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[SCA] The Family That Eats Together
Title: The Family That Eats Together
Fandom: High School Musical + DC Comics + Uncharted (with brief mentions of How I Met Your Mother)
Universe: Sharpay's Crossover Adventure
Relationships: Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher (everything else is platonic!)
Summary: Tom, Sharpay, and Peyton spend Thanksgiving apart from one another - and in their absence, they learn more about their relationships with their blood relations than they expected to.
For the first time in years, Tom wasn't having any guests over for Thanksgiving dinner. Sharpay's parents had asked her to come home, and after her concerned looks, Tom'd convinced her to go ahead and book her flight. Peyton wanted to take the opportunity to be with his Uncle Nate (god, Tom still couldn't believe Nate was officially Peyton's uncle), and Jason was being coerced back to Wayne Manor. Even Maxine was heading to upstate New York to her grandmother's place! Justin lived in town, and besides, he was more Peyton's friend than Tom's. Tom didn't feel right joining the Russos for dinner, even if Mr. and Mrs. Russo liked him.
Funny how Tom'd grown accustomed to the noise in his house, little by little. Had he been in high school, he and Mom would've accepted Mimi's annual invitation to her place. While she still extended the invitation, he never felt right accepting it - especially now that she was dating that Koushiro kid. He should be the one sitting at her side, not Tom. Japan'd understand if Koushiro skipped school just to hang out with his favorite girl, right?
Dad wasn't much for celebrating with a big fancy meal, but Tom usually broke him down long enough for a turkey and a nice glass of wine. ("Why we have to splurge on the fancy stuff once a year, I'll never know," he told Tom one year, only for Tom to shake his head before pouring his dad another glass.)
Thanksgiving always made Tom miss Mom. She'd always know what to do, even if it wasn't much - she got together with some of the other moms in your neighborhood, and they'd make a big Jewish potluck together. They didn't have any living relatives then, beyond his grandparents, so it didn't make much sense to have dinner with just the two of them. One year, Jason'd even skipped dinner at Wayne Manor just to eat with them - he claimed he liked the atmosphere here better. Judging from the articles featuring Bruce Wayne, Tom had to wonder how Jason had survived the place. Bruce had to be one of the stupider father figures out there - or at least one of the drunkest. No wonder Jason'd holed up in the brownstone most weekends! (Or maybe he just liked Mom's cooking. Tom never could tell.)
Still, he didn't want to have dinner with just Dad. It'd feel too quiet and stuffy, and he knew they'd end up in some dingy bar anyways - or the hospital, once he dragged Dad away from the poor bystander who'd kicked off the brawl in the first place. When Tom brought it up to him, omitting the inevitable conclusion, Dad looked at Tom thoughtfully before he said slowly, "I could always ask Alan or Jay."
Better question was, would they be intruding on their dinners? Jay and Joan didn't have any kids, sure, but the Allen-West family often included Uncle Jay in their plans. Tom didn't know Bart or Wally well enough to join their conversations, and he didn't think it'd be polite to show up unannounced. Plus, with Uncle Alan, Todd's boyfriend would come along, and he didn't know them well enough either. He shot Dad a skeptical look, as if to ask him if they'd really crash the Scott-Rice or Garrick-West-Allen dinner.
Before Dad could speak again, Tom interrupted, "What about Michael and Karen? Or Kyle and his girlfriend?"
Dad tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Karen's heading to Kansas to spend it with her cousins, though I don't think Michael had any plans." As for Kyle, Tom half-suspected Donna (Kyle's girlfriend this year) would take him down to Titans Tower. Tom didn't know the Titans well enough, nor did he really want to. People died most often on the Titans, and he liked his life too much to waste a year or two of it stuck in the Underworld.
One phone call later, he learned that neither Michael nor Dr. Cross, their team doctor, had any plans. They didn't want to spend dinner at the Brownstone, so Tom suggested his place. After a moment, he admitted that he couldn't cook, so maybe they could help him with the basics, and they'd ask one of the girls - Sonia - if she wanted to have turkey with them?
Michael double-checked with the rest of the JSA. As Tom'd predicted, most members chose to spend the day with their families, save for those (like Tom) who had smaller families or no living family to speak of. Sonia hadn't really understood the fuss over Thanksgiving, and Tom couldn't blame her for sounding wildly confused when he, Michael, Dad, Dr. Cross, and Sandy (somehow they'd missed asking the Sandman) asked her to join them for a traditional American turkey dinner.
Dad'd looked at him skeptically. "You sure you want to go through with this?"
He shrugged. "Worst case scenario, we'll be in the Brownstone's infirmary, with Dr. Cross telling us we suck for making him work so hard."
"So basically like last Tuesday."
Tom smiled wryly. "Well, when you put it that way...."
Honestly, Tom was kind of looking forward to this. It wasn't every year that he got to say that he spent the day with his dad and his friends, and besides, they had enough in common that they could make it a pleasant evening and kick butt if some idiot decided to rob a bank (it happened last year). He just didn't want to head to the bar again. At the very least, they should actually have dinner before the inevitable happened.
As it turns out, Uncle Nate and Aunt Elena had invited Sully (Peyton couldn't call him anything else - he tried) and Mr. Cutter over for Thanksgiving dinner. Aunt Elena had offhandedly mentioned inviting her coworker Robin, but she was already having dinner with some friends. "That's just like her," Aunt Elena said fondly, helping Peyton with the mashed potatoes. "She's always off with Ted and Barney and the others."
Uncle Nate raised an eyebrow. "You've actually met Barney Stinson?"
"Once. He tried to take me home until he realized I was married." Aunt Elena shot him an amused look, and Peyton felt like he should've given them some alone time. "Why, do you know him?"
"Only of him. When he got arrested---" Uncle Nate coughed. "I mean, I heard he got arrested once, by the JSA or some other group, and it was a pretty hilarious thing. Didn't your coworker cover it on the news?"
