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[flowrite]

WHO: Fai, Sakura, Xiaolang, Iwai, Noah??
WHERE: The cat cafe, Fai's new house (!), possibly other assorted places
WHEN: All of November
WHAT: A small catchall for cute family things, like adoption and buying houses. Starters will be in the comments!
WARNINGS: ~*~Excessive cuteness~*~

Comments

Sakura and Xiaolang | November 5

[flowrite]

[Fai had actually considered asking Iwai for a lift to the cafe for his meeting with Sakura, since he hadn't yet made it to the DMV to make sure his license was still valid (with his new vision problem and all) but Sakura needed a lift as well and Fai didn't want to overwhelm the poor girl. The reason for him taking her out to lunch was going to be a big enough topic of conversation as it was, they could save introductions for another time.

Assuming the talk went well, of course. Otherwise the point might end up moot.

So a taxi had been called and now here Fai is at her door, the cab pulled over and waiting nearby. He isn't dressed particularly different from usual--jeans, a jacket and scarf, and his pink shoes--but the eyepatch is going to stick out pretty badly. Not much he can do about that, though.

Knock knock~!]

[keystaff]

Ah, that must be -- Fai-san!

[Sakura grins, bounding over in her slippers to open the door in greeting. Sakura herself is dressed much the same too. A hoodie over her short dress with long socks, her phone and keys in the pocket of her hoodie, ready to leave. She had been curious about what Fai wanted to talk to her about, but she's particularly glad to see him again after talking to him on the network about his eye. The eyepatch would take some adjusting to. Sakura still feels some sort of sadness over it. Pity? Perhaps. That he had to go through that.

Still, she smiles, kicking off her slippers and changing them for some shoes. Possibly almost tripping in her haste in knowing he has a taxi waiting.]

I'm ready! Let's go! I bet we'll see lots of adorable kittens!

[flowrite]

[Thankfully Sakura's smile always seems to be kind of infectious, and when Fai smiles in return it's mostly genuine. He jumps when it looks like the girl might trip, and starts to step forward to help her, but once she's righted herself he's back to smiling at her enthusiasm.]

I don't think they'll get rid of all the kittens if we're not there in the next five minutes, Princess! You don't have to move so fast you fall over~

[He's just teasing. Smiling, he holds the crook of his elbow out to escort her to the taxi.]

[keystaff]

P-princess....ah. You did mention that. I'm still not sure if I remember being one, but. You're right. I guess I'm just excited. And the taxi....

[She seems sheepish again for a brief moment, at the princess title, before she laughs and extends her own arm to his, allowing him to escort her without her risking falling over, once the house was secured, door shut and locked behind her.]

Iwai | November 12 | stargazing

[flowrite]

[Just when Fai thought his grumpy hermit couldn't get any sweeter, here they are: getting ready to go watch a meteor shower. It's not necessarily one of the big flashy ones (as far as meteor showers go) but it's supposed to be a nice clear night, and it means sitting out in a field on the outskirts of the city, wrapped up in blankets with his boyfriend watching the stars.

Fai has spent all afternoon getting snacks ready for their date and melting inside at the whole idea of it. He might be grinning like a dork as he packs things into his picnic basket and pulls a couple of big fluffy blankets out of the hall closet. Maybe.

(Definitely.)

Oh, and his eye is blue again. That had been an interesting surprise yesterday. He hasn't seen Iwai since before it happened either, so that should be a fun surprise too. Fai's already texted Iwai that there are a bunch of things to carry out to the car, so now he's just puttering around the apartment, gathering up a few last minute things and waiting for a knock on the door.]

[geckoman]

[Well if there are things to carry then he knows he'll need to go up to the door. Of course that's what he would do anyway but that isn't the point. He's grabbed an extra jacket in case Fai wants to wear one of his but otherwise Fai seems to have everything else under control.

Knocking on the door, he plays with the candy in his mouth, the stick moving about idly as a result. When he sees the door open, he offers a smile.]

Hey.

[Adjusting the stick to the side so he won't poke Fai, he leans in to give him a quick kiss.]

What do you need me to carry?

[And yes. He's wearing a hat. Specifically the hat the app gave him.]

[flowrite]

[Fai mirrors that smile and leans forward a little himself, only too happy to get a kiss. Hell, he's still kind of at the stage where just spotting Iwai brings an unconscious grin to his face, so. He leans forward for a kiss and then reaches up to flick the brim of Iwai's hat playfully.]

There's a picnic basket on the table over there, if you want to grab that? And you can come say hi to the kitties before we head out!

