[turkey day, nov 21]

[youfeelluckypunk]

They've graciously been invited to Derek's Thanksgiving celebration on the actual day itself, but Reid had gotten to thinking after Luke had told him of the invitation that it would be nice to throw a small get-together of their own. Halloween at the bookstore had been a success, after all, and in spite of the fact that they'd been sent to a hellish version of Darrow for the next ten days, Reid had really enjoyed planning and decorating for the holiday with his boyfriend. In a way, it also serves as a bit of a housewarming, even if nobody else needs to know that. They've been officially living together for a week now, though the only real difference is that he's handed over his keys to the Dimera apartment back to the landlord.

Still, being able to call this apartment home, knowing that he gets to spend every night with the man he loves, it means something special to him, and he wants to share that sense of home with the rest of the people he cares about.

So he sends out texts to Alec and Magnus, Peter and Jason and Hild, telling them all to save the date for the twenty-first so they can have an early Thanksgiving celebration. Others are welcome, of course, and Reid suspects they'll have more than enough food because he'd made arrangements for one restaurant in particular (one that he visits often and had already been promoting take-out for Thanksgiving Day) to set him up with a turkey dinner early. There are all the expected fixings, though he'd ordered four turkeys because Luke still needs to eat more to make up for all the weight he'd lost in the alternate version of Darrow, plus a couple pumpkin pies and various other desserts strewn out across the table. The wine Peter had given to him on Halloween is out, available for consumption to those who want it, but Reid will be sticking to water tonight.

If anyone asks, he's been slaving away in the kitchen all day long, brewing coffee after coffee as he and Luke make sure everything looks nice and neat for their first Thanksgiving dinner together. The food is set out over the counter in the kitchen, china and utensils and glassware placed at the very end so people can take what they want and find a place to eat in the living room, where they've placed extra chairs, and it isn't until they hear the first knock at the door that Reid finally decides he's satisfied with the way everything looks.

Every single person who will be here tonight has been through so much, seen more than one person ever should, but tonight, Reid is just grateful that they're all still here.

Comments

[notaretriever]

Luke has had holiday get togethers before, but nothing like this. He's never been a host before and he's never had anyone like Reid along for the ride, which makes the entire thing just a little bit better, and even with their other guests having arrived, he keeps stealing glances across the room to where Reid is. It's nice that they haven't had to cook and he appreciates that Reid has gone out of his way to get enough food to satisfy any hunger Luke might have. Ever since getting back to Darrow, ever since they've come back home, Reid has been especially caring, has gone out of his way to make sure Luke has enough food, that he's getting enough rest, that he's gaining back the weight he's lost. It's the sort of care and sweetness Luke's truly never known and it makes him feel warm all the way through every single time he thinks about it. They've had an incredibly rough few weeks and so have so many of their friends, but they're coming back from it. They're all slowly coming back from it.

And now, with food in his belly, his coffee warm between his hands, he's especially happy. The people around them seem like they're enjoying themselves and while he's never been a host before, he likes to think they've managed to pull together a rather successful dinner. Of course, they didn't do most of the hard work, but no one really needs to know that except the two of them.

There's pie and other desserts, which Luke is looking at currently, but he's going to need a few more minutes of digesting before he manages to get up. It's especially good at a time like this to have a werewolf's metabolism and he takes a sip of his coffee, looking around the room for Reid once more, just to see what he's doing.

[youfeelluckypunk]

Reid's only experience with planning parties comes from what they'd done for Halloween last month, so the only gauge for success that he really has is the fact that the people they'd invited are here at all. Granted, even if nobody had showed up, he luckily knows the one person who'd have been able to get him past his initial disappointment. There's no question of what he's thankful for this holiday season, most of all the man who's changed his life in all the ways Reid had never thought it could be changed.

When he'd first arrived in Darrow, he'd felt so utterly alone, just as he's sure most others feel when they find themselves here; but slowly, Reid has gained more and more friends along the way, people who have become so important to him that they're just as much family as his team back home. No, he corrects himself, not back home. Simply back in Virginia. Strange as it may seem to say it, Darrow has become his home, the place he doesn't want to leave; and that, in particular, mostly has to do with one Luke Garroway.