Peyton had to ask, "You mean that weird Sandy Rivers guy?"
Weird was putting it mildly. Peyton didn't really watch the news, since he caught most of it on his smartphone, but what he saw of Sandy Rivers was enough to make him change the channel. Multiple times. Justin said that not even the hot weather channel woman made up for his crap, and Justin had a ridiculous tolerance for newscasters. If it wasn't Sandy's hair, then it was whatever weird position he was taking a stance on that month. Honestly, Peyton had no idea how the guy still had a job in the industry.
"He's not that bad..." When Aunt Elena was tucking her hair behind her ears, she was lying. Peyton didn't need to look at her long to know that she found him creepy too. She shook her head, handing over the potatoes to Peyton. "What about Barney's arrest?"
"Public indecency." Nate flashed her a grin. "Hard to believe that's the guy Robin's getting married to."
Peyton snorted, placing the potatoes on the table before he reached for the salad bowl. "That's one JSA incident I'm glad I didn't film."
Both of them gave him concerned looks, and in that instant, Peyton really, really wished he hadn't said anything.
New Mexico was just as hot as Sharpay remembered it. The minute she stepped onto the jetway, she inhaled deeply and stared up at the burning hot sky. The upsides: Montez wouldn't be here, but Troy would, and maybe Zeke could make her some cookies if she asked nicely. Ryan had managed to snag a couple of days off, so he was eating with the rest of the family. Mom and Dad would grill her about Tom (and Ryan would want another Skype conversation with him), so she fully expected that portion of the evening to be awkward.
Honestly, if Tom wanted to sleep with her, he would've done so months ago. He certainly brought home enough girls for him to be somewhat aware of that kind of thing! Or maybe he didn't - she'd seen the way that he looked at Maxine, how he held out on her because he feared that he'd corrupt her innocence. (Okay, so maybe Shar overheard Tom confiding in Jason. She didn't mean to linger. Really!)
She just wanted to come home and tell Mom and Dad that she had a boyfriend and that he was absolutely, positively amazing. They might've laughed at him being a math geek - Tom hadn't decided if they should know his little secret yet - or for him being not her usual type, but they would've accepted him, whiskers and all. Plus, Tom actually seemed to like Troy (or Troy's wall posts), so that had to say something.
The second she stepped out of the terminal, Ryan greeted her with the tightest hug she'd felt in months. He kissed her on both cheeks, and she returned his affection eagerly.
"Hey." he grinned, before casually swinging his arm around her shoulders. "How was your flight?"
"Great, but they could've had better vitamin water."
Ryan rolled her eyes at her before he pulled her down towards the luggage claim. "You always say that."
"Because it's always true!"
All worries about leaving Tom alone to fend for himself had immediately disappeared from her mind. Honestly, it really was good to be back home. This year, she knew she'd make the most of it - she already knew who she was. She didn't need any more time to rediscover something she'd always known.
Maxine had sent Tom a quick text about an hour ago.
Even in text form, she still managed to speak a mile a minute. Tom snorted, before sending her a response to assuage her worries. Thanks for the tip, he'd be honored to meet her parents, and yes, that was totally fine, he promises Mr. and Mrs. Hunkel that he's just Maxine's best friend, nothing more, nothing less. (It stung to think so. Maxine just wouldn't get the hint!)
He looked up and stared over at Sandy and Sonia. Now that the turkey was in the oven, pretty much everything else (except for the fries) had been finished. On Michael's advice, they'd prepared dessert the night before, and Sandy had ample free time to whip up a couple of pies. Tom wasn't sure how - Sandy was a quiet kind of guy, and he didn't really add much to JSA discussions beyond his prophetic dreams. But from what Michael said, Sandy made a damn good pie, so Tom was obliged to just shut up and eat it.
Sonia tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Dinner is almost ready."
"Thanks." He smiled politely at her, before tucking his phone away and following her to the dinner table. With their luck so far, maybe they'd actually get time to pray before their meal.
"What do you mean, that's one incident you didn't film? How many hours do you have?" When Aunt Elena was mad, she was really mad. Peyton knew he was stating the obvious, but he had no idea she was this exasperated about his hobby. Didn't she have better things to nitpick? Like her shopaholic habits and how many hours she spent at Pottery Barn? Or Uncle Nate's weird habit of collecting quotes from almost every book he read? Granted, some quotes were cool. Most tended to wander the pretentious path, and Peyton often wished that they'd stop being so snooty. Not everything had to be profound!
Peyton gulped, pressing himself against the fridge door. "Not that many? Maybe... four or five total...."
Uncle Nate raised an eyebrow. "Only? I could've sworn I saw you last week, when the Iceman--"
"Icicle Jr."
"Whatever his name was." Then Uncle Nate chuckled, as if he just realized something. "... You probably had that paper due, didn't you? The one on racial stereotypes in action films?"
Peyton shot him a quizzical look. "Yeah, but I don't..." A wave of understanding washed over him. Was Uncle Nate actually trying to cover for him? Peyton's face broke into a grin as he nodded. "OH! I know what you're talking about. That paper sucked. I mean, I get why we had to write it, since most of us are whiter than white and we're not going to understand minority representation until we're exposed to it, but it was---"
Elena chuckled. "Slow down, Peyton. You're starting to sound like a motormouth."
"Sorry, Auntie." Peyton grinned wryly. "Point was, I've been kinda busy with school and this thing called a social life."
"I remember." She shook her head fondly, before shooing the boys out towards the table. "Nate and I were young once too, you know. It wasn't that long ago."
He bit his tongue, half-tempted to call her old for the sake of her reaction, but he'd just dodged a bullet. Instead, he laughed as he set the salad bowl down on the table. "If you say so. Uncle Nate, are you gonna say grace?"
Uncle Nate shot Elena a bewildered look. "You guys actually do that?"
