bookworm

Okay so I just think these two would be a smash hit and this little idea has been bugging me. Hope you like it.

Setting: The Brooks’ auto shop on a slow afternoon. Pen is under a car (cause I totally think she could help out, I mean for the love of god her dad owns the shop, she must have skills), Nate is wiping grease off his hands, and Marco (now 4 years old) is “helping” by handing tools to absolutely no one [I imagine Lazar and Milo, who are actually in charge of Marco are in the back]. Gasket, the scrappy shop cat, watches from atop a toolbox with calculated mischief.

Gasket (tail flicking): Notices Marco’s abandoned snack bag of keks (cookies) on the workbench. Marco (to Nate): “Zašto ti smrdiš po benzinu?” (Why do you smell like gasoline?) Nate (distracted): “Uh… because I’m cool?” (Fails to notice Gasket slinking toward the cookies.)

Gasket: Knocks the bag to the floor with one paw. Cookies scatter. Marco (gasps): “GATKO! NE!” (CAT! NO!) Gasket: Grabs a cookie in her mouth and bolts under a shelving unit, crumbs flying.

Marco: Dives after her, belly-sliding like a tiny superhero. Pen (emerging from under car): “What’s the zvuk (noise)— MARCO, DON’T LICK THE FLOOR!” Nate: Too late. Marco licks a cookie crumb off the concrete.

Marco (pointing under shelf): “Gatko je lupiga!” (Cat is a thief!) Gasket: Chews smugly, tail wrapping around her paws. Pen (deadpan): “Gasket, that’s za sramotu.” (For shame.) Gasket: Blinks slowly, unrepentant.

Nate: Offers Gasket a piece of jerky as a trade. Gasket: Drops the cookie, steals the jerky and Nate’s shoelace. Marco: Demands justice. “Mora da plati!” (She must pay!) Pen: “Her payment is your leftover lunch.” Hands Marco a burek to share.

Epilogue

Gasket curls up in Marco’s lap, purring. Forgiveness granted. Marco feeds her crumbs while whispering Montenegrin secrets. Nate takes a photo for the group chat titled “Naši kriminalci” (Our criminals). Lazar’s reply: “Dobro je. Bar nisu poput Milo.” (Good. At least they’re not like Milo.)

Marco is called "Mali planina" (little mountain) because he climbs everything - furniture, Lazar's shoulders, the fridge, that boy with literally climb anything. Milo encourages it, while Lazar freaks out.

Lazar tries to teach Nate a Balkan-style play called "Luda koka" (crazy chicken according to google translate). Nate thinks he's being pranked until it actually saves their asses in a game.

Lazar wears the same narukvica (woven bracelet) from his aunt to every single game for good luck. She said she made it with love. And he swears that it's magic.

Milo listens to turbo-folk music to hype up pre game. Nate tries it and nearly cries from the tempo.

Gjyshja calls Pen "dušo" (soul/dear) after she fixes Marco's toy. While she just calls Nate "dečko" (boy).

Matin hangs a Montenegrin flag in the garage and on the bad days, Lazar just stops and stars at it, for what feels like hours.

Gjyshja refuses to let the boys forget their roots, so she quizzes them on Albanian phrases during dinner. Milo is the worst at it (on purpose), Lazar is quietly fluent, and little Marco just repeats words wrong to make everyone laugh.

Matin's truck is technically family property, but Lazar and Milo have an unspoken agreement, whoever needs it more gets it. This leads to passive-aggressive sticky notes ("I had it first"/"No, you didn't") accumulating on the dashboard. Lazar's are blue or green, Milo uses the garish hot pink ones exclusively.

Marco tells his preschool teacher his family is "from Crna Gora (Montenegro), not regular mountains".

Pen learns "Laku noć, lepotice" (Goodnight, beautiful) to say to Nate from Lis. Lazar overhears and teases them for weeks.

(I love them so freaking much - I honestly can't get enough of them)

The family lives by the Montenegrin motto "Nema problema" (No problem but don't @ me on this). Car broke down? Nema problema. Lazar stressing over college scouts? Nema problema. They face hardships with stubborn optimism. Except Gjyshja, who says "Problem je!" (It IS a problem!) and then solves it herself. (Cause she's a QUEEN like that).

When Pen finally brings Gasket home, Nate helps her set up a cozy corner in her room. The cat immediately takes to Nate, much to Pen’s mock outrage. “Traitor,” she says, but Gasket just purrs louder.

Pen steals Nate’s hoodies so often that he starts hiding them. One day, he finds her wearing one of his jerseys instead. “You’re impossible,” he says, but he can’t stop smiling. They continue with the hoodie wars throughout college, it's become a bit of competition. Who wins? Will it be Nate or Pen?

Pen and Nate argue over what songs to add to their shared playlist. Nate insists on adding “Livin’ on a Prayer,” while Pen vetoes it in favor of “Landslide.” They compromise by adding both.

Pen has a sketchbook filled with drawings of people and places that mean something to her. She never shows it to anyone, but Nate accidentally finds it one day and is blown away by her talent. He secretly frames one of her sketches of the auto shop and hangs it in his room.

Pen has been feeding a scrappy little cat that hangs around the auto shop for months. She’s named it “Gasket” and is trying to work up the courage to ask her dad if she can bring it home. Nate surprises her one day by showing up with a cat carrier and saying, “Let’s do this.”

Pen hums when she’s focused, usually old rock songs or whatever’s stuck in her head. Nate loves it because it’s the only time she seems completely at ease. He’s started recognizing the songs and will sometimes hum along just to make her smile.

Pen’s favorite place in town is an old, abandoned drive-in theater. She goes there to think and sometimes drags Nate along to stargaze. One night, they sneak in with blankets and snacks, and Nate accidentally spills popcorn all over her. She laughs so hard she cries.

Pen the Hoodie Thief: Pen has a habit of stealing Nate’s hoodies, especially the ones that smell like his cologne. He pretends to be annoyed but secretly loves it. One time, he catches her wearing his favorite hoodie and says, “You know, if you wanted it, you could’ve just asked.” She replies, “Where’s the fun in that?”

Pen loves comics and has a small collection tucked away in her room. Nate finds out and starts buying her rare issues as gifts. They spend hours debating which superhero would win in a fight. (Pen always argues for Spider-Man; Nate is Team Batman.)