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It was going to be interesting, something she knew could go either way. It would be best if she could play nice and not antagonize her brother but it really was hard to be around them. More often than not she kept having this sort of cognitive dissonance over Aloysius. Being apart and raised by her mother, she had this image of her brother as a lout who only cared about himself and hoarded all the money that was left behind by their grandfather. Over time she’d seen that he didn’t drink or even smoke at this point, both things that had been changed by the blond who she was now dressing up nicely to meet for a congratulatory dinner. Someone that her brother doted on and worried over incessantly much as she worried about them. Two Sharps both looking after Liam in different ways.

She’d been working on getting them to dress up properly, learn things about how to act, and move around the room at social events. Everything she’d grown up learning but now had to teach them in short order. Tonight they’d all be meeting at a nice and quiet reservation-only restaurant, one that she’d gotten the reservation for because of the family name she shared with her brother. Unblocking her brother to message him once, she reminded him that Liam had to wear the outfit that should be hanging in the garment bag in the closet still, the one she’d gotten for them recently. It would be a surprise for both of those men, assuming her brother hadn’t peeked.

That done, she stepped out of her apartment and started heading to the restaurant a bit early to set up some things and pick up the order her brother had placed from a bakery. It wasn’t too far out of the way so it would give her the time needed to set things up and decorate just a bit on the table to celebrate Liam's graduation from DCU.

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Aloysius took a bit more time showering than normal today, making sure he washed away some of the extra aches from things as he combed his fingers through his hair using some of that oil that had been recommended to him by Alexandre. It did help keep some of the flyaways at bay so he had gotten into the habit of using it more often. Stepping out of the shower, he went about drying and braiding his hair, pulling the offensive grey he spotted while he was at it with a soft curse. It was something that seemed to happen more often and he worried that it would be had to just pull them, something he didn’t like thinking about when he considered that Liam was just now graduating from the college he was a professor at.

Looking down at his phone on the counter as he finished braiding his hair, he was surprised to see something from Melody. There was no point in replying, he figured she’d have blocked him again but he did wander out of the bathroom and down the hall towards the room he shared with Liam. “Liam, Melody says that you should be wearing something from a garment bag in the closet. I think she means the one at the end that appeared in there the other weekend while we were out on patrol.” Still, his sister managed to weasel her way into their home but at least most of the time she messaged his partner instead of just walking in.

Pulling things from his closet on the other wall, he got dressed slowly to avoid bothering the sore spots he still had. Places that he’d bumped himself while working in the small shop his family-owned, getting used to the new setup since Melody had hired an actual employee to run the front end of things. He’d nearly broken his hip on the sharp corner of the counter while squeezing past it with his arms full of materials he needed for his work and the bruise was still dark and very very sore.

Calling out again, he peeked out of their room and down towards the living room to see if they were downstairs instead. They’d finished their shower first which was normal considering how much less they had to manage when it came to hair.

Perking up more at the sight of the teacup he took it and sipped slowly, enjoying it as he nodded. “Thank you, just what I needed darling.” It helped ease a bit of the stress around his sister but to be honest things had cooled off as of late. She never poked in to often and since she wasn’t part of the information branch she rarely bothered him in his office as well. It had been a peace he needed and Liam made sure that peace was here in their home as well.

Leaning over to see what was inside the bag over Liam’s shoulder his smile widened seeing a dark gray and red fabric peeking out of the bag. “Very nice, I am excited to see how the rest of it looks and how it will look on you.” Pressing a kiss to their cheek he settled down carefully onto the bed and watched as they went.

“Just be careful around her, that is all I can say. I am glad she is helping you though, I really like the fact you will be working from home.” It helped him worry less and made it easier for him to relax when he did manage his way home between jobs.

“I am fine, truly I am. Things are always alright when you are with me.” Reaching forward as they stripped he trailed his fingers down their cheek, neck, and to the little marks he’d left on their shoulder recently. They were mostly faded now but he still smiled a bit before pulling his hand back to let them get dressed as he continued with his tea.

He wouldn’t complain about Melody helping his partner update their wardrobe, he hadn’t really been able to convince them to dress formally himself. If anything they’d been trying to get him to dress down which was uncomfortable at first. At least he was okay with it at home on the days he wasn’t expecting anyone. There was that understanding of keeping up appearances in public though and even the more casual clothing still covered everything that needed to stay hidden to keep up the image he’d crafted and lived for years.