"Why wouldn't we? It's Thanksgiving, and we should thank God for his blessings."
When Uncle Nate then looked at Peyton, as if to beg for mercy, Peyton merely shrugged. "It is the season of giving, Uncle. You might as well get it over with."
"Peyton!" It was worth it, all for Aunt Elena's reaction. He tried to look innocent as he took his seat beside Uncle Nate. Then when his aunt and uncle joined hands for prayer, Peyton couldn't help laying his hands ontop of theirs. Maybe this wasn't Fort Worth, and maybe he wasn't sitting next to Mom and Dad, but Uncle and Auntie were almost as good (maybe even better).
Uncle Nate inhaled deeply, before he softly murmured, "Dear lord, our heavenly father... bless this..." He helplessly stared up at Peyton, silently pleading with him to finish the prayer.
Peyton nodded with understanding, picking up with, "Bless this meal in your name and your son. In Jesus Christ we trust. Amen."
Aunt Elena squeezed his hands tighter, just as Uncle Nate reached for the carving knife and started to serve them turkey. Time stood still for a moment, and in that moment, Peyton had never felt as at home.
As usual, Mom and Dad had asked their staff to cook dinner. This disappointed Sharpay more than she'd realized. The second she stared down at the feast, she couldn't help thinking about Tom and Peyton. Knowing her boys, they'd cooked dinner on their own, with no help from their staff. Mommy always relied on her staff to double-check her recipes! Plus Daddy liked having his men on hand, just in case that deep-fried turkey accidentally exploded on them outside.
This time, she half-wondered if Mommy and Daddy had ever relied on their own ability to cook, if they'd ever experienced the sting of raw lemon juice on their hands or the aroma of chicken broth wafting through the room. If they'd ever experimented with their roommate's beer and realized it didn't taste that bad when combined with chicken, or if they'd ever had their best friend's macaroons. If they'd ever served their friends Coke with their own two hands.
She knew better than to confide in Ryan. He'd just laugh at her and say something like 'Shar, you're pretty much the only person who's ever relied on other people for this long.' How was she supposed to know that the plebeians didn't have it that bad? Right now, she really missed Tom's salads and Peyton's brownies (the pot-free kind) - yet she'd also craved sweet potatoes and the green bean casserole that had always been a classic on their dinner table.
Sharpay couldn't meet Mom's gaze when the entire family said grace, nor could she entirely fake her smile when Dad asked her how the turkey tasted. (It tasted great, but that was besides the point!) When the staff waltzed in to clear the table, she quickly excused herself, saying that she needed to use the restroom.
If her family bought her lie, they were more gullible than she thought. Quickly, she pulled out her phone and dialed the first number on her speed-dial. Hopefully he'd pick up soon....
Just when they'd finished dessert, Tom's phone buzzed. He stared down at it for a moment longer than necessary before rising to his feet. "Sorry," he apologized to everyone, "but I've gotta take this."
He headed out the door, cupping the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Tommy! Hi! I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."
"Shar?" Tom pulled his phone away from his ear and stared at it for a second. Why was she calling? She was the one boasting about how fabulous the Evanses Thanksgiving dinners were! Sure, they often asked staff to stay over, but the staff got to bring their families afterwards to eat, and the Evanses were pretty good about eating early and giving the leftovers to their staff for the inconvenience of working this holiday. (Immigrants loved this holiday more than Christmas, it seemed.)
He coughed. "Not at all! What's up? Is there trouble down in Albuquerque?"
He could practically hear Sharpay rolling her eyes. "Of course not. Even if there were, why would they attack here? Like you said, we've only got cactuses."
"Cacti."
"Whatever." Sharpay was laughing a little, and Tom couldn't help that grin tugging at his face. She continued, "I was just thinking... maybe when I come back, we could do something?"
"We live together, Shar. We can always do something." Still, she sounded a little mopey, so Tom didn't quite have the heart to refuse her. "Just say when and I'll be there, provided no one's trying to conquer the world."
"I'll put it on my calender and everything." She promised, and for a brief instant, Tom got the mental image of her crossing her heart. "Just one little thing... Ryan wants to have another Skype conversation with you. Are you free tonight?"
"I should be." Honestly, after the last conversation, Tom wasn't looking forward to it. Ryan's hats seemed to take on a life of their own, and if the kid wasn't careful, Tom half-expected the hat to morph into a supervillain - with poor Ryan as the possessed host. (Tom might've watched one too many Disney movies or worked too many hours last week. He wasn't sure which, nor did he really care to know.)
A moment of awkward silence followed, before they both tried to fill in the gaps.
"---Dinner was---"
"Mommy and Daddy wanted--"
They laughed.
"Tom?"
"What is it?"
There was a long pause before Sharpay said, "... Nevermind. I'll see you on Sunday?"
"I'll be at the airport at 6:45 sharp." He chuckled. "See you then - and don't think about bringing me back anything, okay? You're enough of a present."
The familiar sound of the phone click rang in his ears. Tom stuffed his phone into his pocket before he joined the others in the kitchen to clean up the mess they'd made. Dad and Sonia had taken care of most of it, and Dr. Cross was lingering with an extra glass of red wine, but it still felt cozy and warm. They really were a family, even with most of their members gone for the weekend. Michael had turned the TV on while he did the dishes. Tom lazily glanced up at the program before he rummaged around for the dishcloth.
It was a pretty normal news review, with human interest pieces ("baby lion and baby bear are best of friends!") and the occasional sales reminder for Black Friday. The commercial for Liquid Trust had just finished its jingle when the bulletin abruptly changed to a tall woman standing outside a burning building, with her chestnut brown hair almost covering her face.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Metro News I! This is Robin Scherbatzsky, coming to you live from---"
Michael glanced over at the others. "You ready?"
Tom grinned, setting down the dishes. "As ready as I'll ever be."
