𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 -- 𝐊𝐚𝐥𝐢 𝐔𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐬
                𝟎𝟏𝟎: Father of the Year
     (𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙚, Stay Ready)

"𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄!"

If you had asked Vander twenty years ago if he'd ever have kids, he would've laughed right in your face. Fatherhood? Not for him. He wasn't that kind of man. The idea of raising children, of nurturing and protecting them, wasn't something he ever imagined for himself.

But then life had other plans. Vi and Powder came along, then Claggor and Mylo, and finally—on pure impulse—Moon. One after the other, these kids had stormed into his life, each carrying their own heartbreak and fire, until he found himself a father whether he'd dreamed of it or not.

And now? Now, he wouldn't trade it for anything. Fatherhood was messy, loud, and heartbreaking—especially after losing Vi—but it was also warm, grounding, and gave him a purpose he hadn't known he needed. It made him get up every morning and face the chaos, even when said chaos involved trying to mediate the hundredth petty argument of the week.

"Mouse! I know you have my jacket! Stop taking things without asking!" Powder's voice boomed through the house, rattling the walls.

The morning had started peacefully enough, Vander sipping his coffee at the kitchen table while Claggor and Mylo made breakfast. Well, Claggor made breakfast—Mylo's idea of helping was standing over his shoulder with endless, unsolicited advice.

But peace never lasted long with this bunch, especially with Moon and Powder. They weren't morning people by any stretch of the imagination, and mornings that involved getting ready often turned them from best friends to mortal enemies.

"I don't have your jacket, Pow!" Moon shouted back from somewhere upstairs. It was one of the only times you'd ever hear her voice that loud.

"I know you do!"

"I don't!"

"You do!"

"I do not!"

"You were the last person to have it!"

"You lose shit all the time, stop blaming me!"

"Oh, you're such a bitch! If I find it in your room, I'm breaking your heels!"

Vander pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning softly. Maybe he shouldn't have had kids after all.

"Open the door, Moon!" Powder's voice boomed through the house, her fist slamming against the wood like a battering ram.

"Fuck off!" came the muffled reply, sharp and defiant from behind the door.

Vander sighed, setting down his coffee with a heavy thud and rubbing a hand over his face. So much for a peaceful morning. He glanced toward the kitchen, where Claggor raised an eyebrow as if asking, Are you going to do something about this? Mylo, predictably, was grinning like he was watching a particularly entertaining show.

"Keep hitting the door, Pow," Moon continued, her tone dry, "and I'm setting all your weird little gadgets on fire. Starting with the one you keep under your bed."

There was a sudden silence. Then—

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me," Moon shot back, voice dripping with smugness.

Vander groaned, pushing himself up from his seat. "Alright, that's enough! Powder, stop trying to bust the door down. Moon, stop threatening arson!"

"She stole my jacket!" Powder yelled back, her fists still poised for another assault on the door.

"I did not!" Moon's voice came again, indignant and sharp. "Maybe if you kept track of your stuff instead of scattering it everywhere, this wouldn't happen!"

"You're lying! You always take my stuff!"

Claggor turned to Vander as he flipped a pancake. "Should I call a referee, or are you handling this one?"

Vander scowled at him, muttering, "You're not helping."

"Never said I was," Claggor replied with a grin.

"Ekko's coming over in an hour, and I haven't even had the chance to eat yet!" Powder whined, her voice teetering between desperation and frustration.

"Then what do you need a jacket for?" Moon fired back, her voice muffled but sharp through the door. "You're not even leaving the house!"

There was a pause before Powder's voice shot back, incredulous. "You're not even denying having my jacket anymore!"

"Because I don't have it!" Moon barked. "Look harder!"

Powder groaned dramatically, her fist hitting the door again. "I did look harder! It's not anywhere! Just open up and let me check your room!"

Moon's laugh was low and almost menacing. "You can check when I'm dead, Powder. Not before."

From the kitchen, Claggor turned to Vander as he flipped another pancake. "This is great entertainment, but maybe you should step in before Powder breaks the door down."

Vander sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Moon, open the damn door. Powder, you don't need a jacket to sit in your own house!"

"But it's my jacket!" Powder yelled back.

"And I don't have it!" Moon retorted immediately.

