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 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.

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?"

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

They sit in a quiet, comfortable silence for a moment, both of them observing the room and the small group of people who've gathered to celebrate with them tonight. To Reid, it still feels a little strange to think of how quickly he's gained so many friends who are close to his heart in just six months (and frankly, he can hardly believe it's already been six months since he'd arrived). Making friends had been difficult for him, and he wouldn't say he excels at it now but somehow, it seems easier. Maybe that has to do with how much Luke has brightened his life, his spirit. Maybe he's more accommodating now that he's in love, which Reid doesn't suppose is a theory that's out of the question.

At Luke's thanks, he looks down at his boyfriend in surprise. "I didn't do it alone," he reminds him, sliding down from his perch and forcing Luke to make room for him. "It's our home, our friends, our party. We're in this together." Nudging Luke's knee with his own, he gives his boyfriend a wide smile. "To be fair, we didn't cook any of the food, though I'm pretty sure everyone here should be thanking us for that. Maybe we should make an attempt at making pies for Derek's party."

He pauses, narrowing his eyes as he imagines all the time they'll surely waste getting it wrong, though he suspects they'd turn it around to make their misfortune in the kitchen favorable in other ways, what with Luke's propensity for leaving streaks of baked goods on his neck. "On second thought, maybe not. Not for the party, at least. I'm all for getting up to our own special method of baking, just for the record."

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."

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.

Edited 2015-11-17 15:02 (UTC)

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.

Luke shifts over on the couch to make room for Reid, though only just enough, choosing instead to stay pressed quite close against his side. Moving his arm, his slides his hand into the crook of Reid's elbow, their arms linked as they sit together on the couch and he thinks about how far they've come, how much has changed and how natural it all feels at the same time. When he slips his hand down the inside of Reid's arm until his fingers rest against the warm, bare skin at his wrist, Luke suppresses a little shiver and a sigh, pleased and full and content. With the dinner, with this evening, with his entire life, and most especially with the man sitting beside him now. Reid says this is theirs, that they'd both done it, but it had really been Reid's idea and he'd done so much of the work. It feels important to acknowledge that and so he only squeezes his boyfriend's arm when he says it was both of them.

"Derek told me that I would embarrass myself next to Helen and another friend of his if I tried to bake something for his dinner," Luke tells Reid with a grin and although Derek hadn't used those exact words, he had been absolutely right. Luke's best cooking consists of eggs and bacon and while he makes an incredible sandwich, he knows there's really nothing complicated about that. Baking seems to be a hobby best left between the two of them, just as Reid has suggested.

A little snort of laughter escapes him and he's glad for the rising voices around them, the clatter of dishes and the clinking of mugs on saucers. It makes it easier for him to just absorb what Reid has said without worrying anyone has overheard. And it makes it just as easy for him to lean in and say, "You just like it when I lick things off you." He's far from ready to get up and spend the rest of the night with Reid and no one else, he's enjoying the atmosphere for this evening far too much to give it up just yet, but he wants Reid to remember what's coming later.

As if either of them could really forget.

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.]

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.

Peter's face lights up with familiarity when Alec introduces himself. "Alec, you're a friend of Jason's! He's my--" Ah. Well. Here they are. Most people here already know what the nature of Peter and Jason's relationship is and really, they haven't been so subtle since arriving in Darrow, but Jason is still not technically out. Sure, they held hands at Halloween, stole kisses that pretended innocence. But Jason's life was ruined by being outed before he was ready and Peter is not going to be the source of that.

"We know each other from home," he concludes, forcing a little smile that doesn't even reach his eyes. Still, extroverted Peter is excited to be meeting a friend of Jason's and the fact that he's a friend of Luke's and Spencer's and Magnus, that's even better.

"I've only been here a couple months. I met Spencer on the first day and then I met Luke and Magnus at the Greymark Halloween party." As he talks, it gets easier to relax, especially since they seem to have a lot of people in common. "How about you? Have you been here long? You know Luke and Magnus from home, right?"