[He steps aside, so Iwai can come in out of the hallway.]

[geckoman]

Sure. Oh, I got some treats for the cats. Can I give 'em some?

[Because hey they might have dietary needs or something. He knows better than to just give the cats something without getting Fai's permission first no matter how those...cats...

Wait...]

Your eye...

[He stops as he finishes coming inside and takes another look at Fai.]

Blue suits you.

Thanksgiving at the new house!

[flowrite]

[It's been a grand total of two days since Fai picked up the keys to the new house. The new place is beautiful, the landscaping still pristine and perfect, the wood floors inside shiny and clean, and everything smells wonderful. It's also very, very empty. So far Fai has managed to move over enough of his kitchen implements to be able to make Thanksgiving dinner and enough dishes for everyone to eat on. There's also a new sofa and a couple of beanbag chairs in the very empty family room, and a long folding table in the dining room covered with a festive tablecloth to disguise the fact that it's... a folding table.

And of course, the tv from Fai's apartment is currently sitting on the floor in the family room so various parades and festive movies can run all day.

Fai will drive out to ferry anyone over to the house who needs it, and at some point he's going to disappear for a bit to run an errand, but otherwise he'll be fluttering around the house all day. Mostly he'll be cooking, although he does make time earlier in the day to catch at least bits of the parades.

Feel free to use this as a mingle! Fai is especially excited to introduce the kids to his boyfriend, and Fai himself will be around all day. Idk make something up and toss it up here :3 ]

[geckoman]

[Iwai's gotten there early because he figures if Fai wants help he can be there for that. He's never done this holiday but he can still offer his services. Or his muscles for carrying things.

He's brought with him some yakisoba he made that has some seafood in it. Something easy but something he knows kids in Japan tend to like. He figures it might be a hit with Sakura. Worth a shot at least.

So he's there now and he's dressed casually and has even left his hat in the car. His sleeves are rolled up to show the wing tattoo on his left forearm and he's currently relaxing when he's not being asked for something. He may look like a grump but he's really not that hard to approach.

And yes. That grump sure does have a lollipop in his mouth.]

[flowrite]

[Iwai will have already at least seen photos of the new house, since the two of them were poring over real estate listings together and Fai would have excitedly waved pictures at his boyfriend when he decided on the place and made an offer, but since it's only been a couple days since he got the keys and it was during the week, this is the first time he's been able to get Iwai over here. That alone, even without introducing his boyfriend to his future adopted kids (!!), is more than enough reason to be a little giddy.

So once the turkey is in the oven and various other dishes are in various stages of completion, Fai makes his way out of the kitchen in his frilly pink apron and heads over to where Iwai is, and wraps his arms around his boyfriend from behind.]

Sooo~ What do you think?

[He's grinning like a dork. Just FYI.]

[geckoman]

It's nice. You're going to do great things with it.

[He doesn't just mean decorations. He also means having a family here. It's a huge thing and to get this house to support them...

Iwai's always been impressed with Fai but he sure as hell is right now. That's for damn sure.

Turning around in those arms, he offers him a smile and a quick kiss.]

You look good in that apron.

[cardcaptured]

[Grump who isn't hard to approach, meet grump who doesn't know how to approach others.

It was painfully obvious that Xiaolang was out of his element here. Of the two people he knew at this gathering, only one of them he was comfortable enough to talk to, and she had just went back to help her new father with the cooking. He wasn't the clingy type, and so he wasn't about to follow after her just because he was an awkward duck. So here he was, sitting stiffly on the couch, trying not to catch the attention of the other man sitting with him.

But this guy did seem like a mystery, though-- he was already here by the time Xiaolang arrived, and he made it a point to be fairly early to things. Was he a friend of Fai's? A fellow social worker, maybe? The tattoo did seem a bit suspicious, but so did Fai's eyepatch, so maybe social workers... just naturally looked a little shifty? He had absolutely no idea. Maybe he was another one connected with similar memories, like him and Sakura and Fai, but he didn't want to outright assume he had the app.

The parade on TV shifted to a shot of some military officers riding atop some chocobos, and Xiaolang can't help but scowl a little at it.]

Ugh, they look so stupid on those...

[As soon are the words come out, though, he realizes what he just said, and he clams up quickly. That was going to be really, really weird to explain if this older guy wasn't on Retrospec like the rest of them.]

[geckoman]

[Iwai really doesn't seem to care about the awkwardness of the kid. He's content to mess around with the candy in his mouth as he watches the parades of Recolle. Well, right up until the kid talks.

