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Lyric excitedly ran out of the house, the keys to the jeep in her hand as she went to the driver’s side door, and let herself in. She took a few moments to adjust the seat, and turned the car on – but didn’t start the motor – so she could adjust the mirrors as she’d been taught, all while waiting for Nocturne to catch up and get in the car. She turned on the heater, and the heated seats. It was clear that afternoon, but still really cold.

Lyric, who had never been particularly interested in driving a car, had gotten her license around Christmas, after confiding to Nocturne that she wanted a motorcycle. He’d promised her she could go for a bike license after she passed her car driving test. Not that either of them were going to be telling Papa that. Much like her sexual exploits with Cody; Nocturne took care of helping her get her hands on the pill, and making sure she had access to actual information so she could take care of herself. Lyric thought he was being somewhat dramatic, but she went along with it so he wouldn’t spoil her fun.

“What were you doing?” Lyric demanded dramatically when Nocturne finally appeared and climbed into the passenger seat, watching him as he put on his seatbelt. Huffing and muttering under her breath about big brothers, how annoying they were, and the fact that she had to rely on him for driving practice because she couldn’t afford official lessons, Lyric turned the key and the car rumbled into power. Turning the heat down, and the music on (lowly), Lyric carefully backed the jeep out of the driveway, and onto the road.

Usually, they didn’t have any particular destination in mind, just drove around the neighbourhood for an hour or two or until Nocturne got bored and wanted to go home. So that was what Lyric planned to do, though she did look at her brother out of the corner of her eye and ask him cheerfully if there was anywhere he wanted to go that afternoon. She found it kind of enchanting to be his chauffer when usually it was he driving her around, dropping her off for her dates with Chance, or to dance, or events, or whatever.

“Boots,” Nocturne replied with a gesture to his feet before making a show of ensuring his seatbelt was on nice and secure. If Lyric was going to mutter about obnoxious brothers, then he would give her some reasons for it. When had the teen ‘tude started? What had been the catalyst? It broke his heart a bit to know that he wasn’t perfect in her eyes anymore and soon he wouldn’t be needed for much of anything. She was seventeen now so in terms of the attitude coming out he supposed he was lucky but it was another year closer to Lyric being an adult and moving into her own life. He wanted that for her but then what was his purpose after that?

He glanced out the window when the Jeep went into reverse, spotting silently for Lyric just in case she missed a vehicle or pedestrian coming along. When she safely backed onto the road and switched into drive, Nocturne turned his gaze to his sister and smiled with a nod of approval. That had been a smooth backing up and transition into driving ahead. The first few had seen them sit awkwardly in the street for a few seconds as she found the right shifting and easing onto the pedal. He was glad they lived on a quiet side street.

“I need to stop at the bank and we should stop at the grocery store on the way home for a few quick items if you want something more than just a bowl of plain rice when we get home,” that was an exaggeration since the kitchen was stocked and he could make a good dinner for them with what they had but the essentials were low enough to give Lyric a reason to practice in a parking lot.

He fell silent again to let Lyric concentrate since she would be coming up to the busier streets and he wanted her full attention on the lights and crosswalks. Maybe it was Chance? His mind drifted back to her attitude and he tried to line it up to when she met the boy that maybe was or wasn’t her boyfriend. It didn’t fully seem to align but he felt the shift happened more prominently since meeting him. Boys. The root of all evil.

“Why do you need to go to the bank?” She asked curiously, as they pulled up at a stop sign and she waited for her turn to move forward again, eyeing the other traffic with suspicion to make sure they weren’t going to jump ahead of their turn and cause an accident. Releasing the break, she accelerated carefully, making a turn down another street after appropriate caution was used to begin the trek to the bank and the grocery store. It wasn’t very far away, but it turned into a long drive when Lyric took a wrong turn and had to make her way back to the street they wanted.

“Finally,” Lyric said on a pent-up sigh, her shoulders relaxing a little as she pulled into the parking lot for the medium sized shopping centre. She still found driving to be extremely stressful, since it wasn’t natural to her yet, and she worried about having the reaction time she’d need if something happened. Like what if a cat suddenly darted onto the road? She knew swerving was a big no-no, but would she be able to break in time and not cause more issues if someone was behind her? Cyclists and pedestrians were huge stressors, too; they seemed to have no fear and no respect for the vehicles that could wipe them out in a moment.

Crawling through the parking lot so she didn’t run over one of the aforementioned pedestrians with a death wish, Lyric found a spot that was fairly close to the entrance, but had a space on either side of her chosen slot unoccupied, so she could practice pulling into the parking space without worrying about hitting another vehicle. She was pretty sure she could do it, if she had to, but she preferred to practice without the added stress for the time being. Once she’d pulled in, she put the car into park mode, pulled the hand break up, and then turned the car off. She opened her door and peered down at the line along the length of the car, and gave a little cheer when she found she was neatly placed between them.

