lucetilogs | Happy Happy Turkey Day

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Happy Happy Turkey Day

Who: Marvel people plus friends. ~~I'm not even attempting to make this list out.~~
What: Marvelsgiving!
When: November 22, 2012
Where: House 49
Summary: It's Thanksgiving. There's a meal and socializing. Also fun.
Rating: PG, PG-13 max? A kid got invited to this.
Considering how last minute all of this had been, Pepper was actually pretty satisfied with how things were turning out. Rogue had shown up early with helpers in tow, immediately setting to work in the kitchen. The house had been filled with delicious aromas shortly thereafter, and Pepper busied herself with the other details until guests started to arrive--at which point part of her job became keeping people out of the kitchen, per Rogue's orders.

The set up was straightforward: the dining room table was used to hold the assorted dishes, where people could fix themselves plates. A similar set up with drinks (although please, don't give alcohol to the children). Chairs set out for people to sit, since there were too many to even attempt a traditional sit down dinner. But that was fine by Pepper, who made her way through the group, making sure everyone was happy, or at least not destroying part of her house.

Better safe than sorry, with this crowd.

(ooc: post! mingle! include whatever dish your character brought for the potluck and wait for them to be judged. and as always, have fun.)

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All she does is lift her eyebrows and give him a knowing, vaguely exasperated grin, and lets him come to the truth on his own. When he does, she sighs and rolls her eyes, but she's not angry.

Not at him, anyway.

"Okay. Granted. But you? Are still a minor. You're done for the evening. Okay?"

Her tone makes it quite clear there's no room for argument. So he either stops... or sneaks it behind her back. Your choice, Billy.

"Um... okay, in my defense? There's no legal drinking age here, for one, and for another it's legal in New York if you get it from an adult."

There are just some stipulations that teenagers who more-or-less stay legal will always know. Sorry, Jane. It was really tasty egg nog, okay?

Not that he's expecting her to give it back, he's just willing to fight - or in this case, do the verbal tango - for it.

"Iiiit's not a bad defense." Her tone makes it obvious she's not buying the argument. "Though you sure do know your legal loopholes for under age drinking."

She considers him for a moment, smiling. Then she sighs, rolls her eyes, and hands him his glass. She's not a total miser. "After this, you're done. If I find you with something else, I take it. Deal?"

He considers the offer briefly, then reaches out to take the glass from her, lifting it slightly in a mock salute. "Deal. I think I'm done, anyway. Alcohol isn't really my thing after all."

Which is the truth- he'd tried a few things, and while it had been tasty, he knows he's starting to feel the effects now, and he doesn't like the idea of getting plastered and throwing up in a corner, which is kind of a staple for underage drinking parties. Besides, tomorrow is a big day, and he's not going to ruin it with a hangover.

"It isn't?" She looks, momentarily, appreciative. "I'm kind of surprised. It's definitely a thing for, well... most teenagers." A pause, and then she laughs. "Then again, I can't talk. It wasn't my thing either. Anyway, I'll lay off. Promise. You enjoying yourself, questionable egg nog aside?" She can't help one last sneaky grin.

"Most teenagers drink because other teenagers are drinking, far as I know. I don't have anyone to impress."

Beat the system and all that. Peer pressure can suck it. His posture becomes more relaxed at her question, though, taking an idle sip of his drink and furrowing his brows at the slow burn.

"Yeah, it's good. It's... different from home, that's for sure, and I think it gets harder to be away during holidays, but I'm sure I'll forget all about it by tomorrow."

"You think so?" She folds her arms, briefly a little pensive. "I don't really celebrate holidays much... at least, not in the last few years. So it hasn't made much of a difference for me." A beat, and she realizes she has possibly shared too much. She smiles, a crooked thing. "Besides, from the looks of it, we've got this holiday thing pretty much down."

Well, that was... telling. Billy pauses for a moment, lips pursing, but when she carries on he refrains from commenting for now. He's not sure how to even ask without either ruining the mood or prying too much.

"Practice for the Christmas season, maybe. That's when most people start really missing familiar faces, I bet."

...Orrrr he could just be depressing in general. Wow, Kaplan, you're not very good at this at all.

Ah ha. She hasn't had a "familiar face," so to speak, around at Christmas for years now. So she withstands the comment with only mildly raised eyebrows. That was depressing.

"Somehow, you always make me want to go all inspirational and sappy on you. I guess because you always seem like you need it." Her smile is kind. "I know it's going to be rough. But at least none of us will actually be alone, right?"

That earns her a surprised look, briefly, before it shifts smoothly into a more relaxed smile as he scuffs a hand through his hair. "Actually, shockingly, I'll be okay when Christmas rolls around. My family's Jewish, so I've never really celebrated it. We usually just go see a movie and eat Chinese food."

He's definitely not the one to worry about, in his mind.

"Jewish?" She blinks at him, her mouth curling down into a thoughtful frown. Then she smiles faintly and shrugs a shoulder, holding up an imaginary glass in a toast. "L'chaim."

She won't really get into it. Not unless he prodded her, but even then. It's much easier not to admit to it. It makes her a bit of a hypocrite, sure - but she also got help for her issues a long time ago. She doesn't really need it now.

