gethsemane.

matteo smiled back at colby, not exactly expecting the other to speak up regarding that particular topic. he knew he was beautiful, of course, but he also knew he was a tragic addict with abandonment issues. he really liked colby, even without the access to his blood, but his actions around the other had lead him to believe that those feelings couldn't possibly be genuinely reciprocated. he flushed at the reassurance and nodded his head, lips parting to agree that he'd like that, totally forgetting their audience before jack interrupted. ' matteo, we should talk, ' his voice was soft but serious. oh, was he about to get the vampire talk from jack? matteo tipped his head to the side, " later maybe, I'd rather not abandon my date. "

josh frowned, he wasn't judging, not exactly, he simply knew how dakota could be, and how addictive vampire blood could be to someone who already had those tendencies. he itched his jaw, trying to hide the obvious clench. it wasn't as if he was going to challenge kieran's dad for dakota's wellbeing. he could, however, stand up for dakota against his parents. " I'm not totally sure you have room to talk, lilah, considering every time I see you, you have a bottle in your hand. " he shouldn't have commented, not really, it was impolite, but dakota would always have josh in his corner, if nobody else.

gabriel squeezed dakota's leg, sensing the upset as the pastor's wife seemed to finally speak up. nothing nice to say. gabriel looked to kieran, who's date was particularly chatty, and then back to the woman who seemed to be slumped in her chair, supporting joshua's statement. " now, now, I thought this was supposed to be a nice, southern hospitality thing... " he looked from end to end, " we can't all play nice? no? " he grinned, " well, alright. shall we air some dirty laundry? "

nikhar softened all the more at felix's gentle tone, his soft encouragement. it was enough to make him melt. " you truly are fascinating, felix... I find it quite easy to open up to you, and that's not something I allow myself all that often. " he frowned, " my past is complicated, and I hope... perhaps some day to share that, but right now, I'd like to keep things... happy. " he ran a hand through his curls and adjusted himself, " I am sorry for that outburst. "

colby's lips twitched at matteo's comment . maybe if he was a different person he would understand jack's worry but it wasn't as if colby's intentions with matteo was to hurt or kill him . sure , maybe aspects of this was toxic but he didn't let his mind sit on it too long . the vampire's attention drifted after a moment , glancing between brian and gabriel . " if i had known we were going to do that , i would have made a powerpoint . " it wasn't his place , he knew that , but brian was a hypocrite .

kieran leaned back in their seat , arm resting against the back of joshua's chair . they had to admit that it was admirable . josh was rather protective of his friend and the vampire couldn't fault him . it didn't appear as if dakota had a lot of people willing to go toe to toe against either parent for him . kieran's gaze lifted when connor spoke . " and who does calling it quits for benefit ? "

for a moment , even if brief , dakota felt a little more grounded when gabriel squeezed his leg . he shifted , reaching out for his drink . " no such thing . " southern hospitality was just a phrase as far as he was concerned . it was rarely actually put in practice .

it was bev who shifted almost uncomfortably but she tried to take control of the table . " or , we can try to have a nice dinner . " she offered with a tight lipped smile . " no need to bring up complicated family matters to a group of people that , well , isn't family . "

owen was very much aware in the moment that the tension had shifted and it was only a matter of time before things finally imploded . he reached out for his own drink almost wanting to roll his eyes at bev's comment . " you're not exactly family either . "

matteo wanted to keep close watch on jack and colby, he was interested in how their interaction would unfold if jack kept prying. would colby give up the good vampire act? his attention likely couldn't have been pried away too easily, but the mention of dakota's high brought his gaze to his friend. he knew dakota high, and while this was definitely similar, there was no real denying that what dakota was high on was no synthetic drug. gabriel had allowed him to taste what had matteo humiliating himself each night he lingered on colby's porch for. he sighed softly and gave his friend an encouraging smirk before looking back to jack and colby, neither seemed willing to say what they wanted to say, not really. jack looked matteo over with undeniable pity, " easy, jack, " he muttered, but that didn't seem to deter the older man. " is this your date? " he now directed his questioning to matteo directly, to which he could not totally answer, " we're friends... invited separately though. "

joshua didn't expect kieran to be so abrupt, but he couldn't deny that he enjoyed the flicker of surprise on bev's features. if anybody was going to put that bitchy old hag in her place, it made sense that it was a mroetti that did so. he brought a hand to his mouth, stifling a laugh when he noticed the complete disarray around the room. his smile faded, however, when lilah addressed her son for the first time that evening. his head whipped around, looking dakota up and down. when he'd arrived, he'd seemed sober, but now, he couldn't deny that he didn't look entirely put together. josh rubbed his lips together, " is it vampire blood? " he asked kieran point blankly, unsure if they could tell or not. bev suddenly the last thing on his mind.