"Poor Robin." Elena sighed, staring at the TV before she snuggled closer to Uncle Nate. For not the first time tonight, Peyton felt like the awkward third wheel on a never-ending date, except worse because this was his family. Was it even possible to be the awkward third wheel when he was related to them?
Uncle Nate shook his head. "She's their field reporter. Of course she'd have to work weird hours."
"At least it was after dinner." Peyton grinned. "Do you guys want some more brownies?"
Aunt Elena smiled, holding up her mug of hot chai. "I think we're good, thanks."
"You're seriously missing out," he teased, before he rose to his feet to grab some more.
Just as he reached for the last brownie, a gust of sand blew past Robin and nearly knocked her to the ground. Instead of dismay, she instead eagerly yelled, "Ohmygod! That's the JSA! You guys, I think this's their fastest response time yet!"
Even they didn't take a break. If Crime didn't, why should they? Peyton stared down at the brownie, then at his relatives, before he swallowed his pride and snatched the brownie into his hands. Crime didn't take a break, but neither did family. He didn't get to spend a lot of time with Uncle Nate and Aunt Elena, so why should he sacrifice it for a few more minutes of footage?
"Hey, that's not too far from here..." Aunt Elena furrowed her brow, before she glanced over at Peyton. "If you hurry, you can make it."
"I didn't bring my equipment."
Aunt Elena hesitated for a moment, before she gestured towards her closet. "You can use my old one. It should have enough battery to last you."
Peyton stared at her. "Are you... are you sure?"
"No, I'm really not." Aunt Elena took a sip of her tea, then leaned in closer to Uncle Nate for support. "... But at the same time, this is clearly important to you. If you want to go out there and get some more footage, then you should. Who'm I to stop you from doing something you love?"
There really was a God out there, and He clearly favored Peyton tonight. Peyton glanced over at the screen, then at his brownie, before he inhaled sharply and squeezed himself between his uncle and his aunt.
"And who'm I to stop my favorite aunt and uncle from spending time with their favorite nephew?"
Uncle Nate grinned, "Aren't you our only---"
"Ssssh," Aunt Elena kissed him on the cheek. "We're bonding!"
And just like that, she'd single-handedly managed to ruin the moment. Peyton laughed, finishing off the brownie before he let his aunt lean on his shoulder. "Yeah," he admitted to himself. "We kind of are."
When Metro News I's coverage on the JSA made it onto CNN, Sharpay knew that Tom wouldn't make it onto Skype tonight, yet part of her didn't mind. Her roommate was a hero, and she needed to share him with the world every now and then. Even if the world occasionally did stupid things like let people rob banks on Thanksgiving.
Yet when she snuggled next to Ryan and the couch and listened to Daddy and Mommy tsking at the JSA, with Ryan kind of criticizing Judomaster's costume, she knew she was really home. Even when she'd changed so much, and learned so much about her world, some things never did change. Maybe she should call up Troy tomorrow, see how he was doing, and inevitably sigh when she'd learn that Montez was spending the week with her boyfriend's family. (It happened last year, why should it be any different this time? She had only wished for the impossible.)
Quickly, she sent Maxine a text: our wildcat is doing amazing on the field tonight :) i hope you're having a good thanksgiving
It didn't hurt. No matter how much her boys loved Maxine, she found herself oddly at peace with the ginger-haired girl who'd breezed her way into everyone's hearts without trying. Maxine didn't intend to steal her boys away, nor did she intend to take center stage, just like Peyton didn't have any intentions of whisking Tom into the night. (Nevermind that Tom'd punch him out first.)
A break was good every now and then, and she hoped - if only for a little bit - that Tom was enjoying his night out with his dad.
After the dust had cleared and the idiots had been arrested, Tom only had to look at his dad before hysterically laughing. "Dr. Mid-Nite's going to hate us so much, isn't he?"
To which Dad could only grin, "At least we weren't at the bar."
Fandom: High School Musical + DC Comics + Uncharted (with brief mentions of How I Met Your Mother)
Universe: Sharpay's Crossover Adventure
Relationships: Nathan Drake/Elena Fisher (everything else is platonic!)
Summary: Tom, Sharpay, and Peyton spend Thanksgiving apart from one another - and in their absence, they learn more about their relationships with their blood relations than they expected to.
For the first time in years, Tom wasn't having any guests over for Thanksgiving dinner. Sharpay's parents had asked her to come home, and after her concerned looks, Tom'd convinced her to go ahead and book her flight. Peyton wanted to take the opportunity to be with his Uncle Nate (god, Tom still couldn't believe Nate was officially Peyton's uncle), and Jason was being coerced back to Wayne Manor. Even Maxine was heading to upstate New York to her grandmother's place! Justin lived in town, and besides, he was more Peyton's friend than Tom's. Tom didn't feel right joining the Russos for dinner, even if Mr. and Mrs. Russo liked him.
Funny how Tom'd grown accustomed to the noise in his house, little by little. Had he been in high school, he and Mom would've accepted Mimi's annual invitation to her place. While she still extended the invitation, he never felt right accepting it - especially now that she was dating that Koushiro kid. He should be the one sitting at her side, not Tom. Japan'd understand if Koushiro skipped school just to hang out with his favorite girl, right?
Dad wasn't much for celebrating with a big fancy meal, but Tom usually broke him down long enough for a turkey and a nice glass of wine. ("Why we have to splurge on the fancy stuff once a year, I'll never know," he told Tom one year, only for Tom to shake his head before pouring his dad another glass.)
Thanksgiving always made Tom miss Mom. She'd always know what to do, even if it wasn't much - she got together with some of the other moms in your neighborhood, and they'd make a big Jewish potluck together. They didn't have any living relatives then, beyond his grandparents, so it didn't make much sense to have dinner with just the two of them. One year, Jason'd even skipped dinner at Wayne Manor just to eat with them - he claimed he liked the atmosphere here better. Judging from the articles featuring Bruce Wayne, Tom had to wonder how Jason had survived the place. Bruce had to be one of the stupider father figures out there - or at least one of the drunkest. No wonder Jason'd holed up in the brownstone most weekends! (Or maybe he just liked Mom's cooking. Tom never could tell.)
