"Did you say you wanted to? No, you didn't. Anything but a 'yes' is a 'no'. There is no 'maybe' in a marriage. You either want it, want him, or you don't. You didn't say you want it. That's a 'no', whether you said the word 'no' or not."
Alastor watched expressions shift over Charlie's face, his exasperation with Alastor, his uncomfortable feelings with Alastor's methods of interrogation, through to the sudden realisation he had missed every possible sign. And, Alastor nodded, sitting back now that he suspected he had Charlie on the same page, finally.
And that page was the very definition of miscommunication.
"I've changed my mind. We don't need a birthday party for Cal. You need to do something. Make the grand gesture. And, convince him it was a misunderstanding, not a rejection." Alastor wished he could build a foundation for his brother that didn't rely on a questionable romance with a doorknob of a man. But, he needed Cal ready to listen first. For that, he'd have to deal with the fact he needed Charlie to fix what was broken with them. "Still get the kids to do something in acknowledgement, don't let him think they've forgotten him. But, skip the party. Do something yourself to get his attention, instead."