useful

The house had been quiet when he’d come home, the last of the Christmas shopping bumping against his legs as he’d manoeuvred through the door. By now Kit was probably down at the club, Katja with him. This close to Christmas the place was probably buzzing the same way the stores around the square had been as he’d darted from one to another, picking up those last minute gifts.

Frank kicked his boots off and headed through to the living room, setting the bags of presents down on the coffee table before he trailed through to the kitchen with the groceries he’d picked up. The snacks that seemed to vanish as soon as the house filled up went into the cupboards, the two six packs of beer – they might last a couple of days, but he’d still have to take his annual trip to the liquor store closer to the big day – in the fridge. Maybe later he’d head down to the club, grab a drink or two before the place closed up. For now he was gonna take advantage of the empty house to wrap things up without people being around to see.

Over the summer he’d gotten used to the place being full again, the house seeming to come to life when the family was there, any lingering ghosts of a past that still clung on like cobwebs at times swept away. They’d all been there at Thanksgiving, Dom’s empty chair at the table filled after it had spent most of last year sitting there empty. Bo’s high chair had been pulled up between his parents, as much sweet potato casserole ending up smeared on his face and hands as he wearing in the costume Freyja’d squeezed his chubby arms and legs into. Thankfully the meal hadn’t ended up disturbed by another arrival this year – given how many months pregnant she was now, it wasn’t likely at Christmas either. Dropping onto the couch with a cold beer in hand, Frank froze for a second. Maybe Easter if the timing was right. If her and Theo kept it up each major holiday would double up as a birthday.

Putting what might end up being out of his mind, Frank focused on the gifts. Paper was spread over the table, chunks of tape stuck to the edge of it in a row to make the process easier. Some cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie buzzed on the TV as background noise. The mini-instant camera he’d got for Hazel – an updated version of the one his parents had used when he and Theo were just Bo’s age – had it’s final side tapped down. He’d tried going for the whole ribbon thing, but trying to handle that many strands at once was as bad as when he’d tried braiding Hazel’s hair when she was a kid. Too much going on at once. Giving up, he puffed out his cheeks and just wrapped a couple of strands around it, shoving one of those ready made ribbon bows on top of it. With Bo’s giant narwhal stuffie he wasn’t even gonna try that. The paper was gonna be more interesting than the gift for him anyway.

The knock came at the door just as he muscled it up into the centre of the paper draped table. A quick glance at the sofa, around the floor confirmed none of the other gifts were left out in the open. Most of the family would’ve just walked straight in anyway, but not everyone.

Heading out to it, Frank caught sight of the compact frame through the glass before he tugged it open and found Dom standing there. Already half grinning, bearing gifts of the lubricating kind – with a bow stuck on it. ”Hey,” he shot back with a grin, tapping his hand against his chest like he was nostalgic. There wasn’t much to be thankful over when it came to the day he’d dragged Dom home – teary eyed and more than a little reluctant – from the liquor store, but this was definitely bringing back memories.

He shut the door behind Dom after he stepped in, tipping his head towards the living room. ”Starting the celebrations early – definitely up for that. I was just wrapping the last of the presents up.” He eyed the gift bag in Dom’s hand and then gestured to himself, like he was making sure it was for him before he reached for it and … alright, he took a peep and grinned. ”How the fuck did you get everything set before I did? You’re working your ass off and you still had time to shop. Thanks, man. These are awesome.” He wrapped an arm around Dom, not hesitating these days to pull him into a hug.

”Yours is under the tree, already wrapped,” he promised as he stepped back. He’d dithered over both halves of it, but he’d figured if one had Dom snorting, the other would probably still work. ”Lemme grab some glasses. You want a beer too?” It’d been a couple of weeks since they’d hung out, but after he’d patched Dom up the Halloween before last and they’d patched things up between them this had become a regular thing. As with every other member of the extended family he’d always told Dom to make himself at home here, still, he liked playing host, specially around the holidays.

Tagged: DOMINIC PHENDER * Word Count: 895

Frank grunted, huffing out a light laugh as he clapped a hand against Dom’s back. The corners of his mouth hitched up as he drew away. ”Yeah, but you’re working twice as many hours these days.” And it only seemed to have gotten worse as the holidays had approached. Amazon had done some of his heavy lifting, those brown cardboard boxes shoved into his pigeonhole at work, or on the floor in front when they wouldn’t fit. Dom probably hadn’t had the same option, ‘specially not if it was stuff for his sister that woulda been delivered to his place.