Still, he didn't want to have dinner with just Dad. It'd feel too quiet and stuffy, and he knew they'd end up in some dingy bar anyways - or the hospital, once he dragged Dad away from the poor bystander who'd kicked off the brawl in the first place. When Tom brought it up to him, omitting the inevitable conclusion, Dad looked at Tom thoughtfully before he said slowly, "I could always ask Alan or Jay."
Better question was, would they be intruding on their dinners? Jay and Joan didn't have any kids, sure, but the Allen-West family often included Uncle Jay in their plans. Tom didn't know Bart or Wally well enough to join their conversations, and he didn't think it'd be polite to show up unannounced. Plus, with Uncle Alan, Todd's boyfriend would come along, and he didn't know them well enough either. He shot Dad a skeptical look, as if to ask him if they'd really crash the Scott-Rice or Garrick-West-Allen dinner.
Before Dad could speak again, Tom interrupted, "What about Michael and Karen? Or Kyle and his girlfriend?"
Dad tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Karen's heading to Kansas to spend it with her cousins, though I don't think Michael had any plans." As for Kyle, Tom half-suspected Donna (Kyle's girlfriend this year) would take him down to Titans Tower. Tom didn't know the Titans well enough, nor did he really want to. People died most often on the Titans, and he liked his life too much to waste a year or two of it stuck in the Underworld.
One phone call later, he learned that neither Michael nor Dr. Cross, their team doctor, had any plans. They didn't want to spend dinner at the Brownstone, so Tom suggested his place. After a moment, he admitted that he couldn't cook, so maybe they could help him with the basics, and they'd ask one of the girls - Sonia - if she wanted to have turkey with them?
Michael double-checked with the rest of the JSA. As Tom'd predicted, most members chose to spend the day with their families, save for those (like Tom) who had smaller families or no living family to speak of. Sonia hadn't really understood the fuss over Thanksgiving, and Tom couldn't blame her for sounding wildly confused when he, Michael, Dad, Dr. Cross, and Sandy (somehow they'd missed asking the Sandman) asked her to join them for a traditional American turkey dinner.
Dad'd looked at him skeptically. "You sure you want to go through with this?"
He shrugged. "Worst case scenario, we'll be in the Brownstone's infirmary, with Dr. Cross telling us we suck for making him work so hard."
"So basically like last Tuesday."
Tom smiled wryly. "Well, when you put it that way...."
Honestly, Tom was kind of looking forward to this. It wasn't every year that he got to say that he spent the day with his dad and his friends, and besides, they had enough in common that they could make it a pleasant evening and kick butt if some idiot decided to rob a bank (it happened last year). He just didn't want to head to the bar again. At the very least, they should actually have dinner before the inevitable happened.
As it turns out, Uncle Nate and Aunt Elena had invited Sully (Peyton couldn't call him anything else - he tried) and Mr. Cutter over for Thanksgiving dinner. Aunt Elena had offhandedly mentioned inviting her coworker Robin, but she was already having dinner with some friends. "That's just like her," Aunt Elena said fondly, helping Peyton with the mashed potatoes. "She's always off with Ted and Barney and the others."
Uncle Nate raised an eyebrow. "You've actually met Barney Stinson?"
"Once. He tried to take me home until he realized I was married." Aunt Elena shot him an amused look, and Peyton felt like he should've given them some alone time. "Why, do you know him?"
"Only of him. When he got arrested---" Uncle Nate coughed. "I mean, I heard he got arrested once, by the JSA or some other group, and it was a pretty hilarious thing. Didn't your coworker cover it on the news?"
Peyton had to ask, "You mean that weird Sandy Rivers guy?"
Weird was putting it mildly. Peyton didn't really watch the news, since he caught most of it on his smartphone, but what he saw of Sandy Rivers was enough to make him change the channel. Multiple times. Justin said that not even the hot weather channel woman made up for his crap, and Justin had a ridiculous tolerance for newscasters. If it wasn't Sandy's hair, then it was whatever weird position he was taking a stance on that month. Honestly, Peyton had no idea how the guy still had a job in the industry.
"He's not that bad..." When Aunt Elena was tucking her hair behind her ears, she was lying. Peyton didn't need to look at her long to know that she found him creepy too. She shook her head, handing over the potatoes to Peyton. "What about Barney's arrest?"
"Public indecency." Nate flashed her a grin. "Hard to believe that's the guy Robin's getting married to."
Peyton snorted, placing the potatoes on the table before he reached for the salad bowl. "That's one JSA incident I'm glad I didn't film."
Both of them gave him concerned looks, and in that instant, Peyton really, really wished he hadn't said anything.
New Mexico was just as hot as Sharpay remembered it. The minute she stepped onto the jetway, she inhaled deeply and stared up at the burning hot sky. The upsides: Montez wouldn't be here, but Troy would, and maybe Zeke could make her some cookies if she asked nicely. Ryan had managed to snag a couple of days off, so he was eating with the rest of the family. Mom and Dad would grill her about Tom (and Ryan would want another Skype conversation with him), so she fully expected that portion of the evening to be awkward.
Honestly, if Tom wanted to sleep with her, he would've done so months ago. He certainly brought home enough girls for him to be somewhat aware of that kind of thing! Or maybe he didn't - she'd seen the way that he looked at Maxine, how he held out on her because he feared that he'd corrupt her innocence. (Okay, so maybe Shar overheard Tom confiding in Jason. She didn't mean to linger. Really!)
