I figured you all deserved a sweet chapter, so here it is.
(Trip is 18), Lance is 15, Grant is 13, Leo is 12, Jemma is 12, Skye is 9 and Avalyn is 2 and ½.
"Hey Mim," Lance peeked in the kitchen, hands holding the doorframe, "I'm headin' down to th' thrift shop, 'lright?"
Mimi was feeding Avalyn in her high chair. She looked up from the bowl she was holding and nodded, "Alright. But no stopping at the pub downtown. Your parents warned they're coming home earlier and you don't want trouble, do you?"
"Roger that," he said, proving a salute. He winked at his little sister who giggled, "See ya later, pinky."
The neighbor-turned-babysitter smiled and continued to feed the toddler. Lance walked to the door, and before reaching for his leather jacket hanging on the coat hanger, he recounted the money his mother had given him earlier that day. May and Coulson did the clothes' shopping for their kids, except for Lance. He now requested that they'd give him the money they were planning on spend on his clothes because he wanted to buy them himself. He was now into a grunge phase, his wardrobe consisting mainly of band T-shirts, flannel, plaid shirts, worn-out jeans, leather jackets, Converse sneakers and combat boots that he bought at the thrift shop.
"You're going to the thrift shop?" Leo asked, rushing down the stairs to get to his brother before he exited the door.
"Yes," he looked back at the curly-haired boy, "why?"
"I want to go too. I like your T-shirts."
Lance sighed, "Alright. I guess you can come. Go tell Mimi."
Leo returned, bringing Avalyn by hand, "She wants to come too."
The teenager stooped and beckoned the toddler, picking her up in arms, "You can't come with us, pinky."
"I wanna a dwess. A pink, pwetty dwess."
"You want a pink, pretty dress?" Avalyn nodded at her brother's question. "Ok. We can get you a nice dress," he put her down on her feet and helped her dress her wool cardigan.
"I want to go too," Skye spoke from the couch, leaving her 'Beginning Programming For Dummies' book behind and joining her siblings who were still gathered up by the door. "I want a dress too."
Leo frowned, "You? You want a dress?"
"Yeah," Skye answered, unfazed. "Why?"
"You're the most tomboyish girl I've ever met."
"Oh bloody hell," Lance piped up. "We're all going, I suppose."
Grant and Jemma weren't home (he was at his boxing training and Jemma had just began taking piano lessons) but he was sure if they were home, they'd be wanting to join.
"I'm guess I'm going too," Mimi said with a smirk.
"It's okay, Mim," the oldest told her. "I can keep an eye on 'em. Only AJ is a baby. I expect Leo and Skye to act their age."
"I think Mimi was actually worried that you don't act your age," Leo teased.
Lance chuckled, not too willingly, and picked up Avalyn in arms, "Forget the T-shirts, Leo. I'm giving you not even one."
"Fine. I've got loads of pocket money saved up," the younger boy affirmed and then ran upstairs to get some money.
"Sure you'll be alright?" the babysitter insisted.
"Yup. We'll be fine."
As soon as Leo returned from his bedroom, the four siblings left out the door, heading to the thrift shop downtown.
Skye and Avalyn were left at the girl clothing section with the shop's clerk. Leo and Lance walked over to the grungier second-hand goods. The two of them had already picked up a few items when the older girl came running to them. She swirled on the tip of her feet, showing the dress to her brothers.
"How do you feel in it?" Lance asked in a joyful tone.
Skye had picked up the most luxurious dress that fitted her. It was made out of white sateen, delicately overlaid with an intricate floral pattern in black lace. The dress had a sateen waist belt of a white color and the pouf skirt had an inner tulle layering that ballooned up as she twirled.
"Weird," Skye admitted, straightening the skirt. "There's too much air going up my legs."
The boys laughed at her comment.
"Where's AJ, by the way?"
"Oh, the clerk is helping her put on a dress," the girl said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder, pointing in the general direction of where her little sister was.
Lance walked in quick strides to where Skye pointed, "And you left her alone?"
Skye and Leo followed him suit but all stopped abruptly at the sight of Avalyn so happily smiling as the clerk finished zipping up her dress. Avalyn wore a navy blue dress. Its satin bodice was adorned with a bow and fabric tie around her waist. The full skirt featured a mesh layer, for extra volume, that was emblazoned with rosettes and tiny black sequins.
"How does she look boys?" the clerk asked, turning to Lance and Leo.
"'ook," Avalyn screeched in happiness, running to her siblings, "'t's pwetty!"
"You look gorgeous, pinky," Lance picked up the toddler in arms and walked over to the full-length mirror, "look at you."
Avalyn was too busy gazing herself in the mirror, absolutely marveled with the dress, that she didn't notice Leo approaching. He had put on a bowtie, picked a charcoal colored fedora and was finishing clipping on the suspenders he had grabbed from a shelf.
"Look," the older boy called Avalyn's attention, and then tapped on the top of Leo's hat, "Leo's all fancy too."
"You should get yourself somethin' fancy too," Skye suggested, taking Avalyn from him.
Lance took a quick look around. He ended up picking up a fedora for himself as well, but he also put on a navy, textured waistcoat that had an exterior chest welt pocket and two lower welt pockets. The four of them were staring at the mirror, in fits of laughter. Not even the clerk woman could resist not smiling; they were all too precious.
"Get us a photo," Skye asked. "Got ya phone, Lance?"
"'course I do," he replied, already going through his jeans pockets to get it. "Like I go anywhere without it."
The worker snapped a photo of the four of them and said, "You should wear less plaid and more classic clothing."
"Maybe when I'm older and rich," the teen commented.
The three older of the clan stripped off the clothes they had dressed, but obviously Avalyn didn't want to change back into her boring, comfy clothes. That was when, after Lance glared her, that the clerk realized she had made a big mistake by putting on such a beautiful dress on a little child. Leo and Lance exchanged a look and reached a silent agreement: they'd not buy the items they chose, but instead, Avalyn would get to take home the dress.
Do you guys like Lian May? Well guess what? She's coming back next chapter. She and Lance are the main characters of the next chapter, and also, prepare yourselves, Lance is going away...