Hello there everyone, this here is the first Alvin and the Chipmunk fanfic I have ever written, and to be honest, it felt rather great to write about a new fandom, taking a small break from the usual ones and all that. In any case, this fic is based, loosely, upon the events taking place in the episode To Serve and Protect in the new CGI TV series, episode 7A (Yeah, I'm still a little bit of a kid at heart, and I'm darn proud of it). But then, die-hard fans of the series can also imagine the events here taking place in the movie version or the classic universe of the three adorable singing munks. Enjoy! :)
Stench of Regret – Part 1
The principal sat rigidly behind her desk, her delicate fingers intertwined with each other and neatly tucked underneath her chin. Her eyes, analytical and serious but still holding a sense of gentleness that effectively put her students at ease in her presence, studied the boy currently sitting before her. Being the principal, it was not unusual for her to see students in her own office during breaks, yet at the moment, the presence of this one in particular was rather strange, unorthodox even. Neither she nor the other made any attempt at shattering the veil of silence haunting the room, and the boy himself seemed lost in his own thoughts, his round-framed glasses slightly askew from the way he was hanging his head – in what, she did not know for sure yet, but the subtle indications expressed by his body language were surely implying something akin to shame and helplessness, her experience aptly concluded.
The silence stretched on and on for a while longer, and still, the lone boy refused to say anything after his initial greetings upon entering, spoken in a hushed voice, whispery, weak, barely audible. Deeming that she had waited long enough, the woman feigned a polite cough into one fist, at long last dispelling the gloomy atmosphere and bringing the sound of life back to the serene office. In a gentle, tentative voice, she started the conversation.
"Mister Seville, if you have anything you would like to discuss here, please feel free to. There is no need to restrain yourself around me," said the woman, looking at the bespectacled Seville boy sitting before her, whose fingers were tenderly touching the silver-colored badge upon his chest.
At first, the young boy made no response, prompting her to try again.
"Mister Seville?" she pried gently, "Simon? Is there something wrong? If you don't feel well, perhaps I should give your guardian a call and have him come take you home."
Simon sat still, his fingers animatedly fiddling with the badge which was now being held in his tiny palm. From her position, she noticed that the young chipmunk was eyeing the object with a blatant look of longing, treating it as though it was the most precious thing he had ever held in his tiny palm. And yet, in that look, signs of distress and sadness could also be spotted, clearly conveyed.
"Simon?" she asked again, lowering her voice even further and leaning forward on her seat.
"No, miss, that would not be necessary, for this problem doesn't require the involvement of my guardian at all," the middle child of the chipmunk band replied at last, much to the woman's relief. Such feeling was short-lived, unfortunately, swiftly replaced by another wave of concern for student.
Simon looked up and, after much deliberation on his part, finally placed the badge of the school's Safety Supervisor on the desk, albeit with much reluctance. Lifting his chin up, he directed his eyes at the principal and forced a small smile onto his face.
"I … I would like to return the badge and resign from the position of the school's Safety Supervisor," Simon said quietly and earnestly. The woman before him raised one brow questioningly.
"And may I ask what sorts of circumstances have led you to make this… sudden decision, Simon? If I remember correctly, you were rather ecstatic when you were given this title and this badge a few days ago."
"I was, miss. Truly. Whole-heartedly."
"Oh…Then, does this position no longer appeal to you the way it initially did? I know being a supervisor can be a tremendous task, especially when it causes your peers to look at you in a different light, with wariness and preservation."
"Oh no no. It's nothing like that," Simon answered quickly, vehemently shaking his head, "In truth, this position is like my dream here, to be given responsibilities of ensuring a safe, healthy studying environment for every student here… I cannot be prouder."
"Hmm, then please, if you don't mind me asking, why do you decide to turn in your badge, Simon. Your records are, and I must admit, incredibly pristine, well, mostly, due to the little stunts you got caught up in with your brother Alvin the previous time.
"Please don't remind me of that Alien incident," Simon shivered as the memories resurfaced, bringing a wince to his face.