She just wanted to come home and tell Mom and Dad that she had a boyfriend and that he was absolutely, positively amazing. They might've laughed at him being a math geek - Tom hadn't decided if they should know his little secret yet - or for him being not her usual type, but they would've accepted him, whiskers and all. Plus, Tom actually seemed to like Troy (or Troy's wall posts), so that had to say something.
The second she stepped out of the terminal, Ryan greeted her with the tightest hug she'd felt in months. He kissed her on both cheeks, and she returned his affection eagerly.
"Hey." he grinned, before casually swinging his arm around her shoulders. "How was your flight?"
"Great, but they could've had better vitamin water."
Ryan rolled her eyes at her before he pulled her down towards the luggage claim. "You always say that."
"Because it's always true!"
All worries about leaving Tom alone to fend for himself had immediately disappeared from her mind. Honestly, it really was good to be back home. This year, she knew she'd make the most of it - she already knew who she was. She didn't need any more time to rediscover something she'd always known.
Maxine had sent Tom a quick text about an hour ago.
grandma says you just need to brush olive oil and parsley on your sweet potato fries :)
i hope you have a good dinner!! mom and dad say they want to meet you someday LOL
that's cool right??
Even in text form, she still managed to speak a mile a minute. Tom snorted, before sending her a response to assuage her worries. Thanks for the tip, he'd be honored to meet her parents, and yes, that was totally fine, he promises Mr. and Mrs. Hunkel that he's just Maxine's best friend, nothing more, nothing less. (It stung to think so. Maxine just wouldn't get the hint!)
He looked up and stared over at Sandy and Sonia. Now that the turkey was in the oven, pretty much everything else (except for the fries) had been finished. On Michael's advice, they'd prepared dessert the night before, and Sandy had ample free time to whip up a couple of pies. Tom wasn't sure how - Sandy was a quiet kind of guy, and he didn't really add much to JSA discussions beyond his prophetic dreams. But from what Michael said, Sandy made a damn good pie, so Tom was obliged to just shut up and eat it.
Sonia tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Dinner is almost ready."
"Thanks." He smiled politely at her, before tucking his phone away and following her to the dinner table. With their luck so far, maybe they'd actually get time to pray before their meal.
"What do you mean, that's one incident you didn't film? How many hours do you have?" When Aunt Elena was mad, she was really mad. Peyton knew he was stating the obvious, but he had no idea she was this exasperated about his hobby. Didn't she have better things to nitpick? Like her shopaholic habits and how many hours she spent at Pottery Barn? Or Uncle Nate's weird habit of collecting quotes from almost every book he read? Granted, some quotes were cool. Most tended to wander the pretentious path, and Peyton often wished that they'd stop being so snooty. Not everything had to be profound!
Peyton gulped, pressing himself against the fridge door. "Not that many? Maybe... four or five total...."
Uncle Nate raised an eyebrow. "Only? I could've sworn I saw you last week, when the Iceman--"
"Icicle Jr."
"Whatever his name was." Then Uncle Nate chuckled, as if he just realized something. "... You probably had that paper due, didn't you? The one on racial stereotypes in action films?"
Peyton shot him a quizzical look. "Yeah, but I don't..." A wave of understanding washed over him. Was Uncle Nate actually trying to cover for him? Peyton's face broke into a grin as he nodded. "OH! I know what you're talking about. That paper sucked. I mean, I get why we had to write it, since most of us are whiter than white and we're not going to understand minority representation until we're exposed to it, but it was---"
Elena chuckled. "Slow down, Peyton. You're starting to sound like a motormouth."
"Sorry, Auntie." Peyton grinned wryly. "Point was, I've been kinda busy with school and this thing called a social life."
"I remember." She shook her head fondly, before shooing the boys out towards the table. "Nate and I were young once too, you know. It wasn't that long ago."
He bit his tongue, half-tempted to call her old for the sake of her reaction, but he'd just dodged a bullet. Instead, he laughed as he set the salad bowl down on the table. "If you say so. Uncle Nate, are you gonna say grace?"
Uncle Nate shot Elena a bewildered look. "You guys actually do that?"
"Why wouldn't we? It's Thanksgiving, and we should thank God for his blessings."
When Uncle Nate then looked at Peyton, as if to beg for mercy, Peyton merely shrugged. "It is the season of giving, Uncle. You might as well get it over with."
"Peyton!" It was worth it, all for Aunt Elena's reaction. He tried to look innocent as he took his seat beside Uncle Nate. Then when his aunt and uncle joined hands for prayer, Peyton couldn't help laying his hands ontop of theirs. Maybe this wasn't Fort Worth, and maybe he wasn't sitting next to Mom and Dad, but Uncle and Auntie were almost as good (maybe even better).
Uncle Nate inhaled deeply, before he softly murmured, "Dear lord, our heavenly father... bless this..." He helplessly stared up at Peyton, silently pleading with him to finish the prayer.
Peyton nodded with understanding, picking up with, "Bless this meal in your name and your son. In Jesus Christ we trust. Amen."
Aunt Elena squeezed his hands tighter, just as Uncle Nate reached for the carving knife and started to serve them turkey. Time stood still for a moment, and in that moment, Peyton had never felt as at home.
As usual, Mom and Dad had asked their staff to cook dinner. This disappointed Sharpay more than she'd realized. The second she stared down at the feast, she couldn't help thinking about Tom and Peyton. Knowing her boys, they'd cooked dinner on their own, with no help from their staff. Mommy always relied on her staff to double-check her recipes! Plus Daddy liked having his men on hand, just in case that deep-fried turkey accidentally exploded on them outside.
This time, she half-wondered if Mommy and Daddy had ever relied on their own ability to cook, if they'd ever experienced the sting of raw lemon juice on their hands or the aroma of chicken broth wafting through the room. If they'd ever experimented with their roommate's beer and realized it didn't taste that bad when combined with chicken, or if they'd ever had their best friend's macaroons. If they'd ever served their friends Coke with their own two hands.
