The sun was well on its way to setting, but it certainly was taking its sweet time while it bathed the neighborhood in warm orange glow that seemed to refuse to give in to a night sky. A few beams of light peaked out from the curtain covering the only window in the living room, spilling its light onto the window sill that protruded out far enough to seat the Seville boys comfortably (and it often times did). Normally towards the end of the day the brothers would cuddle together on the couch in front of the flat screen TV that hang from the wall just above the mantle and gorge themselves on what ever shows the all powerful entertainment box saw fit to deliver.
Today ,however, was their anniversary. So instead of creating a dogpile on the couch, Simon and Theodore were in the kitchen making preparations for what was going to be a textbook romantic dinner complete with mood-setting music, roses and, of course, each of their favorite foods which were to be eaten by the glow of candlelight.
Simon, the genius that he was, knew when he was outclassed. On many occasions he'd been given opportunities to prove that he wasn't totally hopeless when it came to the culinary arts, but each time had resulted in what could only be described as a total debacle. So when Simon proposed that he be tasked with getting Dave out of the house in lieu of cooking, Alvin and Theodore agreed with an amount of ecstasy that other people might have found insulting.
By now Alvin should've been back from the dry cleaners with all three of their suits, but as usual his punctuality left much to be desired. It was hardly a problem though as the meals still hadn't been started and when it came to setting the table, Simon's meticulous and methodical nature bordered on obnoxiously slow.
"A-alright, lets see here." Theo had finished tying his apron as he picked up the list detailing the three meals that he was to make. "Cubed steak and potatoes for me, a burger for Alvin, and..." He trailed off with a gentle sigh and looked over to his tallest brother. "Really?"
The bespectacled boy kept his eyes on the floor as he swept his neat pile of debris in a dust pan. "Something wrong?"
The chubby munk snapped the piece of paper in the air, causing Simon to look up. He cleared his throat and read off the last item on the meal list: "Peanut butter and banana sandwich, toasted, with a side of celery and a glass of milk?"
Simon furrowed his brows, "That is correct." His response was slow and there was a bit of confusion in his voice.
"I-its our anniversary, Simon. Your meal supposed to be special!" It was clear to Simon that he wasn't angry, though he did seem exasperated. Simon picked up his dustpan and went into the kitchen to empty it into the waste bin mumbling, "One has to wonder if you gave Alvin any flak for wanting a simple cheeseburger."
Theodore turned his nose up at Simon and moved to face his cutting board on the opposite side of the room. "I'll have you know, that I did." Theo grabbed a step stool and slid it over to the counter. Simon really couldn't help but feel a little bad for letting a bit of edge creep into his voice. He always felt the need to defend his simple tastes but he knew that his brother was just trying to do his part to make tonight magical.
The taller boy walked over to his younger brother hugged him from behind and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I'm sorry, I know you really just looking out for me. It doesn't really matter what you make for me, because I know it'll be special because it's coming from you." Theo's tail swished from side to side between Simon's feet, a sure sign as any that Theo held no ill feelings about the exchange.
"W-well, someone has to look out for you, otherwise you'd eat nothing but celery." He turned his head and gave his older brother quick peck on the lips. Simon let the warm feeling produced by his brother put a smile on his face.
"Interestingly enough, we, like humans, are designed to subsist on a vegetarian diet if necessary. In addition-"
Simon was interrupted but a loud, exaggerated sigh as Theodore removed Simon's arms from around his waist, "Aaaaand the moment is ruined." He stepped up the stool to wash his hands in the sink and shooed Simon, "N-now out of the kitchen, you might set the milk on fire or something." Simon chuckled and made his way to the dining room table to begin the preparations.
At the top of the seventh hour the grandfather clock in the living room ( the one that Simon spent his birthday AND Christmas gift on without a second thought) chimed as it did for every hour while the two brothers awaited Alvin's arrival. The food was almost ready, and while the youngest was still distracted by the incredible meal he was preparing, Simon was growing worried that his older brother had managed to get himself into yet another mess. He pulled out his phone quietly and sent a quick text to Alvin. The last thing he needed was Theodore picking up on his admittedly contagious nervousness.
Alvin! Where are you! You were supposed to be here over an hour ago!
Before he could put his phone back in his pocket, he received a response that consisted of two words:
Ding, dong.
Simon's face scrunched in confusion, "Ding dong? What does that even-"
He was immediately interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. He rolled his eyes, "Oh haha," he muttered under his breath. When he opened the door, he found Alvin with three small suits draped over one shoulder and a duffel slung over another. Simon whispered, "Where the heck were you!? All this work and you show up at the last possible moment?! Why I ought to-"
"I can hear you angrily whispering Simon!" Theodore had to yell over the sizzling burger in the pan. Simon for his part had the good graces to appear at least a little bit embarrassed. "Its our anniversary tonight, so Simon make up. I'm sure he has a good reason for taking so long."
Simon narrowed his eyes at Alvin, who had the most shameless ear to ear grin on his face because he knew exactly what Theodore always meant by "make up". Even though Simon hated reinforcing bad behavior, they all knew that when Theodore used his "innocent pleading" voice that Simon was like putty in his younger brother's hands. So the taller boy rolled his eyes with a sigh and grabbed Alvin's face with both hands. He placed his lips to Alvin's in a kiss just long enough to convince Theodore that he was not longer angry. Alvin stepped inside the doorway, stunned. He chuckled, "Wow, was some serious tongue. I thought you were trying to take out my fillings!" Alvin walked to the couch and laid the suits over the back. He stood for a moment, then pondered aloud, "Maybe I should be late to important things more often."