Stiffening a bit at the mention of social events he set the cup down for a moment and thought about things. As they continued with the other reasons why they were interested in it he sighed and nodded. “While that is all true, I just worry. I never enjoyed it all once I got a look behind the curtain as it were. It really is all lies and facades Liam, everyone is fake there so just be careful. No matter what, please remember that it is me you come home to and not all the clients or my sister. I know you work hard and want to do things for us both but you need to do what you want to do for yourself too. You need to be careful for yourself and not just the Sharp family…” More than anything he wanted them to be a part of it but he was still figuring himself out to get to that point. Things were only just now slowing down enough with school being out of session and the free time allowing for more talking and fewer interruptions. That peace itself made him worry because he didn’t want it to end but he couldn’t just walk away from things either in the Negaverse. It was good that the mirror court was neutral and that Liam didn’t go out as much on patrol or draining as he did.

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Melody picked up things from the bakery and started setting up the table in one of the private rooms near the back. It wasn’t too difficult and she soon had everything set up and had let the staff know to bring the tart out after dinner. Smoothing her dress down after getting the last few balloons and everything set up, she took a seat and pulled her phone back out to let Aloysius know everything was set up and they should start heading over.

She really would be pissed if they were late but this was about Liam so she figured they might take some extra time getting dressed. It was something more formal than they’d worn before so she figured it might take more time for them to figure it all out. It was kind of cute seeing them stumble through things and figure their way through some of the more formal clothing she’d gotten them. Having to figure out how to tie a tie or how cufflinks worked, it was all something she’d never had to think about before and it had been interesting for her to try and explain things that were second nature to her.

Looking up at them he nodded. “You know you do, you always have made things easier for me to manage.” It wasn’t really flattery, just the truth of things which was why he worried so much about them. Aloysius was glad he hadn’t been sipping the tea as they mentioned him making more marks because he would have sputtered and made a mess of his clothes.

The comment had his face warming while he fiddled with his hands in his lap. “I would like that later if the dinner ends at a reasonable time.” That mention of trust had Aloysius pausing as they turned back to face him and then they leaned on him while holding him close. It sounded like there wasn’t any room to argue with them much as there hadn’t been room when it had come to him seeing a doctor about his poor lung health.

That was something he still forgot, that they hadn’t had stability in their life. While Aloysius never truly had to worry about money, the opposite was true for his partner. They had worked harder than anyone else he’d ever seen to get to where they were now, graduated with perfect grades and with a job set that had a level of security few could hope to obtain. He wanted security as well but not the type money brought, it was the type that came with the words they spoke of not forgetting him or casting him aside.

“You are the secure future I want… not your job or money. Even if I avoid it, we both know that even the worst of emergencies would barely be a drop in the bucket of the funds I have tucked away. Just please be careful not to push yourself too hard. You saw how I was working to death, I still find it hard to ease up on that front. Just because you are younger does not mean that you can abuse yourself by pushing too hard.” It was hypocritical and he knew it but he needed them and he wouldn’t ease up on them needing to take care of themselves too.

With them so close and their forehead pressed against his, he looked into their eyes as they spoke more about not putting work above him. “You need to make friends, maybe not with everyone but… it helps make it easier to survive. Mel will teach you that whole social game and you will hear all about the absent head of the Sharp family from people but watch and listen to how she diverts things. I used to play that game, not in the same way but that was before things got worse. Now I am too tired and worn down to do it.” He could still do it if he had to but he preferred not to and the arrangement had worked out over time even if it had strained things with his sister.

Taking the tie from their hands, he made short work of it and tied it in a rose knot. He didn’t think there was a knot for bleeding hearts but roses were something very important to him so he’d learned that knot a long time ago. It looked good with the tie being satiny and catching the light a bit.

Feeling his phone buzz on the bed he looked over at it and saw the message blurb from Mel. Getting up, he walked around Liam to look over the new outfit. They looked so very different but he knew he liked this change. “You look amazing darling. Time to start driving over, Melody just texted me.” Pulling them along carefully, he grabbed the cufflinks from the garment bag and figured he’d help them with them when they both got to the restaurant.

“I will say that if working as an accountant means you will dress up like this more often I think I would quite enjoy that.” It looked good and made them look a bit older as well while not looking too stiff.

If only it was that easy, Aloysius kept from chuckling and shaking his head for now as he managed to get them downstairs where he got his shoes and coat on. “I might tell her thanks, we will see how things go though. She has avoided going for the throat as of late so maybe polite conversation is possible again in small doses.” As long as they both watched what was said he wanted there to be a bit more communication. Liam was a wonderful middle man but it made it hard for him to coordinate with her when it came to things being done in surprise for Liam.

“Maybe a bit though I still feel odd sometimes with fewer layers when we go out.” One last look over their suit and Aloysius nodded. “As long as you are comfortable in things like this.” Running his hands over their shoulders to make sure everything was smooth and neat, Aloysius smiled and felt his cheeks warming as he thought about some things. Turning away, he opened the front door and started walking towards the car that was parked right out front. He’d moved it closer in case it started to rain, something he wanted to avoid dealing with before or after dinner.

