//-------------------------------------------------------//
                        Adult Child                        
                       -by diordash-                       
//-------------------------------------------------------//
//-------------------------------------------------------//
                         Chapter 1                         
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Chapter 1
A week past since Spike's birthday, Spike was finally an adult, and so did the stream of possibilities that came with the age eighteen. Yet, he didn't feel eighteen. If the many birthday wishes and unnecessary amounts of condoms his friends dumped into his hands wasn't something to prove it, he'd still believe it was another regular day and he was still seventeen.
Even with still feeling like the kid he was just a week ago, he tried to push away the immature thoughts and enter intellectual adolescence.
Spike sat in his room, typing up an essay for history when Twilight entered. "Hey, Spike. I'm going off to work now."
Spike was sure he heard the same words in the morning as he was leaving for school, Twilight off to the first job of the day. "Alright, be safe," he muttered back and proceeded to change words around in a sentence to avoid accusations of plagiarism although it was.
Twilight gave a hum in heed, about to close the door behind her until she opened it back again. "Oh, and please remind me to schedule your dentist appointment for your braces removal when I get home, okay?"
Spike flicked his tongue up to his teeth, swiping his tongue across the wire he grew to find apart of him, no longer irritated at its feeling and accustomed to the diet it bestowed to him. He finally stopped thumbing away at his keyboard and gave Twilight his full attention. His sister was brushing through her long damaged hair, eyes focused on his answer although she never stopped to wait because Spike was just a younger sibling she never had to fuss at. Twilight looked tired, her eyelids lower than usual and her mouth agape some, her posture a little slouched.
"Um, don't worry about it," Spike waved his hands in a defensive posture. "I'll do it."
"Huh?" Twilight gave in surprise, "Spike it won't take me more than a couple of minutes to schedule--"
"Exactly," Spike interrupted. "So I can do it myself. Are you forgetting I'm an adult now? I can take care of myself."
Twilight looked a bit dazed, "Oh. You are, huh?" She gave the response a bit more thought, Spike figured maybe she did forget he was now eighteen. Spike felt dread. Twilight turned back to the door, "Okay, then. See you later, kiddo."
Spike made a move for his phone, unlocking it and pressing his caller app as if to further his explanation on him being an adult and being able to handle his own responsibilities. "Alright, bye."
Twilight waved slightly before closing the door with a light click and Spike listened to her retreating footsteps. He sighed out, staring at the caller application, it was blank of a number. Spike placed it down on his desktop and laid his head down solemnly on his laptop, his forehead most certainly key smashing.
"I don't even know the stupid number."
The truth is: Spike wasn't even planning on opposing Twilight's idea, far too focused on the history of Canterlot to let rational thoughts sprout. That was, well, that was until he saw the exhaustion on his sister's face from having to go to her second job that day. Spike felt almost offended that Twilight forgot he was now eighteen and thinking that she was still responsible for feeding him, clothing him, and making sure his health was up to date when she technically wasn't anymore.
Spike had gotten used to it just being he and Twilight now after six years of living alone with his older sister ever since he was fourteen. In the beginning, it was awkward and even a bit unbearable, maybe even a little burdening on Spike's part. Their parents passed away so little after each other, their dad of a heart attack and their mom of a broken heart. Twilight and Spike didn't have a very good bond at the time, Twilight a studious college student and Spike awfully antsy and just entering high school. Their worlds collided and even with a six year age gap and many differences, they eventfully accepted their fates and things were great.
Twilight picked up many jobs along the way, dropping out of college and tracking online classes to focus on Spike more when she noticed Spike's distraught at losing their parents and how Twilight was never around, leaving him to fight depression and grief alone. Now Twilight took on the parental role and Spike just felt bad because of most of his friends complained about how their parents expected independence, help around the house and then for them to get jobs. However, Twilight never mentioned responsibility, independence or a job since he turned eighteen, she just went along her days as if Spike was still the kid she'd have to lure out of his room with ice cream and force troubling emotions out of. Spike decided from then on, as he hit backspace to erase three lines of random letters, that he take stress off of his sister's back and do things adults did.
