The birthday dinner was going well so far. Was Eliot surprised? Yes and no. He'd gone into it with positive energy determined to make it an enjoyable evening for everyone. Sure, there had been a little awkwardness and tension at first, but it had given way to flowing conversation and a delicious meal of baked salmon with mango salsa, cod and grilled vegetables. Eliot just hoped the rest of the evening would go as well. Dessert was up next and Louis would be arriving very soon.
At present the three were clearing the table and Eliot was loading the dishwasher. "Would you two like some coffee with dessert?" He asked as he closed the dishwasher. "Or I have more wine. What's for dessert you ask?" He washed his hands then went to the fridge and pulled out the two layered strawberry cake. "It's all made from scratch by yours truly," he smiled. "Even the strawberry cream cheese frosting. Okay, I didn't plant and grow the strawberries on top." He laughed and carried the cake to the table. "Q, would you get some plates and forks and set the table. Oh, um, Q2." It was strange to refer to them as such in person, but it was what it was.
A knock came on the door and Eliot glanced out the window to see that it was now dark out. "Quentin, could you answer the door? I'm going to start the coffee going." It was strange and it worried him that Quentin was dating a vampire. A vampire. Really it only mattered that Quentin was happy and that Louis treated him good, but it was going to take some getting used to.
Dinner was good. Eliot had always been an excellent cook, and the fact that Q(1) was able to try his cuisine again spoke to the steps they'd both taken to get back to a place where they could be around each other again. He wasn't sure if he could claim that same ease with his doppelganger, but the pair of them were able to find safe topics, mostly revolving around books.
Honestly, though? He was just excited for his boyfriend to get there, and he nearly dropped the set of silverware he was helping clear from the table when he heard the evidence of his vampire's arrival. Quentin spared Eliot and Q2 a wide grin as he deposited his handful in the sink, and then pretty much bounced over to let Louis in. "Hi! You made it! Come in! You know Curly Q. Have you officially met Eliot yet?"
To say Louis was nervous was an understatement. He wasn’t even exactly sure why he was. He’d met both the Quentin’s already, so that left Eliot who he was stranger to. Eliot the ex. He’d only recently learned that his Quentin and Eliot had dated at some point while they were in San Francisco, but didn’t know much else. Like why they were no longer together. Quentin hadn’t shared that and he hadn’t asked about it. Mostly because he felt it was something Quentin didn’t want to talk about and he wouldn’t push for such information even if he was curious.
He stood in front of Eliot’s apartment inwardly giving himself a pep talk. He hadn’t been sure of what to wear, but had decided on a dressy casual suit. They were his favorite. Though he wanted to try some of the more modern clothes at some point. Louis lifted his arm and knocked on the door.. There was relief when his Q answered the door a few moments later and ushered him in. “Hi, of course I made it.” He smiled at the other two men and gave a nod to Curly Q before looking at Eliot. “I haven’t officially met Eliot.” He walked over to the man and held out his hand. “Hello, Eliot, it’s nice to meet you,” he smiled. Louis had drank before so there’d be no coldness to his touch, for a little while anyway.
Eliot sat the mugs on the counter then turned his attention to the door, watching Louis walk in. Before he knew it the vampire had walked over to him and was holding out his hand. He paused a beat before he shook the offered hand. “It’s good to meet you as well, Louis.” The hand was warm and he knew what that meant. At least Quentin had been here.
“Please, sit down,” he gestured to the dining room table, ”we were about to have some cake and coffee.” Eliot did feel awkward, bad, strange at not being able to offer Louis anything. A good host would always do so. He took a knife from a drawer to cut the cake and sat it on the table.”Napkins. Can’t forget those.” Back to the kitchen he went.
Quentin hadn't been sure about dinner with Q1 and Louis, but in the end he had agreed. Sure he was still salty about a lot of things, but he could see how important it was to Eliot that they all get along. So he'd spent most of the dinner doing his best not to make things more awkward than they had to be, and by the end of it (to his surprise), things didn't feel awkward at all. "I think coffee would be good." He glanced to Q1 to see what he thought about it. The knock came before an answer and he moved to the kitchen. He glanced at the cake and took a moment to kiss Eliot's cheek while Q1 was clearly too distracted to see it. "Cake looks amazing, my love."