“It should only be a ten minute drive I believe so not too long.” Looking back up the stairs at them he really did like that outfit on them and cursed internally that there was a reservation that couldn’t be canceled. That and he didn’t want to mess with the plans that Melody had.

Aloysius nodded slightly, it would be nice to have a bit of that again. It would be one less thing to worry or stress over and it could mean that things run a bit smoother at the shop. It was hard managing things when both sides didn’t communicate but he’d have to figure that out soon. Maybe Liam might be able to help with that, setting up a different set of terms for things with his main accountant so that everything was a bit more manageable.

“I know, it takes time and things have been less stressful but it is hard to relax with how much I have to manage. At least we have the summer and winter breaks without one of my main responsibilities hanging over me.” Looking over at them as they settled in, his face fell a bit at the mention of not wanting to do a tuxedo.

“Maybe just one time?” Leaving that out there before his cheeks gained a bit of color from the mention of after-dinner. He had some plans too, things he maybe wanted to test out that were a full 180 from the norm but that was for later. Focusing on driving as much as he could, he did reach over to hold their hand, lacing his fingers with theirs.

At least they agreed to one time and he was glad they didn’t ask any more about it. There were still things he had to figure out and do before deciding on anything, it was something he would have brought up to Mel if things were like they had been in the past.

“I will do my best to make time so I can stay at home with you, I am sorry that I have been so busy lately with the end of the semester. I am glad you were able to help me grade a bit though, it made things easier for me.” He’d see about making more exams that were able to be graded with a key like the one they’d helped with. Little things here and there to work with them so he could be home a bit more or include him more in the things he did.

“I need to do a bit more over the summer to make up for my time away from things but I can bring you along. I think it will be more during the weekdays so I can keep to a similar schedule I will apologize in advance that I rarely talk while working on things. I want to avoid getting myself with my tools you know?” He’d done it before, frequently, when he was learning which did account for the few spaces on his palm he didn’t really have any feeling in even if they hadn’t scarred.

Checking his phone, he shot a text to Melody to let her know they were here. He knew she was probably inside and everything was set up. Squeezing their hand back he smiled. “I believe you deserve it, and more, though I am surprised Mel warmed up to you as she has. I think it is for the best though and you have a bit of a family now too, one that seems to be miles better than the one you told me about.” Letting go, he got out and ushered them inside after pressing another kiss to their cheek. He then let the staff know about his reservation before working his way towards the table and back room.

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Melody looked at her phone and then busied herself again by checking everything over, all the little table decorations and things were ready and she had birthday and graduation cards tucked away in her purse to give them. It was a bit late for their birthday but it was something that had taken time for her to track down by shaking up their biological family again. It was fun to poke them a bit from time to time to keep them from bothering Liam or the Sharp family. At this point, it was understood that they were part of the family and should be treated as such, something she intended to carry over to when she brought them to events.

Peeking through the door, she saw Aloysius and Liam and waved to let them know where things were. “Over here, I was wondering if you would show up on time or not.” They’d just barely made it on time, something she’d been mentally placing bets on for the last fifteen minutes as she’d been scrolling through emails on her phone.

Squeezing their hand a bit as they grabbed him, he tried to reassure them a bit. “I appreciate it, I really do, darling.” He did want to spend more time with them as well but it was still hard, he was still so used to going through the motions of work and needed that busyness and regularity to keep himself sane.

Even with as much as Liam helped, he needed to keep himself busy now that he was sober. The less he had to do, the more time he had to dwell on things he was trying so very hard not to dwell on. Nodding at the mention of helping with grading, that was something he would be able to let go of since it did end up being something that had him drifting off down rabbit holes while doing it. “Of course, I can set things up a bit more if you want to help with that, at least for some quizzes and exams but that will be a secret okay?” He had a TA for a reason but he liked this idea better.

Smiling at the kiss, he settled into one of the seats around the table after offering a greeting to his sister. “I tried my best to hurry but you know how it can be when managing things.” Even as he was growing up he’d always had longer hair so there had been times they’d both been glad that the manor had multiple bathrooms.

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Sitting back down as they came into the sectioned-off area, she pouted slightly before laughing. “It’s alright, I know it takes time to figure out but at least Aloy knows how to tie a tie.” It was one of the more challenging knots but one she knew probably related to the flowers that grew around the home now that it was being lived in.

“So the menu is pretty wide in variety which I figured you might like and then if you want anything to drink the waiter should be back around soon.” She’d gotten water and let both the waiter and head of staff know that they needed the menu without alcohol on it. She would have had a glass of wine or maybe a daiquiri, something small and light, but she knew that Liam had been strict about keeping things like that away from Aloy and it had been working out it seemed.

“First things first though, congratulations on graduating from DCU Liam.” Smiling as she poked some of the decorations she had set on the table before she set one of the cards in front of him. The first one was a graduation card with the official job offer from her and a short little note full of how happy she was with how well he’d done.