[C] Buon Natale

Chyrs arched a thin, brow.

"Bullshit if I've ever heard it."

He gestured for Dick to follow him out to the back step of the house. He took the few steps down into the yard, then leaned against the railing.

His hand slid into the pockets of his jeans, returning with a tin that he tossed Dick's way. The lighter was tucked inside.

"Which of them was it?"

The crisp morning air felt good on his face.

Dick took out a pre-rolled cigarette and took it between his lips, inhaling as he lit it. Passing the tin back to Chrys, avoiding his eyes, he inhaled deeply again. Then coughed.

It has been a while.

"None of them," he finally said.

He crossed an arm over himself and took another big drag, this time not coughing. The familiarity of the motion, the taste and the burn felt good.

"Sort of. I don't know."

Chrys caught the tin and lit up his own cigarette before stuffing the tin back into his pocket.

"None of them, sort of. You don't know," Chrys replied with a dry sort of amusement.

"I love my family, Dick, but I'm not unaware of their flaws." He looked out at the large garden, following the path of a couple of the dogs chasing Solla through the bushes. "I won't choose their side by reflex in an argument because they're blood, so you shouldn't feel the need to censor in fear that I don't want to hear my siblings flaws."

His pale eyes, not much lighter than Dick's own, turned back to the vampire. "So, let's start with who it was. Fleck or Chai?" Observation had taught him that DIck wasn't overly close with any of the others. Those two were the closest, so those two were the most likely culprits here.

Dick's eyebrows raised. Chrys quickly hit the nail on that one.

He took in another couple of drags of his cigarette, toying with his thoughts and grabbing hold of his emotions, trying to shove them down so he wasn't so... flittery.

He turned his eyes up to Chrys.

There was something he liked about Chrys. He was approachable, even though Dick wouldn't say he was particularly close to him.

"It's just..." He hesitated. Talking so openly like this to someone he didn't know overly well wasn't in his comfort zone.

Chrys' eyes turned away from Dick as he floundered, politely giving him time to gather his thoughts and figure out what he wanted to say.

He was quite curious as to which one of them would be the one to have pushed him to this state. His money would be on Chai, honestly. Dick and Fleck had fit together well, and he hadn't heard much of the usual fuss arguments bought. They'd clicked, and Fleck's quite lax nature had kept them from fighting much.

Chai was quite feisty and stubborn. The exact personality that clashed with Dick's own. Fights probably broke out often between them.

So if he had to guess, he would choose Chai.

Dick flicked a bit of ash, glad for Chrys lack of pestering and pressure to spill.

The best way to explain himself was probably from the start.

"Chai and I got into an argument of sorts - over coffee of all things." He couldn't help but let out a strained, weak laugh. "It wasn't even a proper argument. We were both being stubborn and taking it too far."

He brought the cigarette to his lips.

"I said something about just taking the mug from her, she badgered me, and I stood up - I wasn't going to actually fight her," he quickly clarified. "Not with the kids about. Just maybe... I don't know. That was wrong on my part. It was the heat of the moment. But I wouldn't have actually, in all seriousness, fought her."

He went to take another drag. A picture of regret was on his face, cheeks flaring red again.

"Then Fleck intervened, told me to sit down. It hit me what a fucking idiot I was making of myself. It was embarrassing and, you know, I want to make a good impression on all of you."

Bringing the cigarette up to his lips and he tried to take another drag, only to find it had gone out already. He kept the butt between his fingers, just for the sake of holding it.

Quietly, he added; "I don't want any of you to think badly of me. That you have to think that I have to have my boyfriend tell me off in front of you all to calm down."

"That sounds like Chai. What was it? Chai wanting you to do something for her in return for coffee?" That was a common tiff in the house. Everyone had that argument with her.

There was a long moment of silence after Dick finished explaining.

Then Chrys' shoulders shook. Then the giggles burst free. He'd been trying to hold back the laughter. He really had.

"Dick. Dick, I promise you not one of them thought badly of you there."

He reigned himself in, licking his lips and schooling his expression. "I would bet on the bean that the only person the family had an issue with in that situation was Fleck."

Chrys reached out to lay a hand on Dick's shoulder again. "Our family, like any good Italian family, is full of short fuses and passionate people. We get a lot of teasing here. None more so than at Christmas. We tiff. We challenge each other and laugh as we squabble. There was no argument there."

His slim brow arched and a little smirk curled his lips. "I'm sure they were already starting a betting pool in whispers. A fight wouldn't have broken out. She likely would have teased you, tried to embarrass you some, then given you the coffee. That's her way. Sure, she would have annoyed you to death for the next few days to do whatever she demanded of you. That's also her way."

Chrys dropped his own cigarette butt into a flowerpot at his feet. "Fleck was just being boring. If you went back in now, he'd probably be in a dogpile under his brothers. Let's hope they don't break the tree."

His eyes turned back to the house. "...or themselves, I guess," he tacked on as a mindless (and pretty careless) afterthought. Clearly, them breaking each other wasnt a big worry.

"My suggestion is you go in there with a plate of the arancini, and hold your own. Let people nibble, but demand something ridiculous from Fleck and Chai. The more embarrassing for them, the better."

Dick turned his head up in surprise as Chrys started laughing, a small frown on his face. He had just tried to open up and this was what he got? Someone laughing at him?