He collected the plates and forks then took them to the table as requested while Louis was let into the apartment. That was something he did not understand. It was one thing to help Louis out, even make friends with him. But dating? Age gaps, man. He did not understand them, but he kept that thought to himself. Quentin gave a smile and wave to the vampire when he walked in and watched Eliot carefully. He knew how the man felt about Q1 dating a vampire and he hated to see him worry. The meeting went well, so that was a good sign. He moved to set the plates next to the cake and took his seat. "Good to see you again, Louis. How's the windows holding up for you?" He didn't expect there would be any issues, but he would likely always worry about it a little bit.
Watching the exchange between Eliot and Louis was a bit like witnessing two cats meet in the streets. There was no telling if hissing might commence at any moment. Fortunately, things seemed civil, and Quentin was able to release the breath he'd only just realized he was holding. He moved to Louis's side and took his hand, twining their fingers and leaning against his arm. He waited for Eliot to move off and his fellow Q to be just out of earshot to smile up at his boyfriend. "You're doing great. Anytime you want to tap out, just take my hand and squeeze it three times. We'll make our excuses and go. No questions asked."
He led the way to the table so they could both sit, even though it meant they weren't all that close anymore. Looking his fellow Q's way, Quentin smiled at him. "He has a couple of plants that don't need sunlight. Pretty low maintenance too. I thought they might be nice to have around." Q chuckled. "I'm pretty much a regular to the staff at the local garden center now."
Eliot turned to look at Q and smiled. "Thank you, beautiful." He hoped they both liked it.
Louis sized Eliot up, of course he did. He may have even read through his old network posts to try and get a feel for what kind of person he was. "Thank you for inviting me to the dinner celebration." He would always feel some guilt about events being scheduled late because of him. The vampire smiled at Curly Q and greeted him. "They're holding up well. I haven't had any issues at all."
He felt more calm when Quentin took his hand and gave it a squueze. His words were kind and appreciated. He pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Thank you." Louis hoped to make it through the evening. They sat and he felt the distance from Quentin and had the urge to move his chair closer to him, but didn't.
"The plants are named Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Quentin chose the latter name," he smiled. "I think he's determined to have the entire Jane Austen cast of characters, so I expect more plants," he chuckled. Not that he would mind.
Eliot came back to the table with napkins then cut and served the cake before bringing coffee over. "I hope you like it. How's work going?" He asked, looking at Quentin. He wasn't sure what to ask Louis or say to him. He didn't know him well and didn't have a lot to say about house plants with names.
"Good. Just let me know if you ever need anything else." Though he figured Louis could just ask Q1 if he needed any kind of magic, but the offer was still there. He wondered about the books he'd picked up for the vampire. But they were a gift and he wasn't expecting to hear anything about them until after their birthday. He really hoped Q1 liked them, for Louis' sake.
The names being from books definitely sounded like something any Quentin would do, though he would have picked a different set of books himself. "Sounds about right." He chuckled then did what every little kid did when presented with cake. He scooped up a fingerful of the frosting (from his own piece, he wasn't a total barbarian) and licked it off his finger. Frosting was always the best part of a cake as far as he was concerned. This one was even better because it had been made by Eliot's own little hands. "I think you got the frosting just right."
He took a sip of his coffee and set it down again at the question. "Work is actually going really well. Finally feeling settled into the routine. My classes are very small, but they have to be for ESL. Especially when there's three different primary languages." He always knew speaking multiple languages would come in handy, and not just for showing off at parties. Though that had happened more than once.
Quentin(1) smiled at his fellow Q's obvious appreciation of El's culinary prowess, but he resisted the urge to do the same. Sure, the frosting was the best part and Eliot had really outdone himself, but his boyfriend was sitting right there and couldn't partake like the rest of them. If they were alone, he probably would have grabbed a glob, done a few suggestive things with his tongue, grabbed Louis and—he was getting away from himself in his own head. His cheeks grew warm at the vision he'd conjured up, and he cut an apologetic look over at his vampire, which also probably seemed very silly, given that no one here was a mindreader. (Thank god for no Penny.) Q1 cleared his throat. "Yeah, El, it's really good."