"Pow, if I find your jacket in the mess of your room after all this," Mylo chimed in, smirking, "I'm telling Ekko you still sleep with a stuffed bunny."

Powder froze outside the door. "You wouldn't."

"Try me," Mylo said with a grin, flipping a pancake that immediately fell onto the floor.

Vander glared at him, shaking his head. "You're not helping."

"Oh, I wasn't trying to," Mylo admitted casually, leaning back against the counter with a smirk. "I was just seeing how quickly I can turn this into a fight."

Claggor rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath as he flipped another pancake. "You're a menace, you know that?"

"Yeah, yeah," Mylo said, brushing off the comment. "But I make life fun."

Vander, standing with his coffee mug in hand, shot Mylo a pointed look. "If 'fun' ends with Powder and Moon tearing this place apart, you're on dish duty for a week."

Mylo raised his hands defensively, still grinning. "Hey, no need for threats, big guy. I'm just enjoying the show."

From the hallway, Powder banged on the door one last time, her voice shrill with frustration. "I swear, Moon, if that jacket's in there—"

"It's not!" Moon snapped back, her tone so final it almost ended the argument.

Almost.

"You're lying!" Powder shouted. "You're always stealing my stuff, and I'm sick of it!"

"Stealing your stuff?!" Moon shot back, flinging the door open so hard it smacked the wall. She stood there, glaring at Powder, arms crossed. "The last thing I stole was your dignity when I beat you at cards last night."

Claggor snorted from the kitchen. "Oh, this is escalating beautifully."

Vander sighed again, muttering, "I should've stopped after Vi and Powder."

"Oh, you little bitch!" Powder yelled, her voice sharp as her head tilted down to glare at Moon. "Let me in to look for it!"

"No!" Moon snapped, blocking the doorway with her arms outstretched like a shield. Though they hardly reached the sides. "It's literally just Ekko and you'll both be at home. What are you in love with him or something?"

Powder's face turned a shade of red that was equal parts rage and embarrassment. "Excuse me? What are you even talking about?"

Moon raised an eyebrow, smirking as she leaned casually against the doorframe. "You're acting real suspicious for someone who's just 'chilling at home.' What's next? Lip gloss? Perfume?"

Powder sputtered, fists clenching as she stepped closer. "I don't need to impress anyone! Least of all Ekko!"

"Oh, sure," Moon teased, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "And that's why you're ready to throw hands over a jacket?"

From the kitchen, Mylo called out, "Yeah, Pow, you're making this way too obvious."

"Shut up, Mylo!" Powder shouted back, her annoyance peaking. "Ekko is literally my friend."

Claggor leaned against the counter, grinning as he flipped a pancake. "This is better than breakfast."

Vander groaned, running a hand over his face. "Every damn morning," he muttered, taking another sip of his coffee.

"Oh, please," Powder scoffed, rolling her eyes before narrowing them at Moon. "You're just projecting because you hate that he takes all my time. Is that why you've been avoiding him huh? Afraid he's taking your only friend?"

Moon froze for a moment, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "You're insane."

"Am I, though?" Powder smirked, arms crossed in smug satisfaction.

Without another word, Moon slammed the door with enough force to rattle the frame, muttering something unintelligible through gritted teeth.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Powder yelled, glaring at the door as if it had personally offended her. She reared her foot back and kicked the wood with all her might, her frustration boiling over.

CRACK!

The door splintered and fell right off its hinges, landing with a loud thud at Moon's feet. Powder stood there, frozen for a second, wide-eyed at the damage she'd caused.

Moon stared down at the fallen door, then slowly lifted her gaze to Powder, who now looked slightly guilty—but only slightly.

"Are you serious right now?" Moon hissed, fists clenched at her sides.

"Uh..." Powder blinked, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "You shouldn't have slammed it so hard in the first place."

Moon pointed furiously at the door. "I didn't kick it!"

Powder crossed her arms, feigning nonchalance. "Well, now you can't keep me out. Problem solved."

From the hallway, Mylo's cackling rang out. "You two are unbelievable."

Claggor leaned into the doorway with a spatula still in hand, raising an amused eyebrow. "You're paying to fix that, Powder."

"I am not!" Powder snapped, shoving past the doorframe and into Moon's room.