They keep locking eyes from across the room, which isn't unusual in itself, but it's making it awfully difficult for Reid to concentrate on any conversations he's having when his boyfriend is looking at him like that. Excusing himself from one of their guests, he makes his way over to Luke with an amused smile, tilting his head as he perches on the arm of the sofa where Luke is sitting. "You certainly look sated," he teases, reaching out to thread his fingers through Luke's hair. "Was it the second or third turkey that hit the spot?"

[notaretriever]

"Mm, third," Luke answers with a pleased, sleepy sort of smile. He has no idea if anyone else has noticed the excessive amount of food he's put away, if Peter or Jason have noticed anything particularly strange about one of their hosts, but for the moment at least, he isn't especially worried either. It's the sort of thing he would have been much more concerned with in Manhattan simply for the sake of Jocelyn and Clary, but here in Darrow it seems to matter so much less. Reid doesn't care, he isn't scared of Luke, he isn't even frightened by the wolf, he doesn't want Luke to hide it or feel like he has to be ashamed of what's happened to him and that makes a significant difference in how Luke assumes other people are going to react to him, too.

So if anyone has noticed that one of their hosts eats a significant amount, then that's fine. They can think what they like and ask questions if they need to, but at the end of it, he's content enough knowing Reid isn't going to be sending him off or asking him to leave.

"Thank you for doing all this," he says a moment later, tilting his head up so he can better look at Reid. It's only been a week since they made the decision to live together, not even a full week since he and Reid had gone over to Dimera with the truck to pick up the rest of his stuff and bring it to the apartment over the bookstore, and even though Reid had been spending nearly every night here already, there's a sense of newness about it all that Luke finds himself enjoying. It's exciting, knowing he lives with someone. All his life he's either been with the pack or on his own and this is something new, something he's still delighting in every single time he turns around and finds one more part of Reid's life now combined with his own.

[high_warlock]

"I see you eyeing those pies, Luke Garroway." Magnus perched himself on the arm of Luke's sofa, companionably close and near enough that a light sprinkle of glitter falls from warlock to werewolf. Magnus was dressed conservatively, but Thanksgiving was one of those holidays which demanded that people slow down and not indulge in so much flash. Christmas would entail much more sparkle.

"I also see you eyeing your boyfriend. I know one is off limits, but are the rest of us allowed to have a taste?"

[notaretriever]

"There's more than enough pie to go around, Magnus," Luke answers mildly, brushing some of the glitter from his knee, although he's certain there's some in the hair as well and that he just leaves. Someone will get it for him later or they won't. It's a rather nice reminder of the fact that he's no longer the only Downworlder in Darrow and he's quite pleased to have Magnus here. Not even only for his own sake, but for Alec as well.

"Far from enough Spencer, though, so I'll trust you not to indulge in him if you can help it," he adds dryly, looking up at the warlock. "And to be fair, I was trapped in a world with extremely limited food for ten days with a werewolf metabolism. I deserve at least an entire pie."

[deflectere]

Shadowhunters didn't tend to celebrate many holidays. Their celebrations tended to be reserved for Christmas, weddings, births and battles won. Alec knew about Thanksgiving and he'd lived in New York long enough to have chased a demon through the city's big parade but the Lightwoods had never been the type to sit around the table with a bunch of food on the table, talking and enjoying togetherness.

Alec assumed that any attempts at that would have made for a quiet dinner. Isabelle would try but Alec wouldn't want to talk and Alec couldn't imagine his parents trying to engage them past some very superficial small talk.

Maybe this thing wouldn't be quite so cold and distant. Maybe there'd actually be talking. Alec wasn't sure how much of that talking he would do but he was still there. Dressed in a battered, fraying sweater and jeans, he was standing awkwardly at the door, hands tucked in his pockets and shoulders hunched against the chill of the day.