It was all still just a little fraught, but he was happy to hear that fellow-Q seemed to be hitting his stride. In a lot of ways, Quentin still felt like he was continuously fumbling along. Not necessarily romantically, given the great guy beside him, but in so many other ways. He nearly reached for his own coffee at almost the exact same moment as Q2 had, but his fingers twitched back instead. The last thing anyone needed was for them to fall into some sort of weird sync, like quantum entanglement. "You're teaching summer school? That's pretty awesome. How's it going with your fashion industry work, Eliot? Isn't Paris Fashion Week in September? It'd be pretty cool if you two got to go."
Eliot wondered if Louis was a fan of classic novels. If he was, reading was something he would have in common with Quentin. He wasn't sure what else they would have in common. He was still trying to get his head around him dating a vampire. He was happy for him, but he worried. He tried not to, but it was Quentin.
He laughed when Q scooped up some icing with his finger to taste. "You're so cute. Thank you. I worked on it and the cake allllll day long," he grinned. He listened to Q talk about his job. "I'm so happy it's going well for you, Professor Coldwater." He smiled then took a sip of coffee. "How's your job going, Quentin?" He turned his gaze to the other Q. He refused to call them Q1 and Q2 in person. "Are you working, Louis?" His gaze flicked over to the vampire. Could he work given his nature?
"Thank you, Quentin. It was a labor of love." Meaning he loved to cook and bake and was happy to do so for either Quentin at any time. "Work is going very well. I had my ninety day evaluation a few weeks ago. My boss and the company had only good things to say, so I'm pleased." He reached for his coffee and took a sip. "Yes, it is in September with New York the week before and L.A. the week after. I wish we could go. Alas, I'm the low man on the totem pole and have to work my way up some before being offered such invitations." He'd love to go though. Sigh. Maybe someday.
Louis listened to the conversation going on around him. He also listened to the heartbeats of the three men sitting around him. All seemed steady for the most part with the exception of one of them that quickened now and then.
"I can't eat the cake, but it looks beautiful. And I'm sure it's delicious." While it was a little strange not eating while the others did, it didn't bother him. "No, I'm not working, Eliot, but I'm looking into some things." That was vague and that's the way he wanted it to stay. "Given my schedule, work is a challenge, but I'll figure something out. How else am I going to spoil my Quentin?" He looked at his boyfriend and smiled.
Quentin blushed a little at being called cute, in front of other people. But, it was Eliot and somehow that made it okay. God, he loved that man. "I'm just a teacher. I can't actually be a professor without a PhD." Though it was something he wanted to do, now that he'd gotten his foot in the door so to speak. He ate a bit more, listening to the conversation going on around him at the table. He mostly watched Eliot and Louis, trying to gauge each man's reaction to the other.
The mention of not being able to eat caught his ear and made him wonder about the other things Louis couldn't do. How were they going to work around that? Not really his business, so he would not ask, but still, he wondered about it. "Maybe something you can do from home at any time of day? That way you can make and keep your own schedule." Though he couldn't think of anything off the top of his head that he could suggest, but at least the idea of looking only at work from home jobs might help narrow things down for the vampire.
The topics flowed fast enough for Q1 to lose track of what he was being asked by whom, especially after he got caught up on Louis calling him his. He knew how he meant it, but it didn't stop the rush of warmth that went along with it. Abandoning his cake for a moment, he reached across the table and took Louis's hand and gave it a squeeze. While the talk of their respective jobs was innocuous enough, he knew it was a slightly uncomfortable one for his boyfriend, and putting him ill-at-ease was the last thing he wanted to do. Quentin turned back to the other two and smiled. "What's that saying? Everything will be okay in the end. And if it's not, then it's not the end."
And then, in the worst, most obvious attempt at a subject change, Quentin asked, "So, what's everyone reading these days?"
