only for life [mallory]

Mateo sat at the kitchen table, thoroughly engrained in a book he'd bought years ago but hadn't touched until recently. Though he'd realized quickly after he'd started reading that the book may be above his comprehension level, he grabbed some yogurt and a bagel from the kitchen after his daily morning run and decided to give it another go.

Next to the textbook was a notebook filled with scribbles of notes made up of definitions, formulas, unit conversions, and other content he'd discovered in the book, Building a Better Amelia: Introduction to Renewable Engineering. Mateo had spent much of his life suppressing a deep interest in engineering -- whether it was to focus on making money to feed the family or because he didn't feel educated enough to even pursue the topic in the first place -- but he was tired of putting himself on hold.

His siblings were old enough to take care of themselves now, the house was almost paid off, and maybe most importantly, Mateo didn't want his younger siblings to think that they were doomed to lives of crime anymore. There was a deep sadness and guilt in him that he and Mallory even asked their siblings to do some of the things they did.

He pushed those thoughts away though as he took a crumby bite of bagel and scribbled down some more notes. He was determined to make something of himself, to share it with his family, and to do something he loved for once.

As he turned the page and simultaneously took a scoop of his yogurt, a blob of it dropped on the page and immediately started to soak through.

"Fucking dammit," he mumbled, grabbing a used and crumpled paper towel on the table to wipe it up. Could engineers still be idiots sometimes?

Mallory walked into the kitchen, taking care to step over one of the loose floor tiles that everyone was always tripping over despite the fact that they'd been like that for years. Her oldest--and arguably closest--sibling Mateo was there, scrubbing at the pages of a book with a paper towel.

"What are you doing?" Mal asked, amused. Her brother was a smart kid, but he could be so hapless sometimes.

She yawned and walked over to the counter, grabbing a pot of old coffee that had been sitting out for however long and poured some into a mug. She'd worked late last night, but didn't wanna waste the day sleeping. She often substituted coffee (among other stimulants...) for sleep. She took a seat next to Mateo and sipped her coffee, wincing at the taste.

Mateo looked up as his sister walked in, rolling his eyes to himself. Of course she came in right when he spilled shit all over the book, which he was already a little embarrassed of reading. He'd obviously been aware that he was reading in one of the most communal spaces in the house, but he didn't think anyone would be up this early.

Yet here was his sister, impressing him as always. Especially as she was able to choke down that coffee, which he'd eyed and decided to pass on. He stood by his decision.

"Making a damn mess, apparently." He cleaned up as much of the yogurt as he could, but he stared down at a large and likely permanent spot in his book.

"What's new though, right?" he asked with a genuine laugh. Almost everything in this house was broken and/or stained -- but hey, at least he could still read the text. If anything, this rickety house and everything in it made him considerably lighthearted about 'ruining' things.

"You were out late," he noted with a small smirk. Mallory told everyone that she was just a secretary (or whatever lie she had come up with), but he knew better than to believe that. All of the siblings seemed to lie to each other and never question it -- then again, Mateo didn't bother to bring it up either.

"Mm. The boss man needed me to work late," she said cryptically. Mateo was obviously suspicious about her secretary job. He either suspected that she was sleeping with the boss, or the truth; that the firm she worked for was a front for something shady as shit. She pretended to be oblivious to his suspicions. He was far from naive, but he also had no way of proving anything either way.

"What's that you're reading?" she asked. Mateo's book now had a damp stain on it that would probably smell like old yogurt forevermore.

"Ah, the boss man," he said with a nod and now a full-fledged smile across his face. His eye contact went down to his book -- he wasn't about to engage any further in a conversation that he knew would likely end in a big argument. Mallory was allowed to do whatever she wanted, even if staying in crime probably perpetuated the kids' lives of crime because they looked up to them as caretakers and they should lead by example now that they could afford it, but that was no big deal, right?

Let it go, Mat, Aegir said from under the table, where she was currently relaxing after their run. The others probably don't even know, and they're all gonna do whatever they want even if they do know. Don't waste your energy picking fights.

Yeah whatever, Mateo said, taking another large bite of his bagel and moving on with the conversation.

"Well, uh...did I ever mention to you that I was sorta into like, engineering?"

Mateo was well aware that he likely hadn't mentioned his interest in engineering to anyone, but if he had, it would have been to Mallory. Mateo was trying to play it cool, as if liking engineering didn't go against his entire demeanor, personality, and bullying history (it would not have been unlikely for Mateo to bully someone for being interested in a 'nerdy' subject like this...and he likely beat up at least one of his younger siblings for it at some point).

Regardless, he had actually settled as Cuir because of his interest in renewable energies. After growing up without reliable access to basic needs, Mateo had spent a lot of time brainstorming how to utilize natural resources to broaden this access (again, not something he would have talked with his family about, other than Mallory on occasion). Part of why he hadn't yet pursued it was because of what the ridicule he thought he might face from his siblings, but honestly he could take any of them any day.

We aren't beating anyone up anymore, remember? Aegir reminded, annoyed.

It's hypothetical, Mateo responded.

Mallory laughed out loud before realizing that Mateo wasn't kidding. "Engineering? You?" she asked in disbelief. Mateo was the type of clio who used to make fun of kids who read too well when he was younger. She reached over and snatched the book away. Building a Better Amelia: Introduction to Renewable Engineering. No fucking way. "Since when did you become such a nerd?"

Though she was snarking at him outwardly, on the inside she was actually a little miffed. How had she not known this about her closest brother?

You've been working an awful lot, Pallas pointed out. How much attention have you been paying any of the kids lately?

That was true. When Mallory wasn't at her job, the kids were off at theirs, or off with their friends or boyfriends or girlfriends or whatever. When was the last time she'd even had a real conversation with Mateo like this?