"Get out of my room!" Moon barked, trying to block her sister's advance.

"Not until I find my jacket!"

"Touch anything, and I swear—"

The chaos escalated as Powder began rummaging through Moon's things, throwing items haphazardly while Moon tried to wrestle her away from her belongings.

Vander's booming voice cut through the racket. "Both of you! Enough!"

They froze mid-grapple, Powder clutching one of Moon's heels while Moon had a fistful of Powder's hair. Both turned sheepishly to look at Vander, who loomed in the hallway, his expression exasperated and his mug of coffee now very empty.

"Fix the damn door," he growled, before turning and muttering, "Every damn morning..." as he walked back toward the kitchen.

Claggor sighed as he crouched by the broken door, inspecting the splintered wood and loose hinges. "You two are unbelievable," he muttered, giving Powder and Moon an exasperated look.

"It wasn't my fault!" Powder protested, arms crossed over her chest. "She slammed it first!"

Moon scoffed. "And you kicked it down. Like a psycho."

"Doesn't matter who started it," Claggor said, rolling his eyes as he grabbed a toolbox from the corner. "You're both helping me fix it."

"What?" Powder groaned, throwing her head back dramatically. "I don't even know how to fix a door!"

"Then it's about time you learned," Claggor replied, smirking as he handed her a screwdriver. "Moon, you hold the frame steady while I reattach the hinges."

Moon muttered something under her breath but complied, pressing her palms against the splintered frame while Claggor got to work. Powder crouched beside him, holding screws in her palm like it was the most inconvenient task in the world.

They were halfway through the repairs when Mylo—who had been hanging out in the kitchen making useless commentary—suddenly darted off toward his room.

"Where are you going?" Claggor called after him.

"Hold on!" Mylo yelled from down the hall, his voice muffled as he rummaged through his closet.

The trio exchanged confused glances. Moments later, Mylo reappeared, Powder's jacket in hand.

"This what you're looking for?" he asked nonchalantly, holding it up.

The hallway went silent. Powder's eye twitched as she slowly stood up, staring at Mylo in disbelief.

"You had it?"

"Yeah," Mylo said casually, tossing it to her. "Borrowed it yesterday. Forgot to give it back."

Powder blinked. Then she screamed. "You absolute moron! Do you know what you've put us through?!"

Moon looked like she was ready to throttle him. "You mean to tell me we broke a door over this?"

"Hey, you two broke the door, not me," Mylo said, crossing his arms smugly.

Claggor dropped the screwdriver, rubbing his temples. "Mylo, are you serious right now?"

"What?" Mylo shrugged. "I didn't think it was that big of a deal."

Before anyone could respond, Vander's heavy footsteps echoed through the hall, and he appeared at the end of it, arms crossed and brow furrowed. "What's going on now?"

All three of them immediately pointed at Mylo. "His fault!"

Vander raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting to Mylo. "You want to explain yourself?"

Mylo shifted uncomfortably. "I, uh... borrowed Powder's jacket and forgot to give it back."

"And let them fight and destroy the door over it?" Vander asked, his voice calm but sharp.

Mylo hesitated. "Uh... yeah?"

Vander sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're grounded."

"What?!" Mylo threw his hands in the air. "I didn't even break the door!"

"No, but you're the reason it got broken," Vander replied. "Two weeks. No bar, no hanging out."

"But—"

"No buts," Vander said firmly. "Get to your room."

Grumbling, Mylo stomped back to his room, slamming the door behind him.

Powder slipped her jacket over her shoulders with a triumphant smirk. "Finally, some justice."

Moon rolled her eyes. "You're still helping fix this door."

"What?!" Powder whined, throwing her arms up. "Why me?"

"Because I said so," Claggor interjected, shoving the screwdriver back into her hands. "Now get to work."

Powder huffed, glaring toward Mylo's room. "Next time, I'm kicking him."

Why in the world did he have kids?

𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐒!

Filler bc it's so hard to build up a relationship for a couple that I already have in a relationship. I have like twenty chapters of them written AFTER they get together so if I skip them getting together I could update daily but 🤷‍♀️

Thank you for 3k reads! Love you all very much I love reading your comments and hearing from yall since my hyper fixation is dying.