Who: Alyssa, Bran, Damien, Eve What: black and white interaction When: during the plot Where: Damien’s and Alyssa’s house Rating: tbd, but probs low
Bran ensured he dressed nicely for dinner with his siblings. And Alyssa. While he’d never say anything to the young woman, since it wasn’t her job to propose, the younger brother certainly possessed feelings about his older brother living with the beautiful blonde. Bran was the wild child, though sometimes Eve could give her golden-eyed brother a run for his money.
At least Alyssa cooked well. She tended to cook meals from earlier times, preferring such things to tuna noodle casserole, not that Bran minded. Some of the foods made these days left him with questions.
“Do you have that pie that we most definitely made but didn’t make?” he asked Eve, shrugging on his leather jacket. Somewhere he heard a laugh track, but thought nothing of it. Nobody in their family had been gifted the ability to cook.
Alyssa hummed, placing the finishing touches on the table. Her skirt swished as she poured bourbon for Damien. “Honey! Your brother and sister will be here soon and I poured a drink for you.” She loved her little life, even while a part of her wished for a ring so she’d stop getting stares from neighbours. In the meantime, she’d outwife all of them, ensuring her house and herself were the envy of the block.
Her wings fluttered behind her. Thankfully she could be her authentic self in her home. The oven timer sounded. “I hope you’re all hungry! I made roast, potatoes, vegetables, and a delicious chocolate cake.” Obviously she spoke to Damien and the studio audience.
Just as Alyssa called out to him, Damien stepped from the bathroom, fresh from a shower. He’d only just awoke an hour ago. He was dressed in all black: dress shirt, pants, and socks. “I’ll be right there, darling!” He called and tugged a dinner jacket from one of the hangers in the closet. Throwing it over his shoulders, he made his way downstairs.
He knew he needed to ask Alyssa to marry him. Though Damien didn’t like being pressured into anything. He would ask her when he believed it was the right time and, to him, it didn’t feel as if they were quite there yet. He was certain he would hear an earful from Bran about it tonight too. Wonderful.
Stepping into the kitchen, Damien reached for the glass of bourbon and pressed a kiss to Alyssa’s cheek. “It all smells wonderful, dear.” And, of course, he said it to Alyssa and the lovely studio audience too.
Already bundled in a winter coat and boots, Eve entered, holding the pie. “I nearly dropped it, but I managed to save it.” Mostly. The crust may have been a little cracked. Oops. A laugh track sounded which Eve, like everyone else in town, didn’t question.
“Are you ready yet? We don’t want to be late.” Eve wasn’t a stickler for time, but they both knew Damien was. If they were late, he would never let them live it down. Just like Bran would hound Damien about marrying Alyssa. Eve nearly feigned illness just to avoid hearing about it.
“Of course I’m ready,” Bran responded, swinging a leather jacket over his dinner jacket. “One of these days I’d love it if our not sister-in-law would have a dinner where I could wear jeans.” Not that it would ever happen, considering she played the role of dutiful housewife even without a ring. Bran helped his sister to the car, ensuring he played the role of gentleman, just in case she feigned sickness and left him to the dinner alone.
When they finally parked, Bran walked around and helped his sister out of the car. “You look beautiful, little sister.” He walked with her to knock on the door.
Alyssa smiled at the kiss to her cheek, and briefly cupped his cheek. She thought of her life as blissful, no matter if she wore a ring or not. The blonde didn’t like conformity and loved Damien, which explained why she lived with him unmarried.
“Hello!” she greeted Damien’s sibling as she answered the door, looking ever a 50’s housewife, except for the wings. Bran took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. He checked his watch and they’d arrived with two minutes to spare. “Still no ring, I see,” he called out to Damien. To which Alyssa rewarded him with an eyeroll.
“Eve, why don’t we take the pie to the kitchen and let the men talk for a few minutes.” This would ensure she and Eve could avoid the argument, and gossip instead for a few minutes. After all, Alyssa had a juicy piece of gossip to share. “Bran, I poured a drink for you as well. Eve, I have a bottle of white wine I think we’ll enjoy.” She looped her arm through Eve’s.
