I was feeling unmoored when I made the connection at the Christmas pageant. The last six months have been everything I've needed. And everything I think Cole needed.
( He's even closer to his best friend now, too. )
I know I lost touch, but you should know, I saw you all as family. Every one of you. I really missed this.
( The maudlin moment set aside, he joins the party portion of the evening. He is his charming, cheeky self, and can't help keeping one eye on his old friend. There's a power within him. Something else that makes him special. Niall's always seen him as special, power or not. It's easy to stay in his orbit. And his family's. )
[Bradan's been kept to his side of the room for most of the evening, but as dinner service passes and the dance floor opens up, Cal seems to be pulled in to the jazz singer from a few nights ago, and Bradan intends to give him space to do just that.
It's few and far between that his brother gets to make an actual connection. He's not going to stand in his way, even if it's only a one-off.
Sophie and Eliot head off to dance, and Bradan and Vincent head over to the bar for a drink, leaving Cal and Serena alone. Eventually, they're joined by Freya, which allows Bradan to take his whiskey, slip from the conversation, and find his way to the seat next to Niall, giving in to the need to check in that he's been sitting on since the end of the ceremony.]
( Callahan for his part, keeps his distance but has drank enough to dance like a spaz. Is this the most fun his brother has seen him have since? Probably. He's careful, aware he's around other people and their swaying hands and moving arms. But, other than directly kissing anyone, he's covered head-to-toe.
Niall has done some silly dancing, a lot of conversing and some light eating. It's still a bombshell, but it's settled more now.
His face scrunches as he shrugs. )
I wouldn't say that. Just taking a breather. Wedding's always high energy. It's been a day. My batteries just need a little recharge. ( He laughs, shaking his head. ) Look at Cal.
[Bradan follows his eyes and glances to his brother with a smile. Serena is very much matching his energy, breaking out some old school moves of her own.]
Yeah, they seem to have hit it off, for better or worse though with those dance moves, it might be worse.
[Kidding. You should always have someone who matches your dance energy.]
[He's sure that Bairre filled Niall in on some things, but there's certainly been people who would run the other way from the vampires. Bradan certainly couldn't blame them.]
Because we do like having both you and Cole around.
Doesn't that make it more special? Your powerful family sees something in me, in my kid. It's an honor.
( To be in their presence. To be in his. )
Feelings mad mutual. Probably the best six months I've had in years. If I can keep this streak up. ( Though. ) And the best man let me in on the family secret. Look at me, in the know.
( He studies Bradan's facial features, trying to get a read. What kind of power does he sport. Is it an emotion? Something cooler? He wants to know all his secrets. And then some. )
[His face falters more than he would like (7). Possibly the whiskey, possibly the long day, possibly the fact that if he does know then what excuses does he have to roadblock himself. All the same, he nods.]
He did, did he? Now you know why his cakes are so good. Not that I can tell.
No, nothing like that. It's just that the family quirks don't work on the family, so it just tastes like good cake to me.
[He pauses for a moment, because he should tell him. It feels silly to keep the secret now. It's still hard to say, because he knows it's part of their past, but Niall doesn't.]
I can see connections between people. Potential great loves. Kind of like a red string of fate from one person to another.
( But, he understands regrets. He's had a few. One is sitting next to him. He chews on a thought before asking more. )
So, you can see these strings of fate for everyone but -- your family, and I'm guessing, you. That must be hard with no guidance. ( And it occurs to him, his ex husband was at the same party. It takes a minute for the dots to connect and his winning smile falls. He and Bradan felt like they were on the cusp of something. But, on their date, his demeanor shifted completely. And he left him to bond with his future husband. ) You saw one of those red strings of fate on our only date, didn't you?
( And don't lie to him or yourself about that being a date. )
[Bradan finishes off his glass because this is the hard part.]
I didn't understand what it meant, then. We don't get it until we're twenty and sometimes nuance doesn't come until later. But back then, I thought that those strings were a certainty. I didn't figure out until later that it was only meant to be a possibility.
[So he took himself out of the equation. It felt like the right thing to do.]
I can't make people fall in love. It's still their choice. Love is always a choice that you make. But it took me some time to figure that out.
You bowed out cause you saw one of my great loves.
( And, for the purposes of this conversation, he does find his kid across the way dancing with the other girls. He was given the best gift. )
You could've been, too. You just don't get the cheat codes for yourself. Which I know, probably racks you. ( He downs his glass, too, setting it down a little too hard. ) Man, I really miss you, Braid. Probably always have.
[He doesn't miss him now, now that they've been reconnecting. But he also doesn't know if it can be what it was, if he broke something that can't be reclaimed.]
And back then, I thought he was the great love. The only one. By the time I figured it out, you were already getting married.
[No, they didn't. But they were friends, weren't they? Maybe it says something about their friendship that it fell apart when Bradan stepped back, that it was never about friendship with them, not really.
Maybe they weren't meant to then.]
They were ... I don't know. They felt easier, until they weren't.
Yeah. They did. You were family. Your family was my family. We were something, Braid. Something real, and not something I would need a string to define.
( He grips the bottom of his seat, looking over at his old friend. )
Spent the last six months getting at least that back, hopin - ( He pauses, moving to stand. He thinks of walking away, but he turns back, tears in the corner of his eyes, threatening. He's tough. But this sliced straight through. ) Give me one damn good reason we can't do this. Cause I want you, Braid. Something fierce. I'm not holding college against you. I'm leaving it in the rearview. Can't we move forward. See who we are now?
[Bradan looks up at him as he stands, but then his eyes cut away, across the room to the dance floor where his family is enjoying the party. All of this feels a bit too public for his taste to be having a conversation this personal.
So he pushes to his feet and tips his head towards one of the side doors that lead out into the Quarter.]
