youfeelluckypunk | [turkey day, nov 21]

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[turkey day, nov 21]

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.

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Luke's eyebrows lift and he smiles when Reid mentions the leftovers, since they both know Luke is capable of eating most of what's set out here over the course of a day or two on his own. But there are people here who don't yet know what he is and while Luke is significantly more open about being a werewolf here in Darrow than he'd been able to be in Manhattan, it's still not the sort of thing he tells everyone upon their first meeting. There are those who can sense the difference, of course, those who can smell it or feel it, but for the most part those are few and far between. The reason he doesn't just tell everyone when they first meet is that he knows how it might be received. He knows he might not be believed.

So the fact that Reid is saying something about the leftovers at all makes him smile. It's just a little gesture, something to keep his secret safe, but he squeezes Reid's hand anyway, letting him know it's appreciated. Maybe he'll tell Peter eventually -- it's likely, actually, since it's not a secret he enjoys keeping -- but Thanksgiving probably isn't the best time for it.

"I'm glad you both could make it," he says, echoing Reid's sentiments. "It's been awhile since I've had a Thanksgiving dinner quite like this and I'm glad we were able to make it happen." And he's very much looking forward to repeating it later in the week, too, with Derek's dinner. Given that he's a werewolf, Luke is hoping he's going to cook an excess in food so it doesn't look especially strange when he and Luke both go back for their fourth or fifth plate.

Unsurprisingly, Peter is ecstatic to see Spencer and Luke and he nearly bounds toward them to hug them hello. He feels like a puppy in a winter sweater, but it's a much better feeling than what came before it, outside of Darrow -- a place Peter can't imagine wanting to go back to.

"Hi, thank you both for inviting us!" He's still giddy, vaguely aware of how much he feels like an awkward teenager in front of these composed, loving adults. He tries to do his part to live on his own, which is why he cooked something for the occasion.

That reminds him. "I put a dish in the kitchen, I didn't see you immediately when I got here," he explains. "It's this sweet potato, marshmallow thing that my mom used to make. We brought it for you but I'm pretty sure we made enough for everyone if you decide you want to share." Something told Peter that one does not show up to a house party empty-handed. That something was in his mother's voice, so he supposes he's solved that mystery pretty quick. Claire Simmonds had groomed herself a contentious gentleman... who happened to like other gentleman. Mostly one in particular.

It'd probably be the nice thing to do to share, though Reid is touched that Peter would think to bring something. None of the food on the table had been cooked at home, Reid had ordered everything from a restaurant nearby, so to hear that Peter had gone out of his way to make a dish that clearly has sentimental value attached to it sends a burst of warmth through him.

"That's very kind of you, thank you," Reid says, smiling meaningfully before glancing at Luke. "I didn't really know how this would turn out, it's the first time I've been a part of planning a Thanksgiving get-together." Shifting his gaze back to Peter, he lets out a sheepish laugh. "I'm used to take-out from whatever's open during the holidays. I think things are going nicely, though, right?"

No fights have broken out, anyway, and nobody's had enough of the wine that they've become belligerently drunk, which may or may not have been a minor concern of his before he'd put it out for consumption. He hasn't gotten called in for a case, either, which has him grateful more for selfish reasons more than anything else.

Thanksgiving isn't a Shadowhunter holiday, so Luke had never really celebrated it until New York and even then it had only ever been the three of them. Sometimes Simon had joined in, but Jocelyn had kept her own social circle extremely limited for a variety of reasons and Luke had never been comfortable with the idea of inviting any of his friends along. There had been the fact that he was in love with Jocelyn, for one, but most of his friends had been werewolves and while some had exceptional manners, a lot of wolves had gotten used to living in a certain way.

Jocelyn wouldn't have been happy to have them, he's sure of that, so he'd just never invited anyone. Thanksgiving -- and Christmas and Easter -- had been a quiet affair, quite a far cry from this.

"I think we did a decent job," he agrees, looking around with a small smile. It won't quite be as impressive as he's sure Derek's is going to be, but he and Reid aren't cooks, not by any means. All he cares about is that everyone is having a good time and that they're comfortable and happy. "But this is the first dinner I've planned, too, so I'm not entirely sure if we're missing out on some things we should have done."

But maybe Peter can tell them and he looks over at him expectantly.

Sometimes, Peter forgets to see Luke and Reid as fellow humans. To Peter, they're both Godsends, delivered to a strange place to exist in utter happiness. They're role models, really, and it's obvious that Peter feels that way. To see them touch each other unabashedly and play house, it's like a glimpse into a life Peter wanted and never thought could exist. Here, watching them be unsure about takeout and if their guests are satisfied... His grin is uncontainable.