At that Luke gives a little snort of laughter before he goes to the side table where they've arranged the coffee and tea. When he returns he has a mug for Alec and a little pitcher of cream and a bowl of sugar if he wants. Setting those on the coffee table in front of him, Luke then sinks down beside him and looks over with a faint smile.

"We ordered it all in," he admits. "Which is to say we really don't have that much going on at all. It looks busier than it is, but all I've really done all day is make a pot of coffee and brew the tea. And I suppose I put out the plates and utensils, but my idea of cooking is frying some eggs, which I don't think is quite what people are looking for when they're invited for a Thanksgiving dinner."

But the apartment is warm and smells of good food and there are people here Luke cares about, which he thinks is what's expected when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner. If the food has been prepared by someone else, he doesn't think that's such a terrible thing.

Darrow was proving to be a place where Alec experienced a lot of firsts. Having someone recognize his name just because someone else had talked him about had never actually happened to him before. Oftentimes, he thought himself not memorable enough to warrant further conversation but apparently not.

"Jason yeah, I met him his first day here," Alec recalled, nodding. It was a hard thing to forget, coming across someone who was that shell shocked, that out of sorts. The next time he'd seen Jason, he'd looked much better, more animated and a lot happier.

Whether that was because of Peter wasn't for Alec to say.

"I've been here a few months," he answered, nodding. He'd been expecting to be here a matter of days but finding a way out, a way home proved to be difficult. Near impossible. "And yeah, I know Luke and Magnus. Luke knew my parents and Magnus is a..."

He trailed off and glanced Magnus's way, thoughtful. It occurred to him that he was doing the exact same thing Peter had done when talking about Jason. "He's a friend. He's done some work for my parents too."

He was being deliberately vague since he wasn't sure just how much Magnus or Luke had told Peter about themselves. They were much more flexible with revealing the Shadow World than he was so he was careful until he knew what he was dealing with.

"This is more than I've ever seen and done," Alec said and didn't think he needed to say anymore. Luke had been a Shadowhunter at one time, he knew what holidays were celebrated and which weren't. Luke also knew his parents probably in ways Alec never would so he knew what they were like and how they raised their children.

"This kind of holiday would be Izzy's dream," he commented, reaching for the mug so he could make up his own coffee. He needed a coffee maker. Coffee was one of those mundane things he actually liked. He liked waking up in the morning and having something hot to drink. He liked the smell and the taste and he hadn't had a really good coffee in awhile.

"She'd have wanted to cook," he said fondly, half smiling down at his mug. "You wouldn't have wanted that."

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.

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.

Overall, Peter comes from a place filled to the brim with excitement, good and bad. For him, Catholic school had been a whirlwind of exams, parties and a sort of teeming, buzzing repression that brought fear with it. That fear, though, was never real enough to outweigh the merits of misbehaving. After all, there was something thrilling about being caught, whether it was sneaking out to a rave in the church's van or whispering wicked promises by moonlight. The students at St. Cecilia's were engaged in a full-scale revolt that none of them ever had the courage to bring to light. It had even cost them one of their own and Peter was taken from that world before he could find out if he'd affected any change at all.

Here is Alec, a younger man like Peter and he seems to be excited about not much at all. Peter knows a little by way of his conversations with Luke and Magnus on Halloween, but what he doesn't know far, far outweighs what he does, he would bet. He's okay with that. Peter is nothing if not adaptable (and utterly bewildered).

It's hard not to notice a familiar pause to choose words carefully, but Peter does his best not to assume; this is made much easier by the fact that every time Peter attempts to understand the place where his new friends came from, his head nearly explodes. He's happy to absorb little bits where he can, even the institutionalized schoolboy.

"I met him on Halloween," Peter recalls, nodding to Magnus. "He's really cool. I've never met anyone like him." He laughs. He doesn't mean as a-- whatever he is, but more as an individual. Magnus is in a new class and Peter appreciates the flair that gets added to a room when Magnus is in it. He also has a feeling that they have much more in common than just their outgoing personalities. "He said Luke tends to adopt people and I think that may have happened with Jason and me."

