at all what I meant,” Brittany vented out loud as they walked down the street. “All pinks are different! Bubblegum is not the same as Cherry Blossom!” It all went into the open air, but Eleanor and Simon knew that it was targeted towards them more than anyone and quietly giggled to themselves. As they walked, they looked through the windows of the now open establishments, stopping by only for a brief moment when they had to and rarely entering the stores themselves. Around the midpoint of the main street, one store's display caught Eleanor’s attention right as they passed by. Behind the glass, a long, flowing white wedding dress wrapped around a mannequin captivated Eleanor. Her eyes warmly opened wider, completely enthralled by the beautiful and pure ensemble. Eleanor couldn’t take her eyes off it as her body slowly turned to directly face the dress beyond the window. She didn’t even notice a voice whisper into her ear. “Wearing one’s a lot closer now, ain’t it?” Eleanor’s cheeks turned rosie upon hearing those words and realizing that it came from her sister.

“Wh-What?” Eleanor tried to play cool. “Pfft- come on-” Simon stepped closer on the other side of Eleanor as he looked up to the dress and adjusted his glasses.

“With the appropriate adjustments for a chipmunk, I’d say it’s otherwise a perfect fit,” Simon added. Eleanor whipped her head to him, which was met with Simon giving her a grin and raised eyebrow not too dissimilar to the ones she would give about similar subjects. “I’m sure even with the needed changes, you can still place an order now.” Eleanor quickly became bright red all over and she hastily stepped away from them.

“My money’s on a year, tops,” Brittany teased.

“It doesn’t take a genius to place that bet as well,” Simon played along. Eleanor flayed her arms up to get them to stop, but kept her coffee from spilling.

“Okay, okay I get it! Har har,” Eleanor let out to hide her embarrassment only for them to laugh harder as they continued down the sidewalk.

“Whaaat,” Brittany asked sarcastically. “We’re just saying that you’re going to look so pretty on your big day! Right, Si?”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“Keep it up! It'll make it so much easier to choose a ‘Maid of Honor’!”

Chapter Text

The sun had long since set and the streetlights dotted all along the snow covered streets to form two comforting strips of glows. Outside of one of the many buildings in the downtown metropolitan area, a black four-door car parked right outside on the curb in front of the sliding glass doors, its engine still running. From the bright interior of the building, the doors automatically slid open and the front quickly became noisy with conversation with most of it being praise. Three voices tailed behind one who led them from the building towards the running car. Wearing a designer black overcoat with a pronounced pink dyed faux fur lining, Brittany led a small group of other professionally dressed women rolling pink luggage, all of whom towered over her. Despite the time of day and the dark sky still covered by clouds from the snowstorm, Brittany still wore her fashionable sunglasses and instead of her typical ponytail she kept her hair styled but free.

“Excellent ‘shoot’ as always Miss Brittany,” one of the followers said with a tablet in her hand.

“Did you expect anything less,” Brittany asked with an air to herself, still facing forward as if the women following her weren’t there.

“Never once,” another follower spoke up. “But are you sure these are the ones you want sent to the ad company for next month’s issue?”

“Why wouldn’t she want these,” a third answered back faster than Brittany. “These are simply fantastic! D-Don’t you think so Miss Brittany?”

“I only asked since this was our first scheduled photoshoot,” replied the second. “We still have a few more planned, especially since the submission date isn’t for a few more weeks.” The three followers paused and all waited for the Chipette to speak up. They were thrown off when Brittany stopped walking right before getting to the car door and with a bit of the flair she was known for, she turned around to face them with a smirk.

“They paid for the best, so I gave them the best!” The three followers lit up and all nodded in agreement back at the Chipette and amongst each other. Brittany took a quick breath while they weren’t looking but flashed another confident smile once they focused back on her. “And what’s a star without her crew? I couldn’t have done it without you three. Best in the biz!”

“Could you ask for a better client,” one follower said with a bubbly smile on her face.

“Talented and humble,” another said, practically swooning.

“That’s the best for you! The real deal,” the third let out, all three of their faces rose in their cheeks. Brittany chirped and gave a swift nod before turning back to face the car. One of the followers ran over to open the back seat door for their model while another brought her luggage into the trunk. They closed the door for Brittany but waited for her to roll down the window before leaving.

“We’ll have the set ready by Monday morning, Miss Brittany,” said the first follower, tapping away on her tablet. Without the need to speak up, Brittany nodded and brought up her phone.

“Oh,” the second spoke up again. “And next time we’ll be sure to have purple grapes instead of the green ones just like you asked.” Brittany nodded again, not taking her eyes off the phone.

“Is there anything else we can do for you Miss Brittany,” the third asked, catching up to the others from the trunk.

“Nope,” Brittany answered back. Then she finally put her phone down and addressed them directly. “You three are literally the best assistants I can ask for. Great work.” The three were glowing from that last compliment she gave them and replied in almost perfect harmony.

“Thank you Miss Brittany!”

“See you next week Miss Brittany,” one said independently after.

“You too. Ta-ta,” Brittany said, then went back to her phone.

“All set Hanson,” one of the followers called out. From the corner of their view inside the car, they watched the driver lean back and give them a thumbs up.

“You got it ladies,” the driver Hanson shouted his answer with a deep but nasally voice. “Hang tight Britt!” The three women said their goodbyes to Brittany who sent them off with another bit of flair right as the window rolled back up. Then the car left and soon Brittany sat in the back seat in silence, save for the humming of the car as it ran. That was until Hanson spoke up. “So Britt, where’s it gonna be this time? The Gallery Mall? Another ‘after-shoot’ dinner?” Brittany slightly tilted and turned her head towards the driver who kept his eyes on the road but managed to give her a quick glance through the rearview mirror.

“Nah,” Brittany answered with a small sense of snark in her voice. “Just home Kev.”

“No problemo! Music?”

“No, thank you.” Kevin left it at that, and Brittany looked out the window. The car went back to being quiet and Brittany leaned deeper into her seat. Her eyes behind her sunglasses looked downward to her phone that she still loosely held onto. The screen, still on, showed an incomplete message meant for what appeared to be her sister Eleanor; a half typed reply to a message from before when she left the photoshoot. Then her sight wandered over to the hazy lighting of the car radio. Brittany sighed and turned her head back over to the window. She took off her sunglasses and folded them into her coat pocket. In the reflection she admired her flawless complexion, expertly styled hair and A-List level makeup. Yet only the reflection of the glass caught the exhaustion in her sapphire blue eyes. She felt it creep up on her towards the end of her photoshoot, but with each streetlight shining down on the pane she could actually see that they were only halfway open and with a glint of moisture. The Chipette would even wager that she would see them somewhat red had she better lighting, but that didn’t exactly make her feel better. Hoping to get her mind off that blemish on her otherwise perfect appearance, she fidgeted in her seat to get more comfortable as she yawned and continued to look at the quick glimpses of the passing lights.

“Another ten out of ten ‘shoot’ Britt,” Kevin broke the silence, catching Brittany off guard right as she started dozing off. She whipped her head back and forth but when she tried to focus on Kevin, she realized that he threw the question out there but without losing focus. She blew out air from her nose and answered.

“You know it.”

“As if I needed to ask! Anybody who’s anybody already knows that you’re the best!”

“Mm, that’s right,” Brittany said completely out of it, sounding like she was uninterested in keeping up the conversation.

“Like, come on! This is Brittany freaking Miller we’re talking about! Even in high school you were the best singer, dancer and model all in one!”

“Was and still is.”

“Heh, yeah. I don’t know how you can still keep it up. I think I would have fallen apart by now!” Brittany let out a small breath, quiet enough to keep it away from Kevin’s ear.

“I have to be,” Brittany said to the open air and silent darkness of the car. Her eyes stayed on the lights outside.

“What’s that Britt?”

“Hm,” She verbalized with a condescending tone.

“Must have been the wind outside picking I guess,” Kevin said. There was a brief moment before he continued. “Y’know, at first I was a little embarrassed to be your driver. I mean, really? Being your friend’s chauffeur for a living? Talk about a real loser.”

“Aw Kev, that’s not-”

“But then I realized something. This job is the coolest! Who else is better to be a driver for? You can’t fire me if I mess up and I get to just let the road take me wherever I’m needed. Well, that and my GPS.” Kevin’s comment made Brittany roll her eyes, but at the same time it caused one side of her mouth to curve up.

“Why would I fire you? You’re the best driver I’ve had so far.”

“Aw shucks Britt,” Kevin swooned. The curve on her lips curved back down to let the conversation die out another time, but Kevin kept it alive without thinking. “You, uh, mind if I listened to some music?”

“Sure.”

The car eventually stopped in front of the Miller Household. While the porchlights were still on, Brittany didn’t see anything through the windows. The curtains were closed and no light halos outlined the fabric. She let out another sigh under her breath then put her sunglasses back on before getting out of the car. Once her luggage was out of the trunk and back in her possession, the young model crunched the snow beneath her with each step onto the curb to the passenger window. She sent Kevin off, then headed to the front door as the car drove off. Inside the house, it only affirmed her assumptions: it was quiet and empty. Not even the second floor echoed the signs of life that she was accustomed to when she would get home around this time. With a flick of a light switch, the house became much livelier in an instant and it helped Brittany make her way to the kitchen island to put down her sunglasses and slide her luggage away from any walkway. When she turned around to the living room and stairs, she looked out to the backyard. Were it not for the backyard and pathway lights leading up to the treehouse, it too would have been lost in the night. The sight of a dark treehouse made her sigh heavier than before. She rubbed her shoulder and tried to crack her neck as she walked over to the backdoor. She saw the same thing in its reflection just as she did in the car window which made her turn away with a groan and walk up the stairs. However, instead of heading straight to her and her sisters’ room, she walked into the loft and plopped down onto her cushioned seat. Her head nearly hanging off, she closed her eyes as her head began to feel lighter. This silence started to sway her into a peaceful sleep. However, not long after she felt like she heard another voice. This time from what felt so far away.

“Hey Britt,” the voice greeted. Brittany’s eyes nearly popped out of her eyelids and she shot up in her seat. When her mind caught up with her body, she realized that the voice came from none other than Eleanor. She leaned back on the wall that separated the open loft from the rest of the hallway with her arms crossed and a warm grin across her face.

“Ellie,” Brittany cooed, rejuvenating from the much welcomed sight of her baby sister.

“Welcome home superstar,” Eleanor joked as she stepped along to get closer to Brittany. “It feels like I haven’t seen you all day.” Brittany’s eyes widened with joy, but then she cocked an eyebrow and smirked.

“Gee, doesn’t that sound familiar?”

“Yeah yeah, it’s not lost on me.” The two Chipettes giggled, then Brittany fell back in her seat as she gave a more dramatic groan.

“But I know right? I told them I don’t do mornings anymore,” she went on while Eleanor sat beside her, letting Brittany put her head on the side of Eleanor’s lap. “But noo, it was all they could do. And look how THAT turned out!”

“No kidding. Like, seriously? All day? That’s definitely one thing I don’t miss from when we were kids touring.”

“If they hired a competent photographer and light crew maybe it would’ve gone quicker.” Brittany got off Eleanor’s lap and slouched back in her seat. Eleanor smiled to herself and giggled when Brittany met her eyes, confusing the family’s diva.

“What,” Brittany asked. Eleanor nodded left to right then shrugged her shoulders.

“Nothin’,” Eleanor answered.

“So, like, where is everyone? I looked outside and the lights were out at the treehouse.”

“Right! Yeah, so about that. Heater’s apparently on the fritz at the treehouse and Simon won’t be able to get to it until tomorrow. So tonight’s over at the Sevilles’.”

“Pfft, then what are you doing here?”

“Well, you said you’d be home around now so I figured I’d come getcha.” Eleanor took her eyes off her sister, not seeing the small smile grow across Brittany’s face when she looked down. She looked back up and met Eleanor as she turned back around.

“I mean, what are YOU doing actually hanging out? Don’t you have class or something?”

“Har Har, I do have days off y’know! Besides, I figured… well, maybe it’s time to slow down a bit.” Brittany raised her brow again.

“You mean spend more time with your boyfriend?” Eleanor became red, but she gave Brittany’s look right back at her.

“Yup, that’s right,” Eleanor admitted without hesitation. The two sisters laughed together before Brittany answered back with a more sincere look.

“Thanks Ellie.” Eleanor shrugged back with a satisfied smile and stood up from her seat to help her sister up.

“Come on,” Eleanor said. “Dinner’s with Jeanette and the boys. It’s Chinese tonight and I practically had to fight them off to save your favorite.” Brittany lit up and grabbed her phone. When she glimpsed at the now darkened screen, she only noticed the smile on her face. Her eyes were even open all the way. She then delightfully took Eleanor's arm.

“Then what are we waiting for! Let’s get outta here.” Together the two went down the stairs for the house across the yards.

“So I take it the ‘shoot’ was your best one yet,” Eleanor’s voice echoed down the narrow staircase.”

“Meh,” Brittany’s voice joined in. “It was okay.”

Chapter Text

Brittany stood around setting up her phone on the stand and tapping through screens to get to her camera. Beside her sitting in a chair was Jeanette who tuned her old acoustic guitar which she hadn't used in a while. The two girls had little space between them being inside Alvin’s recording closet but still they made do with what they had. Brittany turned the camera app on and smiled in front of the lens. That smile swiftly wiped away as she started to play with her hair, the screen acting as an impromptu mirror. Unassuming details in need of correction amidst the waves of the lovingly cared for and styled locks, but details that were important to her nonetheless.

“There. All set,” She said as she still continued to fix her image. “Ready Jeanette?”

Once she re-positioned the phone on the stand the way she now wanted, Brittany turned over to her sister. Jeanette twisted the strings one last time and when the sound was just right, she looked up to Brittany. With a somewhat nervous expression, Jeanette gave a simple “as ready as I can be.”

Brittany reached over to the phone to tap record, but not before taking another glance up and down her figure. She squinted at her reflection and stopped to fix her outfit and her hair one more time. Jeanette sat and waited unamused. Then once she was actually ready, she moved their primary microphone around to be front center and pulled up her own chair on the other side.

“Isn't the whole idea that we're supposed to be ‘live’,” Jeanette asked. Whether intentional or not, a small snide tone crept out with it though Brittany didn’t notice.

“Sure, maybe when Alvin’s streaming,” Brittany scoffed. “But we both know he could totally use a view boost. And what better way to do that than, like, make a special video to post off schedule?” A haughty grin found its way onto Brittany’s face right as began to speak under her breath. Despite the effort to mutter it, Jeanette heard clearly enough being so close to her. “And show him that the fans still want me more of course. ”

Jeanette playfully rolled her eyes away from both the camera and Brittany’s line of sight, then scooted her chair in as much as she could to the microphone. Brittany reached for the camera another time but suddenly the door opened and bumped Brittany forward, surprising the girls. It was Alvin who peaked through the doorway to talk to them.

“Hey Britt,” Alvin called out. His voice carried a gentle tone to it but the girls knew that it was far from innocent. “Are you sure you can handle this? I mean, I can do the-”

“Yes Alvin,” Brittany answered with a blush from the push. “We don't need help, thanks.”

“But like what if instead you-”

“We're good Alvin.”

Jeanette giggled to herself seeing the two go back and forth. While a common sight to anyone as close as she was to the pair, she couldn’t help but react this way still.