"Awww, you're spoiling my fun," he teased Q. "Guess I'll have to put away that title for when we're alone." He grinned then winked at his boyfriend. Eliot was well aware that he had yet to earn that title but knew he would if it was something he wanted.
"That's not something I've heard of, but it would be ideal. I could ask Ms. Smith about that." The concept was foreign to him. Or perhaps Beth. "I did ask Lestat if..." The words came right out without any real thought and his words quickly trailed off. "I tried talking to him about options, but he's still very new here."
Louis was grateful when he felt Quentin take his hand and he gave it a squeeze then gave him a smile and a nod. He was okay, and the gesture was like an anchor letting him know the man was there.
Eliot almost rolled his eyes. Where had such support been for him when they'd been together? Words and memories flashed through his mind, but he shook his head and refused to let them go any further. Did Quentin really believe that saying? He almost laughed when the question of what everyone was reading was posed. Quentin knew very well he wasn't much of a reader. "Does reading instructions count? Excuse me, I'll be right back." He went to the kitchen to get himself a glass of wine.
The vampire watched Eliot, sensing feelings that lingered just below the surface along with his heartbeat quickening. "Uh, I actually found a couple of Jane Austen books at a late night shop."
"It's more fun that way, sir." Yes he did just go there, complete with a cheeky grin directed at Eliot. He had a bit more of his coffee then nodded at Louis. "I'm sure she will have some ideas for you. I mean it's worth a shot anyway."
He had another bit of cake and watched the exchange between Q1 and Louis. It was just a simple gesture, casual almost. He'd say it was cute if not for the next words out of Q1's mouth. His eyes immediately went to Eliot to check the man's reaction. He knew the break-up had been mutual, more or less. But he also knew how hard the decision had been for the man, and some of why he'd made it. He didn't have the chance to reach out a comforting hand before he was up and heading into the kitchen.
Quentin turned his attention back to the other two and smiled. "I've been reading recipe books. And grading students' work. We're three weeks in and most of them seem to be getting the hang of things." He finished the last bit of his coffee then collected his cup and stood up. "Excuse me." He walked into the kitchen and set his cup on the counter then placed himself between Eliot and the guests at the table. He reached out and took his hand gently and spoke softly, so at least Q1 wouldn't hear. "Are you okay?" He fully expected him to say he was, but he still needed to hear him say it. Even if he suspected it would be one of those little white lies people tell every day.
Good god, Quentin the First simply could not say the right thing ever.
That's how it seemed, at any rate.
But going back over the conversation and his intentions, he could see why the quote may have gone over wrong, even though it had been very clearly misinterpreted. Q took a breath, and then another. He squeezed at Louis's hand twice, but not a third. "And this is what I mean about always finding a way to stick my foot in my mouth without really trying," he said to Louis in undertone with a weak smile once they were alone. "Maybe I'm actually the broken one from the alternate universe where I'm cursed to say and do all the things I'm not supposed to when it comes to Eliot. The perils of trying to be friends with the ex so soon after the breakup. I'm so sorry if this is as awkward as it feels to me. Tell me more about the Austen you've been reading until they come back?"
"You." Eliot shook his head, but was grinning.
Louis watched Eliot excuse himself then stand and walk to the kitchen. For the first time he realized that Curly Q and Eliot were dating. He'd assumed that he'd been invited because it was a birthday dinner for both of them. It made sense to him now why both Quentins had used the word complicated.
He turned his attention back to Curly Q. "Do you enjoy cooking? I can't say it was ever something I was good at even when I was mortal. Of course men didn't do a lot of cooking back then." A few moments later, the other Quentin stood and went to the kitchen where Eliot was.
"Yeah, I'm good," Eliot said. "I just wanted some wine with the cake." He gave Quentin's hand a squeeze, smiled then gave him a quick kiss, "Would you like some?" He didn't wait for an answer before he moved to grab two more glasses in case Q1 wanted some.
Louis turned back to Quentin and gave his hand a squeeze. "I don't think it's the quote that may have bothered him." No, he didn't know Eliot well and certainly not as good as either Quentin, but after decades of watching people and the way Eliot excused himself after Q1 had finished speaking made him believe it wasn't the quote. "I don't think you stuck your foot in your mouth or that you're broken. I believe things take time and that we all have things we hold onto, we hope for and try to fix. You three are no different. I think he wants to be friends more than anything, but that's just me." He paused. "I'm sorry. I know it's none of my business."