Damien leaned into the touch. He knew Alyssa loved being with him regardless of if she ever wore a ring. She enjoyed being different and breaking boundaries. Still, one day, Damien would ask her to marry him. She deserved that ring. At the sound of the knock, Damien followed Alyssa to the door to greet their guests. He offered a kiss to his sister’s cheek as Bran pressed a kiss to Alyssa’s hand. Unsurprisingly, Bran made a snide comment to which Damien, despite his annoyance, remained calm.
He took his brother’s hand and shook it. “They haven’t made a diamond big enough or worthy enough for her hand, brother,” Damien replied smoothly. “It’s good to see you. I hope you’ve been doing well.”
Damien was aware of Alyssa asking Eve to join her in the kitchen. No doubt for gossip and to avoid the impending trade of verbal blows between Bran and Damien.
“Perhaps one day she will take pity on you,” Eve replied, sticking out her tongue. The two hustled to the car and Bran escorted her to the passenger side.
“Being awfully polite tonight, aren’t you brother? Eve said as Bran helped her into the car. He was only doing it to ensure she actually went to dinner and didn’t feign illness in an attempt to escape her squabbling brothers.
It was a short drive to Damien and Alyssa’s house. Bran again helped her from the car and even paid her a compliment. “Thank you, Bran,” she gave him a genuine smile and the two headed for the front door.
After a knock, Alyssa opened the door and then there were pleasantries exchanged. Eve sighed as Bran pointed out for the millionth time that Damien had yet to give Alyssa a ring. “Bran, please,” Eve said, shaking her head. Couldn’t they just have a nice dinner?
She was relieved when Alyssa asked her to bring the pie in the kitchen. She was looking forward to hearing some juicy gossip. “Sure, I would love that.” With a wave at her brothers, she followed Alyssa into the kitchen and promptly took a sip from one of the glasses of bourbon on the table while the other woman was putting the pie in the fridge.
The action prompted giggles and a gasp from the audience.
Bran enjoyed goading his older brother on occasion, considering how his brother preferred if Bran acted with more decorum. But, really, a small part of him feared Alyssa might decide she wanted someone who would offer her a ring and the younger brother saw how happy she made Damien.
“Perhaps one day such a diamond will be created,” he returned smoothly. Bran watched the two women head into the kitchen, his turn to stick his tongue out at his sister. Turnabout and the like. “Well enough. A job opportunity might present itself.” Bran didn’t mention the date he’d had earlier this week, because Damien would definitely say something in retribution. “You know I kid about the ring, but truly, I do wish to see you two happy.”
Alyssa rummaged in the freezer and pulled out the bottle of wine. Honestly, something about wine never tasted all that nice to the blonde and she mostly kept bottles for show, or for when she and Damien invited guests besides his siblings. The audience clapped when she poured tequila into wine glasses.
“Guess who I saw on a date this week?” she asked Eve, blue eyes sparkling, as she passed the glass to the brunette.
Damien ignored his brother and barely managed to avoid rolling his eyes when Bran stuck out his tongue at Eve. Children. Was he seriously always the only actual adult in the room when it came to his siblings?
As Eve disappeared into the kitchen with Alyssa, Damien turned his attention back to his brother. “Oh? What kind of job opportunity?” His brother was rarely the responsible sort so to hear that he may have a job was a rather big deal.
“We are happy. Love is more than marriage, Bran. And neither of us care what other people think.” Marriage simply made something official that Damien already knew it to be. It made their love legally binding and seemingly acceptable to the public. Neither were things that Damien cared about and he knew Alyssa felt the same.
Eve merely flashed a bright smile at her brother as she disappeared into the kitchen. Avoiding the two of them picking at each other was like receiving everything you wanted under the tree on Christmas Day.
“Oh? Do tell,” Eve replied excitedly as she accepted the glass of tequila. She took a sip from her wine glass. She was not a huge fan of wine either so Alyssa having tequila was a huge relief.
Bran and Eve shared a more playful sibling relationship because they’d never be as serious as their elder brother. Besides, Bran thought Damien would be disappointed if he couldn’t be the serious one.