“Right, right. It's just that I had an idea that I think is way better than-”

“No notes please. You're not our manager.”

“But I can be!”

“Well you're not.”

“Can't I at least know what song you're doing?”

“Nope, it's a surprise. Bye now.”

“But-But-”

“Buh-bye!”

Before Alvin could get another word in, Brittany slammed the door on him. She crossed her arms, leaned on the door and began to count to herself. After the silent countdown, she shouted “And no listening through the door!”

Jeanette almost let out a full laugh as Brittany looked down to her and stuck her tongue out when they heard Alvin grumbling from the other side, followed by an audible shift in pressure on the wood. Hoping to catch him before he left the basement, Jeanette put her hand to her mouth and called out.

“Thanks again for letting us use your recording room!”

Brittany blew raspberries and rolled her eyes before getting off of the door, then sat down in the chair next to Jeanette. She finally tapped the record button on the phone and once she was situated back in the full seat, she gestured for Jeanette to begin strumming. The melody was calm but confident as if rehearsed, accentuated by Brittany assisting the sound with a consistent foot tapping on the guitar case and a clapping of her hands on her thighs. After a few notes, Brittany began to sing.

There's a hole in this story

There is something that I haven't seen

And for now, you want to keep it to yourself

Her pitch was perfect and her timing impeccable. Brittany sang just as she always has: like a born master. Jeanette didn’t skip a beat either, accompanying Brittany with the backup singing she had felt comfortable doing all her life.

But if you're lonely

Tell me, tell me

Keeping the momentum, the sisters played and sang while sharing a smile at one another, but not without the occasional acknowledgement of the camera.

I know the way you look

You don't want to say what you're thinking

You're eyes, they start to roll when you're holding back

They continued on, but as Brittany carried the lyrics and the melody Jeanette’s eyes began to wander downward. Her hands played each note almost separately from the Chipette herself and because of this honed skill, it allowed her to reflect on the duet in silence. Her eyes dimmed, but thankfully she knew that the camera would not quite catch it because of her glasses. She never could keep her emotions hidden behind a mask as well as her sisters so her face did sneak out faint traces about how she felt, but nevertheless she stayed distracted with her backup singing and played on.

And I used to blame myself

but there must be other serious reasons

why the devil's in your voice when you start to laugh

Brittany sat singing unbothered and unshaken. She focused on her performance and sent it straight to their invisible audience. This effortless motion was proof of her natural abilities as a performer, but this time it was also a way for Brittany to keep her expression from failing at the slightest look into her sister’s eyes.

There's a hole in this story

There is something that I haven't seen

And for now, you want to keep it to yourself

But if you're lonely

Tell me, tell me

I have tried and tried

I still cannot find any good sleep

Did you think that I would go on not noticing?

Your intentions are too sweet

but you don't want to listen to me

Would you rather us complete this misery?

The star of the show’s lip began to quiver ever so slightly but neither the camera nor Jeanette would be able to tell. She too let her mind wander about the reason for singing this song on this day. She admitted to multiple out loud right before but her head always came back to another.

There's a hole in this story

There is something that I haven't seen

And for now, you want to keep it to yourself

But if you're lonely

Tell me, tell me

If you're lonely

Tell me, tell me

Above ground, Simon headed through the kitchen from the backyard towards the basement with his head down to his phone. He crossed over the tile and around the island without tripping or colliding into anything despite his attention completely elsewhere. His eyes went up at just the right time though and caught Alvin resting on the basement door with his own phone in hand.

“Alvin, what are you doing,” Simon asked, making no effort to hide his disinterest in humoring one of his brother’s acts.

“Killing time,” Alvin answered back but with his attention remaining down to his phone. “You?”

“Well I was outside taking a look at the water pre-” Simon shook his head and put his phone away. “No, I meant what are you doing just standing there?”

“Leaning, ” Alvin corrected in a snide manner. He kept his head angled low to the screen but still sent Simon a smug grin and raised eyebrow to the best of his ability.

“Whatever. Can you at least do that on a different door? I need to get down to my computer.”

“No can do.”

“Are you actually going to elaborate for once?”

“The girls are recording a jam session, duh.”

“Oh,” Simon let out, interested enough in the reason to lose any more patience from his brother’s sass. “Now that’s a surprise.”

“Didn't Jeanette tell you?”

“No, but then again I suppose she's been... less communicative than usual as of late.”

“Ooo,” Alvin teased, lifting his head up to make it worse for Simon. “A lover's spat?” Simon’s face began to heat up, but he managed to keep it in check.

“No! She's just been busy, that's all.”

“That's all?”

“That's all. ”

Alvin shrugged and went back to looking at his phone. Simon stood there to think to himself but jumped at Alvin yelling at his phone and flailing his arms around. Simon caught a quick glimpse to see that he was playing a game.

“Aw what! That level was bugged, I totally got three stars!”

Then Simon snapped out of it and spoke up again.

“Wait, staying completely out of the basement is somewhat extreme. Couldn't you be away from the recording room but still inside? We sound proofed it to the right standard.”

“Huh,” Alvin looked back at Simon, first only half paying attention but then with more enthusiasm once his mind caught up. “Oh! Right? That's what I'm sayin'! But Brittany saw right through that.”

“Did they mention what song they were performing?”

“Nope. Apparently it'll ruin the surprise.” Alvin rolled his eyes and threw out a dramatic groan. “Ugh, I hate surprises.”

“They have always been an enemy of yours,” Simon teased back with a smirk. “Haven't they?”

Chapter Text

It was that special time of the year where loved ones come together in a wintery wonder. Snow fell from the sky and the sun had long since sunk below the horizon, making the perfect picture for just such a holiday as the streets laid decorated in an endless array of colorful, blinking lights. The Seville and Miller houses were no different. Even the Chipettes’ treehouse lit up like a lighthouse of reds, greens, blues and yellows. All of which were capped off with a finishing touch courtesy of the youngest of the Miller ladies and her new sir: a gateway of candy cane and faux presents over the fence door that connect the yards in festive fondness shared between the two families, regardless if some want to admit to it.

Every year that they’ve been together, the two houses alternated the responsibility of hosting their personal Christmas party. This year it fell on House Seville. The month leading up to this day filled their calendars with inconsistent meetups, trips to see friends, fans, and family as well as unpredictable changes that left them scattered all over town. These events make their holidays so riddled with exhausting and busy nights that the breaks they did get never felt like proper respite. However, this night always stayed their own. One night where no outside interference can add to the already natural chaos they brought to each other’s lives. One night where they ensured that no matter what their schedules turned out to be they would be there together, and this year couldn’t be more important.

Within the Seville house the decorations were all put up and the centerpieces on the tables were set. Just for good measure, they even lit scented candles to leave every room smelling like comfort with a hint of mint. In the living room, Eleanor nearly skipped and twirled as she finished up placing the small porcelain knick knacks on the fireplace mantle before bringing the tea set into the living room for after dinner. She wasn’t much for tea but she planned ahead and gave the option for coffee to go with their desserts. She wore a festive green tree sweater matched with a santa red skirt and a candy cane striped headband in her head of golden hair tied neatly into two low ponytails. For the occasion she even wore special holiday make up, highlighted by a glossy, bright red lipstick. She was no stranger to these things even years after her touring and public appearances ended, but celebrations like this were one of the few times where she still went out of her way to embrace it. Her cheer gave her the vigor of three as she carried all of these decorations and tableware around without taking a break. She placed down the last fork then stepped back to admire her handiwork with a chirp and a smile.

“Just perfect,” Eleanor said. “As always.” She then heard a jingling of bells from across the house, followed by the sound of the front door opening and an echo of other chipmunk chatter.

“I get it, I get it,” one sarcastic voice said aloud. “It’s THE song to play at Christmas with your Grandma.” The voices carried through the hallway, all the while Eleanor’s eyes followed along, waiting for the sources to come around the corner. Her inner gamble paid off when none other than Alvin, rocking his black sports coat underneath a red long sleeve and Simon in his own blue parka showed themselves. “And it was a funny joke the first time, but if I get one more hula hoop from those people I swear I’m gonna-” Once their eyes wandered into the room and noticed Eleanor raising a playful eyebrow at them, they stopped their conversation. “Ellie,” Alvin cheered, a smile on both of their faces. “What’s up!”

“Welcome back boys,” Eleanor greeted and walked up to them. She and Alvin stuck tongues out at one another before going in for a hug. Then she grabbed Simon and squeezed him.

“Y-You uh,” Simon tried to say, thrown off by her dramatic hug. “Look stunning Eleanor.”

“Thank you Simon,” Eleanor responded.

“Yeah no kidding,” Alvin jumped in. “You really know how to make it feel like Christmas.” He looked at the rose cheeked Chipette. A devious grin grew on him. “But then again, you’ve been bringing that touch around here a lot lately. Getting some practice in for your future love nest, ay ‘sis’?” Eleanor scoffed and playfully punched him on the shoulder, getting a chuckle out of each other.

“Mock me now, but you’ll be begging for some of our dinner when the time comes and you’re crashing on our couch!”

“Yeah yeah,” Alvin played along. “Just leave me Theo’s padded blankets and you can keep your dinner.”

“Where is Theodore anyway,” Simon joined back into the conversation. The three headed to stand behind the couch overlooking the coffee table.

“Yeah where’s the grub,” Alvin asked. “Is it done yet? Working with Simon’s made me hungry!”

“It wasn’t working with me. It was paying back what you owed to the Garretts.”

“There were books involved, same thing.”

“Theodore’s in the kitchen,” Eleanor added. “But I don’t care if you helped pass out presents to children. No eating before everyone gets here.”

“Aw come on Ellie! Just a nibble? I’ve been stuck at that bookstore all day while the egghead here got to actually mingle with the Santa Claus crowd outside!”

“Serves you right,” Simon threw in real quick.

“No can do Alvin,” Eleanor answered as she shook her head. “But I did stop and get those fancy chocolates to fill up the decorative bowl.” Then she grinned and sent a wink his way.

“Now that’s my future sister-in-law! I can’t wait to sleep on that couch!” Alvin almost ran over to the side table where the chocolate filled bowl rested. He immediately unwrapped several and began to stuff his chipmunk cheeks with them. Eleanor playfully rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to Simon.

“Speaking of everyone…”

“Dave and mother are on their way,” Simon explained. “They made a last minute trip near the state park exit for a special dessert she’s fond of.” The two caught up standing around as Alvin returned to them, this time holding the bowl in his hands.

“It’s got like, tree bark or cattails in it or something,” Alvin tried to explain as chocolate particles flew out from his filled mouth.

“It’s a rustic dessert we were told,” Simon continued. “Dave was… hesitant when describing it over the phone.” Eleanor held back her snicker, but Simon shrugged in solidarity. “Jeanette and Brittany?”

“They’re on their way back from picking up Miss Miller.”

“She cut it rather close with her cruise to The Bahamas, huh?”

“I can’t believe her,” Eleanor groaned. “She almost missed Christmas. Christmas, Si! All we ask is that she doesn’t miss important days. THEN she can go back to sailing around the world all she wants.”

“She practically lives on those boats these days,” Alvin joked as he ate more chocolate.

“You won’t see me spending my breaks on one of those floating retirement homes,” Eleanor also jokes. “And after the last time we all went together as kids, I think I’d rather just fly.”

“Here, here,” Alvin cheered.

“Wait,” Eleanor added. “You lent out the old ‘munk-mobile’? To Brittany of all people?”

“Dude what,” Alvin shouted, his chocolate nearly falling out of his mouth. “You never even let me drive!”

“First of all, it’s not the ‘munk-mobile’. That name is ridiculous,” Simon explained. “And second of all, I didn’t lend it to Brittany. I technically lent it to Jeanette for this one errand.” Eleanor and Alvin side eyed one another, squinting their eyes as if they were getting ready. Then they both jumped in front of him and yelled over each other.

“Dibs on the next time,” they both went but Eleanor had just beaten him by syllable. Alvin growled in defeat as she laughed at him.

“My mouth was full, you set me up!”

“Too bad,” Eleanor and Simon chuckled as Alvin crumbled up a wrapper and flicked it at her. They calmed down and Eleanor began again. “Oh, since I have you guys. There is something you can do for the party.” She reached into her skirt pocket as she elaborated. “Can you two help me set this up above the walkway?” She pulled out a small bundle of green stalks with white fruits. Upon realizing what it was, they gasped then teased her with raised eyebrows.

“Really,” Alvin asked. “Mistletoe?”

“Yes mistletoe,” Eleanor answered without delay.

“Isn’t this a little… redundant,” Simon asked next.

“You’re not wrong,” Eleanor answered him, this time her face began to develop a blush. “But it’s, like, to… check it off the list. Y’know?”

“Don’t worry, I understand.”

“Now that things are official, we have a lot to catch up on. And it worked out perfectly that it was so close to Christmas.”

“So you’re telling me the entire time you two knew each other, you never-”

“No. We never got the chance since,” Eleanor stopped to then fire back at the brothers. “Since some people were a little scared to tie one up over the years.” This time it was their turn to heat up and Eleanor could see their faces becoming red. “Gee, I wonder if Britt and Jean know I have this thing? Will anyone else be taking advantage of it this year?”

“Okay, okay,” Alvin interrupted, almost choking on his chocolate. “We get it! Si, go get a ladder.”

“I’ll be right back,” Simon complied.

“Just get rid of that thing as soon as you’re done with it. And keep it away from me!”

“And me!”

“Thanks boys!”

The two brothers eventually got the mistletoe tied to the entryway between the hallway and the living room. Soon after the rest of the families began to trickle in, beginning with Eleanor’s sisters and mother. Brittany and Jeanette led Miss Miller along to the group as she stared open mouthed at all of the detail Eleanor put into decorating. Though it wasn’t their house, most of it could be accredited to Eleanor and Theodore who wasted no time to put everything together for everyone. Each one filing in line as they removed their coats. Jeanette first, revealing her black turtleneck underneath and long skirt. Next Brittany showed off her own pink cashmere sweater and black tights. Miss Miller, always one to dress her age and grace, brought up their rear with an outfit that felt like it came from the roaring twenties. At the couch they all sat around the lady Miller, Theodore an exception, as she passed out their gifts. All of the chipmunks lost their excitement the moment she brought them out. Little souvenirs she bought and came home with from her last cruise. Reactions ranged from Theodore’s vocal gratitude from the kitchen upon hearing he received a Bahamian spice kit to Jeanette’s attempt at feigning enthusiasm over her gift of a typical tourist coffee mug. Brittany expressed outright bewilderment of a strange hand-carved figure from the islands her mother insisted was in fact hers. Despite these things, they all sat around with a little pre-dinner drink and listened to Miss Miller regaling them with stories of her past few weeks. During one of these stories, Simon reached into his pocket after feeling a buzz and pulled out his phone. He sat up and informed the group that Dave and Vinny were moments away from the driveway. This perked up all of them and when Theodore caught wind of the change in volume, he left the kitchen.

“Okay, dinner’s almost ready,” Theodore informed them as he made his way to the walkway. All of their attention went to him, most importantly Eleanor’s. “Is mom and Dave back yet?” She hopped over to him, keeping him right where he stood. Alvin and Simon looked on at them, almost with a kind of anticipation they would most certainly deny. Miss Miller was the first to notice when her eyes went slightly above their heads and smiled. Jeanette caught on next and almost swooned but was cut off by her sister who tapped on her shoulder silently. Urging her to make as little noise as possible, Brittany gestured for a trade of gifts. Jeanette quickly turned her head to Miss Miller to make sure that they wouldn’t be discovered and once they were in the clear she nodded and they swapped items.

