you were the answer to my dreams

Admittedly, Sebastian had hardly anticipated much of this Thanksgiving to date. He had expected a fanciful dinner, surely, some rousing teasing chatter between his father-in-law and Dorian's godfather, and the remainder of the evening to fade into the sort of quiet comfort that so often afflicted the estate. How he had failed to expect the very chaos that Matteo's visits so frequently brought within their wake - from a new member to their family, as if that alone had not been startling enough, but now, that very dish placed in front of him! It was nothing short of baffling, the English sausage and yet, he was distinctly aware of the congealed blood that so made up the rather peculiar 'pudding' of sorts. It was, almost, as if Matteo was extending some sort of acceptance to his very nature. It was such a stark contrast to the...dream? No...memory, perhaps? Unless it had been a mere figment of his fantasy? The corner of his lips tugged downwards as he stared almost blankly at the black colored dish, the vampire all but assured that the Frenchman had threatened to take his very fangs...somehow...maybe. A soft sigh left his lips, the Englishman so frequently found himself on such unsettling footing with his father-in-law, just as he too was torn between those strikingly different sides of himself and their own specific waring thoughts of the fae. It was nothing short of completely and utterly baffling.

He was, admittedly, hardly attentive to the rest of the dishes that soon populated the very table, his entire focus positioned upon that singular one. It hardly took long, however, before Matteo himself took his place within the solitary empty chair, the very scent of that glorious turkey more than enough to prompt Sebastian's crystalline gaze to rise and yet, he said distinctly little as Alexander picked up the carving knife, cutting into that meat that all but assaulted the vampire's heightened senses. The meal as a whole was a veritable bombardment of scents and smells, causing his nose to twitch ever so slightly at the very intensity of it all. For now, however, he was more than content to simply take several slices of the Black Pudding, weary though he was of the dish. It was only after tentatively cutting into it that Sebastian brought a piece of the sausage to his lips, the vampire sniffing it almost cautiously as if he somehow didn't trust it in its entirety. He hardly suspected Matteo would poison him in any sense, really, though he did wonder if the Frenchman was able to make a distinctly English dish correctly. He would, of course, never wonder such a thing aloud. After all, Matteo seemed to pride himself upon his very skills in the kitchen - his own doubt surely more of a slight than he ever wished to utter aloud, even if his own suspicious glancing at the Black Pudding perhaps gave away his thoughts more than he had intended.

His thoughts shifted, however, as that ready teasing so began to afflict the table. Although Sebastian was nothing short of attentive to that lighthearted conversation, he hardly made an effort to inject himself in that easy banter. For now, the vampire was more than content to play the passive role of dutiful husband, simply allowing his lover to fully relish within the glory of that family he knew well Dorian had desperately desired for so very long. After all, the vampire was hardly oblivious to just how happy his lover seemed, even if the Monarch own involvement in that ready teasing was fairly limited. A small glint of a simper appeared upon his features as his gaze briefly turned back down towards that piece of pudding he was content to nibble upon. He was aware, vaguely, of the weight of eyes upon him and yet, as he glanced up to fin Matteo's stare all but fixated upon him, Sebastian did starkly little to rescue the fae from that childish pout. It was hardly his place, as it were. Rather, his attention was drawn to the Dark Hunter as Dorian so queried after a story of the elder fae's less glorious moments. A soft chuckle echoed upon Sebastian's lips at that very tale, such a shortcoming was almost difficult to imagine with just how assured Matteo so was with his gift these days - after all, he'd so effortlessly foreseen Sebastian's own wedding to Dorian far before the vampire himself had even considered it!

He was hardly astonished by his lover's own polite correction of his father's language, after all, Dorian was often the very pentacle of well-mannered, more so then even Sebastian himself was sometimes inclined to be. His crystalline gaze shifted towards his lover as Dorian so changed the topic, instead speaking of those places he wished to one day visit only to offer the newest member of their family an invitation to join them on their trip to Italy. He watched with some measure of inquisitiveness as Aiden so effortlessly seemed to pick up upon Matteo's involvement with that very invitation, one even Sebastian himself hadn't realized. His own bafflement was surely mirrored within his lover's own silver irises as all eyes turned attentively towards the Frenchman. That near purposeful vagueness and equally as knowing simper so giving the man away. He watched with inquisitiveness as Aiden so purposefully asked for permission to accept that invitation as if there were far more than either Dorian and himself were aware of. A small frown tugged at the corner of his features and yet he was all but silent upon his own observation. Matteo was quick to change the topic, instead simply continued on with a story of his own - one that all too easily distracted the table at large.

The very mention of King John, however, prompted a small wrinkling of the vampire's nose in his own distaste of the topic. He was, admittedly, one of England's most controversial monarchs - though well before Sebastian's own time. Even so, the vampire was ill-inclined to speak poorly of his ruler. He remained silent, however, upon his own thoughts of the King as Matteo recounted a tale of the taking of Dover. How different that very city was now! That coastal town all but booming in population in his own day and age, whatever bridge the Dark Hunter had seen to building surely crumbled or replaced and yet, Sebastian saw no reason to point out this very fact. He listened, instead, as Dorian so muttered just how thankful the people of Dover might be, only to so twist the conversation instead to the very purpose of the holiday as a whole. The very suggestion of it seemed to prompt a groan from somewhere on the opposite side of the table - as if that very idea of sharing such emotions was somehow deplorable! His lover's gaze upon himself, however, prompted a soft simper on Sebastian's features, one that was followed by a soft chuckle as Dorian declared that it most certainly was not him. He watched as Dorian leaned back in his chair, his own arms folding near purposefully across his chest, only to declare that Sebastian should be the very first to initiate that thankfulness.

A small frown fell across Sebastian's features and yet, he was nothing if not well practiced in manners such as these, knowing near effortlessly those answers expected of him, cliche though they were. "I am thankful for you, Ma Bichette, and the rest of our family, of course." Although such comments hardly required much thought from the vampire, they were distinctly true. Dorian was nothing short of the very epicenter of his world and, in turn, he was thankful for the King's family, if only for just how distinctly delighted they so made the Monarch in turn. His crystalline gaze turned almost expectantly across the table towards the two men upon the other side, allowing either to pick up that very conversation where he had left off.

Sebastian Ellington-Aragona