[paper_courage]

Peter's on his way back toward the door to hang his coat up when he sees a boy he doesn't recognize standing by the door. Spencer had talked about who would be invited and Jason has described Alex before, but Peter doesn't necessarily want to assume, so he approaches with a smile.

"Hi, I don't think we've met. I'm Peter," Peter can't help but nearly chirp as he holds out a hand. This is supposed to be a night of family and Peter wants to fill it with all of the patience and warmth of the Thanksgivings he shared with his mother -- the ones that were just the two of them and definitely not the ones where his father or anyone else was there. Especially for Jason's sake.

He looks uncomfortable, Peter notes, and Peter had felt some apprehension on his way over, as well, a sort of imposter syndrome. He still can hardly believe that he's (in a strange, baby steps kind of way) out with his boyfriend for their second holiday as a couple. Maybe even this time, Jason would kiss Peter.

[deflectere]

It's still a new thing, being in a place where mundanes are so willing to approach him because they can actually see him. There were very few Sighted mundanes in Manhattan which meant Alec's dealings with them were very few and very far between.

It was a different story in Darrow.

When Peter stopped in front of him, all smiles and friendly gestures, Alec stared for a moment before he realized what he was doing and extended his hand to give Peter's a shake.

"We haven't met, no," he said, finding his voice. He cleared his throat to dissolve the scratchiness there. "I'm Alec. I know Luke and Reid. And Magnus."

Alec assumed that Magnus had been making friends left and right, ingratiating himself into Darrow a lot easier than Alec had been. He had the natural ability to charm and put people at ease that Alec did not have.

"Have you been here long?" he asked, gesturing around. "Darrow, I mean."

[youfeelluckypunk]

Alec's standing at the door the way Reid might have stood at any other's, hands tucked in his pockets and shoulders slumped awkwardly, as if he's waiting for someone to tell him to leave. Sighing to himself, Reid squares his own shoulders and offers Alec a smile as he walks over to him, gesturing for him to enter the apartment without sparing another thought.

"Hey, Happy Thanksgiving," he greets, very nearly reaching out to place a hand on Alec's back. Reid hesitates for a moment, unsure of whether the touch would even be welcome; but what had happened in the other version of Darrow is still fresh in his mind, the memory of Alec being< there to shoot Tobias even though they hadn't coordinated any actual plan of attack, and even if it means nothing to Alec, it does mean something to him. So he carries on, pressing a hand against him and gently leading him toward the kitchen. It's not as if this is the first time Alec has been here, but it is the first time since Reid had moved in, and there's something about it that feels different. Maybe it's knowing that he can say Alec is always welcome in what can now officially be called his home.

"There's a lot of food," he says, almost apologetically, as he gestures at the spread on the counter. "I've never actually hosted one of these things before, I didn't know how much would actually be appropriate. But this seems okay, don't you think?"

There are a few other turkeys hidden from view so at the very least, Reid is certain Luke won't complain.

[deflectere]

Half expecting the touch, Alec doesn't stiffen or flinch or pull away when the touch comes. It's warm and guiding, nothing like the knife against his throat or the fingers coated with fire that had been pressed against his chest in the ash covered city from a few weeks ago. It's a gesture that Luke's used with him a few times and it's not a surprise that Reid does the same.

So, Alec accepts it quietly but gratefully. He let Reid guide him into the kitchen, eyes taking in the spread. He'd seen massive quantities of food before but they'd been contained to celebrations after battle victories and the occasional wedding. This was a celebration of something entirely different and he can't stop the small growl his stomach gives at the smell.

"That's a lot of food," Alec observed with a nod and a glance over at Reid. "Did you make all this yourself? You and Luke?"

Neither of them looked like cooks to him but the same could be said of Isabelle and she loved spending time in the Institute's kitchen. Her creations were terrible but he couldn't deny how light she looked and how much enjoyment she seemed to get out of creating something that was truly awful.

