Harm's Family

[Pocky]

Trick, watching closely, saw all of the mannerisms and expressions shift in the woman's body before him. Her face was like a beacon to her emotions, she couldn't mask anything. He could easily see that his final comment had hit the right mark to diffuse what could be a difficult situation when she accepted the compliment on her son's behalf.

Before he could be asked again, Trick supplied his answer. "I'm not allergic to anything," Trick said, glancing from Harm's bowl of raw prawns to the feast laid out on the table, "so I'll be able to try all this amazing looking food." He aimed his smile at Fiona as he used the term 'amazing' once again, but this time it was for her.

[Existentially Odd]

Fiona smiled more broadly, satisfied with Trick’s answer and compliment wrapped up in one. “Excellent!” she announced, turning back to Harm and tapping the lid of the Tupperware marinating dish he was still holding. “Now. Get that out to your father. I don’t know where the others are but I’m not opposed to starting without them, at this stage!” she tittered as she moved back towards the sink and the open dishwasher below it, amused by her rebellious statement.

“Sure,” Harm snorted, knowing there was no way in hell his mother would ever do anything without Quentin present. He smiled at Trick, stepping up to him and bumping shoulders gently with him. “Let’s go meet my dad,” he invited shyly, still a little disturbed by the way Trick and his mother had bristled against each other. He had no such trepidation about his father, who was much quieter and more diplomatic but, then again, he hadn’t ever thought there’d be friction with his mother, either.

Harm made to move away from the kitchen and towards the sliding glass doors out to the patio, expecting Trick would open the door for him because his hands were full.

[Pocky]

Trick did as Harm expected, moving rapidly forward to open up the glass sliding door and let Harm outside. He followed after him, closing the door gently all the way after himself and looking around at how flashy the outside of the house was as well. His gaze roamed until they neared Harm's father and he fixed his polite smile in place for introductions.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm’s father turned towards them as they stepped down onto the tiled patio. As with his mother, it was easy to see where Harm came from because he had his father’s square jaw, prominent Adam’s apple, strong chin and narrow mouth. Where Harm was fair, his father was dark, with brown hair shaved into a relaxed military style, straight brown eyebrows and light brown eyes. He had a darker ring around his irises like Harm did, though it had less impact with brown eyes than it did with Harm’s paler blue-green.

Gary Bennett was almost as tall as Trick, standing at six feet one, dressed similarly to his wife in a polo shirt (navy in colour) and a pair of tan chinos over brown leather loafers. He was broad of shoulder and strong in the chest, his body aged but shapely enough to be considered muscular in dad terms. There was the slightest hint of a belly rounding out his shirt, no doubt put there by the beer he was holding in the hand that wasn’t tucked into the pocket of his pants. He smiled affectionately when he saw Harm, his curious gaze shifting to Trick quite quickly.

“Hey, Dad,” Harm greeted as he approached with his offering.

“Son,” Gary nodded, prompted to spin and put his beer down on the polished silver bench behind him before reaching out to take the marinating dish off Harm.

“Mum says to cook these now,” Harm explained as he handed them over.

Gary pulled a wry face, turning his wrist to look at his watch as he also spun to put the dish on the bench beside the barbecue. “Okay,” he sighed.

“Dad, this is my boyfriend, Trick,” Harm introduced once his father was facing them again, the prawns left raw for the time being.

His father’s eyebrows flickered as he glanced at Harm, at Trick, past Trick to where his wife was visible in the distant kitchen and then back to Trick again, a chuckle sliding between his lips as he grinned at his son’s boyfriend. “Pleased to meet you, Trick. Gary,” he provided, holding out a hand to be shaken.

[Pocky]

Trick's smile while meeting Harm's father became more genuine a great deal more quickly than when he'd watched Harm and his mother interacting on the front verandah. He stepped forward and shook Gary's hand with energy, ensuring a firm - but not crushing - hold applied.

"Pleased to meet you, Gary," Trick said. Once the handshake was over Trick moved closer to Harm. "Must be my lucky night, I love seafood," he announced brightly.

