though it's been said many times, many ways

[more_magic]

It’s strange to think of where he was a year ago, exactly. Waking up in Alex’s bed, hung over from the shame of the night before and the lingering effects of whatever Manuscript had given him, preparing for his first full day in a city outside of the world he knew and realizing in the process that he’d lost nearly two months in the space of a breath. There were more shocks to come, more alterations in what he thought to be true, but very little had managed to surpass the disorientation of that initial beginning to his tenure in Darrow.

Back then, Darlington had wondered what they might have done at home, if Alex would’ve been on a plane to California at the start of break--or if he might have managed to convince her to stay, to spend Christmas at Black Elm with him. What they got instead was better, that makeshift celebration with hastily-bought gifts and the smell of a half-remembered recipe wafting from Alex’s kitchen; the start of something new, even if neither of them had known the depths of that newness at the time. And now, a year on, through hard work and some kind of miracle, he gets what he’d wondered about after all.

Christmas Day will be just for them, presents and breakfast and relaxing by the fire, but tonight is a chance to celebrate. They decorate the main floor of Black Elm, filling the rooms they’ve already managed to furnish with light and warmth, the tree they’d bought earlier in the month standing by one of the large picture windows in the great room. Alex cooks all of Estrea Stern’s recipes she can think of, adds a few of Bernadette’s that Darlington remembers from his childhood. There’s music low on the stereo, a fire lit in the vast fireplace, the new table and chairs they’d bought for the formal dining room arranged just so beneath the chandelier at the center of the room. Even Kirby gets into the spirit in a new, festive collar, bright red against his black fur.

Above all, they’ve invited the people that matter, the few who have come to mean something--to one or both of them--in the year that’s just passed. It’s the first real party Black Elm has seen in many years, not since Darlington’s grandfather was alive. It feels, once again, like starting something new.

[[tag in, tag around, enjoy the party!]]

Comments

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

There's an odd sense of accomplishment in seeing the work Caleb's helped Daniel do on the house — castle, because no amount of explanation on Daniel's part is gonna make Caleb believe otherwise. He'd helped Daniel get so much of this done, when he wasn't in school or with Neil or Rosie, and decorated like this, it looks fucking good. He grins as it takes it in, the sight of the tree and Kirby's collar. Obviously, these guys know how to do Christmas.

Caleb, himself, is wearing a festive Christmas sweater, and he'd made sure Neil was wearing something similar — nothing necessarily fancy, but in the spirit of the holiday, anyway. The food is... incredible, and he wants to take his time and enjoy as much of it as he can. And he doesn't even need much of a break outside: Neil is there, keeping him that mossy green, and Daniel and Alex are familiar, comfortable feelings, and the rest are easy enough to keep at bay, at least for now.

How he'll feel if and when people start drinking, he doesn't know.

[ Find Caleb at any point during the party, with or without Neil at his side! He loves Christmas and he's having a great time :3 ]

[shadows_have_offended]

Even if Neil doesn't really know anyone besides Caleb, it still feels like a good enough reason to be there. It's a smaller party than the wedding had been, and he'd gone to that with great ease, so this is no problem at all.

And he's glad Caleb warned him not to dress up, because when they rolled up on the house, he'd been in mind of his parents dinner parties and wished he'd had a jacket and good shoes and a tie, and he's maybe a little self conscious about the whole thing. But that's mostly ebbed by now.

He catches Caleb by the food and tucks in close, giving him a bit of a squeeze. "Hey."

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

"Hey," Caleb answers warmly. He wraps an arm around Neil, pressing a kiss to his temple. "How d'you like it, so far?" He knows Neil has experience with, like, schmoozing, or whatever, but he still wants to make sure this isn't weird. Daniel and Alex are Caleb's friends, first, after all.

[shadows_have_offended]

"It's nice," Neil says, and he means it. For all that it feels a little bit like an extravagant New England dinner party that his parents might have dragged him to in location, the atmosphere inside is much more lax and laid back, and that makes Neil feel much more at ease.

"I met Daniel." He nods a little. "I, uh. I could really use a cigarette? Everything reminds me of home a little bit, but not--not in a bad way."

It just hurts, a little bit. An ache that makes him lean toward Caleb, seeking comfort.

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

Caleb frowns, just a little, but he keeps his arm around Neil and tips his head to look at him.

"Are you sure?" he asks. "I mean, you just feel... You just don't have to try to reassure me if it's a little... lot, right now." He winces and shakes his head, then huffs a laugh. "Sorry, that made no sense."

[shadows_have_offended]

"No, that made sense," Neil assures. He nuzzles a little bit. Just being next to Caleb makes things easier to handle, the weird pall of the his mood lightening slightly. He tucks a hand into Caleb's back pocket and sighs.

"I might step out for a cigarette," he says softly. "But you don't need to come for that, you know?"

He's been good about not smoking around Caleb very much, not sure if it would upset him or not, if nicotine would have the same reaction as alcohol or something.

"It'll just be a couple minutes, though?"

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

"Okay, like, I know you're from the 50s, but smoking's actually really bad for you. Like, you know that, right?" He doesn't mean to sound naggy or anything, but also, like... didn't cigarettes not have filters or even cancer warnings back then? There's also a flash of nerves, because Caleb doesn't know how it'll work with his ability, either Will he feel Neil relax because of the nicotine? Will he need Neil to smoke again later, if he does? Fuck. There are way too many variables.

