Invitation To A Family Dinner

[Pocky]

Trick moved to the dinner table where there was a large baking tray with a whole fish upon it surrounded by carrots, sweet potato, sweetcorn cobs, onion and garlic bulbs. There were slices of lemon atop. Apart from them were bowls and plates containing different sides; broccoli, cheesy mash and garden salad. Two different sauces - one lemon one gravy - were available which Jon pointed out as Harm and Trick sat beside one another across from Jon and Gia.

Jon designated slices of fish for everyone's plates, flipping the fish over so that all that was left was a fish skeleton and everyone had a decent sized fillet before them. In the few minutes that followed, everyone passed dishes around to one another until everyone had a heaped serving.

Chatter was trivial until it naturally turned to Harm and Trick's upcoming trip.

"Trick tells me that the Samson fellow has many residences in Europe for you both to stay at," Jon said.

"I wish I had friends with European houses," Gia complained.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm was overwhelmed and complimentary towards the cooks as dinner was served, his eyes growing wider with hunger as his plate was heaped with delicious food. His momentary sense of comfort was dislodged when Ben's surname was brought up, wrapped in a hint for more information. Harm was still fighting his resentment towards Trick but he made an effort to smile at Jon and Gia so that they didn't feel like they were the target of his ire.

"Personally, I'm more impressed by the private jet than all the houses," he confided in Gia, dropping her a wink before shifting his attention to Jon, his demeanour switching from a playful tone to one more respectful and subdued. "That's right. I received an email from Ben just this morning with more details. There's eight: London, Paris, Berlin, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Switzerland, or was it Sweden? No, I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in Switzerland," he counted off on his fingers as he went, then reclaimed his cutlery.

"Apparently his husband wants to find something in Greece, too, and he wondered if we might find and recommend something if/when we go there," Harm smirked, rolling his eyes as he concentrated on creating the perfect forkful of food. Eyes downcast, he added, "No idea how long it'll take us to get through the ones he's already got but he said we can stay in them all. I think you should seriously consider a career as a rich vampire empty home domestic," he told Gia, pointing his knife in her direction. "Because they have caretakers in every one of these places, permanently just keeping it clean and ready for an impromptu visit that could take decades to happen! How sweet a job would that be?" he marvelled, finally putting his food in his mouth.

[Pocky]

Gia gasped at the mention of a private jet, her eyes wide and shining. She made a high sound of excitement until her brother interrupted.

"Gia's not going anywhere near vampires or their houses," Trick said, his tone and posture stiff.

The mood shifted dramatically. Gia's delighted grin faded as she looked at Trick but instead of returning a sassy remark she shrugged and stabbed noncommittally at the mashed potato on her plate, puncturing the mound with the tines of her fork. Jon looked between both of his children before his eyes found Harm and he tipped his head to the side in a manner that acknowledged Harm's comment while also being apologetic.

"Pass the lemon butter sauce, could you?" Jon asked generally, gesturing to the pouring jug in question. He already had a spoonful of it upon his fish but that hadn't deterred him. Trick was closest and reached for it, handing it across the table but keeping his eyes mostly on the spread before him.

"This fish is delish," Gia said, her laughter soft but forced.

"Laughing at your own joke," Trick teased.

"It was a sonnet, not a joke," Gia clapped back.

"It's too short to be a sonnet," Trick argued, then looked at Jon. "How long's a sonnet?"

"Fourteen lines."

"It's the start of a sonnet," Gia tried again.

"It's barely the title of a sonnet. The fish is delish? Dr Seuss eat your heart out," Trick said with a grin.

"Dr Seuss is the modern Shakespeare," Gia agreed.

"The enticing doublet to One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish?" Trick said.

"A doublet is a shirt," Jon corrected.

"I thought it was the sequel for a sonnet," Trick replied, confused.

"It's the sequel for a singlet," Gia said, then shrieked laughter. Trick and Jon laughed along.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm cast an annoyed look in Trick's direction at his pedantic insistence that Gia would go nowhere near vampires but he didn't bother to make eye contact or argue. Of course he hadn't been serious, for fuck's sake. He forced himself to look away, in time to catch Jon's inclined head and smile tightly at him. It died as tension came to life.