Peter is so utterly thrilled by the display of affection that he scrunches his nose up, delighted. Contributing, too, is the idea of pissing Jason's father off with the purest of love; Peter loves to imagine how Master McConnell would implode if he saw his boy playing house with his school roommate. The dramatic irony is not lost on Peter and in fact, he revels in it. Some nights he dreams of all that he wishes he could say to that bigoted, terrible man.

"We should be so lucky," Peter murmurs, borrowing a turn of phrase from Jason's dear twin sister. He can still see his breath even in the hallway and when Jason's face departs from Peter's he notices how cold he is. He's eager to get inside where it's warmer.

Thankfully, it is as warm as he hopes once they're inside and after depositing the dish in the kitchen and greeting the hosts, Peter finds Jason once again with some cider and hands a cup to Jason. "Even if you don't want it, just hold it. It's so warm." He holds his steaming cup between two hands, letting the warmth do what it can to un-numb his skin.

"Derek is probably right," Reid answers matter-of-factly, and it's not meant an insult, it's simply a statement they both know to be true. He grins up at Luke anyway, his eyes bright and cheeks pink from the pleasure of having Luke's fingers brushing against his wrist, and it shouldn't be a surprise anymore just how content he is to be with his boyfriend, but it is. It continues to floor him every single day. It's not as if he'd been worried that moving in together would fundamentally change anything between them, but he's heard horror stories of couples whose passion disintegrates from being too close too much of the time. Granted, this is something he'd picked up from Ethan and even Morgan, both men close to incapable of commitment for their own reasons, so Reid doesn't necessarily put a lot of stock into it but at the same time, the truth of the matter is that he still isn't entirely certain how to be a boyfriend.

By no means are either of them doing poorly, though, at least not in his opinion (or Luke's, for that matter, and when it comes to their relationship, their opinions are the only ones that matter). A full week hasn't yet passed since Reid had moved the rest of his belongings here, but it doesn't feel like much has changed. He'd been here regularly enough before they'd started dating so he hadn't had to learn his way around; he's gotten used to falling asleep and waking up next to Luke, two things he's learned he absolutely loves doing because finding his legs entangled with his boyfriend's in the morning, sometimes with Luke's arm draped over him, is an incredible feeling. Lying there, basking in the comfort of being with the person most important to him in this world, it's made him late for work more than a couple times; and so has doing more than just lying there, though that isn't exactly appropriate brain fodder considering the company they're keeping in the apartment right now.

Of course, resisting the images in his mind is nearly impossible when Luke talks to him like this. Not that Reid minds in the slightest. The comment about licking, for instance, makes the corners of his lips curl up a bit more mischievously, and Reid lifts his chin, leaning closer against his boyfriend as he carefully keeps his gaze facing forward. "And I suppose you might be right about that, too. Just a little, though. It's really not my fault that you're so skilled with your tongue."

Reid has to laugh outright at the suggestion that either he or Luke had even come close to having anything to do with making the food spread out on the counter. Shaking his head, he reaches for a plate to hand to Alec, still laughing a little as he gestures to the turkey. "No, not even in the slightest," he admits, "neither of us are what you'd called skilled in the kitchen."

They're disaster, both of them, but lately Luke's been trying harder. Groceries are more abundant as opposed to the basics of milk and bread and eggs, though those are certainly still staples of their shopping list. More and more often, Reid finds himself waking up to his boyfriend making breakfast and a few times, he's even been sent off to work with a sandwich to accompany his kiss. It's awfully charming, really, that Luke has taken a step out of a comfort zone that mostly involves ordering out in an effort to do more with the food they have here at home. At some point, Reid knows he'll have to step up, too; but seeing as he doesn't want to risk accidentally giving his boyfriend food poisoning, he hasn't yet made any real attempts.

"Luke does make a very good sandwich," Reid advises, "if you're ever so inclined to ask him for one. But that doesn't exactly equate to a full turkey dinner. I will be reaping the benefits of leftovers, though, if we even have any when the night is over."

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."

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[turkey day, nov 21]

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