“Oh Theo,” Eleanor cooed, her tone leading him along. Theodore’s cheeks instinctively turned red from her beck and call, even if his clueless expression might have given a different impression.

“Something wrong Ellie,” Theodore asked. Eleanor teased him then pointed upward to the ceiling. Her sisters put their new gifts away and out of sight before Brittany finally noticed what was happening. She tried to keep her giddiness to herself but had to let it out by constantly nudging Jeanette’s arm. Theodore looked up and smiled at the sight of the holiday bundle. “Oh hey! That’s a mistletoe!”

“Mhm,” Eleanor said. “And you know that means, don’t you?”

“Do I!” Eleanor let out a chirp from the sudden motion as Theodore whisked her in closer. He practically lifted her off of her feet and after a moment of looking deep into each other's eyes, they closed them and went in for a slow, affectionate kiss. In silence across the room, everyone cheered to each other in their own way. Theodore and Eleanor separated with the Seville boy smiling from ear to ear and the Miller girl staring off into the distance with a doofy grin and her face bright red.

“I hope that was good enough to check off the list,” Theodore asked innocently.

Eleanor slowly turned her head to him, looking pleasantly dumbfounded and tried to formulate words until she let out a “Boy was it ever.” She snapped out of her daze and dove into him, connecting for another passionate kiss. The other chipmunks laughed loudly this time, unable to keep it contained anymore as soon as Miss Miller commented.

“Kids these days are so forward, goodness!”

Minutes passed and they calmed down when they all heard the front door open. At long last the final two guests of the party went through. Dave, wearing his usual light blue sweater under an open snow jacket, carried several bags in his arms while Vinny held what appeared to be some kind of baked goods in a clear container. Thanks to Brittany, she was dressed in a more modern sensibility, wearing an overcoat that covered a pink and violet striped sweater atop faux denim pants. When each of them came in to greet the two with hugs and holiday greetings, their faces changed in an instant upon taking a quick gander at the dessert. No one could quite make out what it was meant to be, much less what it could possibly taste like. Fortunately enough for them, Vinny was so distracted by the decorations to notice. She kept whipping her head around with a sense of awe that she had only recently been introduced to. Now that they were all finally together, Theodore called for Dave to help set the food on the table. Dave nodded but first he noticed his youngest son. Theodore and Eleanor were still holding onto each other as they called for him. He rubbed his neck and smiled then headed over with the two.

Left alone, Vinny wasted little time to offer her dessert to the group. Alvin and Brittany were less subtle about their reluctance to be the first to try, whereas Simon and Miss Miller tried for a different approach. To all of their surprise Jeanette politely accepted Vinny’s offer, making the mother chipmunk overjoyed. Vinny opened the container and pinched a small taste of the dessert to give to the inquisitive Chipette. However, any confidence her willingness might have inspired immediately vanished when they all looked at her face as she tried to consume what Vinny non-verbally affirmed was both edible and enjoyable. Jeanette forced the bite down and gave Vinny a smile who was none the wiser. Vinny hugged the Chipette for being the only one brave enough to try her dish and headed towards the kitchen. Right as she did Theodore, Eleanor and Dave began to return with platters in hand. They exchanged quick greetings and went right to the table to prepare everything.

“Hold on, let me take my dish to the kitchen and I’ll help too,” Vinny proclaimed. “Unless anyone else wants a little treat before dinner? I won’t mind.”

“That’s okay,” almost everyone let out in unison. Thinking nothing of it, Vinny shrugged and happily left.

“I better go make sure that there’s nothing left to bring after,” Dave said to Theodore.

“Are you sure? I can do it,” Theodore responded.

“It’s alright Theo, you did plenty already. I can manage this much at least.” He walked back into the hallway, leaving the rest to get ready and sit around the tantalizing meal. A few moments passed and Dave and Vinny came out of the kitchen, each with a side dish in hand, laughing and talking. Before they got back to the group, Alvin let out a loud and purposeful throat clear to catch their attention. The two saw that everyone looked at them with catlike smirks and pointing above them.

“What’s up guys,” Dave asked as he and Vinny looked up to see the mistletoe left up. Vinny continued to stare at the small bundle of stalks and berries, trying to decipher what it was that was up there. Whereas Dave knew in full what it meant and began to grow nervous. For a brief second, it looked like Vinny caught on and understood, but when she lowered her head back to the group, she spoke up with a big smile.

“Oh, what a lovely decoration Eleanor,” Vinny praised. “Did you pick it yourself?” The group snickered and Eleanor tried to answer.

“I-In a way.”

“Mom,” Alvin asked with sass in his voice. “Do you know what that is?”

“I guess I don't, my dear. The berries are too small to get a good look at. They must not grow in the park.”

“Well, in that case why not ask Dave? I’m sure he knows all about it.”

“Alvin,” Dave growled, but that only made the situation more embarrassing for him. He looked down to make eye contact with the mother chipmunk who met his eyes with innocence and earnestness. He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking of how to answer. He took as much time as he could and with a defeated exhale, he lowered down to whisper into Vinny’s ear. Everyone watched and waited for her reaction.

“Is that what it means,” Vinny asked. “How interesting! The things humans come up with.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it interesting.”

“So does that mean we…” The two of them looked each other in the eyes again.

“W-We don’t have to,” Dave tried to play off. “It’s just the kids messing with us.” He then snapped back to Alvin with a stern look. “And it wasn’t funny Alv-” The dining room echoed with a release of shocked air shared between everyone. Dave stopped and stared into the open air like a deer in headlights after a small fuzzy hand cupped his face and brought his head in closer for a tender peck on his cheek.

“Merry Christmas Davey.”

Chapter Text

Pins cracked like thunder down the many lanes of the local bowling alley. Down one specific lane a cosmic green flew straight as an arrow and crashed into the front pins, knocking them all over with ease. Standing in the center of the toss line Eleanor practically ran in place, releasing all of her contained excitement the moment she saw the explosion at the end of the lane. She hollered and cheered as she jumped up and down, only to then be joined by Theodore who ran to lift her up to celebrate her strike. Their two person parade caught the eyes of other bowlers in the nearby lanes who smirked and scoffed from the toss lines. Some of the onlookers from their booths also couldn’t help but laugh to themselves, be it at them or with them. Among those glances was one who came from their own lane. Brittany watched them from her seat and let out a dramatic gag.

“Ugh,” she said with a groan. “You know, they were always sickeningly sweet but now it's just outright painful. Right Jeanette?” Brittany crossed her arms, tucking her phone away with her hand, and nudged their oldest sister. Jeanette sat beside Brittany distracted by her own phone, completely unbothered by the push. She let out a low sigh to herself while she scrolled down her screen. “Hello, Jeanette?” Brittany tried again, this time with more attitude to guarantee her sister’s attention.

“H-Huh? Wha-” Jeanette stuttered, nearly jumping out of her seat from the surprising call. She whipped her head back and forth while her hands operated on their own to hide her phone under her leg. Brittany rolled her eyes and let out a dismissive air out of her nose.

“What are you doing over there,” Brittany asked. Jeanette stalled using a long “um” before eventually answering.

“J-Just,” Jeanette stuttered. “Looking up better bowling strategies?” She finished her answer without any conviction in her voice. Brittany said nothing and stared at her for a moment. Jeanette grew more nervous, worried that she would crack more before Brittany shrugged her shoulders.

“Don’t know why you’d bother. Nothing’s gonna catch us up now.” Now a little more relieved, Jeanette followed Brittany’s quiet gesture to the score board above them on the large screen. Brittany had passed up Theodore but still behind Jeanette. Though, this was the lower bracket. All three of them were still behind Simon by a large margin who in turn was behind Eleanor and Alvin. With that new strike, she had just caught up to Alvin and now they were tied.

“Oh,” Jeanette said. “Y-Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Jeanette’s eyes wandered around after and her body soon followed, leaning forward to see the snack bar past her sister. She noticed two familiar figures, impossible to lose in a crowd, walking back to them. From Jeanette’s perspective she could see Simon carrying a tray with a Pitcher and several cups stacked in each other. Beside him, Alvin appeared to be talking and moving his arms around with excitement. She tensed up and flung back into the seat to hide behind Brittany. Brittany on the other hand continued to go about her business on her phone. She didn’t bother to look their way even when they started to come into hearing range. She did, however, side eye them as their words became more clear. Lacking that kind of subtlety, Jeanette leaned back up and closer behind Brittany.

“Did I tell ya, or did I tell ya,” Alvin boasted. "I still got it!"

“Yes, yes,” Simon reluctantly agreed. “Whatever it is.”

“And don’t you forget it!” Keeping up her guile, Brittany continued to listen in. They approached the near end of what seemed to be a decades old carpet, but stopped right before the laminated vinyl wood of the bowling zone. Alvin dangled a flimsy piece of paper in front of his brother’s uninterested visage.

“I was there. I saw her write her number on the receipt. You don’t have to show me.”

“I don’t, but I’m gonna anyway!”

Jeanette’s eyes widened having heard them right before the intercom went off to announce that another party’s pizza was ready. She did her best to keep her reaction as still as stone similar to Brittany’s. Unfortunately, she couldn’t help herself from making rapid glances back and forth between her and the boys. The still shy and awkward Chipette felt a mixture of unease and anxiety, tensing up from years of experiencing where this has always led to.

“So then I assume you will be calling her,” Simon asked, unamused by Alvin’s constant bragging.

Within these feelings of dreadful anticipation, one look at her younger yet more fiery sister also made her feel a faint sense of admiration. Every time in the past situations like this lead to either an outburst or a fight between Brittany and Alvin. Yet this time she sat there in silence, keeping an eye on him for what he would do next. All Jeanette wanted to do was to just get off of this booth. Alvin huffed at his brother with the paper still in his hand. He looked down to the paper but paused. All parties, whether known to him or not, waited with bated breath. His mouth slowly lowered to a neutral expression but he brought it back up and crumbled the paper into a ball.

“Nah,” Alvin answered. “I just wanted the discount.” Back on the booth, Jeanette let out her breath with relief as she watched them turn away from the lanes and back to the snack bar trash can. Her body loosened up and she fell back into the seat. From the corner of her eye, she caught one last look at Brittany before closing them. The side of Brittany’s mouth made a small curve upward. This miniscule, secret reaction was enough to put Jeanette’s mind at ease.

“Wow,” Jeanette let out by accident, but quickly wanted to take it back.

“Hm,” Brittany responded, though her head once again never turned from the screen.

“O-Oh, n-nothing.”

“No, go on.”

“It wasn’t-”

“Clearly it was.”

Jeanette swallowed her spit and nodded.

“W-Well… I-I guess I-I-I’m just surprised.”

“Surprised at what? That Theodore finally managed to pick up a spare?”

“I-” Jeanette stopped. “I meant more like wh-what happened with-”

“Nothing happened,” Brittany shut her down. “You saw, apparently. So what’s the problem?”

“There’s no problem!” Jeanette tried to get out of the conversation she mistakenly started.

“I didn’t think anything of it. So neither should you.”

“R-Right.” Jeanette lowered her head and tried to turn away towards the actual bowling. Brittany looked up from her phone and grimaced. She placed a hand on Jeanette’s shoulder, taking back her sister’s attention. She gave a weak smile and opened her mouth but her eyes took a quick gander over Jeanette. Jeanette began to brighten up seeing that Brittany wanted to say something but instead let out an air from her nostrils.

“It… it’s your turn,” Brittany said. Jeanette understood and nodded, then stood up from the booth to grab her ball. All the while the two green wearing chipmunks laughed and talked in their own little world, unaware of more figures approaching their group.

Alvin led Simon to the trash can near the snack counter. Simon, still holding onto the serving tray, stood by for his brother to prove his athletic prowess with a one shot game of trash basketball. Alvin got ready, went down to take off and then launched as he tossed the crumpled paper ball into the can. Were it a lidless can he would have no doubt made it in, but the paper ball bounced off the enclosed top and onto the floor.

“Oh very smooth,” Simon remarked, getting Alvin to groan. Simon first watched Alvin now pick up his trash, but with one side eye to their booth his attention completely diverted. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets once he saw two other young men at their lane, one of which talking to Brittany and the other chatting with Jeanette while she held her bowling ball ready to throw. Panicking to himself he looked over to Eleanor, hoping that she would do something. Eleanor sat beside Theodore on the other side monitoring them with crossed arms and a furled brow. Theodore remained close to rub her upper arm to try and comfort her. Her inaction only made him feel more worried. Like a pillar in a hallway, he stood frozen to the point where he didn’t even react to Alvin giving him a jab with his elbow.

“What say you now Mr. Critic,” Alvin asked. “Nothin’ but net.” Not getting a response from Simon, he tried to follow his brother’s line of sight. “Yo, ground control to Major Tom, what’s the proble-” It was then when Alvin finally saw what Simon had seen and discovered what he had discovered.

Brittany nodded and smirked at the young man in front of her, letting out a small giggle at what they must have been talking about, though neither of the boys could hear them. They then witnessed the young man point down to her phone with one hand and gesture for the other young man and Jeanette. Jeanette snapped back over to them with a nervous look but Brittany didn’t notice. The other young man got Jeanette’s attention again and even made her giggle out loud. Simon’s mouth opened up but when he regained control of himself, his eyes dimmed. It was then the two chipmunks saw Brittany nonchalantly take her phone and put it away in front of the young man who dropped his gestures. She smiled at him and politely sent them off. In turn they gave the Chipette a respectful nod and left without taking any more of their time. They couldn’t hear a single word, but seeing that renewed a flicker of light in Simon’s eyes.

“I w-wonder what that was about,” Simon asked, trying to play it off. This time he received no response. He turned to his brother and noticed Alvin still staring off to the booth. His expression hollow and his hands deep within his jacket pockets, for once he had nothing to say. “A-Alvin?” Simon tried again but still nothing, like sound didn’t leave his mouth. “Alvin.” On his last try, Alvin got out of his funk and snapped back.

“What? ”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Why wouldn’t you, indeed.” Simon’s eyes gestured to the booth. Alvin figured out his meaning and got more defensive.

“And? Who cares if someone walks over to talk to them. We’re former stars, remember?” Simon wanted to answer as his blood too began to heat up, but he calmed himself down and let it go. Even if his brother wouldn’t admit to it or let the conversation carry on any further Simon had all he needed to understand. Leaving it there, Simon shrugged and the two returned to the booth where everyone welcomed them back and went on as if nothing had happened.

Eventually the game was over with Alvin besting Eleanor by a single pin and the chipmunks left the bowling alley for the nearby outdoor shopping center. The snowfall had let up, and people took this chance to enjoy time outside. The chipmunks were no exception. Eleanor broke off from Brittany and Jeanette who left for one nearby restaurant. She let them go with a smile but when they no longer had her on their radar, that smile faded in an instant. The sisters went one way while Eleanor watched the boys go another, save for Theodore who stopped at a close restaurant not far from his new girlfriend. While she headed to get a table for the group she let her thoughts run all over in her head, trying to put together some kind of whole of the scattered pieces that she’s been feeling. So lost in thought she leaned her weight onto a chair of their table and paid no mind to her surroundings, even Theodore who caught up to her.