[Existentially Odd]

Gary's handshake was firm and perfunctory, his smile charming as he straightened away, not quite committing to the cooking of the prawns just yet.

"Oh, good! The garlic butter prawns are a family favourite, too. Next time you come, I'll do my paella for you. Can I get you boys anything to drink? There’s beer in this fridge or spirits inside,” Gary offered, gesturing towards the fridge tucked in between the wall of the house and the end of the kitchen bench. It was the same model as Harm's fridge in his apartment because his parents had bought them both at the same time.

"Is there Coke out here?" Harm interrupted.

His father grunted a laugh. "Of course there is," he told Harm dryly and then looked back at Trick, waiting for his response as his son moved towards the fridge. Harm listened for Trick's decision also, planning to get him a beer if he wanted one, while he was at the fridge.

[Pocky]

Trick turned to face the familiar looking fridge and his stare lingered on it a moment longer than what might be usual when he looked back at Gary and smiled, shaking his head minutely.

"No, thanks, I'll just grab a glass of water in a minute," he said, glancing at Harm near the fridge before facing Gary once more. "Do you like to cook, then? My dad does a fierce risotto but I don't think he's ever made a paella."

[Existentially Odd]

Harm, knowing there was filtered water inside the house, figured he'd wait to get Trick a drink when they went inside so he just grabbed a can out, opening it and taking a big gulp as he wandered back to Trick's side. Introducing people was stressful but the worst of it was over now, he hoped. He leant against Trick's left arm, silently drawing strength from him, using his left hand to tip Coke into his mouth while his right curled in against Trick's hand.

"Well, they're both about long, slow rice babysitting, in the end," Gary chuckled. "I wouldn't call myself much of a cook but I do know my way around the proteins," he answered modestly.

Harm pressed his lips together and resisted making a comment about his dad knowing how to work meat.

"What do you do for work, Trick?" Gary continued, half turning away to check the temperature showing on his barbecue lid and then opening up the marinating dish to reveal twenty-one large butterflied prawns in their shells - cleaned and prepped with slabs of garlic and herb butter - layered upon each other. As he listened to Trick's answer, Gary snatched up his tongs and began fastidiously transferring prawns onto the grill one at a time, lifting the lid as minimally as he could so that all the heat didn't escape.

[Pocky]

Trick's hand shifted when he felt Harm's beside his, wending its way into a hold. They interlaced fingers.

"I work as a shop assistant at David Jones," Trick said, watching as Gary settled into a rhythm of transferring prawns from plate to grill. His eyes moved to and fro like he was watching a tennis match from the cheap seats. "I also make extra cash as a photographer, selling my nature photos through Instagram," he added. "How about you?"

[Existentially Odd]

"Vice principal at Harm's old elementary school," Gary answered but before he could continue, Fiona called, “They’re here!” from inside the house – loudly enough that it travelled through the glass doors to them.

Gary looked over his shoulder at Harm and grinned. “You better get inside and see your baby,” he teased.

Harm rolled his eyes but his smile proved that he was pleased. He tugged Trick's hand, pulling him back towards the house. “I looked after Joe so much when he was little that they started calling him my baby,” he explained wryly as they went, releasing him in order to open the door and stepping back inside, expecting Trick would close it behind him. "It stuck."

They only got as far as the edge of the lounge before an ungodly scream barrelled down the long hallway, barely ahead of the gangly teenager that issued it. “HARM!!” he screeched, his pubescent voice cracking into an uncomfortably high register as excitement got the best of him. He was clearly unfazed by the high pitch.

“Oh, shit,” Harm swore, coming to a stop when he saw his brother running down the corridor at full speed towards him, like an overgrown puppy (with only slightly more coordination). Harm put his Coke can down on the tiled floor and straightened hastily, sliding one foot behind himself, bracing for impact. He soon realised his little brother was coming faster than he’d anticipated. And he’d grown again. “N-no, Joe! Stop! Wait! Joe!” he called, holding out both hands in front of him uselessly as he was body slammed by an enormous, overexcited fourteen year old.