( Yeah, fine. He turns and heads out that way, first, getting one more glance at his kid and the grands. Everyone is doing what they should be doing at a wedding. Except Niall's effectively doing what you shouldn't.
Out in the night air, he walks out a few feet before turning and giving him a 'Okay, we're here, now what?' look. )
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( He's even closer to his best friend now, too. )
I know I lost touch, but you should know, I saw you all as family. Every one of you. I really missed this.
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[She gives his shoulder a small squeeze as the dinner service starts to be delivered to the tables.]
Come. Have a drink, eat, and then the fun will really begin.
[Because as with all Ford family events, the more alcohol that's gone around the more exciting things get.]
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( The maudlin moment set aside, he joins the party portion of the evening. He is his charming, cheeky self, and can't help keeping one eye on his old friend. There's a power within him. Something else that makes him special. Niall's always seen him as special, power or not. It's easy to stay in his orbit. And his family's. )
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It's few and far between that his brother gets to make an actual connection. He's not going to stand in his way, even if it's only a one-off.
Sophie and Eliot head off to dance, and Bradan and Vincent head over to the bar for a drink, leaving Cal and Serena alone. Eventually, they're joined by Freya, which allows Bradan to take his whiskey, slip from the conversation, and find his way to the seat next to Niall, giving in to the need to check in that he's been sitting on since the end of the ceremony.]
Partied out already?
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Niall has done some silly dancing, a lot of conversing and some light eating. It's still a bombshell, but it's settled more now.
His face scrunches as he shrugs. )
I wouldn't say that. Just taking a breather. Wedding's always high energy. It's been a day. My batteries just need a little recharge. ( He laughs, shaking his head. ) Look at Cal.
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Yeah, they seem to have hit it off, for better or worse though with those dance moves, it might be worse.
[Kidding. You should always have someone who matches your dance energy.]
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( And make him think about the first dance at a wedding, like the one he did once upon a time. )
I like this family of yours. Feel real adopted.
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[He's sure that Bairre filled Niall in on some things, but there's certainly been people who would run the other way from the vampires. Bradan certainly couldn't blame them.]
Because we do like having both you and Cole around.
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( To be in their presence. To be in his. )
Feelings mad mutual. Probably the best six months I've had in years. If I can keep this streak up. ( Though. ) And the best man let me in on the family secret. Look at me, in the know.
( He studies Bradan's facial features, trying to get a read. What kind of power does he sport. Is it an emotion? Something cooler? He wants to know all his secrets. And then some. )
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He did, did he? Now you know why his cakes are so good. Not that I can tell.
[The tricks don't work on family after all.]
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( Man, that'd be an Alanis Morisette sequel. )
You don't have to tell me, though. I know... it's probably real personal.
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[He pauses for a moment, because he should tell him. It feels silly to keep the secret now. It's still hard to say, because he knows it's part of their past, but Niall doesn't.]
I can see connections between people. Potential great loves. Kind of like a red string of fate from one person to another.
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( He says it with a smile, though.
He takes this in, appreciating that Bradan is trusting him with this knowledge. It's important to uphold. To treat it fairly. )
Is that how you got into your line of work?
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[So maybe that's worth it in the end. That it's all about the people you made happy and not how cynical it made you.]
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( But, he understands regrets. He's had a few. One is sitting next to him. He chews on a thought before asking more. )
So, you can see these strings of fate for everyone but -- your family, and I'm guessing, you. That must be hard with no guidance. ( And it occurs to him, his ex husband was at the same party. It takes a minute for the dots to connect and his winning smile falls. He and Bradan felt like they were on the cusp of something. But, on their date, his demeanor shifted completely. And he left him to bond with his future husband. ) You saw one of those red strings of fate on our only date, didn't you?
( And don't lie to him or yourself about that being a date. )
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I didn't understand what it meant, then. We don't get it until we're twenty and sometimes nuance doesn't come until later. But back then, I thought that those strings were a certainty. I didn't figure out until later that it was only meant to be a possibility.
[So he took himself out of the equation. It felt like the right thing to do.]
I can't make people fall in love. It's still their choice. Love is always a choice that you make. But it took me some time to figure that out.
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( And, for the purposes of this conversation, he does find his kid across the way dancing with the other girls. He was given the best gift. )
You could've been, too. You just don't get the cheat codes for yourself. Which I know, probably racks you. ( He downs his glass, too, setting it down a little too hard. ) Man, I really miss you, Braid. Probably always have.
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[He doesn't miss him now, now that they've been reconnecting. But he also doesn't know if it can be what it was, if he broke something that can't be reclaimed.]
And back then, I thought he was the great love. The only one. By the time I figured it out, you were already getting married.
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( He makes that clear very quickly, not that Bradan doesn't already know. )
I haven't been for nine months now.
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[Niall might not like this person, the man with a more cynical edge.]
I don't think we can assume that things will just be the same.
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( He doesn't mean to say that through gritted teeth, but he can't help but have an opinion about it. )
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Maybe they weren't meant to then.]
They were ... I don't know. They felt easier, until they weren't.
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( He grips the bottom of his seat, looking over at his old friend. )
Spent the last six months getting at least that back, hopin - ( He pauses, moving to stand. He thinks of walking away, but he turns back, tears in the corner of his eyes, threatening. He's tough. But this sliced straight through. ) Give me one damn good reason we can't do this. Cause I want you, Braid. Something fierce. I'm not holding college against you. I'm leaving it in the rearview. Can't we move forward. See who we are now?
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So he pushes to his feet and tips his head towards one of the side doors that lead out into the Quarter.]
Let's get some air.
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Out in the night air, he walks out a few feet before turning and giving him a 'Okay, we're here, now what?' look. )
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