Keeping snarky thoughts that Gia was way smarter than her brother to himself, Harm was nevertheless impressed when she proved him correct with her singlet quip. He was too anxious to laugh but he smiled at her, his expression softer and more natural. She was incredibly witty for someone her age; he took it as a sign of high intelligence. She was beautiful, too, in an organic, effervescent way. She'd be an absolute handful in a relationship, not unlike her brother. She was brutally honest, though... unlike her brother.

The thought brought a scowl and Harm looked intently at his food again, trying to distract himself by wondering what it would be like if he introduced Joe to Gia. She'd likely eat him alive and he'd love it. Then she'd reject him and he'd cry. It wouldn't be pretty, which would serve his cocky little brother right. Maybe one day. Probably never.

He could feel their gazes on him, even though he wasn't looking away from his meal. He wasn't his usual carefree self and they'd notice. The idea of answering questions about why he was so quiet twisted his gut more than the thought of maintaining a happy front. He pushed out of his comfort zone in order to prevent worse conversation coming his way, "So what do you want to do for work after you leave school?" he asked Gia, looking very interested in her answer.

[Pocky]

"Programmer," Gia said then launched into a dialogue with quick breaths in between the odd sentence. "I've already made an app for you and Trick to use in Europe for your favourite spots. It integrates with the map. I've called it Instatag because it's kind of like Instagram meets Trip Advisor but without the boring reviews. You can either mark a location as your favourite and leave it like that or take a photo and then mark location as one of your favourites. Followers--only me and Dad for now--will be able to see the photos pinned directly on a map. I'm trying to work out how to integrate it with the website so you can buy prints from the photos right off there. I don't want to use someone else's plugin for money stuff unless it's a legit company but nobody has quite what I want. I wish I had time to beta-test it but Trick said you were leaving as soon as you both had your papers."

"I'm not hanging around just to beta test your unfinished app," Trick said before pushing corn-holders onto his cob.

"If I took a photo of your face, I'd hashtag it ungrateful," Gia shot back.

"How about you take a photo of my arse instead?" Trick replied, earning a blink from Gia. Her confused look found Harm next but Jon was next to speak.

"Trick, your mood is showing. Adjust it, please."

Trick nodded but refocussed his attention onto his plate.

"What's up with you? You were fine in the lounge." Gia's stare shifted back and forth between Harm and Trick before she turned to look at her dad.

"Drop it," Trick said quietly.

Gia opened her mouth but Jon nudged her for her attention and shook his head.

Jon and Gia resumed eating but Trick pushed food around his plate.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm suddenly felt much older than he was. He also felt spiteful and stupid and regretful. So fucking regretful. He wanted to hear more about the app Gia had designed for their trip, he was intrigued about how it would work but the air around the table had only thickened. Their silence was affecting Jon and Gia's evening and Harm didn't want that. Guilt seeped through him as he weighed the situation.

Mainly, he felt terrible because he'd known it wasn't a good idea for Trick to keep his explanation to himself - both because stewing only exacerbated the problem and also because it made Harm resentful. The tension wasn't entirely his fault and he tried to tell himself that but, because he'd been spiteful, it still felt like it was. Of course, the situation could've soured because Trick wasn't looking forward to the explanation of his lie, too, in which case it shouldn't be rushed.

Harm was torn between letting everything simmer and inviting Trick upstairs or back into the lounge to sort it out. At this stage, he was also feeling bad that Trick was feeling bad, despite being angered by the knowledge his boyfriend had willingly lied to him about something. Something to do with his mother's death. Why would he lie about that? And how did it connect to his family being assholes to him? He didn't get it!

Sidling a glance sideways, he noticed Trick wasn't eating properly. Harm's gaze drifted upwards, travelling over his hands and up his arms to his profile, noting the stiffness with which he held himself, the tightness in his shoulders. Was it because of him, because he'd been quiet? Was it because Trick had lied? Was it because of the story itself (whatever that was)?

Normally, Harm's default belief would've been that it was all Trick's problem but they'd grown a lot closer in the time they'd been together. Trick had admitted earlier that he'd missed him after just one night apart and Trick wasn't the gushy type. His soft inside was more obvious to Harm now, though. He cared. He cared what Harm thought and he cared about Harm's feelings. Not as much as he loved his family, though, and Jon had been disappointed in his son - enough to pull the full name treatment on him.