She knew better than to confide in Ryan. He'd just laugh at her and say something like 'Shar, you're pretty much the only person who's ever relied on other people for this long.' How was she supposed to know that the plebeians didn't have it that bad? Right now, she really missed Tom's salads and Peyton's brownies (the pot-free kind) - yet she'd also craved sweet potatoes and the green bean casserole that had always been a classic on their dinner table.
Sharpay couldn't meet Mom's gaze when the entire family said grace, nor could she entirely fake her smile when Dad asked her how the turkey tasted. (It tasted great, but that was besides the point!) When the staff waltzed in to clear the table, she quickly excused herself, saying that she needed to use the restroom.
If her family bought her lie, they were more gullible than she thought. Quickly, she pulled out her phone and dialed the first number on her speed-dial. Hopefully he'd pick up soon....
Just when they'd finished dessert, Tom's phone buzzed. He stared down at it for a moment longer than necessary before rising to his feet. "Sorry," he apologized to everyone, "but I've gotta take this."
He headed out the door, cupping the phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Tommy! Hi! I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."
"Shar?" Tom pulled his phone away from his ear and stared at it for a second. Why was she calling? She was the one boasting about how fabulous the Evanses Thanksgiving dinners were! Sure, they often asked staff to stay over, but the staff got to bring their families afterwards to eat, and the Evanses were pretty good about eating early and giving the leftovers to their staff for the inconvenience of working this holiday. (Immigrants loved this holiday more than Christmas, it seemed.)
He coughed. "Not at all! What's up? Is there trouble down in Albuquerque?"
He could practically hear Sharpay rolling her eyes. "Of course not. Even if there were, why would they attack here? Like you said, we've only got cactuses."
"Cacti."
"Whatever." Sharpay was laughing a little, and Tom couldn't help that grin tugging at his face. She continued, "I was just thinking... maybe when I come back, we could do something?"
"We live together, Shar. We can always do something." Still, she sounded a little mopey, so Tom didn't quite have the heart to refuse her. "Just say when and I'll be there, provided no one's trying to conquer the world."
"I'll put it on my calender and everything." She promised, and for a brief instant, Tom got the mental image of her crossing her heart. "Just one little thing... Ryan wants to have another Skype conversation with you. Are you free tonight?"
"I should be." Honestly, after the last conversation, Tom wasn't looking forward to it. Ryan's hats seemed to take on a life of their own, and if the kid wasn't careful, Tom half-expected the hat to morph into a supervillain - with poor Ryan as the possessed host. (Tom might've watched one too many Disney movies or worked too many hours last week. He wasn't sure which, nor did he really care to know.)
A moment of awkward silence followed, before they both tried to fill in the gaps.
"---Dinner was---"
"Mommy and Daddy wanted--"
They laughed.
"Tom?"
"What is it?"
There was a long pause before Sharpay said, "... Nevermind. I'll see you on Sunday?"
"I'll be at the airport at 6:45 sharp." He chuckled. "See you then - and don't think about bringing me back anything, okay? You're enough of a present."
The familiar sound of the phone click rang in his ears. Tom stuffed his phone into his pocket before he joined the others in the kitchen to clean up the mess they'd made. Dad and Sonia had taken care of most of it, and Dr. Cross was lingering with an extra glass of red wine, but it still felt cozy and warm. They really were a family, even with most of their members gone for the weekend. Michael had turned the TV on while he did the dishes. Tom lazily glanced up at the program before he rummaged around for the dishcloth.
It was a pretty normal news review, with human interest pieces ("baby lion and baby bear are best of friends!") and the occasional sales reminder for Black Friday. The commercial for Liquid Trust had just finished its jingle when the bulletin abruptly changed to a tall woman standing outside a burning building, with her chestnut brown hair almost covering her face.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Metro News I! This is Robin Scherbatzsky, coming to you live from---"
Michael glanced over at the others. "You ready?"
Tom grinned, setting down the dishes. "As ready as I'll ever be."
"Poor Robin." Elena sighed, staring at the TV before she snuggled closer to Uncle Nate. For not the first time tonight, Peyton felt like the awkward third wheel on a never-ending date, except worse because this was his family. Was it even possible to be the awkward third wheel when he was related to them?
Uncle Nate shook his head. "She's their field reporter. Of course she'd have to work weird hours."
"At least it was after dinner." Peyton grinned. "Do you guys want some more brownies?"
Aunt Elena smiled, holding up her mug of hot chai. "I think we're good, thanks."
"You're seriously missing out," he teased, before he rose to his feet to grab some more.
Just as he reached for the last brownie, a gust of sand blew past Robin and nearly knocked her to the ground. Instead of dismay, she instead eagerly yelled, "Ohmygod! That's the JSA! You guys, I think this's their fastest response time yet!"
Even they didn't take a break. If Crime didn't, why should they? Peyton stared down at the brownie, then at his relatives, before he swallowed his pride and snatched the brownie into his hands. Crime didn't take a break, but neither did family. He didn't get to spend a lot of time with Uncle Nate and Aunt Elena, so why should he sacrifice it for a few more minutes of footage?
"Hey, that's not too far from here..." Aunt Elena furrowed her brow, before she glanced over at Peyton. "If you hurry, you can make it."
"I didn't bring my equipment."
Aunt Elena hesitated for a moment, before she gestured towards her closet. "You can use my old one. It should have enough battery to last you."
Peyton stared at her. "Are you... are you sure?"
"No, I'm really not." Aunt Elena took a sip of her tea, then leaned in closer to Uncle Nate for support. "... But at the same time, this is clearly important to you. If you want to go out there and get some more footage, then you should. Who'm I to stop you from doing something you love?"
There really was a God out there, and He clearly favored Peyton tonight. Peyton glanced over at the screen, then at his brownie, before he inhaled sharply and squeezed himself between his uncle and his aunt.