"It's perfect," Peter assures them, and he means it. Magnus is being fabulous over near Alec and the coffee, Jason is gorging himself on food and laughing like it's easy for him again, and Peter is embraced in warmth by the presence of his hosts. He wants to curl up between them like a puppy and snooze after he eats way too much turkey. His heart is as fit to burst as he hopes his stomach will be soon."I'm so thankful for you two. I know I say it a lot but I just... can't stress how much I mean it. I love you both so much." He flushes, afraid that he's being overly effusive, but the truth is that there are no words for what they mean to him and in such a short time.

"If you like the dish, I'll have to invite you over and make you both dinner." He smiles. Peter loves to cook as much as he loves this little life that's built up around him in Darrow.

It's not that Luke is a bad cook, he seems to be getting better with every attempt at homemade dinner he makes, it's just that there do exist in the world better cooks. By the looks of the dish Peter has presented them, Reid can only presume that their young friend has a talent neither he nor Luke may every possess so he smiles gratefully. "That sounds great, Peter, thank you. Maybe you could give me some tips while you're at it. I can memorize the entire contents of any cookbook but ask me to replicate any of the dishes well, and I'm afraid we'd all be out of luck."

He has a few other skills going for him so Reid has never really been worried about whether or not he's a talent in the kitchen and anyway, Luke doesn't care one way or another; but Reid being Reid, he likes the idea of learning to excel in places he needs improvement so the thought of casual cooking lessons from someone who knows what he's doing seems to be a good way to go. Maybe one day, he can surprise his boyfriend with a deceptively complex home-cooked dinner to top off a romantic evening. Or maybe they'll just keep defaulting to take-out and frankly, that's okay, too.

"Jason looks happy," Reid comments, scanning the room for him before glancing back at Peter, the corners of his lips twitching. "I heard he got his diploma. Things seem to be going really well for you two, I'm glad."

Luke had grown up a Shadowhunter, a group of people not particularly well known for being especially emotionally demonstrative, but he thinks he's learned fairly well how to better understand and talk about his own emotions over the years. For Peter it seems so easy. He just says what he feels and although he's flushing, it's especially endearing and Luke reaches out to squeeze Peter's shoulder in affection. For all the terrible things about Darrow that sometimes seem to pop up, things that seem to seep in through the cracks, there's no way he can be anything but grateful for a place that brings him moment like these.

"We'd both love that. Maybe you can teach us a little something so we're not entirely relying on take out for most of our meals," Luke adds with a little laugh, his smile brightening when Reid brings up Jason's diploma.

"Oh, he did seem very happy with that," he agrees. "He was very excited to talk about enrolling in college now that he has it here. If he's ever looking for advice on that, it'll have to be Spencer. I never went to college."

God, he's afraid he's going to look utterly insane if his smile widens at all. Spencer and Luke have the relationship Peter hopes for, some distant day. The way they weave in and out of each other's narratives, how they can't go too long without touching or glancing and smiling. There are ways they compliment each other, like Luke's characteristic quietness and Spencer's long, adorable stories, and also so many ways they are similar: like soulmates. They both claim they can't cook and Peter has never met two gentler people. They make him feel humbled; they make him think they were sent to him for a reason.

This significant breakthrough in faith hasn't quite bubbled to Peter's consciousness yet, but he feels the elation anyway just about the time Luke touches his arm. Before he can even put a thought into it, he's swung his arms around them both in a group hug. It comes from a gratitude so deep that he isn't even embarrassed right away; it's the way he'd hugged Sister Chantelle after her private sermon about what God's love really means and what it most certainly does not, only better because this one lacks the desperation and looming sense of dread.

"Thank you," he says when he's pulled away and the embarrassment catches up with him. He feels safer here, but he does feel bad for getting so real in the face of such innocent, unassuming conversation. "And thank you for being there for Jason, too. Luke, he said you were there when he found it and I think seeing a familiar face helped him deal with the shock." Peter's boyfriend is still recovering from a conflict that tore him apart so irreparably and Jason is trying so hard. He addresses Spencer, now. "I'd appreciate all of the college support possible. For both of us. I'm thinking of starting in Spring, myself."

There are few people who were their hearts on their sleeves as openly as Peter does, and it actually reminds Reid very much of Garcia. Rarely had she ever held back when it came to admitting her feelings, even less so when it came to her impressively inappropriate nicknames for Morgan; but her positivity had always been infectious, not a single team member could argue otherwise, and it warms him to see that same kind of energy in Peter. In spite of all the tragedy he's already seen at such a young age, Peter perseveres, and it isn't such an easy task.