[notaretriever]

It doesn't surprise Luke for a moment that the place he finds Alec is hovering near the door and he disappears into the kitchen to set down the dish he'd been carrying, then reappears a moment later near Alec's side, taking him by the shoulders so he can lead him gently into the room full of food and people. It's more food than anything and Luke thinks he should be embarrassed, but he's more than capable of finishing the leftovers. He also thinks it's tradition to send some home with their guests, but he wonders how many of those traditions were created without werewolves being involved.

Ever since they'd come home from that alternate version of Darrow, Luke hasn't been able to stop eating. He's gained back some of the weight he'd lost over the course of those ten days and doesn't look nearly as tired anymore. His werewolf metabolism has never been such an issue before and he hopes it's an experience that never needs to be repeated.

"Come," he says in a low voice, guiding Alec toward the couch. "Sit. Do you want coffee or tea?" It turns out he's not such a terrible host when it comes to dinners and events like this. Luke loves having the people he cares about around him, he likes making them comfortable and happy, and it turns out that translates fairly well into hosting dinners.

[deflectere]

Alec had seen Luke coming his way and he knew that he wasn't going to be able to stand near the door for much longer. He knew that he wasn't going to be able to spend this day being distant and aloof so it's no surprise when Luke guided him further into the living area and made him sit down.

Alec sat down carefully, trying not to take up too much space with his long arms and legs. This wasn't a huge party, nothing like he'd been to before, but Alec was never going to be an expert party goer. He would always be the type to stand off to the side and wait for his friends to be done so they could go home.

"Coffee," Alec answered, glancing up at Luke and shaking his head. "You don't have to get it for me, though. I can do it. I can make a cup of coffee. It looks like you have a lot going on."

The house smelled of meat and vegetables, of sweet and savory, and even Alec could admit it smelled good. Isabelle's meals tended to fall on the side of...not so good. Home cooked meals weren't a common thing in the New York Institute unless people were feeling brave enough to eat Izzy's cooking.

[high_warlock]

"Are you coming or going?" Magnus teased gently as he went to join Alec. Each ringed hand held a mug of steaming coffee and he offered one out.

Holidays were difficult times for many. Magnus had long ago cut ties with his family, had them cut for him, and the wounds had healed over into faded scars. He did not miss them, especially not during modern, thoroughly American holidays. But, despite his own presence and Luke's, and despite knowing the kind of family the Lightwoods were, Magnus worried that Alec might be feeling a little more distanced from the world than usual.

"I suggest staying because there will be pie. Always stay long enough for pie."

[paper_courage]

There are precious few ways Peter could imagine that things could have converged to make him this happy. Peter's been cooking, that always makes him happy, and he even did it in his own apartment, thanks to the bareness of Jason's kitchen appliances. Jason had helped, that made it even better, and he hadn't even balked when Peter made him listen to two entire Lady Gaga albums in an afternoon. There is music in his heart -- music from the future that sings of progress and power -- there's love in his life, he's wearing a brand new sweater and they're about to eat what promises to be an amazing meal with a family they've built themselves out of role models and like-minded people.

Looking sharp and surer every day that he's been given a second chance in Heaven, Peter arrives with Jason and a covered casserole dish. They're about to go to a dinner party at what essentially amounts to their adoptive same-sex guardians' early Thanksgiving get-together. If ever there was a gay American dream, Peter's pretty sure he's living it. So maybe he's in American Gay Heaven.

Wherever he is, he's too happy to be there to ask questions.

[no_voice]

Jason loves Peter, but he especially loves Peter when he's giddy to the point of verging on the ridiculous; it's a contagious feeling, and Jason finds himself infected as soon as Peter puts on that first Lady Gaga CD and begins to cook for the Thanksgiving dinner. Jason spent the entire afternoon grinning, even listening to music that normally could easily give him a headache.

He'd felt so inspired by Peter's giddiness, he helped him cook. Even with his lackluster skills, Jason likes to think he contributed plenty to the casserole dish. Even if most of his 'help' consisted of distracting kisses to Peter's lips every time he found an opportunity.

So now they're at the apartment above the bookstore, Peter carrying the dish, and Jason clinging to his arm. He pauses to nuzzle him once they make it through the door.