“Ellie I’m back,” Theodore announced, waving a ticket around to get her attention. She beamed with joy. Those disjointed thoughts washed away as she ran in to hug him.

“Welcome back,” Eleanor greeted.

“I got you your 'number 17' with an unsweetened tea. Is that okay?”

“You know me so well,” Eleanor brushed against his chin. “That’s exactly what I wanted.” Eleanor walked him to a chair but instead he stepped aside and pulled it out for her. She gasped and played along. “I just love that we’re so in sync all the time.” Eleanor readied herself to sit down as a local employee walked over to them with a tray, stealing away Theodore’s attention.

“Would you like a free sample,” the employee offered. Theodore lit up.

“Boy would I,” the easily distracted chipmunk exclaimed. His excitement, unfortunately, beat out his focus and he pulled the chair too far out from under Eleanor to retract his arms closer to the tray. Her heart almost stopped when she unknowingly gave into gravity, believing that there would be a seat where there was none. In pure survival instinct she latched onto the table with both arms at the last second to save her from the fall. Thanks to her diminutive chipmunk size, she still managed to hang on and not fall with the unbolted table until her feet connected to the floor. Her lungs were empty and her heart paced faster than your average woodland creatures from the fearful accident. Theodore turned back around, chewing on his sample to see Eleanor catching her breath. She looked at his naive face and smiled at him though her chest continued to pound. Theodore added up the clues around the scene and gasped.

“Oh my gosh, Ellie I’m so sorry,” he cried, trying to help her regardless if she needed it anymore. Eleanor took his hand anyway to straighten herself out.

“I-It’s okay Theo,” she said, fixing her sleeves and then her skirt. “I’d probably get distracted by a free sample too.” The green couple sat down but this time they put themselves into their own chairs as a precaution. “So, where’s my sample?”

“Your… sample?” He thought out loud and it hit the youngest chipmunk. He stuttered and cleared his throat before answering. “Th-There was only one…” Eleanor’s smile dropped and she stared at him. “Sorry Ellie…”

Eleanor let out a breath and put on another smile for his sake.

“That’s okay too,” Eleanor tried to assure him, this time her enthusiasm was more forced. “But that smell does remind me…”

“Of what?”

“We need to decide on what to do for dessert!” Eleanor and Theodore thought out loud for comedic effect to make each other laugh as they leaned in close. After several dramatic hums of contemplation, Theodore shot up in his seat.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking,” he led on. Eleanor smirked and raised an eyebrow.

“Oh I think I do. On the count of three.” She counted down and at zero, the love birds yelled out their answers in unison.

“Honey buns,” Eleanor tossed out.

“Cheesecake,” Theodore tossed back.

Those different answers did not get lost in the colliding of loud voices. The disharmony caused the two to push away in shock.

“W-Wuh,” Eleanor stumbled, perplexed by the outcome. Theodore looked at her just as thrown off. They said no more after that and sank into their chairs, each of them hoping that the other would break the awkward silence. Eleanor looked down but whipped back up as Theodore spoke up first.

“Honey buns,” he said. “Let’s get honey buns.”

“Thanks.”

The awkwardness between them didn’t fade entirely but they kept it away enough with small bits of conversation before the rest of their group reconvened at the table with their meals. It helped the air around them and in a matter of seconds, everything returned to normal. Theodore ran and came back with his and Eleanor’s food. They all started to talk and have fun again as they ate their various dishes but even then Eleanor still fixated on her and Theodore’s siblings. There was merriment, but Eleanor couldn’t brush off her suspicions that things around the table were off. When they were done, they took everything to the trash and headed out into the snow filled parking lot. Theodore talked for the both of them as Eleanor remained silently pondering; observing and taking mental notes of the other four ahead of them. Alvin and Simon chatted with Brittany and Jeanette, bickering and throwing jokes towards one another. These things were normal enough for Eleanor but she saw something else that she hadn’t before-- at least not in a long time. They were separated with the boys together apart from the girls and a gap grew between them. Perhaps not large enough to be obvious, but Eleanor couldn’t help but be weary of it.

“Ellie,” Theodore called as he tapped on her shoulder. Eleanor jumped from the sudden jolt of surprise. She blinked rapidly and turned over to boyfriend.

“Huh,” Eleanor asked.

“You okay?” Theodore then became more worried. “D-Did you not want the 'number 17'?”

“What- oh! N-No it’s not that. That was great.” Eleanor lovingly grabbed onto his arm, but her eyes went back over to the siblings. “It’s just…”

“Yeah?”

“Well, have you noticed how the others have been… I don’t know. Weird lately?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, like,” Eleanor tried to give him an answer that made sense. “Something. It’s hard to describe but I just have this feeling.” Theodore removed his gaze from his girlfriend and looked to the others. He tried to look with more intent but after a moment, he went back to Eleanor.

“It looks normal to me.”

“Oh, maybe it’s just me then…” Eleanor lowered her head. Theodore frowned but then changed his tone.

“But you’ve always been better at this than me. So I’m sure something is definitely weird if you see it.” Eleanor’s sad expression floated away and with a renewed confidence she squeezed Theodore’s arm tighter with love.

Chapter Text

[Yo u comin?]

[Why would I? You know I have no interest in these events.]

[Aw come on! Everyone wants to see you]

[I sincerely doubt that.]

[Smh dude but ok. Ur missing out]

[You’re*. And I will take my chances.]

[Kk chicken! Dont have fun with Jeanette then]

[Jeanette will be there?]

[Yup. Now you wanna come romeo??]

[Shes missin you ykno and we all know she wants you to make a move]

[Have fun at the party.]

The conversation ended with Alvin sending a small animation of a chicken running around and squawking. In the glow of his computer and phone screens, Simon looked at the conversation with a scowl on his face. He let out a held breath but then put his phone down to resume typing away on his keyboard, losing himself to the faint light on one side and the total darkness of the other. Keystroke after keystroke he typed but over minutes the words became more dull until they eventually became riddled with errors. It soon came to a total half when the cursor blinked over and over but no new characters pushed it forward. Simon’s hands remained on the keys, ready to press down to proceed, but all he did was sit there staring at the monitor. He took in another deep breath, then jerked back to pick his phone up. He unlocked the screen and went straight back to re-read his conversation with Alvin. Once he read it a third time he shook his head to try and regain control and bring his attention to the computer once more.

[The party is at the school, correct?]

[Attaboy! Yessir come on down!!!]

Simon jogged at a brisk pace around the outer lawns that established the property. He passed by large metallic letters on a concrete slab that spelled out ‘West Eastman High School’ on the way to the opened doors of the main building. Above the entryway was a large orange banner with black lettering but Simon ignored it as he hopped up the stairs to head inside. He picked up his speed, looking around for any direction that would help him. As he went by rows of lockers, thoughts of doubt kept running through his mind. “What am I doing? Why am I here? I shouldn’t be here.” Regardless of how loud they became, his legs moved onward down the white and red school hallways. Turning one way, then another and down a stairwell or two, he went in search of the party but one such path caught him off guard.

This time he wasn’t alone. Appearing in the exact spot he was so familiar with, the exact chipmunk he hoped to see reached into the exact locker he knew was hers. He slowed down before stopping several lockers away. His heart raced and his palms became sweaty. The entire reason he dropped everything that evening was right ahead of him. He let his emotions get the better of him and each vague look at her hair and sweater that protruded from behind the metal door both inspired and terrified him. Yet he did what he would have considered unthinkable mere hours ago and went forward. Any tiny thought of doubt that lingered did nothing to change this outcome.

“Jeanette,” Simon called for as he reached out for her hand that held the locker door open. His voice was shaky but determined and his actions reflected this. The Chipette took notice and leaned back to close the door but before she could, the anxiety of the often robotic chipmunk took over and he closed the gap between them. Simon finished closing the door then pulled her in and the two locked their lips together. His eyes forced themselves closed, only to squint open when it was over and the two started to separate. What should have been a moment of passion and personal triumph quickly turned to one of horror and embarrassment. His eyes opened more to a stunned Brittany in his arms dressed as her sister. The two stared at each other in utter shock.

Uh, S-Simon?

Simon’s eyelids almost ripped open. He sat up and looked around to discover that he was back in bed, inside his room with his brothers amidst the early morning clash of light and dark. To the right of him, Alvin snored with his sheets kicked off and to his left he saw Theodore still tucked away in his own dream world. Having no desire to go back to sleep, Simon got out of bed and went straight to the shower. That’s where he would stay for at least an hour with his head lowered against the wall for the water to fall down on him, much to Alvin’s eventual annoyance when he wanted his turn. Little did any of them know, but across the yards Jeanette too started the morning off in the same way. After getting out of the shower, his morning got back on track which led him downstairs at the dining table, waiting for Theodore to serve him breakfast.

“Almost ready Si,” Theodore announced with glee, still in his pajamas. He stood on top of his stool to man the kitchen stove, sprinkling salt and pepper over a pan of scrambled eggs.

“Take your time,” Simon responded in a dower tone with his hand covering his eyes.

“You sound exhausted,” Theodore added. “Want me to make you a coffee to go with your eggs?”

“No. Thank you.”

“Well if he doesn’t want it, I’ll take it,” another voice said. The boys turned over to the living room to see Eleanor and Brittany stepping through the backdoor to meet them, fully dressed for their plans that day. “Mornin’ boys!”

“Just in time!” Eleanor first headed over to Theodore and the two shared a quick peck before she went around him to the coffee maker. Brittany walked over to the table without ever taking her eyes off her phone.

“Two slices of avocado toast with OJ. Thanks Theo,” she ordered with her cutest manipulative tone.

“The usual, coming right up!”

“Make it a double please. Thank you Hun,” Eleanor added onto the order.

“You got it!”

“Hey Si,” Brittany greeted as she pulled out a chair beside him. Despite being so direct with him she paid little attention, not noticing that he avoided looking at her as well.

“Y-Yes. Good morning Brittany,” Simon stuttered. A silence between them unnaturally grew which caused Brittany to put her phone down.

“Everything alright,” she asked with a raised eyebrow. Simon still did his best to prevent any eye contact.

“Of course. It's just another one of those mornings I suppose.” In most cases his stiff answers would be enough for her but his refusal to turn towards her and his hesitancy made her suspicious. She focused harder on him, making him more restless in his seat with her sharp glare. Unfortunately for Simon, it didn’t take long for Brittany to get an idea of what distressed him and her face became playfully sinister.

“What’s wrong,” she teased as she leaned in closer, propping her head up on her hands. “Need a morning kiss to start the day?” Simon burned up and his eyes almost popped out of his head. All he could do was let out a jumbled mess of half words in response, making Brittany burst into laughter. “Relax, I’m totally messing with you Si.”

“Please don’t,” Simon said with red cheeks.

“Hey, it’s not my fault you planted one on me back in High school. You gotta learn to let it go 'Sweetie'.” She ruffled his hair and continued. “But in your defense it was, like, super sweet. I really felt the passion.” Simon groaned as he tried to cover himself up with his jacket but perked up after a realization hit him.

“W-Wait, but how did you-” Brittany shrugged at him with a smirk.

“I’ve got, like, a sixth sense for these kinds of things.” Simon heard her and sank lower in shame while Brittany snickered at him. She got up from her chair to go towards the kitchen but Simon jumped back up to get one final frustrating word in.

“Who even dresses up as one of their siblings for a Halloween costume anyway!”

Chapter Text

The treehouse door opened to near darkness from the night, save for some back porch lights that stretched as far as they could. That quickly changed, however, when two voices from the outside went inward and flipped on the light switch. Brittany helped a dazed Alvin into the girls’ living room and onto the couch, telling him gentle assurances while he groaned in pain and tried to massage his jaw.

“Okay, okay,” Brittany comforted. “It’s alright, we’re almost there.” Alvin wanted to speak up but when he tried to open his mouth, he clenched back down and pressed his hand onto his cheek in response. “No, keep it shut,” Brittany answered back to shut him down. “I know that kills you more than anything.” She snickered to herself, then chuckled a little harder with a smirk when the two made eye contact and Alvin rolled his eyes. “Come on. I had to.” Alvin groaned but shrugged and gave her a playful nod.

The two made their way onto the couch where Brittany helped Alvin down, then placed her hand on his shoulder. He raised his head up to her comforting glow. She looked at him with a soft yet mixed expression where he could see that she wanted to say several things but chose not to. Things she knew she just had to get out, but preferred to stay quiet for both their sake. Her lips began to part before she became aware of this and closed them to smile instead the second she did. He desperately wanted to tell her many things back were it not for the pain seizing up much of his mouth. Her hand hesitated to completely leave him so they took their time breaking away from each other without uttering another word. Both the rebel and the diva just stayed there in an arm’s length embrace until her hand had to let go to walk away.

“L-Let me get you some ice,” she said, already facing the kitchen. Alvin sighed and dug himself deeper into the couch. He dropped his head onto the top of the couches but immediately pushed off when all it did was cause him more pain. He rubbed his jaw and noticed the remote at the corner of his eye. Brittany brushed the loose hairs out of one of her eyes and put it all behind her ear. She placed a finger on the kitchen’s light switch but stopped when she heard another voice speak up from behind her.

“I’m sorry.” It was mumbled and low, but not purposefully so. Brittany knew the difference and it stunned her at that moment. Her face worsened, though neither of them could see, but she still shoved it aside and turned the light on. Meanwhile Alvin watched her pause before going into the freezer with the door blocking her face from him. His eyes began full of hope but dimmed when he took in the realization that she never turned back in his direction. Facing forward, he let out a sigh and turned on the television. The program that was already on began to fill the room with sound-- sound that at least didn’t need to be from the two of them. Not long after rustling through and crushing frost along the way, Brittany returned into his line of sight. She stood beside him at the armrest and handed him an ice pack wrapped in cloth. Alvin took it then scoffed the best he could.

“No frozen peas,” Alvin forced out. Not his best and certainly not the best delivery but Brittany blew air out of her nose regardless.

“Not since the 80s,” Brittany joked back, getting a very similar reaction out of Alvin. “Besides, Eleanor banned frozen veggies.” Alvin nodded in acknowledgement. He pressed the ice pack against his face, shooting up in his seat from the sudden freeze. Brittany giggled and shook her head at him. Once he calmed down, he grabbed the remote to flip through the channels. Brittany, distracted by the rapid changing of the screen, leaned on the side of the couch. She then snapped out of it when she felt a wet sensation, remembering what happened hours before. She looked down and stretched out her sweater which was ruined by stains of Italian seasoned sauce and soft drink. Going through programs at a rapid pace, Alvin stopped when he felt another touch on his shoulder.

“Put on something good,” Brittany playfully said before heading up and sliding her hand off of him. Moments later she came back down wearing her pajamas consisting of an oversized graphic shirt that covered her sleeping shorts.

“So that’s where my shirt went,” Alvin mumbled as she passed by.

“Snooze ya lose,” Brittany answered back with sass in her voice. “You never wore it anyway because you couldn’t fit into it either. Remember?”

“Human adult small is still too big. I learned that the hard way.” The pain lingered but he felt that it became numb enough for him to open up more. The two joked and chuckled back and forth with only some breaks for Alvin to rest before Brittany noticed what played on the screen.