"Ahem… In addition to your flawless academic records, your reputation as a student at this school is also unimpeachable among all the teachers and faculty members. So if someone is to be entrusted with the duties of the Safety Supervisor, the first name that comes to my mind is you, Simon."
"To be honest, I'm honored that you hold me in such high regards, miss," the chipmunk replied, apparently abashed by the shower of compliments, but his pride was swiftly squashed by a new wave of shame washing over him. "But over the last couple of days, I have…come to a harsh yet undeniable realization that I am unable to set my priorities straight and allow such confusions to interfere with the execution of my duties, resulting in acts of blatant negligence on my part, all of which I cannot forgive nor can I tolerate any longer. As a consequence of my own incompetence, I have decided that I… I am not fit to wear this badge. I am terribly sorry for not living up to your expectations, miss." He finished with a bow, thus missing the look of skepticism that briefly dominated the principal's expression. When Simon lifted his head up, the look was gone.
With a sigh, the woman reached out and retrieved the badge in front of her. "Alright Simon," she started, "I will hold on to this badge and revoke your position - for now. Should you reconsider anytime soon, you know where to find me."
"Thank you."
"Is there anything else you wish to talk to me about, mister Seville?"
"No, ma'am. That should be all. Thank you very much for your time," Simon answered courteously. The principal nodded.
"Then please get back to your class. I believe your next period is starting soon."
Simon did as told and exited the office. The moment the door behind him was shut closed, the young scholarly chipmunk finally let out a breath he did not even realize he was holding. His square shoulders sagged as though a heavy weight had been lifted from them. The darker fur on his head was matted and drenched with numerous beads of sweats, creating a luminous coating of moist under the sunlight.
"My head…" Simon mumbled to himself as he closed his eyes momentarily and gently massaged his throbbing temples to elevate some of the tension. It worked to a certain extent. Having spent hours the night before cleaning up after Alvin's mess, Simon had significantly thrown his own sleeping schedule off course, and he was now experiencing the repercussions for the lack of sufficient sleep. Coupled with the accumulated stress he had been experiencing for days on end from all the troubles which had been so unjustly thrust upon him - once again courtesy of Alvin and his brand of crazies - and topped off by a frightening nightmare, Simon was clearly drained, exhausted, both physically and mentally. And for the first time ever, he was actually looking forward to the end of school.
"Keep it together, Simon," he scolded himself. One hand reached for his pocket and produced the folded up flyer for the Smithsonian Museum, Simon allowed a small smile to grace his lips, strained and awkwardly forced, "Think about tomorrow. Think about tomorrow. Think about the exhibitions you are going to see. Yes, just rid your head of thoughts about Alvin and how he … how he … how he selfishly screwed things up you… and… and cost you the position…"
An uncharacteristically angry frown twisted his facial expression darkly, complete with a throaty growl. His hands were curled into tight fists, crumbling the flyer he was holding. "Three years… After three years of going along with whatever choice he made, and this is how he repays me… I can't believe him … Why did Alvin do this to me? For once, can't he be happy for me? Or at least, pretend to be happy for me and my decisions… Why can't he?"
After standing where he was and immersing himself in his reverie for a few more minutes, Simon shook his head and threw the flyer into the trash can nearby before making his way back to class, skipping the last few minutes of lunch break altogether. His appetite was not working right anyway.
And as to be expected, he had to run into Alvin, leaning smugly against his locker with a comic book in hand. Their eyes met, and in an instant, the pair belonging to the older of the two lit up with the usual sparks of unconcealed mischief. A smirk soon followed as he stared at Simon straight in the face, noticing the frown worn by the bespectacled chipmunk. Of course, a snide remark was sure to follow.
"Hello, Alvin," Simon said first before turning away and heading to class, hoping to evade his brother. Unfortunately, the young scholar in blue was not fast enough.