He just didn't like seeing others hurt or in pain. "Don't apologize. It's not awkward. Not for me anyway." Should it be? "I'm reading Sense and Sensibility. Have you read it? It's basically a love story and how class affects it. If I truly loved someone, their class wouldn't matter. Or where they lived or anything so trivial. I've only been reading it about a week, but I quite like the older sister Elinor."
"I have returned with wine. Quentin would you like some?" Eliot sat the wine and glasses on the table then took his seat.
Quentin nodded at the question. "I'm enjoying it so far. I have a hard time just improvising, but I can follow a recipe pretty good." He figured that would come with more experience. He had a few things he knew how to cook well, but he wanted to expand on that. Eliot did have a rather refined palate and he wanted to make sure to keep his man happy. UGH. How fifties housewife could one get?
He was not sure he believed him, but he just returned the smile and kiss. "Wine is always a good idea." He took a moment to wash his coffee mug then dried it and put it back in the cupboard. Why did things have to be so complicated? Or were they even really all that complicated at all? For the most part the night had gone very well. The conversation was flowing relatively easily. It could have been so much worse.
After drying his hands off Quentin returned to the table and waited for Eliot to pour the wine before taking his glass. "Thanks, love." The little term of endearment had become second nature to him and he thought nothing of it as he sipped his wine. He could tell that they'd missed a bit of the book conversation and he turned to Q1. "I don't think you've told us what you're reading right now." He smiled and waited for the answer.
"Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. I never know with him since I came through or got here or whatever way we get conveyed to this reality. It's that age old, familiar refrain: it's complicated." Q tried to keep from sounding rueful about it, but didn't doubt for a moment that it was the flavor of his smile when he turned it toward his boyfriend. "Thanks for the attempt at being an emotional referee, though. It's sweet of you."
In the next moment, Quentin truly had to bite his lip before book spoilers spilled out of him. The various works of Austen made a fairly regular rotation in his re-read list, and he had a lot of opinions, but especially about the-devil-himself, Mr. John Willoughby. So he merely sat there, vibrating for a moment in his indignation, and was really and truly relieved when the other two returned so he could be rescued from himself. "Yes, thanks," he said at the offer of wine, smiling up at Eliot as he did so, before looking back at his AU counterpart. "Oh, it's this book called All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai. My therapist recommended it after a recent session, and I'm really glad they did."
He could talk openly about things like that and only felt a twinge of shame. Asking for help wasn't a weakness, that much was hammered into his brain. Or at least it was now. Some days he could accept it more than others. "It's a time travel love story, but written in a way where the time travel makes sense. Like it takes into account things like—" Q trailed off and ducked his head sheepishly. "Ah, that's probably getting into spoiler territory. It's really good, though, if you're into sci-fi. Or just love stories. Okay, someone else start talking before I monopolize the conversation."
Eliot drank his wine, listening to the book talk. It wasn't really his thing so he had nothing to add. His wine quickly disappeared and he refilled his glass then ate some more cake. It was good, not to toot his own horn.
“I was trying. Mostly to support you and make sure you knew you didn’t stick your foot in your mouth.” Louis grinned a little then stood and moved his chair closer to Quentin’s. Once seated he took his hand again. “That’s better,” he whispered, leaning in to Quentin
"That sounds interesting," Louis said when Quentin finished his synopsis of the book he was reading. Silence filled the room as he looked around at the three men seated around him. He felt like the odd man out, and he was. Perhaps he should have let the three of them celebrate the Quentin’s birthday. "Anyone watched any good movies lately?" He asked, not liking the silence. It was a lame subject, but it was what popped into his head.
He listened to Quentin talk about the book he was reading and nodded. "I think I'll put that on my list to read." He had so many other things to spend his time on than reading these days. Between work, therapy, and spending time with Eliot, reading had dropped on his list of priorities. Hearing about a potentially good book reminded him that he kept meaning to make time for it, but something always came up.