“‘Real Stories of Rock and Roll’?”

“Maybe our episode will be on.”

“Doubt it.” Their conversation died down in favor of paying attention to the program. Musicians being interviewed, clips of older press pieces played and the occasional reel of actual performances highlighted the show. At some point Alvin raised the volume up just enough to be comfortable. Standing up started to take its toll on her already tired legs and Brittany went onto the couch next to the injured chipmunk. Being so fixated on the show, the two didn’t realize that their bodies moved on their own. The chipmunk pushed off the armrest into the Chipette’s closing in and welcoming embrace as if it were second nature. She moved her arms out of the way and tucked her legs underneath her for Alvin to rest his head on. He kept one side, his uninjured side, on her shirt covered thighs where his swollen side remained upward.

“How is it,” Brittany asked with her focus still on the television.

“Still hurts,” Alvin answered back. “And wet now.”

“And who’s fault is that?” The more playful air between them began to fade.

“Yours.”

“Really?” Brittany started to move her legs out from under Alvin’s head. “You’re seriously going to be like that?” She almost pushed him off but in a small panic, Alvin tried to back track.

“Kidding,” Alvin cracked. “Come on!” She stopped distancing herself from him and the two readjusted their positions.

“So not funny right now,” Brittany scolded as she flicked his forehead. Her other hand lifted up and connected to her face. “Tonight was the absolute worst. I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life.”

“Shouldn’t I be the focus here,” Alvin asked with an attitude. “I only almost broke my jaw here!” Brittany looked down to see him point to himself. She raised an eyebrow and shook her head again.

“You should be thankful my sweater and dinner were the only things ruined tonight.”

“They should be lucky they’re not getting ruined by a lawsuit.” Brittany sighed, getting Alvin’s attention. She pinched her brow then looked back at the television. Out of her sight, Alvin grimaced as he continued to look up at the tired Chipette.

“I’m sorry too,” Brittany let out in a soft and sincere voice. Alvin’s eyes shot away but his expression remained the same. “Sometimes it’s just, like, unreal that this still happens.”

“I-” Alvin wanted to comment but between the pain, the ice and the mood he chose to stop. Instead he turned his head back to the program. The two watched one episode end and another begin. Minutes passed as old performances of bands played. On one set, they changed sounds and began to play a ballad. The cameras spun around to record portions of the audience. Reactions stemmed from cheering to singing along and even lighters being waved in the air. The two in the treehouse, however, were paying little attention to the details of the show. Using it only for a distraction, they didn’t catch the name of the band but what they performed rang familiar to them. Without following along, Alvin began to hum the song on his own time with a faint smile. Above him Brittany couldn’t help but let her own inner songstress come out and join in. When they harmonized for a portion of the song, Alvin added the lyrics to it:

I never thought you were a fool

But darling, look at you

You gotta stand up straight, carry your own weight

These tears are going nowhere baby

Brittany looked back down and met Alvin’s eyes. They stared at each other longingly, then she picked up where he left off. As she sang, she started to play with his bangs and caress his forehead.

You've got to get yourself together

You've got stuck in a moment

And you can't get out of it

Then they both came together to sing. Alvin teased her by moving his brow comically up and down. While she couldn’t give him a chuckle in the middle of a lyric, she smirked and rolled her eyes.

Don't say that later will be better

Now you're stuck in a moment

And you can't get out of it

After a short lingering on a note, the pair stopped singing. The upward curves on their faces slowly went away and the teasing ceased. Within the background noise and light of the program Alvin and Brittany remained still, lost in each other’s gaze. Their pupils grew larger and their lids subtly widened. They stayed open as long as they could between blinks, reaching the point where both of them started to become misty eyed. Brittany had to snap away and squeeze her eyes harder to stop it from becoming more than it was. Yet before she did they both noticed a sadness in the other. Alvin sat up and the two broke apart.

“Th-Thanks,” Alvin said to prevent any more silence and offered the melting ice pack back to Brittany.

“I-I should go take a shower.”

“Y-Yeah, me too. And take something for the pain.”

Brittany nodded and took the pack back.

She stayed quiet and tried to avoid making any more eye contact with him until he eventually got up to head to the door.

“We’ll, uh…” she hesitated. “We’ll talk later.” Alvin stopped right before twisting the doorknob when he heard her but carried on right after.

“Yeah. Later.”

Chapter Text

Within the afternoon lull at the Seville House Alvin slouched on the couch, lazily filling the open air with the plucking of strings into random notes of a banjo. His expression revealed only his sheer boredom and indifference as his eyes vacantly watched the corner where the walls met the ceiling. All morning this was where he sat, never getting out his pajamas, left to his own devices as his brothers and Chipette neighbors left for other engagements. All he did to kill time was strum and make these disorganized notes. Every now and then he would carry them into a melody and run with it, only to eventually let it go and fall back to one note at a time. He sighed after his hands eventually came to a pause, and snapped out of his haze.

“Ugh,” he expressed his disgust. “Seriously? Why did I think a banjo was a good idea?” Alvin got up from his seat and decided to carry the banjo back down into the basement. He passed by the windows of the living room that looked out into the front yard. It was grey and dull much like the days before it, save for the green grass and shining white fence. Due to the recent rain no one was outside and not a single car passed by, at least not in the moments he witnessed. Down by his foot he noticed his basketball and growled. “Lousy winter,” Alvin complained to himself. He made his way down the basement stairs, getting deeper to where Simon made his workshop. He put the still polished and cleaned banjo up into its designated rack on the wall. It was one of many cared for instruments that rested all around Simon’s desk, each used by every Seville and Miller throughout their careers. As he glossed over them, he looked at one in particular: his prized stage guitar. He nodded at it before continuing on. As he approached the steps for a second time, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Though there were no new notifications on his lock screen he unlocked it anyway and tapped on the messenger app. He took one look at the last message shared between him and Brittany and grinned before putting the phone back into his pocket.

Back up the stairs and into the living room, he cracked his back and neck with a head roll along his shoulders. He yawned as he made his way into the hallway but his attention quickly turned to the sounds of another. Up until now, the stillness in the house allowed even the smallest exhale to be heard and that was just what Alvin caught on to. He didn’t even need to guess as he knew that it came from none other than his father. At first, Alvin picked up his pace going down the hall to the office but as he closed in on the doorway, the chipmunk slowed down to come off as more cool and uncaring. He opted to walk into the room with his hands in his pajama pockets. Inside, he immediately noticed stacks of documents all over that were never there before. They cluttered the desk and surrounded both Dave and his laptop at the very center. The chipmunk father rubbed his eyes and checked papers, all the while letting out audible sighs and murmurs to himself. Bringing no attention to himself, Alvin headed over to the nearby guest chair and pretended to read from the top of one stack.

“So what’s the big project,” Alvin asked. Though he paid little attention around him, Dave was fully aware of Alvin’s presence from the moment he set foot into the office.

“That bored,” Dave asked without breaking away from his work.

“What? Can’t I be interested in,” Alvin paused as he pulled out one of the forms. “Record label… agreements?” Dave scoffed playfully and nodded his head as he typed away.

“Well, if you actually want to help you can look for an agreement with this name on it.” He spun his chair around to face Alvin directly. Pulling out a sticky note and a pen, Dave jotted down a name, then peeled it off to hand to his son. Alvin smugly accepted it and went off to the next stack of papers. His feigned enthusiasm dropped faster than even he figured as he looked at all of the words printed on each document and soon devolved into flipping the edges up and down while dramatically groaning. “You don’t have to help you know.”

“No, no,” Alvin answered. “I’m going to get that agreement! I have to learn to tolerate this stuff sooner or later, right?” Dave paused for a moment and grinned to himself after hearing Alvin say that. Alvin sighed and continued to look around, this time with more earnestness than when he started.

“Where’s your loving secretary anyway? Isn’t she back to help yet?”

“Har Har Alvin,” Dave answered back. “Those jokes might work on your brothers or your friends, but not me.” Alvin stayed silent to force an awkward air between them. Dave couldn’t see him raise an eyebrow but he felt it regardless. On the other end, Alvin was unable to see Dave blush but he got his confirmation once he heard his father speak up again. “She’s still out w-with the girls.”

“Thought so.” Alvin wanted to laugh openly but settled for a low snicker, despite Dave already knowing how his son would react. Once he calmed down, he went back to looking for the document. Time felt as if it was slowing down for the energetic chipmunk. His patience began to wear off and with it his desire to try anymore. “And this is what you’re doing all day?”

“Yup,” Dave answered. “Not everyday is talking with pop stars and going to fancy dinners. You know that.”

“But come on! Not even a sample to take a look at? No new talent to bust?”

“Nope. Not until after this is done.”

“So just paperwork? Like, real, actual paper, paperwork?”

“Unfortunately, yeah. The Studio is having issues with some older licenses. And the person who normally handles this is out.”

“Wow, this really sucks.”

“It does.”

“Betcha wish you could just go back to writing jingles, huh?” Dave sighed and leaned back in his chair to close his eyes.

“What I wouldn’t give to be at my piano right now.” Alvin and his father shared a good chuckle at the situation before Dave sat back up to look at his screen. Alvin felt as if he was reaching his limit before needing to head out and find something fun to do but then a form stuck out and caught his eye. He plucked it out from underneath the others and took a closer look at it. He lit up as he read the name on it and then went over to behind the desk.

“Found it! Just like I said I would,” Alvin boasted. Dave accepted the paper and after going over it himself, nodded.

“Great,” Dave said. “This is it. Thanks bud.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alvin gave back in a sarcastic tone before turning for the door. “Let me know when you get to those samples. You know, when it’s time for some real fun.”

“Heh, can do.”

Alvin headed for the door but as he got to the entryway, he stopped. He glanced at more documents nearby on a stool, then back to Dave who worked on in near silence and less light. After a moment and without saying another word, Alvin took a small stack of papers and brought it over to Dave. He obnoxiously dragged the guest chair over to Dave’s side and plopped down to get a full view of the laptop screen.

“Yes Alvin,” Dave asked with an air of suspicion.

“Nothing,” Alvin answered defensively. “I just thought I should get a better look at what the problem is. You never know when it’ll come up on a test or something.” Dave stopped typing. He looked upward to the ceiling then to his son in disbelief.
“You do?”

“Uh, yeahhh sure,” Alvin tried to make his answer lighter and more comedic. Dave saw that, but he also saw through it as well.

“Do you want me to start this one over?” Alvin thought aloud, going between the papers in his hands and the screen until he gave Dave his answer.

“Wouldja?” Dave let out a chuckle and scrolled back to the top of his page as he began to explain.

Chapter Text

Simon walked up from the basement with a tired expression on his face and his back slouched. He yawned and stretched out as he crossed the doorway and into the living room. Above ground was just as quiet as the basement below that was both abnormal and intriguing to him. He looked around, expecting some kind of noise but the closer he got to the kitchen the less likely it became for someone to show up around the corner and greet him. He walked past the front windows and took in what he could of the cloudy, twilight sky beyond the neighborhood. The snow melted away but the rain still continued sporadically. The chill of the air kept everyone indoors for the most part but there was still a kind of comfort in that.

On the countertop of the kitchen, Simon noticed a small note. Anyone could tell with ease that it was Theodore’s handwriting, yet reading it still caught him off guard. It read that he and Eleanor had left for a date night and that Dave also left for the evening, leaving Simon and Alvin behind. Simon predicted this and even expected it, but that didn’t completely override the small sense of disappointment he felt. So he sighed and walked around the counters to the fridge for a drink. As he poured his beverage of choice into a glass he saw something outside in the backyard. He adjusted his glasses and realized that it was Alvin. With his cup in hand, he headed to the sliding door, trying to bring as little attention to himself as he could.

Alvin paced back and forth at the edge of the yard close to the door that connected the two chipmunk residences. He was dressed in a good pair of black pants and a red collared shirt covered by his matching sports jacket. His hat was nowhere around but his hair was neatly brushed and he carried around a bouquet of flowers. Simon could only catch a vague idea of the look on his face but that was enough. The oldest brother couldn’t help but share the sentiment and frown as well. However, that quickly ran off Simon’s face as he panicked upon seeing Alvin kick some dirt and turn back around towards the house. Simon hopped back and went over to the kitchen to act like he hadn’t seen his brother. Alvin slid the door open with his head lowered enough to not immediately see Simon or the fact that he was still somewhat jittery from his rushed cover up.

“Wha-” Alvin let out. “S-Simon! What’s up?” Simon could tell from his tone that Alvin was already ready to cover himself. He knew his brother enough to not even bother bringing up what he had seen outside.

“Nothing,” Simon responded and gestured with a raise of his cup. “Just taking a break.”

“Nice, nice.” Alvin and Simon stood across the way in an awkward silence, doing anything to avoid direct confrontation. Alvin stood by the door, swatting the bouquet against his other hand while Simon rapidly tapped the side of his cup in between taking a sip. Once his cup reached near empty, Simon spoke up again.

“So, you look… presentable.”

“Oh you know,” Alvin answered back. “Just felt like lookin’ good. Look good, feel good. Y’know?”

“Agreed.” Simon paused another time to take one of the last remaining sips of his drink before asking another question. “And the flowers?”

“Look good, smell good, feel good.” Simon tried to keep it subtle but even he couldn’t help but chuckle at Alvin’s response. “What? ”

“Forgive me if I don’t buy that.”

“That’s what it is. Take it or leave it.”

“My guess would be that you were going somewhere this evening.” Simon tried to win with his tone but to no avail as Alvin’s energy rose up in retaliation.

“Well your guess would be wrong genius,” Alvin exclaimed before that same energy deflated.

“Hm?”

“I was supposed to…” Alvin said under his breath but loud enough by accident for Simon to hear. Simon let go of his overconfident air to listen.

“Supposed to?”

“Might have, could have,” Alvin shook off. “Who cares.”

“Sounds like you wanted it to.”

“Wrong again, egghead.” Despite his comment, it was clear to both of them that Simon was not far from the truth. Another moment of silence came around before Simon tried for a different approach.

“Brittany hasn’t been around much lately.”

“So?”

“Did something happen?”

“Why does something have to happen,” Alvin got more defensive. “She doesn’t live here, you know.” Though his raised tone didn’t push Simon back.

“Was it bad this time?” Alvin tried to stare him down but through that Simon was able to watch his brother soften up.

“Nah,” he answered as he turned away slightly, keeping a faint scowl on his face. “We just been…” Alvin paused, then continued. “Well, I guess you could say we just keep missing each other lately. That’s all.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all. Doesn't matter anyway.” Alvin swatted the bouquet again, this time faster and while he looked down to the ground. Simon stayed quiet this time and looked to the bottom of his now empty cup. Alvin then shot up and surprised Simon by tossing the bouquet at him, giving him only a one word warning. Simon had mere seconds to respond but still managed to put the cup down and catch the incoming flowers.

“Here.”

“I don’t want these.”

“Then toss ‘em. All I’m sayin’ is that tonight’s a good night to go out.” Simon looked at the flowers and his cheeks began to turn red, but then shook his head and went back to Alvin.

“I-I c-couldn’t- I-I mean-” Simon stuttered before catching his breath. “I don’t doubt that.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Keep missing each other?”

“That is… one way to put it.”