gabriel noticed the rigidness of his counterpart at the mention of brian's secret. it wasn't his place to pry but that rarely stopped him before. he pushed into the man's mind, and for a clueless human, he was pretty damn good at trying to keep gabe out, but he was old, and well versed in this sort of thing. he rested his head on his hand and leaned forward slightly, " why don't ya share? might make ya feel good. reverse confession, if ya will. "

nikhar knew his reaction likely seemed dramatic to someone as etheral as felix. he figured he'd probably blown it by rushing off to excuse himself like this, but he had to get away from the suffocating weight of prayer before he yelled at a poor pastor for simply doing his job. he stiffened when felix entered the room, softly spoken with an equally as gentle word. he frowned, turning to face the man and shaking his head, " not at all, it's just an usual place for me to find myself in. my mother, she was... a very religious woman, and she used it to do unspeakable things... " he shook his head, " my traumatic lore is not exactly the conversation to be having if you'd like me to come over, it may have the opposite effect on how I hope things unfold tonight. "

louis had to admire how riley could bring things right back, and he also couldn't deny that despite his anger towards the church and everything it stood for, the idea of playing on that for their benefit was wildly erotic. his lips twitched as he allowed his fang to graze ever so slightly against the other's knuckle, not quite hard enough to break the skin but a teasing motion that he knew would only encourage riley's train of thought, " I'd be open to the concept, shall we try later? " if he wanted riley to be his companion, and he did, the vampire was going to have to try and taste a little more adventure. he was old, not dead, after all. or at least, not entirely dead.

maybe if they were alone , the two would be having a different conversation but colby didn't exactly want to be the one to ruin this dinner . he leaned back in his seat but he didn't seem to take his eyes off of jack . he didn't mind the answer matteo gave , not really but he found himself shrugging . " can be a date if matteo wants it to be a date . " the answer to that didn't quite matter . colby liked matteo . he enjoyed him for more than just a meal . it didn't have to be anything deeper than that but still , colby put the ball in matteo's court .

kieran's attention drifted from bev when joshua posed his question . they looked back toward dakota , tilting their head before looking back at their companion . " most likely . " it wasn't as if kieran was going to lie . " everyone takes to it differently . " dakota didn't seem completely off his rocker . not exactly put together but not exactly out of it either .

lilah shook her head in response . maybe dakota didn't look how he usually did when he was high . he wasn't particularly violent . he wasn't having an outburst but lilah knew that something was going on . " you're not a very good liar , dakota . " she tilted her head . " things were going so well . why do you always have to back slide ? "

" stop . " it never really took much when it came to his parents to make dakota feel cut down . small even . judged . that's always what it really came down to . never really mattered if he was losing his mind or on the straight and narrow . there was always something to poke at . always something that he wasn't quite doing right .

felix's expression softened when nikhar went on to explain and he found himself stepping forward ." i don't think so . " he offered a soft smile . " we all have trauma and i am not at all expecting you to share that with me now . " he at least wanted nikhar to know that . " i just ... wanted to know you more , that's all , but really , we don't have to talk about it . now or ever . "

riley couldn't help the way they bit on their bottom lip at the tease . louis really was something else . " i'll try anything once . " riley had always been the adventurous one . always up for something new and exciting and they were more than willing to dip their toe into something if they knew that louis was up for it as well .

brian didn't seem to be too disgruntled by gabriel's lack of participation, although he did seem somewhat surprised to see the lack of interest around the whole table. joshua watched as bev's scowling face examined each and every unbowed head at the table, leaning in to whisper to brian before the prayer was done. he leaned back in his seat, " I think we probably could, just have to wait for the first drama act to begin, which shouldn't be too much longer. " he'd been down this route before, brian very rarely held his tongue for long.

gabriel didn't like the way brian silently scolded his child for finding enjoyment in defiance. he was a grown man, not a kid anymore, and while he wouldn't ordinarily step on any toes, he couldn't deny himself a comment. " what? he ain't entitled to amusement? " he tipped his head to the side, " you'll have to forgive m'lack of interest in what ya sellin', ain't exactly ever had much luck with the church, neither have my kids. " marisa had been devoted to her local church, they hadn't taken too kindly to her relationship with gabriel, nor their child out of wedlock. poor kieran was treated the worst of all. beyond that, there were many, many issues that gabe had with organised religion alone. brian's curiosity seemed piqued with that, pressing gabe for more information, " I'd rather know why you are so devoted? in my experience, a devoted man to a fictitious god is usually a guilty man. you got a deep dark secret? " his tone took on something playful, but truly, gabe as anything but. even with the tense atmosphere slowly building, his hand slid beneath the table, resting on dakota's thigh and giving it a gentle squeeze.