“So what are we having for dinner? Can I pick?” Pulling the keys out of the ignition, Lyric climbed out of the car and grabbed her little handbag from the back seat, slinging it over one shoulder and then locking the Jeep once Nocturne had climbed out.

"For the bribes," Nocturne answered without missing a beat and turned a grin onto his sister, though she was thankfully paying attention to the road. "How else am I supposed to pay off everyone that helps me get you your G and M licenses?" Both tests were a long way off but if he was going to pull strings, he imagined he would have to start early. Since he didn't plan on actually doing that, he hadn't put much thought into it but it did suddenly make him wonder if her math teacher was open to the idea.

Nocturne didn't harass Lyric about the wrong turn but instead complimented her ability to adapt and find a new route back. Yelling over small things wasn't his tactic, not even when he was a sassy teen raising a precocious sister. If he was going to yell or be upset, especially with Lyric, then there would be a good reason for it and she would know how serious it was. But traffic could be a bitch and road signs weren't always visible. It was also completely different when you were the passenger compared to the driver, even if you knew the way perfectly.

He may have quietly held his breath in the parking lot, though. It was his idea to go there and the practice was needed but it was still bordering on terrifying knowing someone could back up or a kid could come running around a car. But they pulled into a spot without issue and after grabbing the bag of reusable bags from the back, Nocturne checked the lines on the three sides and smiled at his sister.

"Much better than last time. You're getting more comfortable with your nose as well." She could have pulled up a bit more but at least the Jeep's ass wasn't hanging out into the aisle this time.

"I was thinking salmon as the main but go for it. Is your dance class potluck this weekend or next? You need to pick something so I can get that done as well." He let Lyric drive the cart as he led them to the fruits to pick up some berries and then to the vegetables as they had gone through the carrots and peppers already. He let Lyric lead from there as she knew the spots they always hit up and Nocturne was curious to see what caught her eye for their dinner.

“Umm,” Lyric replied to Nocturne’s question about her dance classes potluck. “I don’t know?” She pulled out her phone, tapping at the screen to bring up the calendar but apparently she hadn’t put it in there. She knew the information note was pinned to the fridge, but that wasn’t much use while they were in the supermarket. She sent a quick text to her dance class group chat, and then grabbed a cart so she could fill it with delicious snacks – and ingredients for Nocturne to turn into real food, too.

“This weekend,” she said suddenly, after pausing to check her phone and the response she’d gotten in the dance group chat. Apparently, a couple of others had forgotten about it, too, and she smiled to herself as she slipped her phone back into her back pocket and took to driving the cart once more. While Nocturne was getting their salmon, Lyric took the opportunity to vanish into the isles, browsing for snack food as she went. She was feeling the need for sweets, and in the end, she opted for some vegan chocolate chip chocolate cookies, and after dipping into the frozen isle, a tub of Burgundy Cherry Ice-Cream.

Returning to her brother with her prizes, Lyric let him put the salmon into the cart before making her way to the fresh fruits and vegetables, picking out cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, bell pepper, red onions, and then backtracking to the deli section to get some feta, and the isles to find a tin of chickpeas. She grinned at Nocturne as he took in the ingredients. Chickpea salad was one of her favourites, and she figured it would pair nicely with whatever Nocturne had planned for the salmon.

“Did you want anything else?” She asked sweetly, smiling brightly at her brother. Her tone and expression made it quite clear he was not getting any of her ice-cream or cookies, so he had better grab his own if he wanted them.

Why he always let Lyric drive the cart and then wander off was something he'd never understand. He learned long ago that staying put and letting her make her way back was easier than trying to track her down given je was fairly certain she went in circles and backtracked everytime something came to mind. So Nocturne selected the salmon and moved down to the cheese counter to sample some flavours and chat with the worker behind the counter. He grabbed some fresh parmesan and a wedge of one of the blends he tried and then returned to the fresh fish to be found.

Once Lyric returned and he barely unloaded his small collection, she was off again, Nocturne sighed, rolled his eyes, but smiled as he watched her zoom about. He took in the ingredients when she returned again, and nodded in approval. She hadn't mentioned what she wanted for the dance gathering but he had already decided to do lemon squares again since they went over so well as part of the Christmas treats he made for Lyric to give out.

"Just need cat food since you're not the only bottomless pit I have to keep attempting to fill." Nocturne led them to the pet aisle where he grabbed a case of little tins of wet food and a bag of dry before taking them to the check out.

A handful of minutes later and they were headed back to the Jeep and tucking their haul in the back seat. "If you think your ice cream will survive, take the long way home and go through downtown." It would be busier given the time and it would help Lyric stay alert with pedestrians popping out and the lights changing frequently. "We can stop at the bank there as well." He wasn't going to deal with parallel parking that day but the bank did have a small parking lot that would be challenging enough.

“I am not a bottomless pit!” Lyric objected, pouting at Nocturne’s back as she followed him to the pet isle, and then to the checkout. She watched as each item was scanned, and then put into the reusable bags that Nocturne had brought in with him. Lyric helped carry the bags out to the car, since her brother had to lug the bag of dry cat food. At least he hadn’t bought kitty litter; Lyric couldn’t stand the smell of the stuff, even when it hadn’t met with poop yet, and she didn’t want it near her food.

