Kedrick Suwa's Estate

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

Maria glance at Dimitri who was also being overwhelmed by the great smells of what was the dinner for the evening. He looked so happy. Who wouldn't be with her mother's cooking? She smiled back at him, the joy of seeing him so happy with her family, in her home, making her happier than before.

She thanked him as he pulled out a chair for her as she sat down, glad that Ulises and Eneas weren't making any jests at the moment. She would've reassured her mother of the same thing, had her father and Dimitri not beaten her to it. Any other time her mother would feel confident about the meal, but always had a tendency to be completely nervous when she was serving up leftovers to guests. Even though, the way in which her mother cooked, even if it had been in the fridge for a week, it would still taste just as good as the first night.

"Oh you boys are just too kind," Mrs. Vázquez humbly responded with a faint blush, taking her place at the table and sitting down, facing her husband directly across from the other end. She looked between Dimitri and her husband as Mr. Vázquez asked Dimitri about his tour of the home, smiling gently to herself as she saw the smile on Dimitri's face when her husband called him "son". Even she wanted to call the young man "son" herself. He just already seemed like he was part of the family, and if she really wanted to, she would've persuaded the young boy to stay the night even though she had a feeling he'd want to return to his own home.

Mr. Vázquez listened to Dimitri's response, a faint smile on his lips. He was glad to know that he enjoyed his tour and what he saw from the house. At the mention of the second staircase, Mr. Vázquez looked a bit surprise, not having thought about it for awhile, but his warm and friendly smile returned soon enough. "Sure, I can show you where it is, Dimitri," Mr. Vázquez responded simply, "However, it would be best if we ate first, and then had the grand revealing. I'm sure you're all quite hungry now."  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri registered the look of surprise on Mr. Vázquez's face when he mentioned the second stair case, and once again began to feel curious over why it was no longer used. He nodded his head, a smile touching his lips as he said that he would show him where the staircase was. "Alright, that'd be great." The boy agreed, and then paused listening to the end of his statement. Even as Mr. Vázquez said the words, Dimitri realized just how hungry he was. His stomach grumbled softly, and he placed a hand over it, a slight blush coloring his face. He laughed softly and nodded his head. "Right, it looks wonderful." He said with a smile.

Dimitri picked up his fork, spearing a piece of food and taking a bite, a little too quickly. He felt the hot food on his tongue, breathing out quickly to try and cool it. Once it had cooled a bit, Dimitri could savor the rich flavor of the Spanish food. It reminded him distinctly of the barbecue at Kedrick's house so many weeks ago. The dark haired boy smiled at the thought, now that had been a good day. It was the day he had met Maria's family for the first time, and the day he had told Maria how he felt about her. He thought about how utterly terrified he had been of meeting her family at first, and now, ever just a few weeks later, he was here, eating dinner with them, and feeling like he was home.

((Sorry this is short, I really had no idea what to write...>.< ))

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"Of course it looks wonderful," Eneas commented with a light smile, "It's our mother's cooking. It's so much better than what Maria can make."

"Dilo de nuevo y voy a patear tu trasero, Eneas," Maria hissed as she looked at her brother angrily. "If anyone should be talking about their cooking skills, it should be you, especially since you have none."

"I do too have some!" Eneas defended back before they both stopped to listen to hear Ulises snicker. "¿Qué es tan gracioso?"

Ulises saw the annoyed look on his brother's face and smirked, trying to calm his laughter down some. "Sabes Maria tiene razón," he began, chewing his food slowly before he continued, "Su cocina es francamente terrible. No es de extrañar por qué no ha sido capaz de llevar una chica a casa."

Eneas paused mid bite and looked angrily at his brother before his own sneaky smirk on his face. He opened his mouth to say something when they were all interrupted by the clearing of their father's throat.

Mr. Vázquez looked at his children evenly, but the three of them knew that he was not amused at how they were picking at each other, even though it was a bit of a common thing coming from siblings. "Ya está bien de ustedes tres peleas en estos momentos. Tenemos un invitado presente en la mesa. Eneas, María, y Ulises, pedir disculpas ahora mismo, especialmente Eneas, de lo contrario no dudará en poner en aprietos a los tres delante de Dimitri."