"If my father could see us now, he would probably have a heart attack," Jason informs Peter with a smile that suggests he isn't entirely sorry by such an idea, awful as it probably is for a son to feel that way about a parent. He leans in and presses a warm kiss to Peter's cheek still a bit chilled from the frosty air.

[youfeelluckypunk]

What's nice about setting the party at home is that the apartment isn't so small that their guests can't wander around the living room without feeling boxed in but also not so large that it encourages anyone to stand apart from the rest. In fact, Reid would say it's just right, and he's pleased to see that everyone appears comfortable and relatively at ease--

(Alec looks skeptical but then, Alec often looks skeptical.)

--but more than just the coziness of it all, he feels like he's celebrating with family. Everyone in this room is someone he cares about, someone important to him, and Reid's experience with people like that in his life is fairly limited. It all still feels a little new to him: having close friends, sharing an apartment with his boyfriend, being in love with someone who hasn't been taken from him. Much like his birthday and Halloween, this is a Thanksgiving he already knows he'll never forget, the first of what he hopes will be many in Darrow.

When he spots Peter during a free moment, Reid wastes no time in reaching for Luke's hand and tugging him along so they can talk to their friend. They've spoken a couple times since he and Luke had returned from that awful version of the city but as far as quality time goes, there hasn't been much. Between taking time off to recover and moving into the apartment and then diving back into work, they've both been rather busy; but tonight, he hopes to leave all that at the door.

He's all smiles as they approach Peter, and Reid lifts his free hand up to offer a little wave. "Hi," he greets, "we're so glad you and Jason could make it. I'll be honest, I was worried that nobody would end up showing up, and we'd have all this extra food for a week's worth of leftovers." That's not exactly true, Luke can (and should, considering what his condition had been like in the other Darrow) eat everything spread out on that kitchen counter in minutes, but that's not really something that needs to be mentioned.

"Anyway," Reid continues, "Happy Thanksgiving."

[high_warlock]

Magnus swooped in almost immediately upon Peter's entrance, only managing to avoid crashing into a departing Jason by inches, but he made the move look smooth and calculated. A glass of wine in one hand, he poked at the casserole dish with a brightly painted finger.

"What'd you make?" He did not wait for a response but lifted the lid a crack and sniffed. Glitter drifted through the air in the wake of his movements. "Ooh, the thing with the marshmallows. Did you do this? By yourself? You can't become a housewife, Peter, unless you promise me manicure dates every Monday and wine every week night."

[iwasmore]

There's this thing Noah can do - since he exists anywhere at all times because time is a circle - where he can find a person just by feeling for them, rather than checking places they might be. It's how he found and saved Ronan over a year ago, lying in a pool of his own blood. It's how he finds Hild tonight.

It's why he ends up in the middle of an unfamiliar living room.

"Princess Hild-- um." He looks around. There are a lot of people, and this is not a place he's ever been before. At least most of the faces are familiar so this isn't too mortifying. Even if one of them is a guy who tried to attack him. "Sorry!"


[ooc note i always have to write with this pup, augh: at this point noah has been turned more human, so for whoever knows him, he looks very real/more solid, he's wearing regular clothes (not his aglionby uniform). hild is probably the only one who knows, though, because it's only been a few days and he's been holed up.]

[light_of_the_world]

Hild shot up from her seat, her hand flying to the seax at her hip, her eyes wide in surprise at Noah's sudden appearance. But her expression quickly softened to open fondness at the sight of him and her hand drifted away from the weapon and back to her wine.

It had been nearly two weeks since she had escaped from that nightmare place, but still her first instinct remained to fight, her words did not come, and her nerves were forever on edge. But time was beginning to ease this. Events like this reminded her that she had nothing to fear. And the sight of Noah so solid, dressed differently, nearly a full man warmed her in a way that the peace of this city could not.

She stepped nearer to him with a small smile. She pressed a hand lightly to his cheek to reassure him that he had not done any wrong, and raised her brows in question as to his arrival.