That makes him grin, albeit briefly, raising his glass to return the gesture. He's still worried - about Teddy, and now about her as well, considering how quiet she seems now - so... hm. Maybe he'll have to keep an eye on certain people during the holiday season. He doesn't care that much about Christmas, but he does care plenty about the people around him.

"You okay?" He lowers his glass, brows furrowing as he focuses on her again. He's one of the lucky ones here, after all- he's got Teddy, and Tommy- family. Not everyone has that.

Sigh. He caught on. She folds her arms, huffing out a fond sort of sigh, but she doesn't answer right away. She's deciding how much of the story to actually tell him. The last thing she wants is to ruin his Thanksgiving with a sob story that happened years ago.

"I'm fine, Billy. I don't celebrate the holidays because I haven't had anyone to celebrate with in years. I don't have any family." She doesn't seem or sound upset when she says it, though there is a sad sort of smile catching at the corners of her mouth and crinkling around her eyes. "But I've had a long time to get used to it."

He tries to keep a straight face at that - it's more or less what he'd expected, all things considered, but even so. He wishes that kind of backstory wasn't becoming so common with people he knows.

"I guess saying 'I'm sorry' would seem kind of empty, huh." He ducks his head a bit, feeling both worried and a little annoyed with himself for prodding at an unhappy subject during a holiday. She'd been there for him when he needed it, though, and it's true that she doesn't seem as upset as he knows he'd be. He's just surrounded by strong people, apparently... "What you said goes double for you, though- about not being alone here, I mean."

As fine as she seems - and she is fine, really she is - she's glad he hasn't followed up by asking why, or what happened. The detail is still something she'd rather not go into in-depth, if she had a choice in the matter. She's ... she's okay. She's dealt. But that doesn't mean it's easy, or will ever be.

His reaction wins him a moment of silence, and then a truly sympathetic smile. Unable to help herself any longer, she reaches out and ruffles his hair.

"Yeah, I know. Even if I wanted to be, I'm not sure you'd let me." Her smile quirks. "Guess I should be thanking you for that, huh?"

He does want to ask, admittedly - mostly because he looks for the opportunity to return the favour for all the support she's given him - but he knows this isn't the time or the place for it. In general he gives himself a case of foot-in-mouth syndrome at every opportunity, but occasionally he does have some sense.

He'll file it away for later, though. Just in case. The hair ruffling earns her a smile that is laced with the sort of irritation you'd only see on a pestered little brother's face.

"You don't have to thank me for that. You are pretty much stuck with us, though. If we do end up having some kind of party, you're definitely invited."

The look is not one she's familiar with. Only child, after all. But it stirs up a sort of affection in her that's a little foreign. It's almost a familial sort of affection - something she hasn't felt in a long time, not having anyone to direct it towards. But Billy Kaplan wins her over more by the day.

"In a way, it's just as good as having a family," she jokes in a quiet way. "Still get dragged to all the holiday functions. That's what family is for, right?"

"Congratulations, you've been quasi-adopted into the Kaplan family along with everyone else." His gaze drifts briefly around the room for any sight of Teddy (or, less likely, his brother, but that doesn't stop him from looking anyway). "Mutants, aliens, demi-gods and alternate realities welcome."

That....

.... makes the smile drop off her face as she looks at him in some surprise. She was kidding for a reason - you know, not actually being serious. But the way he phrases it strikes her. As if she's actually welcome in his family. She hasn't had a family in eight years.

By the time she recovers, she knows it's too late to cover for the slip. So she allows for honesty instead, her eyebrows drawing together over a faint half-smile.

"That's sweet. You really are like the little brother I never got to have."

...Okay, note to self- family is both a soft and a sore spot for her. His brows lift a little, forcing down the urge to ask again, and lifts his free hand to try (futilely) to fix the hair she'd ruffled earlier.

"I'll probably make you regret it later. Little brothers are more obnoxious than you know."

He's touched, though, that she didn't just brush it off. Not that he expected her to do so rudely (he's had enough of that from Tommy) but she didn't have to take it seriously in the least.

It's... nice. Good to know.

"I -- guess I'll find out." Her grin is crooked and her laugh is quiet, but it's all completely sincere. You might as well stamp her heart with the words "property of Billy Kaplan."

She takes it seriously largely because she just wants to. Because she's spent a long time without family and with zero expectations of ever finding anything resembling family ever again -- and being offered the chance by a kid as sweet as Billy is... it's too tempting to pass up.

Really, she's glad he's not laughing at her in turn. Since he could assume she's being kind of crazy and tell her it's not such a big deal and not to take it so seriously. But he's rolling with it, which means he's okay with it... right?

Either way. It makes her feel just a little like she has a place to belong again. A feeling she thought she'd never get back.

"I'm sure Tommy could tell you all kinds of stories about me as a little brother, but none of them would be very good."

He doesn't understand how much it means to her - he lacks that kind of experience, truth be told, and he really does take his family for granted sometimes, but that's part of why he's so free with these invitations. Family is important, so everyone should have it- even if it means sharing his.

To him, it really is that simple.

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