All three of the Vázquez children looked down in embarrassment, signs of pink appearing on their light brown skin. There was some awkward silence as the three of them tried to regain some kind of self control before they looked at each other and all apologized in unison, all of it in Spanish.

Mrs. Vázquez had a small smile on her face, even though it had slightly annoyed her as well that the three of them were bickering, it made her miss the days when her two oldest sons weren't in college and they had to deal with that every night. She looked over at Dimitri and once again smiled shyly at him. "How are you enjoying the meal, sweetheart?" she asked kindly, taking a sip of her drink, before looking at her sons. "If you want to work on your cooking, you could always come home or visit your aunt at the shop. How else do you think Maria's gotten better."

"It's also kinda because I work there too, mom," Maria added with a small smile, eating more of her meal and giving a small apologetic smile to Dimitri. There was never anything more embarrassing than making a fool out of yourself in front of your boyfriend in your own home and in another language.

¿Qué es tan gracioso?=What's so funny to you?
Sabes Maria tiene razón. Su cocina es francamente terrible. No es de extrañar por qué no ha sido capaz de llevar una chica a casa.=You know Maria is right. Your cooking is downright terrible. No wonder why you haven't been able to bring a girl home.
Ya está bien de ustedes tres peleas en estos momentos. Tenemos un invitado presente en la mesa. Eneas, María, y Ulises, pedir disculpas ahora mismo, especialmente Eneas, de lo contrario no dudará en poner en aprietos a los tres delante de Dimitri.=That's enough of the three of you bickering right now. We have a guest present at the table. Eneas, Maria, and Ulises, apologize right now, especially you Eneas, or I will not hesitate to embarrass all three of you in front of Dimitri.>  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri looked up from his food as Eneas commented, a small smirk touching his lips. At the end of his sentence however, his eyebrows drew together in a frown and he opened his mouth to protest. In his mind, Maria was a wonderful cook, and he was fully willing to inform Eneas of this face, but Maria had already stepped in to defend herself. He smirked delightedly as she shot back at him, a soft snicker escaping his lips. Somehow, he had had the mental image that everyone in the Vázquez family could cook, but it was kind of interesting to find a flaw in that thought.

As usual, Dimitri completely lost the thread of conversation after a while, having struggled along for a few words but quickly giving up. He took another bite of food, savoring the taste with his eyes closed. At one point, he heard Mr. Vázquez join into the conversation, apparently scolding them. His head snapped up as he distinctly heard his name mentioned, his eyes swiveling around the table, a look of confusion on his face.

As the siblings apologized to each other, Dimitri, looked back down to his food, assuming that having his name mentioned was not too important. He raised his eyes again as Mrs. Vázquez spoke to him and the dark haired boy smiled at her. "It's delicious, thank you." He said nodding his head appreciatively.

He glanced over at Maria, a smile touching his lips. "I didn't know you worked at your aunts shop!" He said, nudging her slightly. As he thought about it, he remembered talk of Arielle eventually going to work for Maria's aunt, but he hadn't been aware that Maria herself worked there.

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"I'm so glad you're enjoying the meal," Mrs. Vázquez said with a gentle smile. "I was afraid that it still wouldn't taste as good. Of course knowing my husband, he would beg to differ."

"Of course I would," Mr. Vázquez agreed with a soft chuckle before looking at Dimitri. "My wife is just being overly humble, son. A lot of the women in our family are when it comes to their cooking, but they're all fantastic. Even though no one can compare to Arielle's grandparents nonetheless."

Mrs. Vázquez and the brothers nodded. Everyone's opinions were different about cooking, but if there was one thing that all of Maria's family agreed on, it was that Arielle's grandparents were magnificent cooks.

Maria smiled lightly and then looked over at Dimitri when he was surprised to know that she had a job. In all honesty, she thought that she had told him, but with all the stuff that had been going on, it didn't completely surprise her that the revelation may have slipped my mind.

"Not too often, but that'll change next month," Maria said with a small smile. "You should come by some time. We've got a lot of delicious sweets, and maybe we can help you on your Spanish."