Knowing they were both unhappy with him right now was probably eating at Trick more than he was comfortable admitting. There was also the nature of the lie itself; that wasn't easy for him to bear. Harm sighed, feeling even worse for Trick, his resentment dissolving into sympathy despite wanting to be mad and punish him for lying. He couldn't continue to do it. He also couldn't force the issue when he knew Trick worked best given his own time and space. Harm wanted it resolved sooner rather than later.

Fighting the urge to stand and coax Trick away from the table to discuss it, Harm instead offered an olive branch. He put his knife down - settling for using just his fork for the time being - and dropped the hand closest to Trick below the table, sliding it atop his thigh and giving him a squeeze. Whether it was supposed to assure Trick he was still there, that he was sorry or encourage Trick to be in a better mood, he wasn't sure. He just wished things were a fuckload less awkward right now.

"How long will you need to test your app out?" Harm asked Gia, clearing his throat so his voice was a little less husky (though karaoke the night before had really done a number on it. Damn Maroon Five and their tempting high notes). "We're probably here for another month, though I'm hoping I get my passport this coming week so I can start on my visa application. It's probably wishful thinking," he gave Trick's leg another squeeze as thoughts of their upcoming trip sent a zing of excitement through him. If he got no reaction, he'd withdraw his hand altogether.

"Anything I can do to help in the meantime, I'm all in. Your app sounds fantastic!" Harm enthused, hoping he could make at least one Fallows family member smile.

[Pocky]

At the touch Trick looked over at Harm, searching his eyes before a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. His shoulders lowered and he sat up straighter, his hand moving beneath the table to place atop Harm's. With his free hand he scooped a forkful of cheesy mash and placed it into his mouth, eating while the others talked.

"Another month?" Gia asked, her lack of understanding shifting from Harm to Trick and then to her father, who spoke next.

"Aren't you an American citizen, Harm? You don't need a Visa for Europe until 2021. The window's still wide open for you to get over there on your passport alone. When the time gets closer and you arrive somewhere you want to stay for a while, apply to all the other countries you still want to visit. It only takes two weeks, maybe three. Then you can move around freely."

"Oh-h-h," Trick said, the extended word attracting everyone's attention. "That's what you meant by not worrying about the Visa. I thought that meant you were handling it for me."

"Why would I handle your travel documents for you?" Jon said with mirth in his voice.

"I thought it was strange but I didn't want to argue." Trick grinned first at Jon and then at Harm.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm snorted at the notion that Trick hadn't wanted to argue with his father and turned to smile hesitantly at Jon, wetting his lips nervously before he replied.

"Uh, not to sound argumentative but that is true for most of Europe but my research said the UK requires a work Visa and a job lined up before you enter the country," he corrected tentatively, glancing at Trick before looking back at Jon and elaborating. "Their rules are different. I've already done an interview via Skype and got work lined up in a London hospital for when we get there so the Visa should go through pretty easily, I just need to prove I'm ready to travel with my passport. Trick doesn't need to worry, though," Harm insisted, as if Jon had argued with him and he was trying to smooth the conversation over, "I always said I'd be the one to support us. At least in the UK."

Smiling fondly at Trick, Harm glanced at his father and then turned back to Gia with a question. "He might need to pull his weight more in some of the other countries. Did you say something about his photos being bought with your app?"

[Pocky]

There was a brief silence around the table. Gia puffed a soft laugh and gnawed on her lip. Trick stiffened once more and his hand retreated from Harm's beneath the table. Jon shook his head at Harm, not pursuing his forkful of food and lowering it instead.

“I don’t know what you researched but whoever gave you that information is wrong. I checked the government requirements. US citizens can both holiday and work in the UK for up to five months on a valid passport, no visa required. The government website was quite specific.” The forkful entered his mouth and he immediately made a noise and held up a hand. Finishing what was in his mouth he added; “Though it would be nice to have you and Trick here a little longer.”

Gia smirked at her brother but still said nothing.

[Existentially Odd]

Trick's hand being withdrawn felt more like an abandonment than Harm liked. It seemed a very, 'shit man, you're on your own if you're going up against my dad' kind of gesture which, when coupled with the renewed silence from Trick and Gia, was very unnerving. He removed his hand from Trick's thigh and reclaimed his cutlery while he warily listened and was put in his place. Now he saw the likeness between Trick and his father.