It helps that Jason is here, of course, that they both get a second chance at the relationship that'd been doomed in their world. Reid understands better than most what it's like to have love stolen away, to have it forcibly taken, to feel like his heart is tearing in two because of chances lost and all matters of things left unsaid, undone. Being in Darrow, though, has led him to Luke, and it's not that the pain of having loved and lost is forgotten but it doesn't make the love he feels more his boyfriend any less pure, either.

He squeezes Peter's arm as his friend pulls away, briefly glancing at Luke to share a small smile. "Well, I'm happy to share what I think, though I'll have to familiarize myself with what's available in terms of schooling here." That won't take him much longer than a couple hours, though, so he's not particularly worried. "But I think it's great you're both looking to go. I know this great guy who runs a bookstore, he's a lot more knowledgeable than he probably thinks he is, so I'm going to speak for him when I say you can use us both as resources when it comes to certain subjects. Oh, and I've got doctorates in Mathematics, Chemistry, and Engineering, as well as BAs in Psychology, Sociology, and Philosoph, so if you have questions about going into any of those fields, let me know."

"And I have doctorates and BAs in absolutely nothing," Luke answers, looking over at Reid in amusement. He knows he's not entirely without knowledge, but his areas of expertise tend not to be the same as most other people have. Knowing about demons and their languages isn't going to be useful to Peter, nor will he ever need to learn the history of the Shadow World, but even as Luke says it, he realizes he's not being entirely honest. He and Jason have already spoken about it a little and his smile grows as he shrugs and tilts his head slightly.

"Though I suppose I'm not entirely without some helpful knowledge," he admits. "Jason was saying he's interested in literature and while I do have a horrible tendency to like bad detective novels, I also know a fair bit about poetry." Which Reid knows better than most, having been the recipient of a fair number of poems Luke had scribbled on paper and then delivered to him anonymously, terrified of what might happen if Reid knew who they were from.

It's obviously all worked out for the best, but he can't help but grin whenever he mentions poetry now.

Peter blinks at Spencer for longer than he's proud of after he lists off his degrees. It's not just that he has so many, but that so many of them are higher education degrees in STEM subjects and that makes Peter even more embarrassed to tell him the truth. He's stunned, even though Spencer's intellect can be seen from space. On paper, he's even more impressive than he is in person.

"I was thinking about maybe going for Theatre," he admits, dipping his head in a sort of shame that can only be learned from the disdain of others. "I know some people may not get it, but I think it's what I want." He hasn't even said it aloud yet, hasn't even yet mentioned it to Jason, so it feels like a lie, despite its veracity. "I think my dad wanted me to go into civil engineering and my mom's always said I should just study Business or Math because I'm good at it but." He shrugs -- pretty sure he looks as much like a kid as he feels.

"I haven't really decided though," he adds quickly, just in case his makeshift caregivers feel the way about the arts that many do. Then he's reminded that Luke owns a bookstore and he relaxes again.

"Oh, Jason loves poetry." He's smiling again, wondering if these shifting tides may indicate a need for mood stabilizing medication. "He really likes Romantic Era literature. Anything that usually puts other people to sleep." Not Peter, though, but then again Peter and Jason are united on so many fronts.

"Is there anything you don't know?" Peter asks Spencer finally with a touch of good-natured sarcasm. "Every time I think I couldn't be more intimidated by you..." He laughs, though, because what he means has more to do with respect than intimidation.

"By me?"

In spite of the fact that he knows it isn't meant poorly, his expression is still incredulous as he look between Peter and Luke. It's not the first time someone's been taken aback by the way his mind works, by how much he knows and how quickly he can recall it, but he always feels a little uncomfortable when it's somebody close to him. The last thing he wants is to alienate his friends, especially in Darrow, where people always seem more willing to give him a chance than to simply write him off as someone who's too smart for his own good.

Luke says he likes it when Reid goes off on his tangents, when he rambles on and on about things that are just barely related to the subject at hand, and that, he can wholly believe because he knows his boyfriend loves him, knows Luke isn't going anywhere. It's a little different with those who aren't obligated to tolerate him, which is maybe a bit of a bleak way of looking at things, but it's something he'd adapted to in his own world. He's managed to take a good few steps away from that way of thinking here but every so often, the old feeling creeps on him, and he worries he'll drive more people away.

But Peter laughs, and it's enough to make Reid's discomfort fade, his shoulders relaxing as he bows his head to hide his flushed cheeks.

"Anyway, I think Theatre is a wonderful choice," he says. "If you're looking for something I'm not an expert in, that's it. I've only ever known how to be myself, I admire people who can so easily step into another persona entirely and turn it into a career. That's not a skill many people truly possess. Besides, that would mean we could come see you in your shows, I'd tell everyone we know."

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[turkey day, nov 21]

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