"If you need a job, Dimitri, I'm sure my sister wouldn't mind giving you one either," Mrs. Vázquez added. "She's always open to having a couple extra hands around the shop."  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri glanced up at Mrs. Vázquez as she once again expressed her uncertainty about the quality of the meal. The young man grinned, shaking his head, and was about to respond when her husband spoke up. At the sound of Mr. Vázquez's chuckle Dimitri smiled and, for the second time that day, felt a flutter of pleasure in his chest when he called him 'son.' "I've been lucky enough to be able to taste Arielle's grandparent's cooking, so I know what you mean." He answered, looking up at Mr. Vázquez.

Dimitri's attention shifted to Maria as she responded to his question. He tried to remember if she really had mentioned to before, or if he just forgotten. He smiled as she described all the wonderful things that were sold at the bakery, picturing them in his head and imagining what they would taste like. The dark haired boy laughed softly, shaking his head. "I dunno Maria," He said with a smirk, "Spanish, French, and Japanese might be a little bit much for me." Dimitri teased, nudging her shoulder lightly, just enough to make her sway in her chair.

Once again, Dimitri's attention was caught by Mr. Vázquez's voice as he spoke to him directly. He smiled politely and was about to dismiss the idea, when he stopped to think about it. Dimitri's situation was an unusual one, because technically, he wasn't old enough to be living on his own. At first, because Eric had been old enough, it had been fine for Dimitri to double rent the apartment with the older boy. But once Eric had moved out, Dimitri should have technically not been allowed to stay there any longer. Fortunately for him, he had an unusual landlord. The man who owned the apartment complex was both a psychiatric, and the pastor of a church. He was a compassionate man with an uncanny knack for analyzing people. From the first time he had met Dimitri he could tell that there was something different about the boy, something other then just a rebellious teenager who was looking to get away from his parents. He could tell the boy was in trouble. It wasn't his bussiness, and he never attempted at ask why, but that boy needed to stay there, he could tell. So Dimitri had been allowed to stay despite being underage.

After Eric had left, things had been nearly impossible, but once Dimitri begrudgingly let Kedrick start helping, things had eased up a little. Still the budget was tight, his empty refrigerator, and sad broken old car proved that. Now that he thought about it, an extra job could provide some financial relief. He looked back up at Mr. Vázquez, a thoughtful smile on his lips. "You know, that might not be a bad idea." He said, nodding his head and looking over at Maria. 'Besides, I'd get to spend more time with Maria...'

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"Sometimes I think their cooking was graced by the gods," Eneas said with a small grin. "I mean, just about everything they cook is just flawless, and Arielle is wonderful in learning their ways, even if she denies it horribly."

"That is so very much like Arielle," Ulises said with a small chuckle. "She's always been the humble one, and Maria has always been the one to boast."

Maria made a face at her older brother, even though it was somewhat true. She still tried not to rub it in too much whenever that happened, but if it was a situation in which she was right, then she couldn't help it. Sometimes the sweet taste of victory was just a bit too much for her, and she had a tendency to get carried away in her proud moments. Her thoughts were shaken when she heard Dimitri talk and she focused on what he was saying, a small smile appearing on her face.

She regained her balance and nudged him back gently. "How else do you think you're going to be able to understand what I'm saying?" Maria asked teasingly, taking a sip of her drink. "Or would you rather continue using your 'I am horribly confused right now' expression every time I slip into Spanish?"

"With Maria, you're probably going to need subtitles at the bottom for her anyway," Eneas gently teased, glancing at Maria who stuck her tongue out at him.

Mr. Vázquez gently rolled his eyes, knowing that his children would continue to make jabs at each other, no many how many times he told them to stop. Luckily, he didn't have to really interfere at the moment. His focused returned back to Dimitri as he smiled once again. "Perfect. Then I'll see if I can get you an application," Mr. Vázquez responded.

"If the job doesn't work out, dear, then I know a lot of friends that could use some help," Mrs. Vázquez added sweetly.  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri snickered, humored by Eneas's comment. He nodded his head in agreement, his eyes shifting over to Ulises as he spoke. It was true, Arielle was always so humble about what she did, it was one of the things Dimitri loved so much about his friend. Like Maria, Dimitri tended to boast if he managed to actually feel like he did something right. So he admired the restraint she had to be so passive about it all, especially since she was so good at what she did. Dimitri wished he had something that he could really call himself 'skilled' at. Oh sure, he could draw a little bit, mostly doodles, he was getting better at the shooting, and he was highly proficient at flirting, but those were hardly skills to boast about. Kedrick had always said that Dimitri could always win a good argument, but he hardly saw how knowing how to argue would be a valuable life skill.