"Oh no, you caught me," said the red-clad chipmunk with a dramatic tone, one that would surely do the drama club proud should he play the role of Romeo on his last dying breaths, "I guess you're going to give me a citation now, huh? But if you do that, I'll have to go to detention, and then, I'll be in trouble with Dave! And what's more, the trip's tomorrow, right, oh! It would just break my heart to cause all of us to miss out on such a fun and exciting journey to the Smithsonian Museum and take a walk through the ages of history and all that jazz that should really belong in history, you know, buried," he ended with no small amount of sarcasm lacing every single syllable that escaped his lips. His smirk grew all the wider toward the end of his statement, daringly challenging the other to take action against such provocations.
Simon did nothing of the sort. Instead, he wordlessly gave his brother a sidelong look, his face now devoid of any emotions. To Alvin's surprise, Simon turned his eyes away and went into the classroom, not even bothering to come up with a retort. Though he had been treated like this before, but this time, that blank, emotionless expression adorning his brother's face actually made something twist inside Alvin's heart and stomach, and at once, the mischievous member of the trio felt a foreboding sense of dread glooming over him, ominously telling him something was off. Sure, he and Simon fought all the time, and Simon refusing to talk to him for a while after their heated arguments was not at all uncommon, but this time, Alvin could not help but feel like something was different, wrong, and he closed his comic book, contemplating his recent actions toward his intelligent brother.
Did I go too far? A tiny voice inside his head wondered.
But then, his short attention span chose this exact moment to kick back in, silencing the faint voice inside his mind.
"Nah, Simon's probably about to surrender to my terms. Maybe tonight," said the chipmunk in red, his grin returning, as he gleefully decided to skip the rest of the class, immersing himself in his comics inside the empty hallway.
Yet, the twinge of unease still lied inside him, dormant, deep-seated, ignored, unanswered… until later that day.
The rest of the day uneventfully and idly went by, and before long, much to everyone's relief, the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day and the beginning of the vacation for all.
"Alright class," miss Smith started, "Even though it's time for your vacation, you still need to…"
And before she was even halfway through the announcement, the class was already empty, every student moving with unusual – perhaps to the point of paranormal - speed and stealth never before displayed in their gym classes. Naturally, Simon was the last one to linger behind, carefully gathering his stuff and placing them in his bag. His movements, however, appeared sluggish.
"Ah, Simon," said the teacher again, but then, she noticed his lack of response from her prized student, along with a blank, unfocused look darkening his face. He had yet to acknowledge her presence.
"Simon?" miss Smith tried again, but Simon still paid her no mind – a most unusual act coming from one of the highest honors students of the school. "Simon!"
That last shout did the trick, and with a start, Simon looked up at his teacher, his face pale. "Yes, miss Smith?" he asked breathily.
"Are you feeling okay, Simon? It's not like you to space out in the classroom like that. You do look a little pale and out of it."
"I'm fine," the boy replied, a tad too quickly and consequently earning himself a suspicious look from the teacher. Noticing it, he added, "I just had a hard day, that's all. A bit of time spent on resting and I'm certain I'll be as good as new in no time."
"I hope for your sake you're right. Now, get home quickly and rest up. And enjoy your vacation."
Simon nodded politely and offered his teacher a smile before he took his leave. With each step, he felt his disorientation increase, and it was hard to walk on a straight line, much less focus on anything.
"Ouch… my head… Why do I feel like there's someone wearing a pair of metal boots doing cha-cha-cha inside it?" he muttered to himself as he walked out of the empty school gate. Out of the blue, a blaring noise of car horn assaulting his overly sensitive ears, making Simon jump and land on his butt. A moan escaped his lips when his backside met cold ground - cold ground which felt somewhat comfortable… and strangely soft, inviting even…
"Hey Simon!" shouted Alvin from where he was looking out from Dave's car, waving his hand impatiently and frantically. Simon's head snapped up as the other continued, "We know you love the school, but we need to get back home, like, now if you don't mind. I'm starving here!"
"Yeah, come on, Simon! It's dinner time!" Theodore chimed in, motivated solely from thoughts of food.
Letting out a long, weary string of breath, Simon, using everything remaining ounce of energy he could muster up in his current state, pushed himself up and made his way toward Dave's car, swaying a bit on his feet.