Grey eyes slowly look over at him and he lifts a brow.]

Yeah? What do you suggest they ride?

[Nice try, kid. He's not letting you get away with that so easily.]

[keystaff]

[It's not the first time she has celebrated Thanksgiving in a new place. The first time they moved, when they came here to the States, she had had no idea about the holiday. Their dad had tried to make them the traditional turkey and all. Tried to teach her. To get into the spirit of things since the festivities with any holiday here seemed....almost impossible to ignore or escape. May as well join in?

She's learned, since then. Enough that she hasn't minded helping out in the kitchen, though there were breaks - her brother insisting on that. Which is why she might not look as tired by the time any guests show up. At least there were some snacks, while she sits and watches tele on one of said breaks. Sitting cross legged on the sofa and not seeming to mind how empty the place feels yet.

Or perhaps she's helping serve, making sure everyone has some dinner while they are all at the table. Or afterwards, full and tired from cooking and the move, ending up crashing on the couch asleep. Either lying down across it or leaning against whoever was sitting next to her at the time after the meal.]

[geckoman]

[It's easy to figure out that this is Sakura. So he goes over to her and sits by her as they watch the television together. He's quiet for a time but when he speaks, it's not in English. Instead he actually talks to her in Japanese. Not even like he's practiced for her but like he's a native himself.]

Have you ever watched these parades before?

[Okay so maybe his Japanese is definitely on the casual side but he's never really been one for major formalities. But he's figuring maybe she'll enjoy just talking in the language all the same.]

[keystaff]

A few times. I didn't quite grow up with this like some others, since I moved here from Japan, but. It's fun. And I can get behind the idea of celebrating the harvest, and being thankful for family and all, at least.

[She replies, at least not entirely too rusty with her Japanese since she speaks it at home with her family, and has lessons at school. Sakura does seem to perk up a little at hearing it from him, even if she also seems sheepish and apologizes if she makes mistakes with her Japanese. They did move from Japan when she was rather young, after all, so since then she has mostly been surrounded by and learning English.]

[cardcaptured]

[Xiaolang wasn't nearly as exhausted as Sakura was by the end of the evening, but it was hard to lapse into a turkey coma when he didn't even have any of it to begin with. Still, the rest of the food was delicious, if not a bit new to him (he still couldn't wrap his head around marshmallow topped sweet potatoes, but he could see why Marina spoke so highly of stuffing), and that on top of the previous meal he made that day made him a little sluggish. Maybe with everything out of the way now, they could sit and talk-- not about Retrospec, or shared memories, or traumatic events, but just... chat. As classmates, and as friends. She had a big few weeks, after all, and he'd rather listen to how she's dealing with all of that, instead of sharing his own misadventures from this month.

He's nearly in a slump on the couch, too tired to sit up properly for the time being, attention half on the Recolle-brand Disney movie playing on the TV, but mostly on the girl next to him. He keeps his voice quiet, in case anyone else was resting off their post-dinner bellies, so most of what he says comes out as a murmur.]

You two didn't do a bad job on the cooking, you know. I'm surprised you both got so much of it done in just one...

[But a gentle weight upon one of his shoulders cuts him off mid-sentence, and he glances over in her direction to see what it was.

And his heart stops.

And his lungs suddenly decide not to work.

And any other words he had wanted to say die a quick death in his throat, as he damn near forgets how to speak for a moment as his heart suddenly goes into over-time. Oh my god. OH MY GOD.]

S-SUNNY?! What are you--??

[... oh, but she was asleep. Or dozed off, more likely. Part of him didn't want to wake her up-- she had a long few days, so he couldn't blame her for drifting off. But with the way his heart was pounding, he felt like he was going to actually die, and people would get the wrong idea, otherwise.

So what to do?]

[keystaff]

[It had been a rather busy time lately. Moving on top of the holidays and all. Getting the app earlier and dealing with all that too, still. So it all combines to rather exhaust her at this point, her head resting on his shoulder, before he screeches like that, causing her to start, blinking as she glances around for a moment before looking to him confusedly. Tense, at first because of his volume, and her not quite having realized she had started to doze and rest against him like that.]

L-Li-kun? What....?

[flowrite]

[Fai... would like to say he'd have preferred that Sakura relax and enjoy herself today, and not have to help out in the kitchen, but truth be told he enjoys the company. It's nice to putter around in the big new kitchen with someone else, and even though he loves to cook, less cooking time means more time to spend with everyone. And this way he gets to spend some quality time with Sakura, who'll be legitimate family as soon as the court proceedings are done (hopefully soon!).