The young man swayed as Maria nudged him in return, and he smirked at her, with a hint of flirtatiousness in his gaze, momentarily forgetting that they where still at the dinner table. "Hey, I'm getting better," He said, trying to maintain an injured tone, but ending up laughing instead. Dimitri wondered what he face did look like when he had the 'I am horribly confused right now' expression.

A smile broke out on Dimitri's face as Mr. Vázquez answered him. "That'd be great!" He grinned enthusiastically, sitting up a bit in his chair. It would be interesting to work again, it's been a while since he had had a consistent job. He work here and there for a couple places, but never for very long, and never very consistently. 'Mainly because I keep screwing things up,' He thought, almost laughing to himself as he remembered some of the incidents. The first time or two he had been informed that 'his help was no longer required' he had been devastated. But soon it had become obvious that, until he found the right working environment, being let go was just a fact of life. It was going to happen, it just meant he needed to look harder to find the right place.

In the back of his mind, Dimitri hoped that that 'right place' would be at Maria's Aunt's bakery. The boy looked up as her, tossing a few strands of dark hair out of his eyes. A smile touched his lips as he looked at Mrs. Vázquez, nodding to her statement. As Dimitri glanced quickly around the table, all that the boy felt was love, and acceptance. No one seemed suspicious of him, no one seemed to think he was improper company. "I'd like that..." He said quickly, his voice a little hushed. "Thank you."

Dimtiri breathed a sigh, leaning back in his chair, having finished his food. His stomach felt warm, and comfortably full with the good Spanish food. He closed his eyes for a minute, just enjoying the sensation of having a home cook meal in his stomach. This was considerably better that ramen noodles and boxed macaroni and cheese.

((Interestingly enough, that skill of being able to argue will serve him well, knowing that he's going into law. XD ))

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"So you say lover boy, so you say," Maria gently teased in return to Dimitri's statement. She saw the look in his gaze and returned her own playful flirtatious look, small signs of pink appearing on her cheeks as well. She knew her parents were watching, and that her brothers would wait until after Dimitri was gone to bother their baby sister. It was completely like them to do most of their teasing one on one, even if they did love seeing the expressions of both lovebirds.

Mr. and Mrs. Vázquez smiled at Dimitri's enthusiasm. Both of them were going to say that it was no big deal, but thought better not to. It was one of those moments when the married couple was completely in sync. For Mr. Vázquez, he was just happy to help out his daughter's boyfriend, no matter what it was for. As for Mrs. Vázquezv, she had already taken such a motherly liking to him, that she would do whatever she could to help them. More than anything, the parents just loved the warm family environment that they were able to share with everyone.

Like her parents, Maria enjoyed the warm environment they were in, keeping a mental note to try and invite Dimitri over, even if it was a small encounter. It definitely beat him being alone in his apartment all the time. She glanced over at him, seeing him with his eyes closed and smiled lovingly at him. My sweet Dimitri...

"I can definitely tell that Dimitri enjoyed the meal," Mr. Vázquez said warmly as he glanced at his wife. "Only your meals are wonderful enough to fill a young man and giving him such a content look on his face."

Mrs. Vázquez smiled shyly and waved her husband's compliment away like it was nothing, before looking at Dimitri. "Did you have enough, dear? You look quite tired now."  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

"I do say," He countered with a smirk, as always pleased to see the faint blush on the girl's cheeks. He almost had the urge to poke her cheek and tease her about it, but he reminded himself that they were at the table, and teasing and flirting should definitely wait till some other time. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught the expressions on Eneas and Ulises's faces, and knew that already Maria was asking for it, although probably for after he left. Snickering, he pulled back from Maria and rested back in his chair.