[youfeelluckypunk]

Reid almost drops the plate of pie in his hands, and he's awfully glad he doesn't because it gives him something to do now with his hands. Bringing a piece to his mouth, he stares at the young man who's materialized in the living room with a quizzical expression, unsure of what to do or say. Nobody else seems to have noticed, and Luke is in the kitchen so it's not as if he can look to his boyfriend to see whether he should feel threatened; but in spite of the fact that his pulse has picked up a bit, Reid suspects just by looking at him that the man is fairly harmless.

The fact that he's called out for Hild by name helps his case, too.

"It's okay," Reid says, taking a step closer. "You're... looking for Hild?"

[no_voice]

Jason arrives with Peter, his stomach a tangle of mixed emotions. He's thrilled to be attending a holiday dinner hosted by Spencer and Luke; he's even more thrilled to be attending it with his boyfriend. Still, even with the sea of faces that Jason mostly knows by now, he can't help but feel just a bit apprehensive. He finds himself holding onto Peter for as long as he can, before Peter goes to set the dish down and catch up with one of the guests he knows.

Jason puts on a McConnell smile before making his way around the room, savoring the variety of smells hanging heavy and delicious in the air; he tries to find comfort from them as his main source of comfort smiles and dazzles the room with his cherub-smile and sparkling eyes.

Jason finds his way to the drinks and grabs a cider for himself, hoping his nerves don't show too obviously.

[youfeelluckypunk]

As heavy as his eyelids are getting from all the food he's managed to put away this evening, Reid can't help but yearn for another cup of coffee and slice of pumpkin pie. All the guests seem to be occupied right now, engaged in conversation with each other, and Reid is warmed by just how satisfied every seems to be. It isn't often that all these people show themselves to be content (close enough, anyway) at the same time so to see it now, to see it happening in the home he shares with the man he loves, is something he's beyond thankful for on this day.

The only person he spots alone is Jason, though that seems to be more because he's busy grabbing a drink for himself and trying not to return his gaze to Peter every few seconds than anything else. Smiling to himself, Reid approaches him, nodding back toward the kitchen.

"I'm grabbing some more dessert," he says, "care to join me?"

[high_warlock]

Magnus could see his nervousness from a mile away, but four hundred years of life made one sensitive to these things. All parties always had at least one person who did not feel at home, who wasn't in a celebratory mood, who felt as though he or she did not know anyone. In a party as intimate as this, Magnus had thought Alec would be the only one. He should have known better.

"So." Magnus sidled over as though to refill his glass of cider, but took up a spot standing beside the boy. "How many times have you had to listen to Lady Gaga?"

[brightest_lights]

Rushing is one of the things that Caroline hates, but she also likes to have everything put together neatly so that things are handled. Normally, she's good with handling herself, but she wasn't just coming to Thanksgiving by herself. No, she brought Neal with her; Luke had extended the invitation, and the last thing Caroline wanted was for Neal to be along on Thanksgiving.

It's still a little... odd, between the two of them. It's getting better, but definitely there's some things for them to work through. Still, she shows up on Luke's doorstep right on time, a casserole dish of green bean casserole in her hands. After setting it down, she makes the rounds, snagging of wine, and she's honestly thankful for such a large group of people. It feels... homey, almost. Safe. She can't stop the tiny smile on her face, and because of the warmth of the people here, she doesn't even try.

[notaretriever]

"So who is he?" Luke asks when he all but appears at Caroline's side. He's avoided the wine tonight himself, glad it's here for others, but still wanting to keep the smell of it off his breath for Reid. While his boyfriend has never once asked or indicated in any way that he expects Luke to give up drinking, it's not exactly a vice he cares all that much about either way, and if there's anything he can do to make Reid's life a little bit easier, he's going to do it. Not having alcohol in the house is simple. Not drinking with meals when they go out is easier still.

The wine is here for tonight, but tomorrow it'll be gone whether the bottles are empty or not. He's still glad Peter had brought some for them at Halloween, though, and that people are enjoying it.

"The guy you brought with you," he adds, just in case it requires clarification, though he doubts very much it does.