“That sucks.” Saying that, Alvin set off and walked away from both Simon and the conversation. “I’m gonna be chillin’ upstairs if you need me. So don’t need me.” Simon watched Alvin walk over to the stairs without another word from either of them. Then his eyes switch back and forth between the flowers in his hands and the backyard. He went outside, trudging through the soggy lawn and leaned over the door to the Miller’s property, letting his line of sight between it and the arch above it. From what he could tell, he saw Jeanette walking around the kitchen island. He didn’t realize at that moment his eyes began to light up, but what surprised him more was the discovery that Brittany was sitting on the couch in the living room beside her. He made an expression of bewilderment that he would never be able to see on his face, but when he had one last glance at the girls, he took his hands off the door and went back inside.

Brittany sat on the couch in an open pink robe that covered her pajama shorts and shirt with her feet tucked underneath her. She tried to keep interest on the TV but her attention would always gravitate back down towards the phone in her hands. Her screen showed her text conversations. At the top were her sisters and Theodore who texted her not long ago, but right below them was Alvin. It had a time stamp dated back several days and ended with her message being the last one sent. The preview showed that it was harmless and casual but nothing else came after between the both of them. She sighed and hovered over this conversation before ultimately moving her thumb out of the way. Several feet away in her long sleeve pajama set, Jeanette pulled out a meal for the two of them, already made by Eleanor and Theodore. She kept to herself but when her body rotated around to head over to the microwave, she had little choice in taking notice of her sister. Her glasses partially hid the somewhat saddened look in her eyes but she stayed back to heat up the food anyway. Save for when she took some time to look out into the yard. She opened up the appliance door but turned back around and her mind went further out past the concrete of the patio, almost forgetting to put the food in.

Then whether in their seat on the couch or in the kitchen nearly dropping the container, the girls jumped at the sound of the doorbell.

“Jeanette. Door,” Brittany threw out with lazy disinterest. Jeanette nodded to her and put the food back down. She walked over and owned the door. Much to her surprise, and disappointment, no one was on the other side. Unsure of how to react to the idea of the doorbell activating on its own, she looked around for any would-be visitor or prankster. Yet nothing out of there was nothing out of the ordinary; the street was just as empty as the backyard. She decided to close the door but as she pushed back, her eyes wandered downward and something caught her attention. Resting on the doormat of the porch was a bouquet of flowers. Some of the flowers were missing petals and the plastic handle of the bundle was crinkled but attached to it was a note that read ‘To J & B’. Jeanette picked it up and took a deeper look at them and the card. She recognized too many finer details to be a coincidence like the choice of flower species and the handwriting, which made her feel warm in her cheeks. With her heart aflutter, she continued to look out for the sender outside with an invigorated hope. That was until Brittany shouted to her from inside.

“Jeanette close the door, it’s getting cold!” The oldest Chipette obliged, bringing the gift inside with her. “Who was it,” Brittany asked before her sister walked back into her sight with the flowers in hand. Brittany sat up straighter, now fully alert when she saw them. She also saw the emotions all over her sister’s face and it didn’t take her long to understand why. Once Jeanette was close enough, Brittany practically snatched the bouquet out of her hands. She read the note, then whipped her head to the flowers where her gaze would quietly linger for much longer than a personal moment. The writing wasn’t immediately familiar but all of the flowers were her favorites and she knew of only one other person that stayed closely around her enough to get it just right. Even if she knew that he would never admit to it. She let out air through her nose and Jeanette could see her cheeks begin to turn red and a small grin grow across her mouth.

Simon, having returned to his computer in the basement, checked the time. He looked back up to the screen and clicked a shortcut on the desktop. Soon, a launcher decorated in swords and sorcerers popped up asking for him to log in. He entered his credentials and after a short load screen he selected his character to begin playing. He roamed around town aimlessly, flicking between submenus and reading the chat that reminded him about a guild activity taking place soon. He nodded to the screen and looked into his quest menu but had to double-take when he saw another message show from the corner of his vision. To anyone else it would be just a notice of a player on their friends list logging in but to Simon it was more important than that. It was the player he longed to see back online. His surprise turned to excitement when he saw that same player run over to him in-game, wearing very similar armor that his character wore, albeit stylized for a different class. They made a wave gesture and not long after sent him a party request to which he happily accepted.

Alvin laid in his bed upstairs, playing games on his handheld console. He had since gotten out of his better clothes and into his sleeping pants and t-shirt. He grunted and growled at the game before getting fed up at another loss. He dramatically dragged his hand down his eyes and face, but when he was about to press continue, he felt his phone vibrate on his and Theodore’s shared end table. Curious, he put his console down beside him on the bed and reached over to check the notification. When he turned the screen on, his eyes lit up.

[Hey]

He stared at the text from Brittany for a few seconds longer than usual, then rushed to open up the messenger application.

[Hey]

[Whatcha you up to?]

The chipmunk smirked at the seemingly casual messages he received and typed away a reply. In his bed, he and Brittany talked over their phones through text and eventually a phone call. And that’s where they would stay for the rest of the night, well after everyone else had come home and gone to sleep.

Chapter Text

With a smile on her face, Jeanette put book after book away from her stack to their correct places on the shelf. She hummed several different soft melodies all morning to herself with each step. With the Garretts out for the weekend she was alone in the bookstore, tending to all of the daily chores she would normally share with the aging owners. This also included the finances and taking stock too due to their forgetfulness, not that she minded. Back and forth between the shelves and the counter, picking up books she left from the night before, she rearranged the store just the way she wanted it in a never ending pursuit for the perfect layout. Every trip was another adventure for her to daydream about. Sailing the seas to one aisle with the adventure novels, running in and quickly dropping off with the horror section, Jeanette had no shortage of fun as she spent each hour in the dimly lit store. Until the old couple returned this store was her own and a much needed vacation from the things that shook her heart as of late.

In between her self-dictated chores around the store, she also checked her phone for messages back at the counter. At the top of the messenger was her “sister's only” group chat, followed by individual conversations with Brittany and Eleanor, detailing the last sent messages telling their own perspectives on the problems discussed in said group chat. Jeanette couldn’t help but giggle before scrolling down further. After that was her conversation with Simon, ending with her explaining to him that she would be unable to hang out due to watching the bookstore. Her mouth curved downward and she groaned to herself softly. However, those brewing feelings shot up into a jolt of surprise as she heard the bells of the front door jingle. She jumped up and backwards before heading out from the aisle into the main walkway. She almost heard the customer’s voice as she passed the corner of the tall bookshelf before she collided directly into a blur of blue. She recoiled and felt herself lose her footing, but never completely off the ground. A gentle pressure went along her back and quickly her feet found themselves planted once more. The normally clumsy Chipette opened her eyes after they tightened involuntarily and once her vision cleared up, they widened and her heart fluttered. Leaning in before her was none other than Simon.

“S-Simon,” Jeanette let out, almost in disbelief.

“A-Are you okay,” Simon asked first and foremost, his cheeks already red. Jeanette’s eyes surveyed the situation around her and her face followed suit, turning warm and rosy.

“Mhm,” she mumbled. “I-It wasn’t as bad as usual.” Simon and Jeanette smiled at each other before snapping out of it and breaking apart. Jeanette fixed her long skirt and the bottom of her turtleneck, avoiding all eye contact with the chipmunk who tried to fix his glasses. The rush wore off and Jeanette quickly whipped her head back to Simon. “W-Wait, what are you doing here?”

Simon looked up to meet her eyes as he was picking up a nearby book. His face grew red again and he cleared his throat, stuttering before he gave a clear answer.

“I-I-” he began, standing back up. “W-Well I… happened t-to be heading out this way for an errand and decided to, uh, check in on the store.”

Jeanette’s eyes lit up. She felt her mouth curve upward against her control.

“R-Really?”

“Yes.” The two became silent as they tried to hide their faces from each other. Simon broke the silence with a rush over to the aisles beside them, right past the children’s reading section at the front of the store. “I-I see that you’re working on your new arrangement finally.”

“You noticed,” Jeanette asked with glee.

“Of course. You were excited to put it into practice for months.”

“I know right? I never had the chance but this weekend worked out perfectly since Mr. and Mrs. Garrett are finally away! I just-” Jeanette almost said more but stopped herself. She looked on at Simon who read a nearby piece of paper and frowned.

“What was that,” Simon asked innocently as he began to turn around to the Chipette. Jeanette wiped the frown off of her face right before the two met eyes again. With a forced smile, she shrugged.

“Nothing.”

Simon thought nothing of it and the two walked back to the counter. With how narrow the walkway was Simon led with Jeanette not far behind, neither able to see and immediately read the other’s expression.

“Y-You seem to be making great progress,” Simon said to break the silence again which got Jeanette’s attention.

“Thanks,” she answered. “It’s been a quiet morning.”

“Any customers today?”

“Well, there was one this morning! Oh, except…”

“Except?”

“They were… just looking for a bathroom…”

The two stopped and faced each other to share a laugh. Jeanette felt the dower feelings in her chest begin to float away. The two made it to the end of the line where the counter and backroom resided. Jeanette tried to hop onto the counter but nearly slipped due to her sleeve and the height of the counter being meant for humans. That was until Simon acted almost on instinct once again to help her up, placing his hands on her waist. They were slow to realize what had just happened as they stared deep into each other’s eyes in a moment only meant for them. However, Simon was the first to snap out of it and he pulled his hands back almost in an instant. Jeanette leaned in further for him with her eyes still bright but when she realized that he would not come back, she slouched and looked down to her feet. Both of them were about to speak up, each with their own prepared way of making things less awkward, but were both cut off as the Chipette’s stomach growled. Jeanette’s face turned bright red and she whipped her head to look in any direction away from Simon. Simon, on the other hand, let out a quick snicker.

“You forgot to have lunch again,” Simon said matter of fact. Jeanette refused to turn her head back to him, so instead she nodded as an answer. “H-How about I go get us something to eat? I’m feeling a little hungry myself.” Jeanette didn’t speak up, but she didn't have to. “We wouldn’t want to leave the store unattended though. Or cause a mess so…”

“Rice bowls,” Jeanette let out both as a rational answer as well as her own preference.

“My thoughts exactly,” Simon agreed.

“I’ll get the backroom ready,” Jeanette said as she managed to turn back to him, albeit slightly. Simon perked up and smiled. He nodded and soon left as Jeanette went behind the counter.

Simon eventually came back with their food, consisting of their favorite orders from a nearby restaurant. They sat in the backroom talking as they ate, making each other laugh and engaging in deep conversations of topics that randomly came into their head. It was only a short lunch break but to the two of them it was a warm welcome. As they finished up their food, Simon took the trash for them and packed it away. Jeanette cleaned up the area around them and the two headed back out into the store proper. Not once the bells rang but Simon and Jeanette didn’t mind. What they did mind though, was when Simon glanced over to the clock on the wall.

“I suppose I do need to get back to the house,” he said as his mood began to change.

“D-Do you…” Jeanette stopped, then continued. “Do you have to?”

“I…” Simon looked at Jeanette’s expression, and paused. He sighed and nodded. “Yes. I’m needed for an important meeting regarding Dave’s client.”

“Oh,” Jeanette let out. “I understand. You shouldn't be late for that.” She gave him an assuring look, then the two walked over to the front door. Simon tried to keep things from becoming awkward but only made things worse as he continued to nervously nod. It wasn’t all for nothing though as he did manage to get a genuine giggle. The two stopped just before the door with Simon putting his hand on the handle. With a click of the mechanism it opened but before he pulled back, he heard Jeanette speak up.

“Simon,” she said almost in a rush, catching his attention.

“Y-Yes Jeanette?”

“Thank you, f-for stopping by today.” Simon’s mouth began to shake into a small upward curve as Jeanette also struggled to keep a smile from forming on her face.

“Th-Thank you Jeanette.”

“For what?”

“For b-being here today.” Jeanette lit up and blushed upon realizing what he had meant.

“I’m sorry.”

Simon knew what she referred to, even if he still didn't understand the reason behind it all.

“I-It’s alright. W-Will you be available to join us for dinner tonight?”

“Of course!” With her answer pleasing the both of them, Simon did his best to make an organic breakaway to at last leave the bookstore. The bells jingled and the old wooden door crashed as it closed, leaving the Chipette alone once more, albeit different than before. She stood in the walkway silently looking down to her phone. She let out a held breath as she scrolled the screen and soon a new resolve came over her face.

Chapter Text

Young adults of every size and shape sat in an office waiting room. Packed like sardines, they sat in chairs, on the floor and even stood by if they were too unfortunate and late for open seating. This didn’t matter to them. Ever since the office opened early that morning they stayed waiting, fidgeting around and rehearsing silently to themselves from their own pieces of paper or earbuds placed in one ear so as to not miss their name being called. All of it orbited around a second wooden door with a frosted glass window which had “Rochelle” painted on it that would periodically open up to send one of these bodies in and one out-- usually with scowled faces or tears going down their cheeks. Despite this, the crowd showed no signs of becoming less.

Conversation spaced out between smaller groups as they all waited for their turn until the front entrance’s doors nearly blew off of the hinges. Everyone stopped what they were doing and paused in the middle of their thoughts to turn their heads. Though for some, the moment they saw the cause, they didn’t need to see anymore. From the light of the outside, two figures confidently waltzed in with their heads turned upward to the crowd inside. It was none other than the local legends Alvin Seville and Brittany Miller. Some of the crowd ducked into their materials while others watched them with disdain as the two chipmunks and former stars proceeded deeper in as if they were going for a victory lap they had not yet earned. One of the once hopeful youths rolled her eyes and whispered to another “Oh great, here they are.” The other youth sighed and agreed, though neither Alvin nor Brittany would notice.

“Wow, what a great turnout this year,” Brittany mocked with a smug air. “Wouldn’t you say Moldy?”

“That’s right Scuzzy,” Alvin answered back with the same attitude. “Who knew everyone in town would come to see us hand deliver our plan to Rochelle!”

The two passed by everyone like royalty sitting in a motorcade, waving and winking before looking back to each other with a smirk. Others scoffed with annoyance while one even got up and left. None of these reactions phased the two as they arrogantly brushed them off with more haughty faces and finger guns. Each person passed grew more and more irritated.

“You know,” Brittany began again. “We really should give them a chance this year. What do you think?”

“Oh sure,” Alvin played along. “Except we already did. We were late today, weren’t we?”

The two chipmunks erupted in obnoxious laughter together all the way to the office door. They stopped right for Alvin to place his hand on the knob and looked back to the disgruntled crowd as he swung the door open.

“We here at Rochelle Talent Agency thank you for your passion and enthusiasm,” Brittany announced in a snide tone, highlighting it with a fake curtsy. Alvin gave them a fake bow and picked up where she left off.

“But unfortunately auditions are now over as the positions have been filled. You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.”

“But hey, there’s always next year.”

“Ha! Next year,” Alvin mocked more as he let Brittany in before him. “Good one Britt.”

“Ta-Ta now,” Brittany let out right as she and Alvin went into the office and closed the door behind them. The room went silent for one moment before the door opened up again, this time revealing the last audition storming through and slamming the door on the way out. The crowd all groaned and complained amongst themselves as they got up and began to leave.

Hours passed and Alvin and Brittany stepped onto the sidewalk in front of the downtown Gallery Mall. Brittany typed away on her phone, her energy from the morning at Rochelle’s completely gone. Her enthusiasm as a pair vanished, paying barely any mind to both her surroundings and the chipmunk that surrounded her. Alvin talked for the both of them, even though he too paid little attention to the Chipette he talked for. That was until he noticed how distracted she was. That’s when he felt the strange still air between them.