Dimitri's eye's flickered open at the sound of Mr. Vázquez's voice. He tipped his head forwards slightly, looking back at him and smiling sheepishly. The slightest hint of a blush had touched his cheeks, and he straightened up in his chair. His eyes turned to Mrs. Vázquez as she asked him weather or not he had had enough to eat. The dark haired boy smiled at the woman warmly, nodding his head. "Yes I did, thank you." He said. A slight snicker escaped his lips as She added about him being tired, and he nodded yet again. After all that had happened today, he was definitely tired, and even though he could think of nothing nicer then to stay here with Maria's family for a while longer, he knew that it would be safer for him to drive home before it got too late.

Glancing around the table, Dimitri really didn't want to leave. It was so much nicer here then in his apartment, a place that was functional, and held no bad memories, but none the less he had never thought of as 'home'. Maybe that was because it was always just him, alone there, and it got boring, and lonely. Dimitri always felt so much better when he was at the Estate with Kedrick and Arielle, or now, here with Maria and her family.

The dark haired boy looked over at Maria with an apologetic smile, not really wanting to say goodbye for the evening. "Maria," He said hesitantly, "Much as I'd like to stay, it is getting late, and I have to drive home yet." He said, regret evident in his voice.

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

Maria just laughed warmly in response to Dimitri's comeback. Even if they were at the table, it didn't mean that she didn't thoroughly enjoy these kind of teasing moments. She turned away from him, finishing the last couple of bites of her meal, feeling completely stuffed regardless.

"The pleasure is all mine, Dimitri," Mrs. Vázquez responded sweetly, "I am just glad that you enjoyed yourself. Would you like to bring any leftovers home with you? I wouldn't mind letting you take some food home, and it makes it easier on us to finish it since my boys barely visit their mother any other time."

"Oh ma, don't say that," Eneas said with a light smile, "You know we love you and everything. It's just... Sometimes we're a bit busy with our schoolwork."

"I know, I know," Mrs. Vázquez commented back with a small sigh, "I was in college myself at one point. Just don't let your schoolwork kill you, alright?"

"We won't mom," both brothers responded in unison, smiling sincerely at their mother.

Maria turned to face Dimitri when he said her name, listening to him attentively. As much as everything he said was true, it didn't stop the somewhat sad frown appearing on her face. She knew she would see him again, but there was that feeling in which she wanted him to stay by her side. "You know my mother's offer is still open about you staying the night, Dimitri," she brought up, hoping that the reminder might persuade him to want to stay.  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri looked up at Mrs. Vázquez's offer to let him take some food home with him. Courtesy demanded that he say no, but all Dimitri could think of was how wonderful it would be tomorrow evening to warm up the amazing Spanish food as opposed to eating yet another bowl of stone cold ramen noodles. He smiled graciously, a faint blush touching his cheeks. "That would be wonderful, i-if it's not to much trouble." He stammered quickly, hoping he hadn't seemed rude.

He watched the conversation between the mother and her sons and smiled warmly. It was nice to see the interactions, touching in a way. He knew that a lot of teenagers became distant and rude to their families after going to college. They became absorbed with work and social circles and they simply could no longer be busied with something so 'embarrassing' as family. Dimitri thought that this was the lowest thing a young person could do. Their family, their parents had invested years of time, money, and love into them, and for that child to simply ignore them was cruel and unfair. The young, dark haired boy had always craved the feeling of belonging to a real family, so the thought of estranging them for the sake of a position in a social group with beyond disdainful to him.

Dimitri shook himself out of his thoughts as Maria turned to face him. He saw the remorseful expression on her face and instantly regretted bringing it up, but none the less it was high time. He laughed softly as she restated her mother's earlier offer, a sad smile touching his own lips. "No, I don't think so," He said gently, "Not tonight. Maybe some other time." He offered, smiling and touching her cheek with his fingertips.

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"Oh not at all, dear," Mrs. Vázquez responded, waving her hand gently as she stood up from her seat. "Just tell me what you'd like to take home and I'll put it in a tupperware for you. And don't worry about returning it to me, we have enough here as it is."

"Does that mean we can take some food back home with us too, mom?" Ulises asked, watching his mom go into the kitchen. "It'd be nice to have some real food on campus since the dining hall food isn't always the best."

Eneas nodded, taking a final chug of his drink. "Everything that Ulises said, I agree with."

