Chapter Text
Oliver
“Love, did you pull the crostini’s? I still need to iron my shirt!” I hear him call from our bedroom as I stumble over the unfinished boxes in the sitting room to do just that.
I still can’t believe we’ve come this far: the first dinner party in over a year and the last one ever in this flat. So many memories of this place hit me like a freight train. From him seeing me for the first time, to every ice cream therapy, graduation and promotion cupcake fight, and every night falling asleep feeling safe and loved, they all happened for the first time here .
Saving the crostinis from “blackened” death just in time, I rush and hurl the boxes into the guest room, stopping to double-check that my shirt isn’t too wrinkled in the guest bathroom before retreating back to my happy place.
“Have you finally picked a shirt then?” I muse taking in his gorgeous figure while leaning against the door frame of our bedroom. “You could always just go without, I know that iron is ancient and you wouldn’t want to waste your time on a half-wrinkled shirt, so might as well go without,” I wink. The blooming roses that appear upon his cheeks at my words never fail to melt me just a tiny bit.
“I know the last dinner party ended up clothing optional, darling, but I’d much rather not greet our brothers starkers if that’s okay with you,” he chuckles out the last words.
Even with the patented Spring sibling glare in place, I still rush to help button his shirt up, sliding my hands up his torso, making sure my hands splay out to touch as much of him as possible before I help put it away.
Kissing my angry eyebrows away, he takes my hand walking us to the kitchen. The new place has an open floor plan. No need for a kitchen with the safety of a sticking door any longer.
Watching David finish topping the crostinis, I can’t help but remark on the scene in front of us. There are three separate meat and cheese boards, a sandwich stand with four different selections, the freshly baked crostinis makeup two trays of canapes and four unique not to mention homemade dips with crisps, and to round it all out, a seafood tower on ice. SEAFOOD. TOWER! Don’t even get me started on the extra table he brought in for the array of pudding options he spent all of yesterday preparing. I’m not sure he’s even slept this week.
“Love, this should definitely be enough food for everyone. I don’t think we really needed two sets of canapes, D.”
Pouting, “Well, you never know if the charcuteries will go quickly” David shrugs, “you just can’t predict what people will gravitate toward. I…I just want it to be good for everyone. Besides, this is kind of like a final goodbye to this place. I wanna go out with a full belly.”
“It is kind of a full circle moment huh?” I smile remembering how this will be a vastly different feeling than our first dinner party together, but it was the start of the rest of my life so I can’t condemn that day for anything.
🌞 ☀️ ☀️
David
Taking in the room full of our family blending together is just everything I could have ever dreamed of and truly even better. Nick and Charlie finally working through it and being here while they do, Xay and Marcella Olly’s found family always here to strengthen him, Tori and Michael making an effort to be present and open, and Mum: this beautiful human, our foundation of love and happiness, has finally found someone who makes her laugh so much and so often she could power all of Monstropolis for decades.
Okay, I admit, I might have gone a little overboard for just a party of ten, but at least while we are moving we will have adult Lunchers from the leftovers, and no one can fault me for that.
At least Maaaa—Michael seems to be enjoying my homemade hummus.
Oliver
Okay, okay, maybe the seafood tower was delicious, but I won’t admit that to David until at least two full weeks of relentless teasing. He’s always been one to go full tilt when planning things out especially when they are with me in mind, that I can’t let that sappy fucker go without a little loving banter.
Filling my plate with more prawns and the tangy Marie Rose sauce David whipped up, I catch Charlie’s eye nodding for him to join me when I move over to the settee.
“I’m really glad to see you and Nick showing up together,” I nod toward Nick standing over with Xavier and Marcella talking passionately with full hand motions, but I don’t miss the grimace on Charlie’s face about the topic I chose to land on.
