[C] Monopoly

Dick settled down on the floor, a glass of wine in hand.

The older portion of the family had gone out for the evening to the theatre. The younger portion, rather than going out, have decided to play, of all things, monopoly.

It had been set up on the floor, with Fleck and his siblings around it.

He picked up the boat piece, turning it over in his hand, and set it down on the board.

"So, who rolls first?"

The last time he played it was when it first came out. Giacinto had handed his ass to him and everyone else playing it and he hadn't played it since. The rules were still a little bit fuzzy to him.

"Youngest goes first," Chai stated.

Jay reached forwards to scoop up the dice and shook them in his fist.

"You sure you don't want to play?" Fleck questioned his boyfriend. He'd wrapped himself round Dick when he'd sat down. His thighs were either side of Dick's hips, his big arms wrapped around his waist, and his chin resting on Dick's thin shoulder.

Dick hummed, crossing his arms over Fleck's.

Not only had he become more comfortable with Fleck in private, but also around other people. Especially if those people were Fleck's intimate family.

as long as he wasn't called out for it.

"Yeah, I'll just watch."

He tilted his head back to grin up at Fleck, teasingly.

"And I will make sure you don't mess up."

"Let's hope you can keep me from messing up too badly."

Jay moved his dog a few places, then handed the dice over to Fleck, who held them up in front of Dick's face. "Blow on them for luck."

He threw them, and grinned when he got double six. He rolled again, and laughed when he landed on the community chest. "Second prize in a beauty contest," he read out. "Pay up, dear siblings."

Chai snorted as she handed over a note. "Low standards at that contest."

Dick half-heartedly blew on them, indulging Fleck.

Somehow, it must've worked as Fleck flew across the board and ended up making his siblings pay up.

His lips kicked up at the banter. He always found it amusing between the siblings. It had a nice familiarity with it.

"Couldn't be. If it was, Fleck would've come first."

"With that mug?" Chai huffed and shook her head as she rolled the dice. Double Five. "Clearly you've never seen a beauty competition before."

Fleck laughed as his sister rolled again and breezed past him on the board. "What, because your face would win one?"

He got a pillow thrown at him. Or rather, Dick got hit with a pillow, because Fleck was hiding behind him.

"Muzzle your boyfriend, Dick," Chai ordered.

Dick grunted as the pillow smacked into his face, the glass of wine lifted out of the way so it wouldn't get spilt as the pillow dropped in his lap.

"I think he's good," he said, rubbing his nose. That had a surprising amount of force behind it.

"I've got my eye on you two." Chai pointed at the couple, eyes narrowed threateningly.

Fleck just laughed in return as the dice were handed off to Jay.

They plodded along the game for a while, and it was clear that Jay was just happy to hang back and watch his siblings go neck to neck. Chai and Fleck were beyond competitive and they threw snide comments and jeers back and forth like only two heated Italian siblings could.

That only got worse when the rounded the board the first time, and they could start buying properties.

Chai snapped up Whitechapel immediately, and Fleck followed suit by grabbing the first station.

Dick hummed in as Fleck snapped up the first station.

"Save your money for the more expensive properties. Don't go buying every single one you land on," he said softly to Fleck.

One or two of the cheaper properties didn't hurt, but it was the other side of the board where the money was at.

"The stations are good," Fleck replied, kissing Dick's cheek as he watched Chai move her top hat across the board.

Jay plodded along contentedly, still on his first time around the board.

When Fleck got his turn, he rolled and ended up on the chance square.

"Advance to the nearest railroad, ha!" He bought the station as soon as he landed, quite happy with his spoils.

Dick frowned.

"Why are the railroads good again?"

He knew the basis of the game, just not the details.

"Because they are. Now shush, I'm waiting for Chai to mess up."

And mess up she did. She landed right on Fleck's first station. "That's fifty, please." He gave a saccharine smile as his sister glared at him and held out the cash.

"I swear, if you don't shut him up, I'm going to choke him with his damn wheelbarrow," Chai threatened. She rolled again, and got a ten. "Oh, you fucking-"

She growled at Fleck as he just held his hand out for the next lot of cash she owed him.

Dick laughed a little when Fleck held his hand out the second time, pleased that his boyfriend was getting a good start.

Maybe he didn't need to chip in after all. Fleck was more experienced with the game, he supposed.