He finished off his glass of wine then reached for the bottle to refill his glass. "There were so many movies that were supposed to come out in 2019 and after that I didn't get to see 'cause I'm here now." And Quentin was super disappointed that he'd missed out on so many of the final movies in various series, but he'd get to see them when he got back. IF he got back, anyway.
"I'll message you both the title, or just let you borrow my copy when I'm done. Or there's always the library." Q(1) was babbling a little again, but he didn't feel quite so self-conscious about it. Not when he was leaned up against Louis, fingers tangled together. The wine with dinner and now another as a digestif had him feeling a little languid. Most of his cake was gone, and he'd definitely had seconds of Eliot's meal. Yeah, he'd be sleeping really well after he and Louis left.
"Maybe that's another thing we can compile and make into a regular thing? A list of movies we haven't seen and ones it might be fun to watch together." He looked over at Louis with a soft smile. "We've been working our way through some every now and then. A little like doing some kind of pop cultural exchange. Just an idea. Think about it? No pressure, really. Hey, El? If I haven't said it already, thanks for a really great pre-birthday. I wouldn't mind if something like this became a new tradition for us. The four of us."
"You can watch those movies here, Q. At the very least on video on demand. We could make a night of it. Popcorn and geeking out together," Eliot grinned, throwing a wink at him.
A movie night and a new tradition. Quentin(1) was on a roll. "A movie night sounds fun. Good movies, good snacks and good friends. What could be better." He paused and took a long sip of wine. "You're welcome. I wanted to do something nice for the both of you. Why not? New traditions can be a good thing," he smiled.
"I wouldn't mind borrowing it when you're finished," Louis said. "Though I'm not the fastest reader. Sometimes I get distracted." He chuckled softly, giving Quentin's leg a nudge under the table. "I really like that idea! A movie night where we all gather to watch one or two films. I'm way behind on movies," he joked, grinning. "I've watched a few good ones since I got here though. You can count me in." Was he being too enthusiastic? He just wouldn't mind making some more friends.
Louis moved his gaze to Eliot and smiled. "I wanted to thank you Eliot for including me in this celebration. I was told you made the entire dinner and I know you made the cake from scratch. It shows how much you care for both Quentins. A man is lucky to have such friends in his life. " He sincerely meant that. "I don't feel I have a say in whether or not this becomes a tradition, but it's a nice tradition to have."
Did he have to be so nice and seemingly perfect? "You're welcome. You're a part of Quentin's life now and I know he wanted you to be here as well." Sure, he'd been curious to meet Louis, but that wasn't the main reason he'd invited him.
He nodded at the mention of a message for the book info. "That would be great. Thanks." The mention of the library reminded Quentin that he still needed to get a library card. He might have to turn in his book nerd credentials since he hadn't gotten one since arriving in San Francisco. Then again, he'd had one for so long that it had honestly not occurred to him that he needed one. It was sitting in his wallet after all. He had been a bit too focused on getting settled into life and dealing with an existential crisis to really think about things like library cards.
Quentin shifted his chair so that he was close enough to reach out and lace their fingers together. "Sounds like the perfect night in, love." He was honestly surprised they hadn't done that yet. He was thankful he was actively taking a drink because he laughed softly when Q1 mentioned they get together as a regular thing. Movie night. Dinner tradition with the four of them. He had the same thought, but planned on bringing it up with Eliot privately before bringing it up with all of them. "I'd say get out of my head, but well..." He just smiled and shrugged. He couldn't remember them having another moment like that since he'd gotten there. Then again they hadn't spent much time together, and that was more on him than anyone else. It had been a lot to adjust to. "Maybe we can just pick a day of the week? Alternate who hosts?" At least between him and Eliot for the dinners. Julia's place was very full and he didn't want to impose on her more than he had when he'd arrived. And asking Louis to host dinner just seemed rude to him. But he could host movie nights. With the blacked out windows it was actually an ideal place for it.