It’s been 14 months since the explosive but necessary dinner party, and only about 3 weeks since Nick left our guest room from an “overnight crash” for the last time, well, I hope . Not that it hasn’t been a pleasure having him, he makes the best blueberry muffins this side of Croydon but he is such a love-sick puppy without Charlie attached to his hip.
“Yeah,” His voice sounds almost wistful. “Being by his side is where I belong. I’m just glad I’ve finally proven to him I deserve to be there.” Charlie gives me the same adaptive slanted smile that naturally occurs on Nick. The way they mirror each other is a work of art. “The way I hope I’ve done with you?”
It very well could be the champagne but feeling his need for reassurance of our relationship makes me feel warm inside. I can’t think of a better time than now, as this chapter is coming to an end, to reaffirm our bond.
The last 11 months have been a struggle between all of us to find a ground that wasn’t made of quicksand. With a lot of joint therapy sessions, alcohol-free lunches in very public places, and time we have all found acceptance in each other. I feel safe in their presence. It might not be the traditional sibling love relationship people are used to, but it works for us, for all of us.
“Yeah Charlie Wharlie, I think I’ll keep you!”
☀️ ☀️ ☀️
After catching up with Charlie, I remember just how clingy I get when I drink champagne, so I wander over to David and plop myself on his lap. He doesn’t even slow his sentence down, just talks over my shoulder like this is the only right way to be. It’s beautiful, it’s comfortable, and best of all it’s utterly normal. Soon this place will hold all of our past memories, but our home will hold our forever dreams. David suggesting this party as a way for us to finish this chapter was at first nerve-wracking, but looking around to our guests I can’t believe how far we’ve all come.
Xavier casually mentions making me an uncle sooner rather than later and I nearly spit my drink all over Marcella. Not out of shock but more out of excitement. Their babies are going to be adorable and so loved! I just can’t believe we are old enough to contemplate children. I mean David sure BUT Xay …yeah, okay I see it. He’s always been my comfort and mans gives the best advice at three in the morning. He’s going to make a wonderful papa.
Kissing D on the cheek I run to grab more food, no one wants to deal with me having a hangover as we move boxes tomorrow. I can feel his eyes on my body, watching and salivating as I innocently shimmy between the entree options.
Admittedly, my eyes might be bigger than my stomach but David will help me finish anything leftover. Turning to head back to David with my tray of goodies, all balanced delicately in my hands, when I feel like I’ve run into a magic wall that just sprouted up out of nowhere flinging my plate into my chest drenching my shirt in the cherry compote David made for the clafoutis.
A very apologetic Nick starts waving me off to the bathroom with a look that says he might now be as tipsy as he claims. I don’t know what that’s about but if I don’t get changed soon I just know Michael will be inspired to throw a “whodunit” party and I for one will not be participating in his themed shenanigans even if I get to lay on the floor while everyone else has to play detective.
David
With Olly off to the loo, I find myself trying to keep busy being a good host by refilling empty wine glasses. Before I know it though, I am being pulled into a conversation with Michael and Nick that really needs to take it down an octave or two, less Olly hear as he comes back. If Nick’s big mouth and pension for soppy love stories ruin my proposal I will pull a Tori and end him.
The full swing of chaos that is the party has me ignoring blatant red flags as a raspy knock hits the door of the flat. Pulling Nick along with me to playfully but sternly remind him to stop telling people that he came ring shopping with me before Olly is inadvertently propositioned about an engagement that hasn’t happened yet by Wanda from his Wednesday Night trivia team he interrupts as I start to unlock and crack the door open. “I thought everyone had to be buzzed into your building?”
The cold chill of the hallway hits me too late to stop the motion.
Quickly, I send off an urgent prayer to any available deity asking kindly of whoever to please make sure it’s not who I think it is at the door, promising the first that pulls it off will be getting a devoted follower come first thing Monday morning. Bonus points if they just smite them on the spot.
No such luck, of course.
I’m trying my best to catch the door to shut it in their faces.
“Nope, no, no one invited you here please leave,” I grit out before my body tenses up for a fight.