“One of the bars. I met a girl and think she’s swell. I can hardly pay for dates if I’m not working.” Bran didn’t like serious or responsible things, but if he wanted to find happiness like his brother, he couldn’t wait for such a thing to fall in his lap.
“I just don’t like hearing things said about her.” For all of his faults, Bran actually liked Alyssa. “But if you two are happy I will keep my nose out of it.” For now. Because they should enjoy a nice family dinner together. The audience rightly gasped, since Bran never kept his nose out of things.
Alyssa took a sip of the tequila. “I saw your brother on an actual date. The picture of respectability!” The kitchen timer told her to check on the roast, and so she opened the oven. “Also Lucy caught Steve’s wife with the mailman!” The audience couldn’t help but lean in with interest. “I, obviously, will continue to not say anything when she makes snide remarks towards me at the butcher’s.” The blonde knew what people thought of her and Damien and she didn’t care. A ring wouldn’t change how much she adored Eve’s brother.
“You tend to think most women are swell,” Damien countered. Secretly, he was pleased that whoever this woman was, she’d possibly managed to secure his brother’s employment at the bar. Maybe it would keep him out of trouble. Doubtful, but Damien could always hope.
“Alyssa can handle herself.” He was protective and, at times, controlling, but Damien knew that if anyone could combat gossip, it was Alyssa.
Damien actually chuckled. “We both know that is a lie. You never keep your nose out of anything, especially my business. But, if you manage it for a night, I’ll take what I can get.”
Eve nearly choked on her tequila. “Seriously? On a date? With who?” As much as Eve enjoyed teasing Bran, she was also excited to hear he might actually be dating someone.
The brunette shook her head. “I don’t know which is more shocking. Bran dating someone or Steve’s wife with the mailman.” Eve hated how people talked about Alyssa; whenever she heard anyone say anything, she always stood up for the blonde.
“If you don’t, I gladly will,” Eve replied and took another gulp of tequila.
Bran couldn’t help the fact that he liked women and plenty of them liked him in return. Once upon a time, Damien had been somewhat similar, until Alyssa entered his life. Which, even he hadn’t imagined. “Yes, I suppose I do, but can you blame me?” No, Damien shouldn’t expect his brother to stay out of trouble.
“Gee whiz of course she can.” Bran didn’t doubt Alyssa’s ability to handle herself or his sister’s ability to combat gossip.
“Alright, I’ll keep my nose out of your business for tonight,” he promised with a grin.
Alyssa tested one of the potatoes to ensure they cooked enough for mashing. “Oh.” She paused. “Gee what is her…oh! Angelica. Redhead.” The blonde didn’t know her very well. “Bran dating. You know it’s Bran dating,” she teased. That Eve stood up for her meant a lot to Alyssa because, while she didn’t much care what people thought, the gossip did get tiresome at times.
“Besides, I come home to someone who loves me and she goes home to…well Steve.” Who seemed nice while remaining bland and boring. “Well worth dealing with ugly words.” Dinner would be ready shortly. “Could you top up our wine while I finish working on the potatoes?”
Damien shook his head. “No. I can’t.” Because he’d been the same once upon a time until Alyssa entered his life and then everything changed. Other woman just didn’t seem to matter anymore.
“Just making sure you’re still aware.” Alyssa was hardly a “shrinking violet.” She could stand up for herself and make her opinion known. He didn’t like others talking badly about her, but he knew she could handle herself too.
“Good. Dinner is nearly ready. Let’s go have a drink.” Damien put a hand on his brother’s shoulder and led the way to the kitchen. No doubt Eve had already sampled his drink or Bran’s.
“Oh! Bran has good taste.” Eve polished off her tequila, already feeling tipsy and loving every second of it. She could handle having dinner with her squabbling brothers now. “And yeah, it is totally Bran actually dating.” Cheating was hardly as interesting. It happened more than people thought or wanted to ever admit to.
Eve nodded. “That’s true. Damien is miles above Steve.” Eve made a face and reached for the tequila bottle to refill their wine. “Already ahead of you,” she replied with a wink. Her brothers entered the kitchen just as Eve tucked the tequila away in the freezer once more, earning a quiet chuckle from the audience, particularly when Eve turned to face them with a finger to her lips.