"What's wrong with me today? Ouch... My head's killing me!" he grumbled as he walked. The others did not seem to notice, too lost on their own discussions about what to have for dinner that night. After two torturous minutes, Simon at last arrived at his destination. Upon getting in and buckling his seatbelt, he sighed again, this time in relief, finally getting his chance to rest.
"How was your day Simon?" Dave asked as he started the car and began to drive away, his eyes fixed on the road.
"Fine," came the soft, curt reply of the tiny scholar. The brevity of the response warranted three pairs of eyes looking at him within seconds, all three widened in surprise.
"Simon?" Theodore questioned, sheepish, "Are you feeling alright? Your face looks a little lighter than usual. A bit whitish, somewhat like Alvin's overdue milk the other day."
It took a lot of self-control for Simon to keep from throwing up at that unintentionally nasty comparison. Luckily, he managed.
"And you're sweating bullets, Si," Alvin chimed in. "Where did you just come out of, a sauna?" he jested lightheartedly to lift the mood. His effort was, sadly, lost on Simon, who was still doing his best to recover from Theodore's latest remark.
"I'm fine," the blue-clad chipmunk repeated and turned away, stubbornly refusing to meet Alvin's curious and subtly concerned gaze.
Alvin looked at Theodore, but they decided to leave their brother be for the time being. The rest of the trip home was spent in complete and uncomfortable silence, with Alvin occasionally shooting private glances at Simon's direction. Unbeknownst to himself, an expression of worry appeared on his face. His lips curved upward in a frown, and his brows accordingly knitted together, completing the look.
The atmosphere inside the car was tense, and nobody made a move to dispel it. A break finally arrived when Dave ultimately pulled over into their house, and let the three brothers out.
"You guys get in first and set the table. We'll be having steak for the night."
"Okay, Dave!" Theodore and Alvin sang in chorus and in their excitement, dashed straight into the house first. Simon remained stationary, much to the man's bewilderment.
"Simon?" he asked his son. His voice snapped Simon out of yet another self-induced trance and brought his attention back to reality.
"Sorry, Dave," he replied, shaking his head a bit, "I had a tiring day at school today, so I suppose I needed a little bit longer to rest."
"You're sure you're feeling okay, buddy?"
"Yeah, I'm totally fine," Simon ascertained, using those same words that seemed to get less and less convincing as time passed. "Don't worry about me. A good rest, and I'll be revitalized soon enough. After all, big day tomorrow, right?" Simon asked rhetorically, this time exerting his little strength left to move his hands in a desperate attempt to appear cheerful. Dave, as he noticed, was not sold.
"Okay Simon, you stay there. I'll carry you inside when I'm done putting the car away."
"Thanks…" said Simon with a thin-lipped smile, "And can I be excused from dinner tonight? I don't feel very hungry at all."
"But you need to eat something, Simon. You're a growing boy, and your body requires nutrition and…"
"I promise I'll make it up with a big breakfast tomorrow before we leave the house," Simon interjected his guardian's words, compromising, "Right now, I just want to sleep. It's been an honestly hectic day in class, and I can seriously use a shuteye right about now."
Dave, looking at his son in growing concern, contemplated the thought. While he knew that Simon needed to eat something at least, he could not bear the thought of forcing the chipmunk to stay awake against his will when the latter was obviously up for the task. And the fact that Simon looked like he was about to fall over the moment his seatbelt was unbuckled was unsettling. Inwardly, he prayed that the poor chipmunk had not contracted anything, knowing full well how important the next day would be to him and how excited he had been all week long.
"Alright Simon," Dave relented at last, albeit with much reluctance evident in his tone. "I'll take you to your room and let you sleep. But remember, big breakfast tomorrow, and a big lunch afterwards. That's final."
"Thanks Dave. I promise," replied Simon, genuinely appreciative for the human's sympathy.
The moment the car was parked inside the garage, Simon was out, too tired to resist the lull of slumber any longer. The last thing he vaguely registered was being picked up by a warm, gentle hand before a pitch-black wave of darkness consumed his mind wholly, drowning what feeble remain of his fading consciousness unto the endless ocean of oblivion.
