'tis the season

[beathach]

Who: Hank, Raven, Charles, and Erik
Broadcast: none
Action: Corona
When: Forward-dated to after Christmas

[docking at the hotel had been something of a godsend. Originally he was going to attempt to cook himself, but with all of the restaurants at the hotel available, he opted to choose one of them instead. Likely for the best, because he wasn't the greatest cook.

He'd done his research, however, and the dinner - while nothing overly fancy - still had some traditional Christmas and Hanukkah foods - or at least, as close as they could get to them, all things considered. He tried, okay.

But it was a holiday dinner for the four of them, and that was the most important part. It was a first for their family, after all]

Comments

[exothermia]

I'm not exactly lacking in funds.

[The soap opera of mutants, it never ends.]

[beathach]

Well - neither am I. [thanks neverending soap opera] But that doesn't mean I'm going to pay ridiculous prices for food.

[exothermia]

You mean you don't want to try the Nebula Sundae for five hundred credits?

[It's definitely something Erik has seen around the beach area. He had to stare at it. Sure, it had some kind of topping that glittered convincingly, but for an ice cream?]

[beathach]

Not particularly. I like ice cream, but not that much.

[exothermia]

I don't think anyone likes it that much.

[A beat.]

Raven, maybe.

[beathach]

I can think of a couple of people who would.

[exothermia]

There's always a vice.

[beathach]

Mmm, but there's worst vices out there. Ice cream is pretty innocent.

[exothermia]

[He smirks faintly, and doesn't comment.]

[beathach]

[he leaves it at that, and the dinner continues, idle chatter between the four of them. It's nice, and it's exactly what Hank had hoped it would be. Just a nice dinner for them, for family. He's glad he stressed as much as he did over it.

As dinner winds down, Hank glances over at Erik and after probably a bit too long internally debating, asks:]

Ah - before you go, I wanted to ask you something. Or - well, tell you something.

[he says it a little quietly, considering Raven is right next to him, but she's caught up in conversation with Charles]

[exothermia]

[Erik looks over at Hank, having been distracted with his own thoughts and waiting for them to leave first.]

Yes?

[beathach]

Er. Privately, if we could.

[exothermia]

[With a strange look, Erik gets up and wanders over to the bar. Whatever this is, Hank could have picked a better time for a private conversation.]

[beathach]

[look there's only so many chances and it'll only take a few minutes.

Maybe more than that if Hank can't get the words out, but details.

He follows Erik over to the bar, hands shoved in his pockets so he doesn't fidget. He waits until they're out of ear shot]

It isn't anything bad, I just - don't want Raven to overhear. She has no idea.

[exothermia]

[Erik just raises his eyebrows at him, tilting his head back and waiting. All the hedging is only making this sound worse.]

Just get to the point, Hank.

[beathach]

[he takes a deep breath, shuts his eyes and just . . . says it]

I'm going to ask her to marry me.

[. . .] —she thinks of you as family, and so do I, so I - wanted to tell you before I did it. [this isn't asking permission; he already did that with Charles. He isn't sure why he feels like he has to tell Erik, too, but here he is]

[exothermia]

[There's a long moment where Erik just stares at Hank, without reaction. A little too long for something like this. And if it does take too long, it's because he's masking a sudden squall of emotions breaking against him. Happiness for them. Surprise at the thought. A deep rending sadness for himself.

He shakes his head and smiles slightly. The hollow feeling is pushed back and away for another time.]

Well. And here I thought you really had something devastatingly terrible to say.

[Erik extends his hand for Hank to shake.]

[beathach]

[he takes the offer hand and shakes it, pulling up a smile. He knows this is a difficult subject, and while he doesn't know the extent, it does mean he's careful with his words]

I did say it wasn't bad.

[exothermia]

You lead up to it in a very suspicious way.

[beathach]

Well - I didn't want Raven to overhear. She has no idea I've even thought about it.

[exothermia]

[He's quiet for a moment, considering that. Whether Raven accepts or not is the real question. He has never thought of her as the marrying type... but then again, he had thought the same of himself, once. Perhaps he shouldn't be quick to assume.]

But you have, it seems.

[beathach]

[he shrugs a shoulder, lips pursing. He has been considering it for a while. Since they came back, honestly, until it became less of a passing thought and more of a desire. And then next thing he knew, he was asking Charles' permission]

For a while now, yeah. [he rubs at the side of his neck] I want to spend the rest of my life with her and - she knows that, I'm just . . . taking the next step to prove it, I guess.

[exothermia]

Well... good luck with it.

[He means that, sincerely. He hadn't exactly posed the question himself, with Magda. She had been headstrong enough to ask him whether he was going to marry her. The nerves that come with such a question though are ones he understands fully well. It even echoes his own vague worries over what he's going to say to Charles.]

[beathach]

Thank you.

[he half-expects someone to tell him its a bad idea, that's it's a bad time, any number of things, and yet they never come. He has Charles' blessing and now Erik's, sort of, and that leaves him to waiting the couple of days until he actually asks her]