Pretty soon it’d probably be an issue for Theo, Freyja and the kids too. When Hazel had been small it’d always been a challenge keeping the gifts out of sight. Hazel might’ve been at Whitmore now, but with Bo getting mobile and another kid on the way, they were definitely gonna have to get creative. ”That ain’t happening any time soon,” Frank snorted. ”I think they’re aiming for double figures. I’m gonna have to start thinking about adding a kid’s table for family dinners.” When he’d first arrived in Mystic Falls those dinners had been him and Theo on the couch in Theo’s apartment, yelling at a baseball game on TV. Then Kit had arrived and it’d been three bachelors, Freyja had eased the testosterone load and from there it had snowballed. It might’ve meant that it would feel like they were cooking for an army on Christmas day, but he wasn’t gonna complain, every single one of those people around the table had come to mean something to him. They were family.

And friends-with-benefits-who-didn't-speak-about-it.

Since Dom had turned back up at the door, like a stray puppy who’d taken a beating out there on the mean streets of Mystic Falls, it had been heavy as heavy on the friend part of that as it had been the benefits. He was back at Sunday dinners when he wasn’t working, turning up at the door now like Santa, with a bottle of what bring about some of those benefits later and a gift gift in hand. Frank set the bag with the lights down on the kitchen table. ”Wrapped today,” he admitted. ”If you’d turned up an hour ago I’d have been hiding it under the couch cushions. I had the afternoon off so I figured I’d try and get the last of the shopping done.” If Dom hadn’t turned up he might’ve got the last of the wrapping done too. That would wait til later now, the kids weren’t gonna notice if the gifts were wrapped a little more sloppily.

At Dom’s nah, Frank headed back into the living room with just the glasses in hand. He dropped onto the end of the couch, shaking his head. ”You’re too old? Please, I’ve got, what, eight years on you? I’m the one who’s gonna be suffering through my 8am class tomorrow.” Nursing a bottle of Advil that would just about take the edge off of a hangover. Frank reached for the bottle Dom’d brought with him and cracked it open, pouring healthy measures into both glasses. He didn’t even bother to look chagrinned as he smirked at Dom. ”Nope. That’s gonna be a last minute job. I had more important things to handle, like trying to stop Nigel there from looking really inappropriate when he gets wrapped up.” His chin jerked towards the stuffed narwhal. Bo wasn’t gonna care about the horn, but the adults in the room were gonna be howling if that was what was sticking up under the tree Christmas morning.

Sprawling against the back of the couch, one arm stretched along its top, Frank watched Dom bounce up like a kid. It wasn’t Christmas morning, but it was close enough to add to his amusement. ”I figure there’s no point waiting til Christmas when I’ve already got my fancy garden lights.” He’d have offered up that it was the blue one tucked to the left of the tree, but Dom was already picking through them. ”Go ahead.” He wasn’t sure he’d even gotten the words out before Dom was tearing the parcel open. The layer of fabric under the paper would probably get tossed aside before Dom realised what it was, the bottle of single-barrel Jack Daniel’s was the familiarly solid core to it – great minds thinking alike. The fabric was what he’d ummed and aaahed about for weeks before he’d pulled the trigger on the order.

When he’d brought Dom home that first Christmas he hadn’t been sure if he’d see the year out, let alone drag himself out of the abyss of grief and sadness that Noah’s death had plunged himself into. There were still those occasional bursts of anger and grief, but bit by bit Dom had seemed to come back from it. The job at the Diner had been a crowning glory, some sign of new roots being put down, even if it might’ve been tempting to tear them up and quit. The apron probably wasn’t necessary for it, but proud of Dom for holding the job down, he’d ordered it. Denim to stay manly, Dom’s name embroidered along the bottom edge of one of the pockets. They did that kinda thing when people graduated culinary school, white jackets embroidered, the same as they did for doctors. ”I figured you could use it at work ... it’s not yard lights, but ... I’m proud of you for sticking it out, man. I can it adjusted if it doesn’t fit.” And he had time to get something else if Dom honestly hated it.

Tagged: DOMINIC PHENDER * Word Count: 939