Harm staggered backwards onto his braced foot and then had to take another step back but he managed to bear up under the brutal impact and stay on his feet. His brother was taller and more muscular than Harm – though he wouldn’t look Trick in the eye when he straightened, having only just reached six feet – his limbs long and bare in a pair of basketball shorts and a T-shirt. He had brown eyes and a sweet face that favoured his father’s looks without the square jaw. His most notable feature was the mop of spiralling sandy blond curls bouncing atop his head, dangling partially in his eyes and over his ears.

"Jesus Christ, Joe," Harm groaned, fighting off Joe's grabbing arms and lifting legs - it was like he was swimming on Harm, rubbing his face against Harm's and nuzzling him like a huge cat.

"You didn't tell me you were coming!" Joe bellowed.

"I only decided... tonight," Harm grunted, catching Joe's leg and holding it up near his left shoulder in an effort to stop him accosting him. "Stand still! For fuck's sake, you stink," he choked, his words drowned out by their mother calling down the hallway.

"Joseph! Got off your brother and go shower! And wash your hair, it's filthy!" she ordered.

Because Trick wasn't buried under a teenager, he would be able to see that Fiona was walking down the hallway with the final family members. Quentin was Trick's height and bore a striking resemblance to Clark Kent. His jaw was square, his muscles straining the maroon polo shirt he was wearing (tucked into khaki chinos with leather boots), his eyes dark beneath a noble brow. His hair was faded with a perfectly styled length on the top, swept to the right with a good amount of product to hold its smooth curve. He was movie star quality good looking and always proudly told the stories of people asking him if he was related to Chris Hemsworth and Jason Mamoa.

Beside him - and wrapped up in Fiona's embrace as they walked together - was a statuesque redhead. She wore tight blue jeans that accented her perfect curves and brown sued ankle boots with three inch heels that complemented her purple off-the-shoulder cowl-necked sweater shirt. Its sleeves were pushed up to her elbows, revealing milky white skin covered with freckles, much as her shoulder sported. Her breasts were well presented in the clinging wool and her hair sleekly styled and hanging to her shoulders. It framed her beautiful, heart-shaped face and accented her large green eyes, which were laughing as Fiona joked with her. Quentin spent his walk down the hall staring assessingly at Trick.

Joe finally stopped land swimming on Harm and grabbed his face, pressing his forehead to Harm's. "I'm glad you're here. It's been forever! Is that... Trick?" he asked in an obvious stage whisper, his gaze flicking to where Trick stood nearby.

"Of course it is," Harm sighed impatiently, trying to get out from under his big little brother to no avail.

While he squirmed, Joe rolled his jaw to the side so that he was still connected to Harm's forehead but looking at Trick. "He's preeeetty," Joe crooned, reaching a long arm towards Trick, a bony finger poking towards his face.

Harm was suddenly highly motivated to drop Joe's leg. He did so and reached over to slap his brother's hand with a loud crack. "No!" he said.

Joe whimpered and began reaching again. "But... he's gorgeous! Is he wearing makeup? His eyelashes are ridiculous!"

This time, Harm grabbed Joe's wrist and hauled his arm back to clutch it between their chests. "No, that's just the way they always look, he's right there you know, you're embarrassing him!" Harm said through gritted teeth his own cheeks flushing with the same emotion. He shouldn't have been surprised.

"But-!" Joe whined and Harm growled warningly at him. Joe lined his face up with Harm's again, smushing his nose into Harm's and growling back, the two of them glaring and snarling for a few seconds before it abruptly shut off when Joe pulled back. "Fine," he announced, disentangling himself from Harm. "I'll be good," he promised and stepped over to stand right in front of Trick with a sweet smile and his hand held out to be shaken in a very civilised manner. "Hi, Trick, I'm Joe! I'm really pleased to meet you at last," he declared with meaningful enthusiasm, waggling his eyebrows.

Harm wrapped an arm across his body and rested his other elbow on his forearm just so he could lift a hand to cover his face and shake his head. Since Joe was the only one in the family that knew the whole truth about his and Trick's relationship, he needed a chance to warn his little brother to keep his mouth shut about the duration of his and Trick's relationship but he knew he wouldn't get a chance.