After finishing his essay and printing it out before placing it in his binder, he left his bedroom and dug around the storage room. Spike pulled out the cleaning supplies and got to work on the things Twilight would no doubt get up in the early morning to start on. Spike began with the kitchen: he cleared off the breakfast bar from that day's mail and junk he left when Twilight wasn't there to remind him to pick it up. He wiped down the counters and swept the floors and also mopped for good measure. There weren't any dirty dishes in the sink so he just sorted out the items scattered around and put them where they belonged.
Moving from there to the living room, Spike dusted the furniture and fluffed the pillows. Taking the vacuum downstairs was a trip, not knowing how Twilight did it, but he managed and pushed the item along as he vacuumed the carpet and the rug. Spike scrubbed at the bathroom tub, his arms hurting from how hard. The chemicals mixed to together and bothered his nose but the thought of taking the load off his brother helped to ignore the need for fresh air. After flushing the toilet and letting the Pine-sol wash away, he went to check on the laundry he put in the dryer. Luckily for him, he knew how to sort clothes and thanked the heavens when nothing shrank or turned a light shade of pink.
Spike felt exhausted after hours of cleaning when he finally found time to slowly plop into a kitchen chair. With his phone out and the small notepad Twilight kept on the fridge with a magnet, he flipped through the important phone numbers.
"Landlord, college, work, Sunset, Starlight, Rarity, more friends, mom, dad," Spike read off as he started from the beginning. "Discord, Sweetie's mom, Scootaloo's mom, Spike's school, Spike's therapist, Spike's doctor," Spike found it shocking how much his life affected Twilight's, almost all these numbers just for him and Twilight's life stopped after two pages and his own filled the rest. He placed his thumb on the one number he needed the most, "Spike's dentist."
Spike picked up his phone and thumbed the numbers in, he bit his lip. He couldn't bring himself to press the green call icon, what would he say? Twilight was the better talker, she made scheduling things or paying bills seem so easy. Spike only found it nerve-wracking talking to adults-- at least actual, sufficient adults. Groaning, Spike let his phone drop to the wood of the table, running his hands through his hair.
"Spike?" A voice called out for him, he hadn't heard the door open. "Spike, are you hungry? I brought Hay Burger. I know it's probably the least appetizing thing but it was the only closest thing to home." Twilight continued, shifted some in the corridor, Spike knew she was using the heels of her feet to take off her slip-resistant shoes. "But that's only because I have something I want to show you--" Spike didn't respond to the Twilight's cheery voice, too busy choking back sobs while he watched with blurry eyes as his tears make small puddles on his phones case.
Twilight kneeled down beside him, tilting her head in concern, she leaned her head down for Spike to see her face from the elbows covering his eyes. "Spike? What's wrong?"
Spike moved away slightly, embarrassed for his older sister to see him crying. "I can't do anything," he muttered quietly.
He felt Twilight place her hand on his back comfortingly. "What are you talking about? There are lots of things you can do," Twilight said softly. "You can cook, bake, make lists, play video games, write poems--"
"Not like that," Spike pressed, raising his head to face his sister and sniffled some. "I can't do adult things."
Twilight gave him a confused look before smiling and bursting into laughter. Spike pouted, happy to see the sleepiness leave Twilight's face but salty to see it was his distress that caused it to go away. "What's so funny?"
"I'm sorry," Twilight replied, coughing to clear his throat. "I knew something would happen soon enough but I didn't think this would cause it."
"What do you mean?"
Twilight motioned around, "You clean the place, insisting on calling the dentist yourself-- it's obvious the fact your officially an adult is setting in."
Spike rose his head and gave Twilight a look, "You can tell?"
"As clear as day," Twilight gave and her little brother groaned into his sleeve. Twilight pulled the boy out of his safe haven to face her. "And I expected for it to happen, but I'm here to tell you to take things slow. I appreciate you cleaning the house and doing things without my asking but please know you don't have to grow up and start thinking like an adult in a day."