“CHARLS” Jane slurs, pushing past me practically falling into Nick.
“NO! Do not address him! My brother asked you to leave his home and we will not ask you again. No one wants you here. GO.”
Glancing over to the crowd at our left, our family, I feel like every time I let my guard down, I put him in danger. A night of fun celebration turns into a disaster every single time. Each face has a various level of outrage and sympathy as they meet my eye moving my heart to my throat; until I catch sight of the one who matters most. Oliver doesn’t look frozen with fear, nervous or really even angry. Instead, as he squares his shoulders lifting his head to its full potential he looks stoic, radiant and splendid as ever.
Oliver
I knew this day would come. Like every video game from the late 1900s, the main character has to finally beat the big boss that’s been terrorising him the entire saga.
Too bad for her though, the wicked witch doesn’t scare me anymore.
In this moment, seeing them being pissed and messy trying so hard to hang on to the little bit of power they thought they had over my siblings or me isn’t scary, it's laughable.
Squaring my shoulders, I walk toward David and the pathetic scene in front of me, grabbing his hand as I put myself in front of him, Nick, and all of our party guests. Before whispering softly for him to call the security I turn toward the chaos that is filling the room as their drunken belligerence seems to be burning straight through the party.
Her words slur from her mouth and I find whatever she has to say can’t even pierce my ears. They are meaningless shrills that have no impact anymore. A pathetic ranting of an old croan who has lost her best days to ugliness in her soul. As always the man once known as my father is just standing there behind her, watching as Cyclone Jane tries her hardest to be the most important person in the room.
Filling my voice with nonchalance I ask steadily with a bit of bass in my tone, “Are you quite finished?” It is barely an attempt to vail my utter derision but I will not let them feel any bit of righteous by being here. They will get no satisfaction tonight. “David has told you to leave. Nick has reiterated that you are not welcome, and no one here invited you or asked you to stay, so please take your mess and go. There is nothing left here for you.”
Cutting off her plea to Tori for help, I reiterate the point. “Security is on its way up. Either you leave or they will escort you out.” She’s done enough damage to the night that I refuse to let her pick us off one at a time.
“You owe us, son. You took everything from your mother with your lies. The least you could do is let her spend time with the kids that actually matter!” Julio’s words slap me in the face. He hasn’t uttered a single word to me in years. Unlike Jane, he is sober. He had complete control of his faculties and knew exactly what to say to knock the breath from my chest and electrify my nerves.
As if the entire world froze at his words and has now come to, the entire room burst out in outrage. Shouts of my loved ones surround us fighting to get between me and them. To protect me to save me, defend my honour and in Tori’s case just blind raging war cries.
But this fight is mine. This war has raged on for far too long. They can’t win, nothing they have I want. His words hurt yes, but just like dust on the mantle it whirls in the wind and disappears, never actually mattering in the end.
My hands move before my feet do, but quickly and with force I am grabbing them both by their arms and shoving them toward the door as they whine and cry out to anyone who might be listening, “You can’t let him do this. OLIVER you can’t do this. I’m your mother! Don’t you miss us?”
One final shove sends them stumbling to the hallway. I see them turn to me eyes varying between anger and shock. A story flashes in my head of when Charlie was in school and became a living legend standing up to his bullies at a party and the thought brings the first genuine smirk to my face from the last half hour.
I’ve crossed lakes of fire, sewn every gash every wound, mended every chink in my armour and shed every bloody bit of the old me that could be pushed around and beaten into submission. I have fought tooth and nail to conquer my nightmares with the help of every single person in this room. I will not shrink in their presence again nor will I allow their existence to affect mine.
Grabbing the door ready to shut it with finality I mutter my final words to them. “NO.”
The locking sound behind me fills my body with relief. It’s over. Truly and officially done. I can move on, I can live. I am free.
And unlike her, unlike them, I will not be forgotten. Not ever again.