The main dishes are all either finished or in various stages of cooking, so it's time to work on dessert! Fai's currently microwaving chocolate and butter together in a bowl.]

Princess, can you grab the carton of eggs for me?

[keystaff]

The eggs? Sure!

[It's a work in progress as they sort of unpack certain things at this earlier stage of moving in. But she does remember where they had kept the eggs, so she is quick to retrieve those and bring them carefully over to the bench for Fai, not wanting to drop and break them. She doesn't mind helping out, especially since she does enjoy it -- and the end result of baking and cooking. Eating the food!

It probably helps that occasionally, her brother would nudge her to go watch something on tele while he took over for a bit. But for now, she's content enough to assist Fai, so it can be done that much sooner with two of them working in the kitchen.]

It already smells so good!

[cardcaptured]

[This was Xiaolang's second Thanksgiving since moving to Recolle, but probably the first year he bothered to do anything for it. The whole holiday mystified him at first-- just what did they do during this? Cook and eat?-- but the more he gave it some thought, the more he realized it was a lot like their Moon Festival back in Hong Kong. Maybe with less moon viewing and moon cakes, but certainly with the appreciation of family and celebration of harvest. With that in mind, Fai's invitation to dinner was a shock-- he certainly wasn't family to him, despite his connections to Sakura (past OR present), and he didn't want to intrude when they had so much to adjust to, in more ways than one.

But Fai was Sakura's father now, like it or not, and if he had wanted to upkeep their weekend meet-ups like he insisted, he was going to have to get used to this new place and all the changes that went along with it. So after finishing making dinner at his house (with much to spare-- cooking for two people can always get tricky), Xiaolang heads over, leftovers in hand. There's roast pork belly, stir-fried gai lan, pan-fried noodles, and almond tofu, all made by Xiaolang himself, and all stupidly tasty for something made by a thirteen year old boy. There was probably going to be tons of food already, but he didn't want to arrive without something to offer, and Sakura's fond of noodles, so maybe she'd might like the ones he made?? Not that he made them for her, of course, but still.

Social gatherings have never been his strong point, however, and most of the time he's here, he's either standing against the wall, lost in his own thoughts (or just... poking away at his phone), or awkwardly sitting on the end of the couch, trying to get into whatever was playing on TV. Every so often, he does try to peek his head into the kitchen, to see if maybe Fai or Sakura would need an extra hand with their cooking if they want it, but aside from that, he keeps to himself, an awkward preteen turtle if there ever was one.

... he also makes it a point not to touch the turkey when dinner rolls around, for Reasons. (He does give everything else at least a nibble, though.)]

[flowrite]

[At some point during the cooking process Fai declares it break time, since Sakura's brother has been insistent on her taking breaks throughout and because even Fai knows that sometimes he needs to take a breather for himself. Besides, this way he can catch the last of the Macy's parade and snuggle with his boyfriend a little, or--

Oho. That sure is a very awkward little turtle standing against the wall there.

With a sly smile and his frilly pink apron still on, Fai strolls out of the kitchen and playfully pokes a spatula in Xiao's general direction. He almost pokes the boy himself, except then he'd have to either wash the spatula or get a new one and there's enough work to be done as it is without making more.]

We brought over the sofa and the beanbags for a reason, silly! Or are you holding up the wall for me? The realtor didn't mention this wall was structurally unsound~!

[He's smiling, very obviously in a good mood and very obviously teasing.]

[bitemefightme]

[Orion isn't... entirely sure what to make of this. He's still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Fai's moving. He'd relied on the blond alot. Maybe too much. To just be there and show up whenever he needed over the smallest thing. Fai got him through alot of tough times, alot of being there at the drop of a hat. Tolerating him through the misfires, and getting him on his meds. Helping him through Lilly and the Collar. Fai's sure done alot for him.

He's not sure how to take it that Fai's now going to be more than just a door away anymore.

When he got the invitation, it at least felt like he wasn't just being left behind. Fai still wants him here. He thinks that's what that means. But, for some reason, he's just standing on the front door step, just staring at the door. Like he forgot how to knock or something. Like he's not so sure he should be here.

It feels entirely unfamiliar, and so any sense of security is gone with it.]

[geckoman]

[Iwai's passing by when he sees someone outside the door. Another look and he sees that it's Orion. Well, he figures Fai won't mind him letting guests inside so he goes to answer the door and looks at him with a brow lifted.]

You comin' in? Fai will still feed ya out here but inside is more comfortable.

[He nods his head and steps to the side so Orion can get inside.]