#c: ruben alvarez w. alvarez family 001

[dxrkenedheights]

★・・・・・・★

"It's still a surprise. She thinks we're all working." Ruben grumbles, elbowing Isla sharply as his sister squeezes between him and Xavier. He shuffles along, but only slightly. "When did she get to hold the confetti popper? She holds it for everyone." he gripes, whispering to Xavier despite knowing he'll be heard. But, quickly, the little rattle of the door signals Ines's arrival and Ruben snaps his attention there. His arms lift up as he cheers out, purposely hitting Xavier in the face. "Happy Birthday, dwarf!" he chimes even if Isla is hell bent on making sure no one else is heard.

It also seems the oldest Alvarez wants to claim all the hard work as her own, Ruben scowling before it flicks into a more content grin once his own input is acknowledged. "That's Equinox chocolate, too." he points to the cake, doing a double take as Isla mentions something about a party. "Is that where you were yesterday?" Ruben lets out a laugh. "Thought you said the program as nothing but bitches, now you wanna hang out with them?" his hand roughly ruffles into Ines's hair all while he refuses to move at Isla's demand. "Oh, come on. Nes don't wanna just sit there and watch us sing happy birthday at her. Let's just skip to the gifts." and Ruben doesn't wait for an answer, already retrieving an obviously badly wrapped shoebox from the coffee table and returning back with a proud look on his face. "Mine will be the best, but it's fine, you don't have to hurt their feelings." @manybcdthings

location: alvarez home

starter for: the alvarez's @dxrkenedheights

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"I just realized something." Isla mutters as she stands in position, wedging herself between Xavier and Ruben. Her eyes lock on the door where Ines's footsteps can be heard beyond, just little shuffles like a critter coming out of a garbage chute. "It's not really a surprise, is it? Because...we all live here." Isla glances to their family with a ghost of a chuckle but then the door opens and she quickly gasps. Her hands twist the confetti popper, exploding little holograms of cherry blossoms and flowers and fireworks to an unsuspecting Ines. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Isla screams, slightly shrill to ensure she's heard above the rest of them. NetBox chimes in with the cheer, a little digital tune ringing out of Happy Birthday as the little droid sways.

The older sister is quick to spring into action, lunging forward so she can rush to the door with excitement and grab hold of Ines into a hug. "Surprise! I made you a cake." she declares, squeezing Ines tightly before shoving her little sister with her closer to the dinner table and yoinking off the cloth to reveal the treat. It's only small, but it's complete with a real strawberry on the very top of it. "And Ruben helped." Isla adds as an aside after seeing their brother's frown. She waves a quick bossy gesture to him and Xavier. "Get the candles! Why are you just standing there?" she instructs but wears a bright smile to Ines. "You're not too cool now on the Ascend Program to spend some time with us, huh? Invited to parties like you're Miss Fancy."

[dxrkenedheights]

★・・・・・・★

There isn't anything Ruben finds difficult about his family. Even in the hectic moment of them all trying to get Ines to open their gifts, there's an undercurrent of warmth. "Two!?" he exclaims when Isla drops down the gift bags, scrunching his nose. "What the Hell, we agreed one!" but he isn't even surprised for the older sister's oneupmanship. And he isn't immune to it, himself. "Fine, you get some credits too, Nes." he waves a hand. "I'll go get the transfer chip tomorrow. How much you want?"

But Ruben notices Ines's shifty behavior, just like they all do and he lets out a laugh. "She's embarrassed about us now she's a Cendie." he quips, watching the way their father stops Ines before she can escape. "Janitor?" he's quickly joining in, giving his younger sister a pointed look. "Did dad teach you nothing? Stay away from creeps." Ruben's voice overlaps with Santiago's and Ines, his attention drawn away when their father mentions the NexBot. "Mase has it, we haven't seen it for weeks but I'm sure Steely's around. Lemme comms him." he's quickly grabbing the device, trying to remember what number the unreliable man even uses. All the while, he listens to the rest of the conversation.

"Did this Ja-Ja-Janitor even tell you the movie name? That's gonna help." he says to Ines, grinning at her but the expression becomes contemplative when Isla makes a good point. Ruben waves a finger. "Yeah, what the Hell? Who goes to a party in a uniform? Apart from Xav." he quips, attention back to Ines. "So, you hate the people there, go to a party in your uniform and now you got a crush on a Ja-Ja-Janitor. Wow, it's going great." @manybcdthings

"You're getting fat." Xavier remarked as Isla pushed into the little group, making both him and Ruben move along. A little chuckle escaped him at his brother-cousin's quip, but the sound of Ines's shuffling steps made him flail a dramatic arm. "Shut up, everyone shut up, it's here." he whispered eagerly, ready to leap half into the air when the sister-cousin walked through the door. "Happy Birthday, shit brains!" half of the insult was cut off by Ruben's punch to the face, Xavier quickly retaliating with a whack of his own.

While Isla and Ruben had a silent battle, Xavier took it upon himself to get the solitary relightable candle they all owned and reused for every birthday, plonking it not so delicately beside the strawberry. "I think Ines just got invited to her first ever pity party." he joined in but his tone was arguably softer than it usually would be. "Also, I didn't get you anything because you're an adult. Welcome to the real world. It doesn't matter if you're trapped inside the body of a child, that's your own fault." he told Ines proudly, but he dug around in his pocket to reveal a little transfer chip and threw it at her in a lazy toss. A few shifts of overtime didn't amount to much, but it still allowed him to give her a humble amount of Stellar Credits. "Buy some soap. You stink." @rviner