The interest everyone else had for Quentin's ideas really warmed him. He looked across the table in time to see also-Q take Eliot's hand, and it didn't actually sting this time. Curly Q's comment made him snort, and he ducked his head for a moment, just the tiniest bit embarrassed. But it came up again a moment later when he heard the barest hint of a shout outside—the good kind. "Alternating hosting duties sounds more than fair. And we can probably have it at my apartment too, if I can convince Julia to have a date night every once in a while—and take HQ with her when she does."
He laughed and looked over at Louis. "We were going to hit up the adventure park since it's still out there, and it's finally dark. Who knows how long it might stick around. Might as well take advantage while we can." Q should have been exhausted from going through earlier with Eliot, but the rich cake was more than enough of a sugar rush to get him through another round or two. "Can we help with the dishes or anything before we take off? I'll start up a group chat for the four of us to coordinate movie nights. Maybe set up a spreadsheet with tabs for movies on our to-watch or to-watch-again lists, see if we can find some commonalities to start. Not to be a total nerd about the whole thing or anything."
Eliot squeezed Quentin's hand then leaned over and pressed a kiss his cheek. "As long as you don't drool too much over a space rogue if we watch one of those movies," he teased. "I think it's a good idea to rotate hosting." It might be a good idea for Q1 to get his own place now. He still didn't quite understand why he didn't. At the very least he thought dating again would make him want to.
"No, no, I'll clean up. Don't even worry about it. I'm going to pack up a couple of slices of cake for you to take home. One for you and one for Julia." Eliot stood then picked up the cake and went to the kitchen. He took down a container and cut two slices to put in it.
"I know I can't cook, but I still want to do my part. I'll pay for the groceries needed when it would be my turn to host. I just ask that whoever is going to cook that week get me a grocery list, then I'll drop them off. And no arguing from any of you." He looked at each man then smiled. "Good. That's settled. And of course I can host movie nights. I've got a good stash of snacks and soda from Quentin and I having them. You two," he looked to Q2 and Eliot, "let me know what snacks and drinks you like."
Eliot walked back to the dining room and handed the container to Quentin. "It was nice to meet you, Louis. I'm sure I'll see you more often. You two enjoy the rest of your night."
"I'm really looking forward to it. Finally something I can take part in. I just hope I don't make a fool of myself," he grinned. Louis stood up. "Likewise, Eliot. I hope to get to know you and the rest of Quentin's friends better. Curly Q, it was good to see you again. I wish you both a good night."
Taking the container reminded Q(1) of something he'd brought with him. "One more thing before we go." He flashed a smile at the group and went to nearly omnipresent messenger bag where he retrieved a letter-sized folder. "I know it's not quite our birthday yet, but I figured you might be busy the day of, and I didn't do this to get—well, a dozen reasons that don't really mean anything."
He handed the folder over to Curly Q, which barely opened before the excitement got the better of him. "I commissioned Steve to make it. He's really talented. It's the cover of Fillory and Further, on high quality card stock. Steve wouldn't take payment, but I'm going with him to volunteer a couple of days at a food pantry. I can't say it's a bad deal. Um, anyway, I just thought… You know. Yeah. Happy birthday, fellow Q."
Quentin just gave Eliot a grin. "I'll do my best." He nudged his knee against Eliot's then pulled his hand away when the man moved to get up. He turned to watch him walk away then turned his attention back to the other men at the table with him.
"Or you could just take on hosting every communal movie night?" He half shrugged then downed the last bit of his wine. "Just a thought." He thought it sounded like a workable solution to the problem. But he had a feeling Louis would still not like it. He smiled at Louis when he started to say his goodbyes. "Good to see you too. We'll see you again soon, I'm sure." He reached for the glasses still on the table meaning to help clear the table. He stopped when Q1 spoke again. "Hmm?"
He reached out for the folder then laughed softly at Q1's reaction. So that's what he looked like. He looked at the drawing and smiled. "It's beautiful. I love it." And completely unexpected. He traced his finger along the vines. He looked up at him again. "Thank you…and happy early birthday to you too." He hadn't expected Q1 to get him anything, especially not something this thoughtful. He set the picture back into the folder and set that on the table. "This was good. Next dinner at my place?"