Spike wiped at his eyes, "but you do so much and I want to take away from the work you do. It's like I abuse your kindness and do nothing around here, it feels like I'm a waste of air." He whispered out, his eyes meeting Twilight's when the older placed her palm on his cheek before using her index finger to wipe away the tears falling to Spike's cheeks.
"That's not true. Spike, you do so much for me, so much you don't even know. You're not abusing my kindness in any way, it's my job to take care of you, a kid or not, you'll always be my little brother. I love you, okay?"
Spike smiled in response to Twilight, "Okay. I love you, too," he choked on laughter.
Twilight brought him into a hug and Spike wrapped his arms around her neck to complete it. She patted his back before releasing him. "Also, I never called to schedule my appointment, the anxiety was too much."
"I never expected you to," Twilight grinned, a cunning eyebrow wiggle. "You don't even know your social security, but I appreciate the effort to at least find the number."
Before Spike could give Twilight a glare along with a high pitched whine, she pulled him to his feet. "Yell at me later, as I said, I have something to show you."
"What is it?" Spike questioned as they both padded into the living room and into the hallway. "Are we going outside? Don't we need shoes?"
"Be quiet and close your eyes," Twilight instructed so Spike did as was he told. He felt Twilight grab his waist to guide him properly, opening the front door and nudging him out of the apartment. His socks felt cold on the solid concrete of their parking lot.
After a few whispers exchanged between Twilight and another person, Twilight released him. "Okay, open them."
Spike's eyes fluttered open but it was in some sort of pleasing vain, eyes tearing up for the second time in less than an hour. He covered his mouth in surprise as he circled around the large item, painted a cream. "You got me... A car?"
"Happy belated birthday!" Twilight cheered, Rarity to her right doing exaggerated jazz hands. "Remember when I told I would give you your present sometime this week? Well, here it is!"
"No way," Spike muttered, the moment so surreal became one to believe when Pinkie threw him the car keys. "Twi, you didn't. I-- I can't take this--"
Twilight wagged her finger, "Nope, nope. I will not let you think you don't deserve this, because you do. It's yours and you will take it."
Spike eyed the car like it was cake, hesitantly pressing the button to unlock the doors. "You got me the Honda Accord I showed you?"
Twilight nodded, "Rarity helped me pick out the colour."
Rarity smiled shyly, "It's not really much of a contribution."
Spike opened the driver's seat and wasted no time to sit in it, he loved the smell of something new and the leather seats. "Thank you so much, both of you," he placed his hands on the steering wheel, he could feel himself driving the car in the near future.
"You're welcome," Twilight beamed. "But here is where you come in. This is your car, it may be under my insurance, but everything else is your responsibility. You have to keep it clean, pay for gas, and chip in for the monthly insurance cost."
"And in order to do that," Rarity piped up, leaning on Twilight's shoulder. "You'll be working with me at the boutique on a paid internship, Darling."
Spike nodded and smiled brightly, happy to assist. "Okay, I can totally do that."
Twilight seemed satisfied with the response and found her place in the passenger seat, "other than that, you just take your days at a time and when maturity comes as to where you will need to do more, I swear it won't be stressful because you'll be ready." She leaned over just so Spike could hear him, "and don't worry, I'll still schedule your appointments."
Spike blushed and gave a flustered smile, "Thanks."
Spike was grateful for his sister and of how understanding she was. Of course, he will grow up one day but the thought of it wasn't so scary anymore knowing Twilight would still be there to remind him to take things slow and to help him along the way into adulthood. And who knows? Maybe he'll reach the milestone of scheduling his own dentist appointments... Okay, maybe not for a while. But still, he'll get there.
Author's Note
taking a break from being horny, was in the mood to write some angst but this was this concept I came up with :twilightblush: https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/twilightblush.png kinda reminds me of that one episode with spike and the owl