It was true that Harm hadn't gone to the government's website specifically but all the other 'what to do' and 'how to plan your holiday' websites had said he'd need a Visa for the UK. Maybe their information was old? Or just inaccurate. He blushed mildly, knowing he hadn't put a lot of effort into research because he didn't have his passport so it was all irrelevant until he got that.

"Ah well. I clearly need to do more thorough research. We're here for another three weeks until my leave starts, regardless," he shrugged affably, hoping it was enough of a concession to appease Jon. He attacked his food with renewed interest, eager to fill his mouth before it got him into any more trouble.

[Pocky]

"Three weeks, eh? Trick made it sound as though you two might be departing tomorrow. Eagerness, I suppose," Jon grinned.

Gia finally found something to say. "And then in England Trick will be a good little wifey while hubby brings home the bacon." She shrieked laughter.

"How's your relationship with Paul doing?" Trick asked her. Gia's laughter cut off abruptly.

"You're a turd."

"Paul?" Jon asked, his attention moving to Gia. There was a brief pause as he considered the name. "Not Jenny's older brother Paul?"

Gia reddened and glared at Trick a moment longer before shrugging at her father. "I'm not his girlfriend or anything, we just hang out."

"Isn't he twenty years old?" Jon asked, alarmed.

"Nineteen."

Jon looked ready to throw down but he cleared his throat and took a breath before taking a large drink of water. Then he addressed Gia with a soft voice. "We'll discuss this after dinner."

"Thanks a lot, Robbie," she spat, turning an ire-filled gaze at her brother. Trick shrugged and had a bite of fish.

Jon turned to Harm. "When my children are in disagreement with one another, I learn all their secrets," he said. His smile didn't reach his eyes. "Sorry if you're uncomfortable. I hope you're not in too much trouble with Trick later."

"Not in trouble," Trick protested.

Jon chuckled.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm's eye narrowed on Gia when she made her joke about Trick being a wife and he was waspishly pleased when Trick managed to shut her down and cut her laughter short. He had no interest in either of them taking on feminine or even submissive roles with one another. Probably because he'd usually be referred to as 'the female' in the relationship and he resented the fuck out of shit like that. They were both men and that's the way they fucking liked it.

He cocked a brow, surprised at Gia hanging out with a nineteen year old and wondered how Trick knew about it and didn't try to stop it. Obviously there couldn't be anything too bad to the relationship or he surely would've. He was never going to let her near vampires, after all. Plus, a nineteen year old was probably not a bad match for Gia's intellect. They possibly did just hang out. She was used to bouncing off her much older brother, so she probably got on best with people above her own age.

Still, it wasn't his business and Harm kept his mouth shut and his head down, wishing Gia had answered his questions about Trick's photos. His action earnt him an explanation and a curious statement from Jon. Harm frowned at him, wondering why he'd be in trouble with Trick. Because he'd delayed their trip unnecessarily (which he hadn't, he could alter his leave and go earlier if necessary, he'd just had it in his head he'd hang around til the election so he could vote for Ben) or because Harm had argued with Trick's father, perhaps? If anything, Trick was still in trouble with Harm for lying!

"I'm not uncomfortable," Harm snorted, thinking about his interactions with his brothers. "This is nothing. At least they actually like each other and no-one's getting punched," he shrugged, giving Jon a smile to accompany his minimal consolation. It was strange to Harm that a brother and sister could be close enough to even confide their secrets in their sibling in the first place but only because he didn't know about sisters. If he really thought about it, these two were a lot like he and Joe. Not so different, then.

Well, except for the revealing their secrets to their parents if they got annoyed with each other. He and Joe wouldn't do that. Maybe that was the beauty of brothers.

[Pocky]

"Hm," Jon murmured at Harm's reply. Dinner continued in brief silence before Gia asked Trick about his car and at once there was idle chatter and jokes being made about all manner of things around the topic of breakdowns and public transportation. Harm discovered--or was reminded--that Trick wasn't going to get his car the much needed fix it required because of the upcoming Europe trip. Every time Trick started his car would be a throw of the dice.

Finally everyone was full and Jon promised dessert in an hour when everyone had digested. Everyone pitched in to clear the table and scrape leftovers into either the bin or a container for the fridge depending on what it was and how much. In spite of the dinner table looking full at the start, there wasn't a lot remaining.