“Yo Britt,” Alvin called out as the two got to the sliding doors of the pavilion entrance.

“Hm,” Brittany mumbled, her eyes still glued to her phone.

“You good?” Brittany looked up at him. It was quick but when they locked eyes, she saw his concerned expression and smiled.

“Yup! Yeah. I’m good. Like, so good. I just-” As she answered back, her attention began to slowly shift to her phone again. The two proceeded through the automatic doors and into the main walkway of the plaza. “Hold on.” She said and continued to read in silence while Alvin picked up where they left off.

“I mean, what’s not to be good about,” Alvin said to her. “Yup! Everything is good! Great, even! We didn’t even need to show Rochelle our track. He just gave the blank check the moment we closed the door.” Alvin laughed to himself, then paused for Brittany’s response which was still silent and unattentive. Her lack of interest began to annoy him. “And it’s great to be the kind of people who can make silence work, am I right?” He tried to get her to look back to him, but when that failed he circled over to block her from walking forward. “What are you even looking at-” As his irritation grew more as well as his curiosity, Brittany cut him off, nearly shoving her phone into his face with excitement.

“Hold. The. Phone,” she exclaimed.

“What? Hold your own-”

“No dingus, look!” With her phone still in his face, he grabbed hold of her arm and leaned around to see the screen. His face was inches away from hers but neither cared enough in that moment to realize. His eyes went back and forth, then downward to read the next line. After a minute he finished what she was trying to show him and moved his view to hers with an unamused tone.

“The Silver-Gold Gala? So?” Brittany took her arm back in a rush.

“So? So! This is the Silver-Gold Gala you uncultured animal! A once a year premiere event at the West Arbor Lodge! All of the lodge’s world famous members will be there!” Alvin just kept looking at her, both clueless and apathetic. He raised an eyebrow at her, which only made her more annoyed right back.

“Riiiight. And the lodge is?”

“Ugh,” Brittany groaned. “It’s the getaway for old musicians like Miss Miller, remember? She used to take Eleanor, Jeanette and me every year?”

“Not ringin’ any bells.”

“You, u-uh,” Brittany then began to stutter with a blush. “Called me for that song you wrote as an apology on Christmas?” Alvin also began to turn red, then cleared his throat.

“Right, got it. I remember now.” Then he changed his mind quickly. “Wait a minute. How come we were never invited?”

Brittany giggled.

“Because it was for just us girls, duh!” Alvin playfully rolled his eyes and blew air out of his nostrils as Brittany snickered. Unbeknownst to them, the once bustling crowds of mall goers began to slowly grow quiet and the lights of the entrance began to dim.

“Okay, so if it's every year then what’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that they’re giving Miss Miller a lifetime achievement award for her music career! She’s going to be inducted in the lodge’s hall of fame for their most elite members!”

“Well it’s about time that old firecracker got recognized for, well, being her.”

“But that’s not all. They want ME to perform a song in her honor!”

“Hey, that's awesome! When’s the date?” Brittany whipped back down to her phone, then her eyes nearly popped out. She moved her phone away which made Alvin suspicious. He shot out to snatch her phone but she was just fast enough to avoid his hand.

“When’s the Gala Britt?”

“It’s, it's,” she took a moment to swallow her spit nervously. “Th-The same night as the Festival?” She waited for Alvin’s volume to get dramatically high but instead he responded in a calmer tone than she expected.

“Okay? So then tell them you can’t do it. Jeanette and Eleanor can do something instead.”

“What? No. I can’t just decline this once in a lifetime opportunity!”

“Britt, you’re already performing that night, remember? With me here in town?”

“Think of the publicity! Who cares about some small town concert!”

Alvin scowled.

“You mean the concert we do every year?”

“Come on, we’ll just skip a year and do this instead.”

“We,” Alvin scoffed. “Last I checked, the email said just you.”

Brittany stomped and put her hands on her hips.

“Oh don’t start. You know darn well with one phone call they’ll gladly turn this into a duet.”

“No way! It’s the principle!”

“What principle!”

“The principle that no matter what happens we always-” Alvin stopped before going further as his attention shifted elsewhere. His swift change left Brittany wondering and waiting with her cheeks becoming warm again. “Hey, who turned off the lights?”

“No, no. Go on, we what-” Brittany wanted to egg him on further but she too stopped after becoming distracted. A distance sound found its way to her ears, becoming louder and more melodic. “Is it me, or is there music in the air? And, like, totally getting louder.” The two whipped their heads around until finally catching on to the commotion. Beyond the entrance, Alvin and Brittany noticed a large crowd surrounding a stage-- or at least the upper red curtains of one. Instead of trying to force their way into the towering bodies at a chance of getting to the front, they opted to run over to the nearest ascending staircase. The chipmunk and Chipette found a less crowded spot of the banister that overlooked the stage from above, albeit barely as their height only let them see from the tips of their toes. Large, white screens stood out in front center of the curtains as well as one on each side. The music, unfamiliar to them at first, acted as a lead in. The voices of the crowds started to become quiet with anticipation. Alvin and Brittany couldn't help but hold their breath with them. Then the song began to play properly and the screens projected a silhouette.

Chapter Text

From afar the silhouette resembled only a vague female form with what outlined a ponytail. She stomped her foot to the beat of the song that played. Alvin’s eyes began to light up and couldn't stop his own foot from following along. Brittany took notice and scoffed, rolling her eyes with a mixed bag of disappointments directed at the chipmunk. 

“Heyyy,” Alvin commented just loud enough to be heard from the sounds around them. “Nice song choice. And who doesn’t appreciate a little showmanship?”

“Yeah yeah,” Brittany answered. “It’s alright so far.” Her attention stayed more on the pitch black figure on the other end of the projection behind the singing. The music picked up and everyone listening could tell the mystery performer was at last going to sing. When it arrived, the crowd below erupted with cheer. 

Let me hear your heartbeat

Let me hear your heartbeat

Let me hear your heartbeat

‘Cause I’m gonna change your heartbeat

The lyrics became easy to hear as well as familiar to those that orbited the stage, including Brittany and Alvin. The ramping up and proper start even managed to flow its energy into the less impressed Chipette and she too found herself tapping her fingers onto the guard rail to the rhythm. Her head bobbed just like everyone else who got into it. 

“Alright, not bad newbie,” she said to herself with her mouth curving upward, catching Alvin’s attention. Alvin nodded to himself in satisfaction.

Children behave

That’s what they say when we’re together

And watch how you play

They don’t understand

And so we’re

The introduction flowed into the first verses and the crowd got their first real taste of the performer’s capability. Everyone went wild throughout the pavilion both below close to the stage and all around the two chipmunks on the second floor. Alvin jumped and hollered, getting caught in all of the hype. 

Brittany watched him with a furled brow. Alvin was so moved by this performer that it appeared as if he forgot that she was standing right there. She then focused her attention back down below. Her glare became more than just condescending. It bubbled into something more: jealousy. But as quick as it formed, so quick it blew away like the wind of the air conditioning unit above them when she and Alvin crossed into each other’s view again. He made his brow dance at her with a smirk. Unable to hold it in, she giggled and after a shrug of her shoulders and a shake of her head, she decided to join him in the merriment. The pair cheered on the singing stranger and enthusiastically swayed in sync with the rest of the mall goers. 

Running just as fast as we can

Holding on to one another’s hand

Trying to get away into the night

And then you put your arms around me

And we tumble to the ground

And then you say

The chipmunks within the crowd went along with the rest, enjoying themselves and the concert gifted to them. Feeling the energy in the air, Alvin turned back to Brittany and Brittany looked back at him. He gave her a warm and telling smile before extending his hand out to her. She wasted no time to return the expression and before long, the diva and bad boy of yesterday locked hands to dance together, forgetting the worries of any fight they might have started beforehand. Even if only for a moment, they reflected what they truly wanted from one another. 

However, the more the performance went on, the more apparent the voice sounded-- as well as the pitch. Neither of them took immediate notice, but very quickly Brittany became the first between her and Alvin. In the middle of their dancing, her eyes opened up and she stopped mid step. Her face went from lovingly jubilant to inquisitive and pensive. That didn't stop her from letting go of Alvin’s hands so he was forced to come down with her. 

“What happened,” Alvin shouted to be heard through the noise. “We were just gettin’ started!”

“Wait,” Brittany answered. “Wait a minute.” Despite her voice not being as desperate, it was enough for Alvin to understand. She lifted her head over the guard rail and her ear to the stage, then back to her partner. “Don’t you hear that?”

“The music,” he answered back with sarcasm in his tone. “Uh, yeah!”

“Not that! Listen harder!” Alvin rolled his eyes and leaned over as they remained connected by one hand without realizing. As the concert went, he focused the best he could purely on the vocalist. 

I think we’re alone now

There doesn’t seem to be anyone around

I think we’re alone now

The beating of our hearts is the only sound

I think we’re alone now

There doesn’t seem to be anyone around

I think we’re alone now

The beating of our hearts is the only sound

At first Alvin didn’t know what he was listening for. To him the mystery singer continued on as he would and the crowd clapped along. He scoffed and looked back at Brittany with a raised eyebrow, but before answering back with words it finally struck him. His expression changed in an instant and much like his pink partner, he too lit up with suspicion. 

“That,” Alvin started as he dropped back down to meet Brittany at eye level. “That sounds like…”

“A chipmunk,” Brittany finished his thought. 

“Another chipmunk,” Alvin thought aloud. “In our neck of the woods? They wouldn’t dare!”

“Well, someone clearly didn’t get the memo!” The two of them leaned over for another time, hoping to get a better look. Unfortunately for them the performer continued to be the light of the event behind the complete shadow of the silhouette. The two then turned to one another. Alvin gestured to go down with a tilt of the head which Brittany answered with a head tilt of her own and the pair ran to the steps. 

Running just as fast as we can

Holding on to one another’s hand

Trying to get away into the night

And then you put your arms around me

And we tumble to the ground

And then you say

Alvin and Brittany cleared through the audience who huddled on the stairs. Some just wanted a good sight of the concert while others recorded it for their online presence. When they landed back onto the ground floor, they found themselves put back all the way at the entrance due to the ever growing audience. They looked around for the best route, but as the sea of towering bodies of average sized humans made every path difficult, Alvin made a fierce decision and forced his way through with Brittany in hand. 

I think we’re alone now

There doesn’t seem to be anyone around

I think we’re alone now

The beating of the hearts is the only sound

I think we’re alone now

There doesn’t seem to be anyone around

Brittany pulled fast around Alvin and instead led him through another portion of the outer cluster of onlookers to head deeper in. Completely lost below the waistlines of those around them, the two chipmunks had lost any idea of how the show went. All that they could see was the primary projection screen flashing glimpses of the silhouette and effects that reached the edges over everyone.

I think we’re alone now

There doesn’t seem to be anyone around

I think we’re alone now

The beating of the hearts is the only sound

I think we’re alone now

There doesn’t seem to be anyone around

I think we’re alone now

Just you and me the only sound now

The side projections offered little more for them, showing different pre-recorded scenes as well as brief intercuts of the performer. The more they ventured towards the stage, the easier they became to see but their diminutive size still made it a challenge to get the full picture. None of it satiated their curiosity. Every now and then quick moments and angles of the performer were filled in, but Alvin and Brittany would never see them with their heads down and forward, dedicated to making it to the front. 

Look at the way

We gotta hide what we’re doing

Don’t care what they say

We’re making the only sound now

Can’t you hear my heartbeat?

Can’t you hear my heartbeat?

Dancing to my heartbeat

Let me hear your heartbeat

Let feel your heartbeat

Let me touch your heartbeat

Let me touch your heartbeat

Cause I’m gonna change your heartbeat

As the show headed towards its end with the song slowing down under the cheering and clapping of the crowd, so too did the pink and red duo reach the end of their own journey. With all eyes on the concert, no one noticed the small creatures peek out of the forest of legs and sneak off to the side behind the blockade. Brittany gestured for Alvin to get them into the underneath of the stage. Alvin’s eyes widened and he shook his head. After a brief back and forth, Brittany whispered “Come on, aren’t you curious enough to go a little bit further?” She egged him on in a way only she knew. Alvin kept quiet to think to himself. It wasn’t that he wasn’t curious enough, he was. Excited even. His pause came from the surprise that Brittany of all people would act like this. Daring and without regard for consequences like he was back in their youth. Taking her question at face value without knowing the full intent behind it, he grinned and nodded in agreement. Brittany remained on the look out as Alvin searched for a way in. He lit up and reached for her as he moved a piece of the stage's curtains to reveal an opening just big enough for a chipmunk. First Brittany then Alvin, staying low to the tiles and below the mysterious musician. Not even a few feet through they stopped as they heard the crowd die down and a larger, louder voice boom throughout the pavilion and shake the ground underneath them. 

“Thank you everyone who enjoyed our special presentation,” the announcement began. “We also want to give our special Gallery thanks to the artist that made it all possible. Someone who came out today to give you a taste of her talent. Let’s hear it for: The Wallflower!” Alvin and Brittany looked at each other with a silent scoff. Alvin mocked the voice while Brittany pretended to gag before being shaken by the thunderous cheer of the crowd. The two then felt and heard the thumping of smaller footsteps walk above them. “If you are already a fan like I am, then please come see her grand debut at The Big City Festival!” 

Hearing the next announcement caused the two chipmunks to gasp, their faces nearly mirroring each other. That’s when the footsteps above them shifted and headed further to the other end. The floor creaked and clanked from the pressure of each step despite the weight they knew the performer had to have been. Brittany pushed Alvin to rush and they crawled as fast as they could to catch up. At the end of the line, Brittany moved her partner aside and snuck a glance. All she could see without blowing their cover were a pair of small chipmunk sized legs walking beside a taller pair of black slacks and dress shoes. 

The sound of the two strangers grew distant, invigorating Brittany to slide out from under the stage and pull Alvin with her. This was a struggle at first and caused them to tumble out. When the crowd began to die down again and the two collected themselves, the legs of the singer and her companion were already gone. Brittany whipped her head around in the hopes of a sign and eventually discovered a door open in the maintenance hallway before them. The room illuminated from within and that was enough for the former star to take her partner and run ahead. 

Keeping the surroundings in mind, no doubt thanks to years of experience in mischief, Alvin and Brittany jogged down the hallway to catch up to ‘The Wallflower’. Further along they saw the man wearing the black slacks leave from behind the open door, waving goodbye to the person behind the facade. He left with a smile on his face but began to head towards the other two chipmunks. In a panic, Alvin grabbed Brittany and jumped into a nearby inlet at just the right time. The two were just small enough to squeeze under a drinking fountain attached to the wall. The man walked right by without a care in the world, none the wiser. Alvin remained vigilant, reaching out into the hall with his gaze fixed on the man to ensure they wouldn’t be caught along the way. Once the man was completely out of sight, the duo shared a sly low-five before getting out from the inlet and at last to the room where their target hid. Wasting no more time, Brittany knocked on the now shut door. There was a moment of silence. The two became restless with anticipation, though neither would show or admit to it. Until a voice spoke up from beyond the wall. 