Their mother just laughed gently, nodding at her sons' request. "Of course you boys can help yourself. What kind of mother would I be if I starved my two older sons?"

Maria enjoyed the warm exchange between her eldest brothers and her mother, being one of those moments when her brothers were actually tolerable. She focused again on Dimitri and sighed sadly. Nodding gently in understanding, she placed her hand on top of his fingers, cradling them gently. "Okay then, Dimitri," she answered, almost in a whisper.

"Just let me know whenever you're ready, alright son?" Mr. Vázquez asked gently, smiling kindly at the boy. The gentle exchange between his daughter and the young man made him feel light inside, and he was once again glad that they had both found each other, knowing that no other young man was better suited for his daughter than Dimitri.  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri felt the sheepish smile tug on his lips once more as Mrs. Vázquez quickly responded, saying that it was no trouble.The young boy hesitated slightly, shifting where he stood and thinking of what he had liked best about the meal. He hummed softly to himself, and then pointed out a few of the dishes he had particularly liked. Dimitri hadn't actually learned any of the names of the dishes, so he decided to be safe and just point.

Vaguely, Dimitri heard the conversation between Mrs. Vázquez and her two older sons, but he was already too focused on Maria to pay it much attention. The dark hair boy felt Maria place her hand gently over his and he smiled sadly, regretting that he had to leave. He hesitated, now, not really wanted to pull back from her. He stared into the girl's deep brown eyes, feeling a small smile tug on his lips.

He could have gone on, just staring at her, but Mr. Vázquez's words broke through his daze. He turned quickly were he stood to face him, a grin touching his face. "Alright Sir," He said with a smile. Dimitri turned back to Maria, leaning in quickly to peck her on the lips. He felt his cheeks heating slightly, knowing anyone in the kitchen might have seen, but right about now it didn't matter too much. "Good night Maria," He murmured softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I had a lot of fun, thanks. Oh!" He said, looking up. "And thanks for helping me clean up my place too." The boy laughed, pulled back slightly and rubbing his neck.

Dimitri turned looking towards Mrs. Vázquez, Eneas and Ulises. "Well..." He said hesitantly. "Good night! Thanks again for the meal Mrs. Vázquez, it was wonderful." Then Dimitri, still hesitant to leave, turned to face Maria's father. "Alright," He said with a smile. "I'm ready."

But more specifically...Can you keep mine?...

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

Mrs. Vázquez paid special attention to the food that Dimitri had pointed out, keeping a mental reminder of it. Since she knew what her sons loved to eat, it was a lot easier on her mind. After getting the tupperware from the kitchen, she returned into the dining room and started filling each one, Dimitri's first since he was the one that was currently leaving.

Like Dimitri, Maria was broken from her almost distant moment because of her father's voice. She knew she had nothing to worry about, especially with him being around her father. She smiled gently when he pecked her on the lips, not caring if anyone had seen. Her smile grew slowly as he wished her good night and thanked her. "It was no big deal, in all honesty," Maria responded with a grin, "I'm just glad I could spend time with you. And g'night yourself."

When Dimitri said his good nights to the rest of the Vázquez family, Mrs. Vázquez had already finished prepping up his leftover food. She walked over to him, placing the food in his hands before she gave him a warm and gentle hug. "I am so glad you appreciated the meal," she said as she pulled back and looked at him with a warm smile, "And please don't be hesitant to come over more often. Our home will always be open to you, alright?"

Eneas and Ulises had taken their turns in putting their food away so their mother didn't have to do anything. They looked up and smiled at Dimitri, each waving at the young man.

"We should hang out more often though," Eneas offered with a grin, "Maybe our next video game night. It'll be a great chance for some warm bonding."

"And a wonderful opportunity to watch Eneas get his butt kicked by me," Ulises teased, laughing as Eneas nudged him.

Mr. Vázquez watched everything, going to his office to get his car and house keys. By the time he returned, Dimitri looked at him, ready to go. He nodded, waved to his family, and and lead Dimitri to the door, opening it for him. "I'll be back soon and I'll make sure that he gets back home safely," Mr. Vázquez promised, looking at his family, knowing his words mattered more to his wife and his daughter