"I'll pack the dishwasher. Gia, show the boys your app and then come straight back, please."

"Okay," Gia replied, her expression and body language mixed due to the good and bad message from her father. She scurried out of the kitchen before either Trick or Harm and the sounds of her footsteps moving upstairs carried throughout the house. Trick and Harm followed at their own pace.

"Thanks a lot, arsehole," Gia hissed when Trick led Harm to Gia's bedroom. Her computer setup was the eye-catching item in her small room, a see-through PC with neon blue lights and two giant monitors crowding the tiny desk. Her keyboard and mouse both looked slim and futuristic. Harm and Trick both had to sit on her bed while she rolled her chair to one side. "Why'd you even bring that up?"

"Because we talked about the money thing already," Trick said irritably before turning to face Harm directly. "You might be earning more money than me with your nursing, but you're not supporting me, okay? I've always wanted to travel and I'd rather do it with someone to lighten the load but don't think I won't be 'pulling my weight'." The last three words were said in a staccato mimicry of Harm's statement earlier.

"This is why you betrayed my secret to Dad?" Gia hissed, not giving Harm a chance to reply.

"We talked about the money thing already," Trick hissed back. "Just tell Dad the truth that Paul isn't interested in you."

"That's not the point!" Gia hiss-shrieked.

They glared at one another, giving Harm time to venture into the conversation.

[Existentially Odd]

Ohhh. Right. So his joke landed poorly... and Gia made it worse but he wasn't clever enough to realise he'd started it. How stupid of him. Harm watched Trick's face as he was assured Trick would pull his weight, realisation dawning and falling in his gut like a stone. He kept his mouth shut because it was safer, nodding curtly at Trick. Harm was still keeping his distance physically and finding himself back in the petty zone because he was being reprimanded for something he hadn't meant that way yet Trick was still a fucking liar.

Was he also the kind of guy that cared about which of them earnt more money? He had been amazed by the amount of Harm's savings, as well as casually mentioning stuff about him being able to afford to live alone in his own apartment. More than once. Trick was proud and it probably did bother him, then. Shit. Harm had also been responsible for bringing Ben to the table and scoring them free flights to and accommodation in Europe, but Trick didn't resent that because it came out of a vampire's pocket, not Harm's. So it was okay to be supported by vampires but not his boyfriend? Double standards really stuck it to the man.

Realising he wasn't in any sort of mood to tolerate Trick and Gia's bickering, Harm attempted to steer the conversation back to something he was interested in. "I thought the point was to show us this app of yours?" he prompted, raising his eyebrows and smiling good-naturedly at Gia. "It sounds awesome," he hinted, injecting a passable amount of enthusiasm into his voice as he watched her with wide blue-green eyes. Trick would be able to decipher his disingenuousness but he wasn't looking straight at him.

Besides, he knew why Harm was keeping his hands on his own knees and not talking excessively and he didn't want to talk about that so he highly doubted Trick would call him out on being fake nice to his sister.

[Pocky]

Gia took the bait, or the escape, that Harm offered. With one last seething glare at her brother, she swivelled her chair towards the computer and double clicked an app, sending it to one screen while she brought up Trick’s photography website onto the other.

She led them through first the website and the shop she'd set up for her brother's prints, showing how fans could choose to purchase different sizes of prints or bundles. She showed Harm the post package tubes that she would mail them in, working the back of store while Trick uploaded pictures. She demonstrated how the app worked with it, though it wouldn’t take a high resolution photo yet and that was something she was working on.

“I do have a workaround though, you can just Dropbox it, but instant sales would be better. Trick's phone snaps make good postcard sized pics, which print quick and sell cheaply so more people are likely to buy a bundle of three or five, but I’m going to need you to take series shots. Trick's photos are always better than those iconic touristy shots. The app will be downloadable on our website but you should push it on Insta. You too, Harm. If you don’t have an account, get one,”

She was all business, clicking around and demonstrating how it worked. She took Harm's contact details so she could send him a link to download the app.

“That's it then. I’m going to go chat with Dad now,” she huffed.

Trick and Harm left her room. Only half an hour had passed. When Gia's foot hit the first step downward, Harm and Trick were in Trick's room. He moved across and opened the window, turning and sitting on the sill, arms braces either side of himself facing Harm and sucking his lips inward.