[shadows_have_offended]

Neil freezes for a second, just a second, except for his finger tapping rapidly on his cup. He doesn't feel like his mood shifts, but he makes himself resolve. He shouldn't be catty about something like needing a break for a few minutes, just to get his head on straight.

"Just because it's the first time I've mentioned it doesn't mean I haven't been smoking the whole time we've been together," he does finally point out, soft and maybe a little bit hurt.

He looks down into his drink in the next instance, shame and foolishness crawling up the back of his neck in a flush.

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

Caleb's hackles go up, and it's very nearly a physical sensation. He frowns, even as his head reels back like Neil'd tried to slap him.

"That's literally not even what I said," he says.

[takecourage]

Alex steps in behind him and goes up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his shoulders and give him a quick squeeze. She drops a kiss against his shoulder.

"I'm glad you guys could make it," she says. "What do you think of the decorations?"

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

"Hey," Caleb says with a warm grin. "You guys killed it with the decorations. It's seriously awesome." As a perk, it makes the place feel a little less enormous, and Caleb finds he likes that. He turns to pull her into a hug, resting his chin on the top of her head. He grins when he sees Kirby again, and laughingly adds, "I fucking love Kirby's collar, too."

[takecourage]

Her arms slip around his waist, pulling him in tight against her for a moment. "It's cute, right? Totally Danny's idea."

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

"Shit, is he close?" Caleb pretends to look around, then sighs with relief when he realizes Daniel's too far away to hear them. "Phew. Don't want him hearing that. Don't need his ego getting any bigger." He grins, because he's just fucking around and he knows Alex knows it.

[takecourage]

"The doorways in this place are pretty big, but...Yeah," She says, grinning too. "He's altogether too sure of himself already, right? Privilege is a hell of a drug."

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

"I dunno how you put up with it," Caleb adds, and this time he can't help the laugh. Then he leans into Alex a little and sighs dramatically. "You're a saint. Really."

[takecourage]

Alex can't even play that one straight, and she snorts, rolling her eyes and leaning into him, butting her shoulder against his.

"Pretty low standard for Saints there, bud."

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

That has Caleb rolling his eyes right back. "Oh, shut up," he says. "Even saints aren't perfect." He wraps an arm around her shoulders and gently bumps his head against hers.

[more_magic]

He and Alex had done much of the work on Black Elm together, wanted to do so in the name of making it theirs. It was important to them, for different as well as similar reasons, and the result of it more than shows on nights like tonight. But for as independent as they'd been, Darlington has to give equal credit to the help Caleb's provided; all those weekends between Black Elm's arrival up to now, the grubby work of rewiring and restoring, of doing something hopefully a little lasting.

It's meant a lot to him, that help, and when he notices Caleb standing off to himself amidst the whirl of the party, Darlington heads his way. "Hey," he says with a smile, joining him at the window. "Enjoying yourself?"

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

"Oh, no, I hate this shit," Caleb says with a shit-eating grin. He nudges his elbow against Daniel's. "Yeah, Man, this is great. The placed looks amazing!" He knows he's been a help, and he'd seen some of the stuff they'd been getting done without him, but dressed up like this for the holiday, he can't help but beam.

[more_magic]

Darlington sighs, all exaggerated disappointment, the sound turning into a laugh halfway through. "I suppose we can't hope to keep all our guests happy."

He beams at the compliment, looking around at the expanse of the great room and the grand staircase just beyond, its wood banisters buffed to a high and glossy polish just that afternoon. "You know, I think this is the best it's looked in years."

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

Caleb could make a playful remark about how the place hasn't even been around that long — in Darrow, that is — but there's a sunny warmth to Daniel's feelings that make him change course before the thought can fully form.

"It really looks incredible," he assures sincerely. "You totally deserve to feel that way right now."

[more_magic]

"I love this house," he says, knowing that with Caleb he doesn't need to say much of anything at all. He grins when Caleb mentions the way he's feeling, a vague curiosity in his eyes. "Do I feel that different now?" he asks. "Since getting Black Elm back?"

He's been aware of something that's settled in him over the last few months, a contentment and a peace that he hadn't known was missing until it was back. Black Elm was always part of his heart, a piece of his soul, but it hadn't seemed tangible before now. Who better than Caleb to ask?

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

"Yeah, I mean," Caleb shrugs, looking around briefly to make sure no one who isn't supposed to hear anything will be able to. "It's like, any time I'd have an away game for football. Afterwards, I come home, and there's this, like, feeling of tension melting off my shoulders? It's like that, with you, but everywhere. Like you've been homesick, and you didn't even know it until you got home again."

He blushes a little, because he can get really rambly when he starts talking about feelings.

Then he shrugs and adds, "But I meant, specifically, this sense of pride you've got going on. Like, accomplishment-pride. Weirdly, it suits you."

[more_magic]

"That's exactly what it is," Darlington says, pitching his voice a little lower as Caleb looks around. The people here are the people they trust, ones Darlington's fairly certain would keep Caleb's secret if they learned it, but he can understand not wanting to take the chance. "Homesick in a way I hadn't realized until I saw this place again."

His smile broadens a little more at the rest. "God, we put so much work in," he agrees. "And I'm proud of it. That reminds me, I left the lights on in the library, if you need a place to go later. Second floor should be far enough from the party, right?"

[greatamazingfeelingsboy]

"Oh shit, thanks," he says. "Yeah, that should be good. That way I won't, like, have to go stand out in the cold." It's not as cold as it could be, and he tends to run a little warm, but still.