Work Text:
The late afternoon sun dips low, casting long shadows across Sunset Boulevard as Tess squints, shielding her eyes. "Are you sure this ladder is stable, Em?" she asks, her voice a little too high.
Emily, already halfway up the rickety metal contraption that hugs the billboard's immense frame, just laughs, the sound light and free. "Chill, Tess! Cody's got the base!"
Below them, Cody, their loyal eleven-year-old accomplice, strains against the ladder's bottom rungs, his face red with effort. "It's, uh, steady!" he grunts, though a bead of sweat rolls down his temple.
Emily scrambles onto the narrow catwalk, a canvas bag full of paint cans and brushes slung over her shoulder. The billboard, a colossal blank slate towering over the rush-hour traffic, seems to hum with anticipation.
"Okay, pass up the primer!" Emily calls down, her blonde ponytail bouncing.
Tess, ever the organized one, carefully hoists a gallon can of white paint. "Don't spill it, Em! This is a one-shot deal!"
The air around them thickens with the sweet, acrid scent of fresh paint. Emily dips a wide roller, its soft bristles soaking up the thick, white paint. With a sweep of her arm, a vast swath of the dark blue billboard transforms. Tess, joining her on the catwalk, clutches a smaller brush.
"Remember the plan," Tess reminds her, a serious furrow in her brow. "Big, bold letters. And no drips this time!"
Emily winks, already planning the perfect, splashy "M." This time, they know their dad will definitely notice.