thanksgiving is, after all, a word of action [set on 11/26]

[triskehale]

Thanksgivings in the Hale house used to be quite the big deal. Feeding over a dozen werewolves, many of them teenagers was no easy feat. Derek loved all the chaos, and he helped out in the kitchen since he was old enough to stand on a step stool and reach the counter.

The first year after everyone died, he and Laura each got a rotisserie chicken and some biscuits, trying to hang on to some semblance of tradition, but the food tasted like ash. Laura went to bed early, and Derek pretended not to hear her cry. They stopped trying to do anything for the holiday after that.

It's been almost a decade since that disastrous attempt, and a few months ago Derek decided that he wanted to try again. While Laura and the rest of his family will always be the cause of this gnawing ache in his heart, Derek has a new family here in Darrow. He has so many people that matter to him, and care about him. It's more than Derek deserves, or ever thought that he would get, but he's grateful. He's thankful.

So he decides that he's going to do his best to put on a Thanksgiving of his own, and invite his new ragtag sort of pack. His new family.

The invitations go out and on the big day, Derek arrives at Semele's just after dawn. He puts two giant turkeys in the oven and quickly sets up the long table and chairs in the middle of the bar. With each chair he places, Derek marvels over just how many people he has in his life. It's astounding to him, and it's the perfect day to show his gratitude.

And then, all that's left to do is cook. And cook, and cook some more. If he's lucky, he'll have time to go shower and put on something nice before all his guests arrive.


[Hale pack Thanksgiving! Treat this as a gathering post. Tag in, tag around, give thanks! ♥]

Comments

[willnothide]

"Not at Semele's, in Durin's name, no. I'd be a rather terrible patron and an even worse friend if I were to allow that to happen." Briefly, Kili's attention is caught by the turkey leg that'd gone forgotten in his hand, and he takes a rather satisfying bite before looking back at Bitty to continue his story. "This was before Derek became owner of Semele's, I was in another pub talking with Doctor Newt when a man saw fit to mock me for what I am."

That would have been deserving of a punch on its own but what had truly gotten Kili off his feet had been the insult directed toward his mother, which he simply could never have allowed to go unpunished.

"As it turns out, the man was not alone so when I went at him, the coward called for his friends to fight, as well. Mind, I could have taken care of them all myself, it just would have taken a bit more time. I suppose it did turn out in my favor, though, I had more than a few other friends come to my aid, including Derek, though I just barely escaped being taken away by the police." He grins cheekily. "It was a very fun evening, my brother and I used to get into scrapes at the tavern at home all the time."

[puckandpie]

Kili takes a big bite of his turkey leg, chewing as he tells his story and I stare, wide-eyed, trying to picture it all. As often as Derek's told me how he took over Semele's, it's still hard to imagine a time when it wasn't his, but it's a lot easier to imagine Kili getting into a fight over someone dishonoring him.

"I'm almost sad I missed it," I tell him, unable to fight my grin. "Though I think if I ever saw a fight break out, I'd run and hide in the kitchen. To be honest, I'm pretty happy to stay back there most of the time for that very reason. I'd be useless in a fight."

The topic reminds me of the discussion of learning self-defense I'd had with Thomas the other week and I perk up a little. "Actually, how are you at teaching that sort of thing? Maybe... maybe not fighting so much, but self-defense."

[willnothide]

Kili's idea of fun when it comes to a good pub fight is vastly different from most, he thinks, but it's as good as a favored pastime at this point. In truth, he and Fili both had been surprised it'd taken them that long to come to blows with anyone in the first place. Now that he thinks about it, the time does seem just about appropriate to find himself in another, though he certainly wouldn't go looking for one.

Not without a few ales in him first, at least.

"Not to worry, Mister Bitty, if you were to run into the kitchen to provide us with a hearty meal after a fight, your contribution would be just as great. Likely even more important, and I'm not just speaking from my stomach."

The question of teaching self-defense is a new one, though, and it catches him so off-guard at first that he sputters for an answer. "You'd want to learn from me?" he asks, his hand with the turkey leg dropping to dangle at his side in his surprise. "I've never taught much of anything before, I was very nearly always the youngest of those I spent most of my time with so my education was a continuing one." His eyes narrow thoughtfully then. "Although, I do suppose I could give it a go, assuming you're as patient as you seem."

[puckandpie]

I have a feeling I'll never really stop liking the way he calls me Mister Bitty. I'm not even sure why except that no one's ever called me that before and, from him, it sounds like an honor, not condescending in the slightest. Also, if Kili isn't speaking from his stomach, I'd like to ask him what he is speaking from and I almost do just that before he suddenly gets all flustered.

"Oh, you don't have to if it at all makes you uncomfortable," I rush to tell him. "I just thought I could pay you in baked goods if you'd like. Not that I won't be more than happy to give you any number of pies or cookies your heart desires, of course. There's no pressure at all. It's just that, after what happened a few weeks ago, I feel like it might be good for me to learn some things. I'm not gonna be able to rely on Derek all the time and if I'm gonna live here on my own, I should... I should be able to hold my own, you know? It's a big city. And you're a warrior, so I thought... I don't know. Is it a stupid idea?"

[willnothide]

"Not at all!" Kili insist, shaking his head vigorously, as if it's enough to prove his point. "Truly, I am honored that you would even consider asking for my help. I would teach you all I could without taking even a single baked good as payment, though if you'd simply like to make them for me, I suppose it would be rude of me to decline." He grins cheekily, gesturing with his turkey leg at the spread of pies on the table. "Please do not take offense when I say I do think you could likely stop a fight with one of these pies better than you could with your fists, but I am happy to assist you all the same."