"Honestly, if I knew how I would at times."

Even though he learnt his holiday that there were ways he could shut him up. It was just he was going to keep that to himself.

"If you really need to shut him up, I bet going and using the key would work," Jay piped up.

Fleck and Chai laughed loudly, Fleck nodding along. Proven to work, but he doubted Dick wanted that spread about.

"If it works, I'm more than happy for them to go use the key, but I really dont want it going on while we're trying to play," Chai laughed.

Dick felt Fleck laughed behind him, and his brows pinched together the joke lost on him.

"... Key?"

It took him a moment. Then he flushed deeply.

"I wouldn't," he insisted. As if he wasn't thinking exactly that only a few seconds ago.

Fleck buried his face in Dick's neck and snorted.

He could just imagine how red Dick's was now. His arms squeezed Dick a little tighter, holding him close.

"Come on, Jay, your turn. Maybe you'll join the game this turn."

Jay rolled three. He was one short of rejoining the game.

Dick took a deep gulp from the glass in an effort to cool down his face while he was being squeezed.

His hand curled around Fleck's and squeezed lightly back, focussing back on the game.

Two hours passed and the game was still going strong.

Chai was crashing and burning, barely able to scrape together the money she had, much to a very wealthy Fleck's delight. Jay was still plodding along in the game, slow and steady and still pretty much stable.

Fleck giggled with delight as Chai landed on his Oxford street.

Chai couldn't pay up.

"I'll call it even if you give me that Park Lane of yours."

His sister huffed loudly. "Fuck right off. I'm not giving you the ability to buy houses for those fuckers." Fleck was the proud owner of Mayfair.

"That's twelve seventy five then, dear sister mine." He held out his hand and wiggled his fingers.

She hissed at him.

Two hours in and almost a bottle down, this whole game had been entertaining. He didn't interject at all as Fleck played. He played with just the right amount of rashness and responsibility - with the luck of the dice on his side.

Chai wasn't so fortunate.

He snorted as she hissed at Fleck, trying to keep his laughter under control.

"You could loan her the money," Dick suggested.

Fleck had enough money to do that and still be wealthy. If he played it right, he could wind up with more money in the long run.

"Yeah, and she could give me Park Lane," Fleck replied dismissively.

He wiggled his fingers again.

He got a fist to the face instead. Fleck yelped as he was knocked backwards, dragging Dick backwards with him involuntarily, and groaned as his cheek throbbed.

He blinked and stared up at the ceiling, palm pressed to his cheek. That was going to bruise like fuck.

Chai shook her fist out hissing at the pain in her knuckles.

A full belly-laugh sounded from the man laying out of the floor. "Twelve seventy five," he repeated.

Dick was in as just as much surprise when he was dragged back.

He didn't expect Chai to punch her brother. At least, not in as hard as that and definitely not in the face.

He ripped himself from Fleck's arms, glaring cool daggers at Chai. Knuckles white, the only thing that stopped him from slamming his fist back was the fact she was Fleck's sister.

Then he heard the loud laugh behind him and instantly relaxed.

He turned and shook his head at his boyfriend.

Fleck was in stitches, laying on the floor and clutching at his face.

Jay was laughing, too. He'd been waiting for this to happen. It happened every game. Though usually Leo was joining in the tousle, too.

Chai was still shaking her sore hand, but she was giggling as well.

"I quit," she declared. "I'm done. You fucking win. How's your face?"

"Amazing," Fleck replied sarcastically, still refusing to get up. "Cut the inside of my cheek on my teeth."

Dick glanced around the room.

This was all perfectly normal for them.

Thinking, he realised he shouldn't even be surprised.

He moved to inspect the side of Fleck's face, gently turning Fleck's head towards him. It looked like it was going to be a nasty bruise. He figured Fleck wouldn't be laughing if his face was fractured it.

He let Dick look over his face without comment, and when Dick was satisfied his face wasn't going to explode, he sat up again.

"This is going to kill tomorrow. You're a total bitch."

Chair shrugged. "Right back at you. Go to bed. Jay and I will clean up. It's late, anyway."

At Chai's offer, he helped Fleck and said his thank yous and goodnights, before tugging Fleck through the house.

"Should I get you and ice pack or something?" He asked once they were inside their room.

He inspected the growing bruise again, cool fingers skimming over it.