* * *
After Cyrus agreed to go to Thanksgiving with Sasha’s family, he couldn’t help but feel a kind of apprehension within.
What if they didn’t like him for whatever reason? He didn’t give a crap about the Infernus family. His father did, and, of course, what the old man wanted he usually got. But with Sasha’s family, Cyrus genuinely wanted to make a good impression. As the day loomed closer, he tried his best to not think about it too much. He continued his interactions with Sasha, getting to know her better.
The way she stood up for him kept running through his mind as well as those heated moments when they were in the car together and the suggestion of something more hung in the air. Sometimes, he thought he saw a hint of that fire in Sasha too. When he took her to a restaurant. When he invited her over for dinner or went to a late-night movie because neither of them had anything better to do.
They weren’t exactly… dating, but sometimes, it felt a hell of a lot like that, picking her up, taking her to places, dropping each other home.
The days slipped by, and when he probed Aleera to see if she wanted to come to Thanksgiving at Sasha’s, she simply shook her head.
“I don’t think that’s going to be the place for me. However, it’s something important for you, Sasha, and her family. Just a tip, though. Turn your phone off on the day. That way if ourownfamily tries anything, you can live blissfully without worrying about them at all.”
“I’ll… keep that in mind,” he said with a grin. Imogen herself also had things to do – she usually celebrated Thanksgiving with Balys and some members of their extended family. However, Sasha would be safe – no fights to arrange for a few days around this holiday since most wanted the opportunity to connect with their families.
Thanksgiving arrived without much fanfare. A day that started with a hissy voicemail from his mother telling him not to come since she actually used communication platforms, unlike his father.
Great start to the day, though. He took his sister’s advice, vowing to turn his phone off… just as soon as he’d made it over to Sasha’s place without any trouble. He also double-checked the reservation for the hotel room since at Sasha’s parent’s place, they didn’t really have the room and Sasha said although her mom would say she’d be fine with him staying over, it would cause her stress she wouldn’t want to admit. So, in that end, Cyrus simply opted to take a hotel room nearby for the night.
During the whole dressing-up sequence, it took forever to suss out an outfit that represented him well. Trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. Blue suit? Black? Casual? Normal shoes or really fancy ones? He took over an hour to decide, and by the time he was ready to leave, his nerves were a complete mess.
Traffic, of course, would be a nightmare – so he opted to leave early to dedicate some time to any potential traffic jams holding up the journey. He got caught in two, naturally, which gave him plenty of time to think. To try and process the nerves.
He wondered what kind of family might produce someone like Sasha. She’d given him warnings. An overly maternal mother who didn’t shy away from awkward questions. A father who might do a vibe check, and a little sister who perhaps wasn’t the most mature person around. At least it was only those three and Sasha to deal with.
Driving up to the apartment itself since the family lived in a town outside the city, was nerve-wracking, even with efforts to try and calm down. Sasha had already made her way there a couple of days before to help organize and buy things for the dinner. Leaving him to drive there and wondering if the GPS was screwing him over in the process.
He did considerflyingto their place, but the problem with flying to places in his draconic form generally meant a lot of attention in the heavier, more human-populated areas, and he had to inform the human air traffic control that he was planning to fly in as a dragon. Then they’d try to schedule a time when he could fly in.
But sometimes it was just easier to drive. Aleera sent him a message wishing him good luck. All while going over to a friend’s place for her own Thanksgiving. Apparently, a friend she was…interestedin.
Aleera deserved to have happiness in her life, and if this “friend” could lead her to it, then he wished her nothing but the best. Although it would have been nice to have Aleera as a backup on some level in case he ended up feeling incredibly awkward during the dinner. He liked Sasha – he trusted she’d make him as comfortable as possible, but the things she’d casually dropped about her parents sent him small stabs of anxiety.
He texted Sasha a few times, usually when stopping to eat or grab a drink, and once to refuel, and made it over to her hometown around midday.
Thanksgiving itself was a strange holiday for him. One where they honored the Native Americans for their kindness, which evolved into its own kind of celebration to draw families together, even when they were scattered far and wide. His own family celebrated Thanksgiving as well, but they only saw it as an excuse to connect to more powerful people. They didn’t actually use it for anything meaningful beyond that.
He thought of all his own family Thanksgivings he’d attended. All attempts to curry favors and forge connections or show off their family status by having the most expensive cuts, displays, and scheduling. Nothing that spoke of warmth or bonding as an actual family. Perhaps they’d long forgotten what it meant to be a happy family. Even now, his father sought a new daughter-in-law, scheming to get his grubby claws on greater power.
Outside Sasha’s home, he texted, “I’m here.”
Nothing remarkable about the place. A normal residential building in a place with very little greenery or eye candy to soothe the soul. He thought about how Sasha said she wanted to save up enough money to make sure her parents and also her little sister could have a secure place to live. How she wanted to help lift them out of poverty after they’d been skimming the line for far too long.
Stepping out of the car, he nervously patted himself down, flicking off imaginary dust. Sasha exited the apartment, waving enthusiastically for him to come in.
“My mother’sdyingto meet you,” she said by way of a greeting.
“What about you?” he teased, and she flushed a little pink at that before gently pushing him inside. The hallway did not look particularly well-maintained, and they had to climb up some awkward steps before being able to reach the top.
The apartment door happened to be already open, and a rather excited-looking older woman stood at the entrance. More wrinkles, graying hair, deep green eyes, with a smile similar to Sasha’s.
“Oh, you didn’t tell me he was so handsome!” To Cyrus’ slight horror, the older woman blushed and insisted on giving him a big hug rather than a handshake or a polite invite within. “And he’s so tall too. My, my!”
“Mom…” Sasha gently tugged her mother away. “Let’s not overwhelm the guest before he’s even had a chance to get inside …”
He chuckled nervously, entering the neat, tiny apartment for the first time. Because of the size of the space, there was some clutter scattered around but all was organized as neatly as possible. He was led to a small two-seater sofa, where two more individuals hovered in the area – an older man with crutches on the side as he sat in his armchair, and a younger girl – more a teenager, staring at him with wide, curious eyes.
“So, let’s introduce everyone. Hey everyone, this is Cyrus, my boss and friend. Cyrus, this is Roxana, my mom. Arthur, my dad, and Emily, my sister. Guys… please try your best to not ask weird questions of Cyrus or make him uncomfortable.”