"I'm not sure how that could be possible," Simon retorted. "And no, that isn't a challenge." Alvin chuckled as he reached into the duffel bag and pulled out three roses (one red, one orange, and one lavender) and placed them into three clear glass vases placed in a tight triangle formation in the center of the round table. Simon lit a couple of scented candles (Lavender scented, because Theodore absolutely insisted that it was the most romantic scent despite having absolutely no basis for comparison) and placed them in the center, couple feet apart.
"A-alright, the food is finally done." Theo said with sigh of relief. "Time to get dressed!"
[Line Break]
After grabbing their suits and running upstairs, the trio came back downstairs a few minutes later dressed to perfection. Each had their head fur slicked back and though they didn't feel the need to reinvent the wheel, they were adamant about having vests that corresponded with their favorite color whether it matched or not.
The three of them walked down the stairs hand in hand with Theo in the center. When they reached the table where their delicious meals were waiting for them. Alvin pulled out a chair for Theodore, and afterwards a chair for Simon. Once they sat down, before anyone so much as took a sip, Simon raised his glass of milk. He couldn't resist the formality of lightly tapping his spoon against the glass even though he already knew that he had their undivided attention.
"As is tradition," Simon started even though they'd only celebrated like this once six months ago for the same reason, "I would like to propose a toast." At this point Alvin and Theodore raised their drinks (a can of coke and an apple juice box respectively) "To Theodore," Simon glances at his younger sibling shyly smiling and looking away, who had the beginnings of a blush that was barely visible by the candlelight, "whose light, love and overwhelming compassion keep us grounded in a world that makes it easy for us to believe we don't belong."
"Aww shucks." Was all Theodore could manage.
The tallest turned to his eldest brother now, "And to Alvin. Whose constant motion will forever be a galvanizing force in our lives, every day pushing us to be better than we were the day before."
Alvin simply smiled, deciding against any fanfare in the face of his brother's raw honesty and open affection. If someone had told him a year ago that his relationship with his brothers would've evolved into something so...so...freaking awesome, he would've had that person committed. But there they were. Sitting at a table, being all lovey-dovey, sappy and above grateful that Alvin was as impulsive as we has obstinant.
Simon was preparing to drink when he heard the sound of a spoon tapping against glass. "I-I would also like to make a toast," Theo said. Simon was a bit surprised by this but he took his seat and kept his glass raised. "To Simon and Alvin. The best big brothers that anyone could ever ask for."
"I'll definitely drink to that," Alvin chimed while Simon was too busy blushing like the schoolboy that he was. So they drank to their toasts and the voraciously consumed their delicious meals, occasionally talking about various topics until the food they'd eaten had begun to make them tired. Once dinner was finished, the two eldest brothers began to clear the table, gently but firmly pushing their little brother back into his seat when he tried to help.
"By the way," Theodore said as he rubbed his belly and sighed in contentment, "Why were you so late getting back Alvin? The dry cleaners closed at six and you left at noon."
"Oh jeez I totally forgot!" He placed the dishes he was carrying in the sink and ran over to the couch where he left his bag. After rummaging through the bag for a few seconds he pulled out the first item, a stuffed teddy bear that was almost as Theo himself. "This is for you. A teddy, for our Teddy."
Theodore produced a sound that seemed somewhere between a gasp and a squeal when he laid eyes on the life-sized plush figured. "I-its amazing!" He slid out of his chair to examine the bear further. He ran his fingers through its soft fur. He paused when he got to the oversized bow-tie that was sewn its chest. It covered part of the bear's black vest which was fastened with a single button right in the center of its belly. "Thank you so much!" Theo grabbed Alvin and pulled him into a hug before pressing his lips to Alvin's with kiss that screamed "hungry". After tasting just about every part of Alvin's mouth Theodore released Alvin and went back to adoring the present, leaving Alvin standing in the living room mouth agape. Simon rolled his eyes and strolled over. He gently placed his hand on his brother's chin and pushed it up to close his mouth, snapping him out of the trance. "Well now that Alvin is no longer broken, perhaps we can get these dishes done?"
"Not so fast, Simon. I've got something for you too." Simon wasn't the biggest fan of gift exchanges. They were often prompted by one holiday or another and it made the whole experience feel disingenuous. If he wanted to give someone a gift he didn't want it to be necessarily because of a holiday or special event. He was not going to be so rude as to refuse an anniversary gift however. Once Alvin revealed the gift he was instantly grateful for his decision. "A MICROSCOPE! You got me, a microscope!" It was weird hearing Simon being so loud and NOT angry with him. Simon's hysterical laughter eventually died down into silence which quickly turned into sniffling. A tear slid down his cheek as he eyed this beautiful device. "Thank you." Was all Simon could get out while he was trying to recover from an emotional overload.
"So yeah...I spent most of today at the arcade trying to win those." He couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh. "I was worried that I was gonna run out of time but I wasn't coming back with out em." Simon dried his eyes and looked at Alvin wearing his sheepish grin and then to his younger brother who seemed to be thinking the exact same thing as Simon. Seeing Alvin do something so...selfless (and undoubtedly expensive) made the two younger brothers want to give him the world. Spending all day in an arcade wasn't exactly the biggest sacrifice that Alvin had ever made but it was impossible to deny how loved they felt in that moment.
"Well," Alvin began after what felt like an eternity of silence, "Those dishes won't do themselves." He began to make his way back to the kitchen before a hand grabbed each of his arms, "The dishes can wait. Theodore and I didn't get you a present, but...I think we produce one on short notice." Alvin couldn't help but shiver at the obvious implication in Simon's voice. Theodore was already hugging Alvin from behind so it was safe to say that their bedroom was the next stop. Theodore was sweet and certainly shy, but when he became touchy-feely then it was near impossible to deny him. Both Simon and Theo silently agreed that it was gonna be hard to top the day up till that point, but as soon as they got into bed nothing was going to stop them from trying.