“Come on in,” The Wallflower let out a chirp. “The door is unlocked!” The voice, now clear as crystal, only fanned the flame within Brittany. Alvin’s mouth opened and he turned to the Chipette next to him. Her eyes almost bulged out of her head. Not furious, but no less shocked either. Her expression was so mixed that Alvin couldn’t make heads or tails of it, but he did know one thing. He stepped aside and let Brittany pull the door open with full force. She stormed into the room and terrified the musician with a striking call.

Chapter Text

“Alright, turn around,” Brittany called out as she went into the room. It was a stuffy old storage room with decorations and costumes for the mall. At the far end was a makeshift makeup counter with a dim light coming from a bulb above them. The performer whom Brittany and Alvin obsessed over since this afternoon’s concert shot up with shock. Without being able to react any other way, the skittish singer jumped out of her chair and around a small box as she turned around. Brittany and Alvin gasped at her as she turned around to reveal her true identity. “Jeanette.”

“Jeanette,” Alvin shouted in an admission of confusion.  

“Yes Jeanette,” Brittany clarified in a calm but passive aggressive tone. With the jolt, Jeanette’s chair fell over and caused all three of them to jump. 

“B-B-” Jeanette stuttered before letting it out. “Brittany!” Despite her identity already known, Jeanette panicked and tried to cover herself by draping her outfit over her head. She was pale white and almost out of control of herself as she tried to step away, almost tripping and tumbling over as a result. 

“What the heck is going on,” Alvin asked.

“Exactly what I want to know,” Brittany added, taking control of the conversation. Each step between the sisters was a give and take. Brittany inched ever so closer to Jeanette who had nowhere else to go and had little choice but to face her sister. Jeanette let go of her outfit and whipped her head back and forth for a solution to this situation. She prayed to herself for any spirit or cosmic being above to help her out, but nothing in their plane of existence could stop what was set in motion. Brittany ordered Alvin to close the only door in the room with a flick of head, to which Alvin nodded and obliged. Jeanette felt her heart beginning to give out from the terror, only being able to stand up from that freezing fear as Brittany encroached in her personal space. 

“So Jean,” Brittany said in complete control. “Or should I say ‘Wallflower’? Care to explain what’s going on here? Brittany leaned her head closer to try and keep Jeanette locked in, even as Jeanette herself avoided eye contact at all cost. She even went as far as closing them for a brief moment. Their silent battle came to an end when Jeanette calmed down and took a deep breath. Once she was able to center herself the best she could, facade or otherwise, she looked back to Brittany. 

“H-How much did you see,” Jeanette’s tone changed, throwing off the other two chipmunks in the room. However, they did not show this. 

“We just happened to be in the neighborhood,” Alvin interjected to help ease the tension from the other end. Jeanette looked between him as he leaned on the door and her sister who had a face Jeanette rarely ever saw directed towards her. It was cold and sharp, capable of cracking ice or Alvin when he knew he was guilty of something.

“The entire show,” Brittany answered. “What? You think I wouldn’t recognize my own sister singing?”

Having nothing left up her sleeve, Jeanette sighed and turned away to pick up the mess she had just made, starting with the chair. As she cleaned up, her tone remained serious as she spoke back.

“Then what’s there to explain?” 

Unbeknownst to Brittany, Alvin nodded and smiled at his long time close friend’s resolute response. Brittany gasped again from how straightforward Jeanette was. 

“Uh, a whole lot more than that missy!” Jeanette slammed the chair down, catching the two off guard another time. When she let go of the chair, she turned her head over her shoulder, sending a smirk to her sister.

“You heard the announcement,” Jeanette answered, this time with more confidence and a kind of boldness neither of the red and pink pair had seen from her in years. Jeanette swiftly pivoted around and for another first, leaned in closer into Brittany’s face. She put her hands on her hips and spoke louder. “There’s nothing else to say. I’m going to perform my own concert the night of the festival.”

Alvin stepped off of the door as Brittany looked straight to her sister. There was a brief moment of silence between them before Brittany burst into laughter, making Jeanette red with embarrassment. 

“No seriously,” Brittany responded in a condescending manner. “What is this really about?” Jeanette became more flustered and struggled to keep herself from falling apart. 

“Wh-What? Worried about a l-little competition for once?”

“Oh honey,” Brittany snickered, boasting a smug grin across her face. “We’d crush you.” Despite her self-uplifting tone, the words began to creep into Jeanette’s head. Unsure of how to deal with this sudden flurry of everything that’s happened since they came through that door, she began to panic.”

“Wh-Why is this so hard to believe,” Jeanette let out, being able to reign her feelings back into some semblance of control. In a surprising upset, she pushed away from the diva. Brittany, on the other hand, backed off more. She wasn’t sure how to take her sister’s responses this time.

“I-I-,” Brittany stuttered. She paused, took a breath and then tried again. “I mean, like, why now? Why are you doing this? Is this all to get back at us for joking around?” 

“No,” Jeanette answered with fervor. Perhaps a little too much than she planned. “I-I mean yes, but that’s-”

Brittany waited for her sister to answer fully.

“Everyone always underestimates me… ever since we were children…” Brittany’s eyes quickly lit up. Something between recognition and resistance before lowering her eyes as she began to rub her arm as if by instinct. Even from afar, Alvin couldn’t help but reflect on his own actions of the past and present. Brittany exhaled, then put her hand in her sister’s. Jeanette hesitated to let her do that at first, but after looking into Brittany’s eyes, she accepted and Brittany smiled. 

“Oh Jeanette,” Brittany let out as she held onto the other hand. “We might have had some… ‘fun’ before at your expense, but you don’t know how proud I am of you. All of your prizes in school, your degrees and even all the times you showed us with your solos in the past. You’ve come so far!” Jeanette’s mouth opened from the surprise. Then her mouth closed into a big smile and her eyes became moist. The two went in for a loving hug.

“I know,” Jeanette said softly. “And I’m always proud of you too.”

“No matter what you do next, even without me and Eleanor, I’m going to be cheering you on every step of the way.”

“Thank you.” The two held onto each other for one more big sisterly squeeze before letting the space come back between them. After a moment of remaining close and their hands together, Brittany spoke back up. “That being said, really? A rival concert? Just to get back at us?” 

“W-Well I-” Jeanette tried to explain. She was a mix of pleasant energy and anxiety trying to keep up with Brittany. “It’s not just-”

“You could have done so many other things,” Brittany interrupted. “But a concert? You know how every year that’s our night. And you know I’m not going to let even my own sister stand in the way-”

“This is a GREAT idea,” the third voice in the room shouted out, almost ruining the strained but tender moment between sisters. With their eyes almost out of their sockets, Brittany and Jeanette whipped their heads over to Alvin. Jeanette was filled with surprise, whereas Brittany’s expression mixed that suddenness with annoyance. 

“What,” Brittany asked with the assertive tone back in her voice. She almost could not believe what he said. Alvin walked to them with a grin on his face, a sign to anyone that knew him that he was planning something completely irresponsible. 

“Hold on now,” Alvin responded. “Hear me out.”

“No,” Brittany whined. “No holding on and hearing you out!” Alvin rolled his eyes at her, then stuck out his tongue before continuing as if she hadn’t said anything. 

“Allow me to offer you a proposition.”

“Oh no, not one of those,” Brittany let out. Alvin diverted his attention completely onto Jeanette who was becoming unsure of where this conversation was heading.

“Jeanette, how about instead of a competition that night... why not let me be your production manager and make it a night no one will forget!” 

“Huh,” the sisters said back in near unison from his words. Brittany even gave him a glare as she gestured for him to stop without using any words. 

“Wait,” Jeanette responded. “Y-You want to help me… perform a concert that goes against yours?”

“That’s right! I’ve been waiting for an opportunity just like this!”

“You have,” the girls asked again in a shared skepticism.

“Yup. Dave has been really on my case about my future lately. You know, the whole ‘when are you going to take your degree seriously’ and ‘come on Alvin, you’re not a kid anymore, and since you’re not touring anymore you need to be sensible’.” He paused as the girls watched him. His tone shifted slightly. “And you know what? He’s right. And what better way to do that than to take control behind the scenes for one of my closest friends!” Jeanette giggled at him, but was pushed aside by Brittany who stomped over to Alvin and met him up close. 

“What are you doing,” Brittany demanded an answer. 

“What? Did you miss all that,” Alvin answered with a snide response.

“Uhm, did you miss the part where she said that it’s at the same time as our festival concert!”

“Oh, so now it’s our concert, is that it?” 

“Alvin,” Brittany growled under her breath. Her eyes called out to him as well. It was so direct that there was no room for doubt in his mind. “Don’t do this.”

“W-Wait,” Jeanette tried to wedge herself in to break them up but was pushed back out. “It’s- I don’t think-”

“Don’t do what? It’s just some small town thing, right?” 

“That is NOT what I meant and you know it.”

Before Brittany could say more, Alvin jumped back over to Jeanette and pulled her in under his arm. Brittany’s face became more inflamed by his actions, but kept it together the best she could.

“Jeanette,” Alvin asked. “Are you serious about doing this concert?”

“Y-Yes,” Jeanette answered, unsure if it was the right one especially with her sister so close. She could feel her chest tightening from the crossed strings around it being pulled around in two different directions.

“Even now that we caught you?”

Jeanette didn’t have much more to say. She looked back at her sister, waiting for her to step in. When she didn’t, she swallowed her spit then nodded to Alvin who all the while egged her on with his expression.

Brittany gasped, then shook her head in disbelief. Alvin brushed her off and stepped around her again. 

“So then… what do you say?” Jeanette looked back and forth between her friend and her sister. Brittany shook no, but Alvin raised another eyebrow to win her over. 

“W-Well…” Jeanette hesitated. “Th-This concert is about more than getting even… Brittany don’t take this the wrong way but…”

“Fine,” Brittany accepted, even if her voice sounded far from it. “Do whatever you want.”

“What,” Jeanette and this time Alvin let out together. 

“You heard me. Go on, let him help you.”

“R-Really?” Jeanette waited for Brittany’s words to turn for the worst, but all Brittany did was just come back at them in a calm tone. She nodded and crossed her arms. 

“See? No problems Jean,” Alvin butted in, turning Jeanette around to the desk. “Now, what were you planning? Because I already have ideas and I think you might like them...” Alvin pushed Jeanette to her things and continued to go on about her performance, completely ignoring Brittany behind them who growled and shot daggers at the two. 

Chapter Text

The town was frozen in that almost-snow stillness, the kind that made everyday residents bundle up. 

She did not. 

Her breath came in sharp clouds, her shorts and sports bra a blatant disregard to the cold. 

Low temperatures and frost-bitten skylines did little to nothing to damper her determination. 

Always capturing the center of attention and the most eye-catching even amongst her peers, she jogged by herself down the dark gray sidewalk. Every step was a metronome. 

Flawless. Predictable. Boring. 

Yet, the Chipette never skipped a beat as she held her water bottle in one hand and her phone in the other. It constantly buzzed in its signature pink case, clashing with the crisp neutrality of her surroundings. 

That’s exactly how she wanted it. 

The world needed the constant reminder: Brittany Miller didn’t blend in. 

One shuffle after another, her headphones played a random set of songs. They ranged from the best of different pop idols to R&B legends. Even tracks from her own career found their way into the playlist and every now and then so too did another familiar voice. 

Another chipmunk that kept his musical career alive and well with covers and new material.

She used to skip his songs on principle, especially 'theirs.' Too many memories, too much history. 

But today, she let it play. 

Let the lyrics about a shared future and foolish promises worm their way under her skin. Each one pulsed through her, equal parts fuel and frustration. 

Downtown faded in a haze of storefront blurs as she forced herself forward. Random onlookers tracked her movement. Some admiring, others too pointed to be ignored. 

It only made Brittany smirk. Let them see. Let them seethe. Their jealousy warmed her more than any winter gear ever could. 

With another mile down, she huffed and tried to keep her head up. Her legs threatened to buckle. 

Focus! 

She straightened up, tossing the fluff of her ponytail out of her face and willed her body to keep going. Brittany took on her gnawing exhaustion as a challenge and did not allow herself to stop. 

Yet. 

It was never easy, and more often than not Brittany would rather be on stage or in the studio than out here, fighting the frigid weather that nipped at her. 

In spite of it, she saw it as a chance to clear her mind and keep herself in peak condition. The benefits of her chosen suffering outweighed any laziness she was tempted to give into.

As Brittany went by, her gaze scanned across the different windows of the stores on her side of the road. The young but retired popstar took in the view of the shopping district, where just a few steps across the intersection would take her from Eleanor’s favorite cafe to Jeanette’s favorite bookstore. 

It was just past that landmark where she allowed herself the mercy of a break. She slowed and eventually stopped to lean over on a bus bench just outside of several closed businesses, ones that did not have the same before sunrise schedule she did. 

Her eyes surveyed around the town as she drank and lowered the bottle from her lips. Once she noticed herself in the window behind her, she turned fully around to admire herself. 

The moment was longer than a personal one but it slowly came to an end. However, when her focus adjusted she noticed her reflection melding with a gown in the storefront. 

It was floor length, lacy and white with extraordinary detail. 

It was a wedding dress. 

The same one she joked about with her sister and close friend Simon some time ago. Her self-satisfied grin dissolved. 

She edged closer to the window, tilting her head. Brittany was the best. Her outfit confirmed it. Obviously. 

But this dress… this dress wasn’t hers. 

Was it? 

The lace wasn’t her color. Not even close. The dress perched on its mannequin like a challenge. She almost scoffed but her throat tightened instead.

Her phone groaned under the weight of her pressure. Pink was armor. Pink was her. And if her nails dug any deeper into its cracked case, it’d leak glitter that would match. 

She’d seen better lace in a fabric store. 

So why couldn’t she look away? 

Her pulse thudded, muting the next track that had begun. 

It wasn’t designer. It wasn’t her. 

It was perfectly inconvenient. 

“Whatever,” she muttered, the weight behind it barely worth lifting. Part of her, anyway. 

She put her paw on the glass with a hesitant press. Then, her playlist updated. A voice swam through her headphones, singing some ballad about all the tomorrow's ahead. 

Of course it did. 

Her mouth twitched upward until she caught herself. Manicured claws tapped the glass, leaving sweat-printed smudges. She tensed, poised to bolt, even from this. 

Before her was the body of a star. Not the silhouette of a bride. 

Her reflection glared back, accusatory. Brittany sneered. 

This was her life. Champagne sparkle, not lace. 

So why did her chest feel like she’d swallowed a spotlight whole?

Tch. With a click of her tongue, she stepped back, crushing the water bottle in her grasp. Her phone. Her pink. Her cracks. Her brand. 

Better. 

She stepped back, grip tightening around her water bottle as she breathed a steady stream of defiance through her nose. 

Her eyes veered downward to the ground as she let go of the pane and to the screen that glowed anew with a notification. 

Now that was familiar. Comforting. 

Her claws itched to scroll, to drown the dress in bass or endless media feeds. She jabbed at her music library, hunting for a beat fast enough to outrun this. 

Home. Her territory. Her rules. 

She took off as soon as the singer started to spit into the mic. The world smeared behind her. The air burned like dry ice in her lungs and it motivated her to move without any second guesses. 

She ran further than she did before, her pace as precise as ever. 

Faster and faster, she tried to convince herself that the dress would only lurk in that little shop window. 

Out of sight. 

And almost out of mind.