At the instruction to go the long way home via downtown, Lyric raised her eyebrows at Nocturne. There was a hole in the wall like right there, but she held her tongue and did as instructed, climbing into the driver’s seat, buckling her seatbelt and turning the engine on as she took a deep breath. After making sure the way was clear, she slowly backed the Jeep out of the parking spot, and then crawled out of the parking lot and into the traffic on the main road.

Lyric took another deep breath, and followed the flow of the traffic, making appropriate turns and being sure to use her indicators and keep a safe distance from the car in front of her, without lagging too far behind and getting honked at by the car behind her. She was biting her bottom lip by the time they arrived – safely – downtown and she manoeuvred the Jeep towards the bank, keeping an eye on the side spots, in case there was an opening of more than two cars so she could slide in without having to do a reverse parking. There wasn’t, so a moment later she pulled into the parking lot.

This parking lot was a lot smaller than the one near the supermarket, and Lyric paused for a moment at the entrance way as she eyeballed the parking lot anxiously. A lot smaller. Chewing on her bottom lip again, Lyric carefully pulled into the parking lot, glad no one was behind her, and searched for an empty bay that wasn’t too closely crowded by fellow vehicles. Finally finding one – it had cars on either side, but they weren’t crowding the lines – Lyric set about pulling into it, leaning forward and holding her breath as she crept in oh so slowly, terrified of dinging one of the other cars.

“Oh my god,” she expelled her breath heavily, crumpling in her seat as the Jeep came to a halt, neatly parked between the other two cars, and she ran a hand over her head in a stressful motion. “I’ll wait here,” Lyric said meekly, putting the car in park and setting the parking break. She turned stressed eyes on her brother. “Can you drive home, please? I think I’m going to be sick.”

Nocturne kept his mouth shut unless Lyric asked him for guidance or to check how close she was to the car on his side. She was doing fine on her own and while he wanted her to know that, he didn’t want to distract her or boost her confidence too much and have her get careless. The faces of concentration she was pulling now reminded him of when she was learning a new dance routine or discipline. At least he knew she was taking driving seriously and that put a lot of nerves to ease.

When she finally parked and admitted to how stressed she was from the ordeal, Nocturne patted her shoulder with a small but proud smile. “You did well, Piglet. Nibble on one of your cookies and I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He gave her a lingering look, verifying that she was being only a tad dramatic and wasn’t about to faint or vomit as soon as she stepped outside, then slipped out of the vehicle to dash into the bank.

Like most people, Nocturne did most of his banking online and used plastic to pay a majority of the time but he still had to pop into a bank to make deposits and withdraws. It didn’t take long to conclude his business and on his way back out past the greeter’s desk, he grabbed two of the little lollipops—red and green, the best flavours—mumbling about his kid sister in the car when the employee glanced at him. As if he’d be greedy and just take two for himself.

A glance in the windshield confirmed Lyric had moved to the passenger side so Nocturne got in on the driver’s side, not saying a word about her needing the break. Driving was a lot of responsibility and had intimidating moments, but she was still giving it a try and he would be there to keep cheering her on; starting with lollipops. He presented the treasure, passing the red one over to Lyric and ripping his own free. “I stole them from some kid and now I’m banned from the bank.” He popped his green sucker into his mouth with a grin and started up the Jeep to begin their trek home.

Lyric smiled warmly at the praise, glowing with quiet pride even as she brushed her hair out of her face again, and breathed deeply. Driving was stressful, but she was enjoying the promise of freedom that would come to her when she finally got her full license, and no longer needed to be babysat. Of course, she would still need to fight her brother for control of the Jeep in that upcoming future, but that was okay. She was sure she’d be able to win as often as she needed to!

Watching Nocturne as he made his way into the bank, Lyric sighed again and unbuckled her seatbelt, climbing out of the Jeep and digging around in the bags in the back. In the end, though, she decided she wasn’t in the mood for a cookie and eventually made her way around to the other side of the vehicle so she could climb into the passenger seat, adjusting the seat settings to be more to her liking and pulling out her phone.

While it wasn’t late enough for Chance to be awake, Lyric still sent him a half dozen texts, including a couple of selfies of her smiling at the camera. Happy with her ‘good morning’ messages for Chance, Lyric turned her attention to texting Cody, sending him a couple of the same photos, and filling him in on the day’s driving lesson. They chatted for several minutes before Lyric saw Nocturne making his way back to the Jeep, and she smiled at her brother when he climbed in, before beaming as he handed her a lollipop.

Lyric ripped the plastic off the lolly, popping it into her mouth as she gave Nocturne a sideways glance. “Such a badass,” she said. “Stealing candy from a baby.” She tutted playfully around the lollipop in her mouth, and put on her seatbelt as Nocturne turned on the Jeep to take them home.