But he kept his mouth shut and listened the frown easing off his face. He gnawed on his lip. His mouth did quirk up for a moment at the mention of the brothers dogpiling on each other, and Chrys afterthought of them not hurting themselves.

Dick didn't know if he felt better or worst after that talk. On one hand, his spiral of thoughts wasn't true. He trusted Chrys in that if he said they didn't think badly of him, then they didn't. He believed him.

But now he couldn't help feeling embarrassed by being ridiculous and bolting over nothing.

He rolled the butt of his dead cigarette between his fingers before squishing it.

"I guess I could."

"You'll really be part of the family when you start playing that ridiculous game." Chrys rolled his eyes at the thought of the game, but he had no leg to stand on here. He was just as guilty as the rest of them for playing it.

He patted Dick's shoulder again and slipped past him, up the stairs and back to the house.

"I'd think on something particularly embarrassing for Chai. Make her suffer for embarrassing you."

"Thanks," he said as he watched Chrys walk back into the house.

He lingered outside for a little longer, gathering his thoughts, before finally discarding the now destroyed cigarette butt. He went back up into the house, cursing when Solla darted into front of his feet.

Right. Coffee.

Blue eyes flicked around the kitchen and found Fleck's dad.

"Merry Christmas," he said to him as he shuffled over to where they kept the instant coffee. He couldn't be bothered with the fresh stuff now.

He returned the greeting cheerfully as he cut up potatoes for roasting.

Chrys was sat by the coffee machine when Dick came in, and held out a mug when Dick slid past him towards where they stored the instant shit.

"My demand," he began, holding up the coffee, "is that you do a really good job of embarrassing her."

Dick's eyes lit up when he saw the fresh mug of coffee being held up to him. He took it happily, holding it delicately so not to burn his fingers, and took a grateful sip. It burned his tongue, but he was content to finally get that kick of caffeine.

He leaned on the counter.

"Embarrassing people isn't exactly my forte."

It was always the other way.

"I'm sure you'll find a way."

Chrys had every confidence.

And if he really needed help, he could ask a sibling. They had PLENTY of dirt on their sister, and most were willing to use it.

Chrys raised his own mug in toast. "To revenge."

Dick's lips quirked up, and chinked his mug against Chrys'.

"To revenge."

He took a bigger gulp then licked his teeth. He forgot how much he enjoyed having a cigarette alongside his coffee in the morning. There was just something missing.

"It needs more sugar," he decided.

He turned and reached out to the sugar jar.

Chrys shook his head in dismay. "Coffee should be black and bitter as your soul. Hasn't Giacinto taught you that in the past few hundred years? I'm questioning her credibility as an Italian."

He took a sip of his coffee and leaned against the counter.

Really, letting him dilute it with sugar? It would have been the end of their family relationship if he'd dared to put milk in it.

Dick almost dropped his mug in surprise.

He turned wide-eyed at Chry's. He knew that Chrys knew, but he had never been confronted by it.

Then again, they've never had a one on one conversation like this.

Then his eyes flicked to Fleck's dad. He knew through Giacinto that the older members of the family sort of knew something was up.

This was fine.

He nervously licked his top lip.

"Us English like our sugar," was his response, spooning in a couple of heap fulls.

The shocked look was responded to with a wink over his mug as he took another sip.

He set his mug down and pulled a face.

"That's no excuse. Any more sugar and you'll be in danger of becoming your boyfriend." Chrys looked disgusted at that thought. The sugar was disgusting.

As soon as the wave of panic was up, it crashed back down. He wasn't about to be cornered about it. Most of all, he didn't seem to be judged for it.

"I could think of worst things."

He took a sip and closed his eyes blissfully. Much better.

"I couldn't."

Chrys shook his head deliberately. "That thing isn't even coffee any more. Look at the poor thing."

Chrys was seriously lamenting letting Dick have that coffee.

Dick snorted but held his coffee protectively to his chest.

"Of course it's still coffee - it just has an added sweetness. Besides, it would be worst; I could have added milk."

The only milk substance that should be added is the alcoholic kind, but still only in the tiniest of amounts.

Chrys gave an offended huff.

"Get out of my kitchen, you heathen," he ordered, standing abruptly and pulling a plate up off the side. He handed the plate to Dick, the pointed toward the door.

"Fouling my kitchen with the thought of milk in coffee," he mumbled 'under his breath' as he turned to help his father with cooking.

Dick laughed but took the plate.

"At least we can both agree it is a foul thought."

What was the point in having coffee if you were just going to dilute it with milk?

He made his way out of the kitchen and back to the living room. For a few second he hesitated at the doorway before entering.

Chrys continued grumbling unhappily in response.

In the livingroom, true to form, Fleck was laid under a pile of bodies. Leo at the bottom, Chai above him, and Jay sat on his sister's stomach, grinning.

"I'm the king of the castle," he crowed triumphantly.

Chai cursed him.

Amusement bubbled up as what Chrys had predicted came true. Even more so seeing Leo and Fleck had been beaten by the smaller two.

Not that he would consider either of the smaller two weak in this rough and tumble family.

Dick looked down at the plate he was given and contemplated what Chrys had said earlier.

He offered it to Jay.

"Does the king like some arancini?"

Jay grinned at the Vampire.

"The King would love some." He took a small ball, popped it in his mouth, then grabbed a second.

An arm came up from the bottom of the pile. "Righ here, Dick," Leo called. He definitely wanted some.