"JOE! Shower!" his mother yelled again, seeing he was still standing in the living room. Meanwhile, their stroll down the hall continued at an ambling pace.

[Pocky]

Trick watched everything play out between Harm and Joe with obvious alarm etched on his face. His expression only recovered once Harm looked to be getting his younger brother under some kind of control. Trick glanced at the three adults following but saw nothing on their faces to indicate this behaviour was abnormal. He made eye contact with the male of the trio because he was the only one looking his way, and Trick gave him a brief up-nod of acknowledgement before his gaze returned to Joe, who was now pointing at him and calling him pretty.

Trick's face remained impassive at this point, watching it unfold as he had when he'd seen Harm interact with Fiona. When Joe finally peeled away from the growling and snarling and offered a hand, Trick took it and shook it steadily but didn't linger on the shake.

"Hi, Joe," he said. The waft of body odour followed soon after and Trick couldn't remain impartial to it. He squinted and his lips twisted. "We can chat more after your shower," he promised.

[Existentially Odd]

"Cool!" Joe declared, pulling away with a grin. He stepped aside and grabbed Harm's head, kissing his cheek one more time. "I'm glad you're here!" he told his brother and headed towards the stairs.

"Joe! Go!" his mother cried as she broke away from Cassie and headed into the kitchen.

Joe's response was to drop his head back between his shoulders and release a guttural sound of exasperation towards the ceiling before he thumped loudly up the stairs to prove that he was leaving.

Harm wiped his face and threw an apologetic look at Trick, his shoulders tightening as Quentin and Cassie came to a stop in front of them. Final introductions. He could do it. "Trick, this is my brother Ken and his fiancee, Barbie," he began sarcastically, avoiding identifying Trick.

Cassie giggled but Quentin glared at him, called him a dick and stepped in before Harm could correct himself. He held his hand out towards Trick, his back straight and his expression polite. His grip, when Trick took it, would be unnecessarily strong. "Quentin," he corrected in his deep voice.

[Pocky]

When Quentin held his hand too firmly for the shake, Trick matched it, his grip tightening before they committed their shake. Trick made his up-nod once more before releasing Quentin's hand.

"I'm surprised you didn't stick with Ken," Trick declared with sparkling eyes before turning to the woman beside him. "Are you a shaker, hugger or a don't-touch-me?" he grinned.

[Existentially Odd]

Quentin narrowed his eyes at Trick but stepped back as his fiancee was addressed. He stood behind her, squinting between Harm and Trick thoughtfully.

The redhead giggled again. "I'm Cassie and definitely a hugger," she enthused, holding her arms open and dipping her knees before giving a little squeal. Taking Trick's question as a signal and feeling like she'd given enough warning, she stepped in and wrapped her arms around Trick's shoulders, patting his back lightly. The contact was polite and relatively brief, she pulled back and smiled at him. "It's really great to meet you," she smiled then stepped over to Harm. "And you! It's been ages! What've you been up to?" she asked warmly, wrapping her arms around Harm in a much more familiar way.

Harm loosened up a little and hugged her back, smiling. "Same old same old," he answered vaguely.

Cassie pulled away and stepped back, her back relaxing against Quentin's front. He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, linking his fingers over her stomach while she continued speaking. "So you two, huh? Your mum says you've been together two weeks?" she enquired interestedly, waving a finger between Harm and Trick.

Harm sighed, his gaze shifting to Quentin, who was now smirking. "Yeah," he agreed, wanting to change the subject before his idiot brother voiced the question he could see lurking in his eyes. "We should probably go have dinner now."

[Pocky]

Trick gave Cassie a quick hug and pulled back, glancing at Quentin's expression and missing the  sour look he'd earned for his joke. He met Quentin's stare without guile, only breaking away to smile at Harm after the hug he gave his sister-in-law.

“Two weeks is apparently long enough to be cast as same old,” Trick said with a smile at Harm, but once again it was only on his lips and not quite reaching his eyes. “If only we'd just got together yesterday.”