There's the clearing in the woods, where he goes to practice his archery, that would be a fairly good place to practice. The days are much colder now, and he expects there may soon be a layer of snow on the forest floor, but Kili always feel so much freer there than anywhere else. On the rare days that he feels overwhelmed with all that's going on around him, that is where he goes to escape. Perhaps Bitty will find that it provides him the same level of comfort.

"Do you have an idea of when you'd like to begin?"

[puckandpie]

There's no way to hide my reaction when Kili agrees, a smile breaking wide over my face as I practically jump and start clapping with excitement.

"Oh goodness, I don't know! As soon as you'd like? I know you're probably busy right now with holiday things and I'm gonna be starting up full-time at Semele's here soon so maybe after the new year? That should give me time to get my own routine sorted and my wits about me. Gosh, Kili, thank you!"

I nearly launch myself at him but stop just in time, head cocked curiously. "Wait, do you do hugs? If not, we can just fist bump." I hold my hand out into a fist in demonstration.

[willnothide]

To see Bitty smile so only make Kili's own grow wider, and it never does grow tiresome to know that he can help a friend in need. That is what he considers Bitty now, after all, especially after they've come to this agreement, and they may have only encountered each other twice but it's hardly the length of time of knowing someone that is important.

Bilbo, for instance, had only been with the company for just over a year while they'd journeyed to the Lonely Mountain, but he'd become dearly important to Kili much quicker than that. He'd felt it his duty to protect the hobbit, to see to it that no harm would fall upon their burglar, and thinking of him now, Kili only hopes that Bilbo has returned to Bag End to tend to his garden, to read his books, to live out the rest of his life as he pleases. He hopes that Bilbo is happy, even in spite of all the horrors he'd seen. Likewise, to see Bitty beaming and knowing that he is responsible for it warms him.

When Bitty holds his fist out, Kili merely blinks at it, not at all comprehending what it is he's meant to do, though he supposes the term 'fist bump' is clear enough. "I've never done such a thing," he admits, forming his own fist and lightly tapping it against Bitty's. "Was that right? I do accept hugs, as well, if that is preferable."

[puckandpie]

For a second, Kili only blinks down at my fist, but the term is a pretty easy one to understand even without explanation and he balls his own hand into a fist and taps it against mine.

Grinning wide, I lightly take his wrist with my other hand, guiding it. "Knuckle to knuckle," I tell him before bumping mine against his. "Like this. It's a bro thing. But I'm gonna give you a hug, too."

And I make good on my promise, quickly wrapping my arms around Kili's shoulders and drawing him in tight.

[willnothide]

"Knuckle to knuckle," Kili repeats, nodding his understanding. It's a strange custom, but he's hardly phased by the existence of such things in Darrow anymore. As most of them go, this one seems quite tame. Before he can say as much, Bitty is throwing his arms around Kili's shoulders, and Kili lets out a delighted laugh.

The hug is warm, genuine and meaningful in a way that Kili isn't used to. While his own kin have never failed in giving him comfort with a hug, he's met just as many others who are disappointingly poor at offering something so simple. He tightens his own arms around Bitty, letting go only when he thinks it might go on long enough to be considered lingering, then bounces on his heels as he grins up at his friend.

"Is a hug not a 'bro thing,' as well?" he asks curiously. "I do hug my brother often enough, even if it is usually to make up for something I've done."

[puckandpie]

"Oh, it can be!" I assure him, beaming as we pull away, his smile just as wide as mine. "In fact, in hockey, a huge group hug is an essential part of a celly so, in that case, it's as bro as you can get. But even so there are some guys who would never dream of hugging another guy off the ice. It's honestly really silly and all part of protecting masculinity and... and stuff like that. I wish my friend Shitty was here, he could explain it all so much better than I can, but take it from me, a fist bump is almost always preferable to hugs back where I'm from. Between guys, at least. Unless within a sports-related moment of celebration."

I finally pause for a breath then, but I still haven't stopped smiling and I let out a laugh a second later, shaking my head. "I can't believe I just got to teach someone from another dimension about fist bumps! Never in all my life could I have predicted this!"

[willnothide]

Kili supposes he understands a thing or two about maintaining some sense of masculinity. It'd been instilled in him from the time he was a dwarfling, after all, to act the part of a proper son of Durin. Of course, he'd been told more than once that he'd disgraced the name of their kin in times he'd gotten into trouble (which was fairly often), but Kili had never taken it very seriously. Still, even hugs had not been something to admonish, but something joyful to share in--even if they occasionally were accompanied with a butting of heads, particularly in the case of Balin and Dwalin.

"I think I prefer the hug," he decides, nodding firmly. "The fist bump seems rather meaningless, while a hug is universally understood to be an expression of care." It doesn't seem to a matter of extreme importance, however, even if he is pleased to see Bitty smiling as he does. "You can teach me about more of Man's stranger customs while we train together, if it pleases you. I'd quite like to understand as much of this world as I can."

It's been quite a few months since his arrival, but Kili continues to find that he learns something new practically every day. Who better to teach him than one who seems well-versed in sport and cooking?

[puckandpie]

I absolutely love the way Kili talks, how it's completely unlike anyone I've ever met before, unlike anything I've heard outside of movies, and I can't contain another laugh as I nod in agreement. "We'll just keep to hugging then," I tell him, still thrilled that he's agreed to teach me how to protect myself. "I'm not sure I'll have much wisdom to share about our customs, but I'll do my best! In the meantime, I'm afraid payment will largely come in the form of baked goods."

I tack a wink onto that statement as I'm pretty sure Kili has no complaints about that much, at least.