"And who'm I to stop my favorite aunt and uncle from spending time with their favorite nephew?"
Uncle Nate grinned, "Aren't you our only---"
"Ssssh," Aunt Elena kissed him on the cheek. "We're bonding!"
And just like that, she'd single-handedly managed to ruin the moment. Peyton laughed, finishing off the brownie before he let his aunt lean on his shoulder. "Yeah," he admitted to himself. "We kind of are."
When Metro News I's coverage on the JSA made it onto CNN, Sharpay knew that Tom wouldn't make it onto Skype tonight, yet part of her didn't mind. Her roommate was a hero, and she needed to share him with the world every now and then. Even if the world occasionally did stupid things like let people rob banks on Thanksgiving.
Yet when she snuggled next to Ryan and the couch and listened to Daddy and Mommy tsking at the JSA, with Ryan kind of criticizing Judomaster's costume, she knew she was really home. Even when she'd changed so much, and learned so much about her world, some things never did change. Maybe she should call up Troy tomorrow, see how he was doing, and inevitably sigh when she'd learn that Montez was spending the week with her boyfriend's family. (It happened last year, why should it be any different this time? She had only wished for the impossible.)
Quickly, she sent Maxine a text: our wildcat is doing amazing on the field tonight :) i hope you're having a good thanksgiving
It didn't hurt. No matter how much her boys loved Maxine, she found herself oddly at peace with the ginger-haired girl who'd breezed her way into everyone's hearts without trying. Maxine didn't intend to steal her boys away, nor did she intend to take center stage, just like Peyton didn't have any intentions of whisking Tom into the night. (Nevermind that Tom'd punch him out first.)
A break was good every now and then, and she hoped - if only for a little bit - that Tom was enjoying his night out with his dad.
After the dust had cleared and the idiots had been arrested, Tom only had to look at his dad before hysterically laughing. "Dr. Mid-Nite's going to hate us so much, isn't he?"
To which Dad could only grin, "At least we weren't at the bar."
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This is small but really cute for some reason. *^*
Please excuse my horrified laugh.
Is Sonia foreign?
Bahahaha I love life with the Wildcats.
Of course you didn't, Shar... I like this explanation \o/
Shar. ;o;
This is such a gorgeous revisiting of that throwaway line!
Oh, no, Tom. :(
Nate, you legend. :D Also, randomly, it occurs to me that Peyton, Nate, and Sully (and I guess Charlie can come too), could probably have decent conversations about classic films because there are a surprising number of deliberate, named film references in TFL.
Fort Wayne ;)
That whole section about Sharpay having learned to like homemade cooking because of her boys was beautiful. I'd never expected it, since every time we play something with food in SCA it's either takeout or at the Sub Station, but it absolutely makes sense and it's just a really lovely touch for Sharpay's growth as a person living in NY. And all the namedropped food - I love Sharpay playing with Tom's beer, that Peyton makes macaroons and apparently pot brownies (oh dear), that Tom's signature food is salads when considering the cat thing I would have expected something with meat or fish. Those details are lovely.
Another detail about the Evanses I hadn't considered but love.
aasdhasdsadpj they just make each other happy and he doesn't even realize it but he's still wrapped around her little finger ("we can always do something") and FEELS
OH MY GOD I laughed so hard.
And kind of want to see this happen now. brb, Notepad"- to meet you"?
THAT IS SO CORNY BUT IT WORKS SO BEAUTIFULLY
Is this how you feel with your parents' never-ending honeymoon? :p
ELENA. ;o; And the camera and ;o; (Yet I can't help relating this to her impending split with Nate...)
PEYTON ;o;
Sharpay is learning how to share ;o;
BAHAHA I love that even with her seemingly hopeless thing for Tom, she's still halfassedly angling for Troy even though experience says that's never going to happen. (WEEEEEE are never ever ever getting together)
Sharpay is really learning how to share ;o; oh Sharpay how you have grown from the "she spilt food on me SHE IS CLEARLY PLANNING TO RUIN THE MUSICAL!!" Sharpay of the first film! (And I loved the obligatory Peytom reference, ahahaha.)
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Sonia IS foreign! She's Japanese c:
Life with the Wildcats is pretty much like life with Nate, except they're the good guys... (which is to say, it's kind of amazing and hilarious).
Glad you liked the explanation and the revisitation! I really didn't like the whole "finding myself" line so I figured I'd rebutt it somehow xP
Nate, you legend. :D Also, randomly, it occurs to me that Peyton, Nate, and Sully (and I guess Charlie can come too), could probably have decent conversations about classic films because there are a surprising number of deliberate, named film references in TFL.
this should be a thing now! I didn't even think about it at the time.
I just really like food :') I guess it shone through, and I really do like playing with the idea of food and people (how they've grown by learning to cook it/what food they order/etc). It fascinates me, and I won't lie, it's a huge author appeal kind of thing... I'm glad it worked out well though! Shar SHOULD know how to make the basics by now.
.... godspeed Ryan. (I kind of want to see it happen now, but idk if it'd be canon.)
THE PRESENT THING IS NOT CORNY!! I wasn't even thinking about corny or cheesy... that's legit what I tell people when I come home and they ask me what I want :( I tell my friends they're my presents.
Kind of, re: Peyton and the never-ending date. My parents fight a lot too (they're kind of like Ron/Hermione that way) but their honeymoon phase comes and goes over the years xD
Sharpay really HAS grown, and it's so much fun tracing her (and Peyton's) evolutions through fic and RP! I really do think this is still a huge arc of growth for Sharpay - not so much for Tom, since he knows who he is and what he wants. I don't think he'll truly change too much, not beyond him quitting his smokes and booze, since it's not really his arc, if that makes sense?
It might be why I'm more into Maxine at the moment - Tom's story seems to be on hold. I don't think it'll pick up again until he and Shar start dating, and that should be interesting in and of itself.