matteo laughed softly, completely forgetting for a moment about the eyes that had lingered on him since his arrival. he took colby's hand without much consideration for what that would mean or what that could imply to their current company, but jack was quick to intervene. offering his hand to colby in greeting, swiftly warning matteo to be polite and not poke fun at religion simply because he did not subscribe to it. he clenched his jaw, wanting to bite back that it really wasn't any of jack's business, but then again, nothing was. that had never stopped him before.

niki gave a polite but distant smile at that, thoughts of his mother were buried deeply, they didn't often resurface and the current company and setting hadn't seemed to be appropriate at all. yet, there he was. thinking of her. he shuffled uncomfortably in his seat and cleared his throat, " excuse me, " he breathed, not wanting to deter felix's attention but somehow unable to get a grip of himself without distance. he left the room swiftly and made his way into the kitchen, helping himself, rather rudely, to another drink.

louis knew he did not need to feel some kind of way about this, riley's gesture was simply that, a gesture. no heavy tie behind it, no intention, no implication. the religious guilt that threatened to swallow this room whole was not a product of riley's creation. he watched the hand for a short while before taking it, opting to lift it to his mouth, brushing a kiss against his knuckles, " I cannot play pretend, riley, but I'm happy to hold your hand. " his attention drifted as gabriel began, eyes narrowing a fraction before he looked back at riley, amusement dancing behind his eyes, " the complicated relationship between god the creator and his bastard creation. "

" definitely sooner rather than later . " kieran wasn't surprised that their father wasn't holding his tongue . they didn't even have to look at him to know that he held some amusement in all of this but his words were still true . it was almost funny all the things church people preached even if their actions proved the opposite and kieran never really stood a chance . matteo and felix at least looked like the spitting image of gabe . even if those two would have never been accepted either way ; it had always been clear that kieran would always stand out . the vampire's attention turned to bev , watching as she whispered something to brian . " something you want to share with the table ? "

lilah never really liked the tension although she had always been quite passive and while she would never admit it ⸻ maybe there was a reason why she often chose the bottom of a bottle . she kept her eyes on dakota for a moment . looking between both her son and gabriel before her eyes landed on her youngest son again . " are you high ? "

brian had the tendency to make things a little too serious when it really didn't need to be . he couldn't simply just let things be and while this could have been a good but interesting dinner , dakota knew it wasn't going to end that way . if this was a different time , maybe dakota would have taken the bait about brian's dark secret but he kept his mouth shut , his eyes drifting to gabriel at the feeling of his hand on his thigh , lips tilting up into a smile although his attention was quick diverted to his mother with her line of questioning . " wouldn't be here if i was . "

it seemed as if the lighthearted moment was quickly brought down by jack sticking his nose where it didn't belong . colby glanced down at the man's hand but didn't bother to take it . he wasn't in the mood to try and play polite with someone he didn't like . " i think if god exists that he would have a sense of humor , jack . "

felix's lips pulled down as nikhar excused himself . the vampire didn't follow him right away . he gave him some time before eventually excusing himself and moving into the kitchen . he kept some distance not wanting to crowd the man . " sorry if that was a bad question to ask , " he offered . " if it upset you ⸻ i'm sorry . i didn't mean for that . "

riley lifted a brow as they waited and seemed to smile when louis finally took it offering a kiss against their knuckles . " does that mean roleplay is out of the question ? " they taunted , leaning into louis slightly . the conversation at the table might have been heavy but it was a little difficult for riley to focus much on it . riley's lips tipped up as louis spoke , " think that concept might be a little too deep for some at this table . "

he dreaded the sit down and felt no better when the moment finally came. he shared a look with kieran as they entered the dining room and took their seats, he couldn't imagine this was heading anywhere good but what choice did they have? each of them had committed to being here and there was little else to be done until whatever was going to unfold, unfolded. josh breathed in as they took their seats, " glad we share the same mindset, doesn't really seem like we'll be missed, " he responded with a swift wink and a much needed gulp of his drink.

gabriel could have had his fun with dakota long after the uncomfortable meal ended, but he would always be polite, initially, even to those who barely deserved it. the vampire had reluctantly returned to his host, making his way into the dining room and opting to take the seat beside dakota instead of his children, he was certain they wouldn't mind too much. he held out dakota's chair for him before taking his seat finally, " quite the spread, " he offered half heartedly, already full on dakota. he glanced around when it seemed as though grace was expected, which brian promptly took the lead on. " forgive me if I don't bend m'head, padre. "

matteo winced at the comment, chuckling as brian took the lead almost instantly, encouraging each person at the table to bow their heads and hold hands. he had no faith that any of their vampire counterparts were likely to take that instruction all that lightly, and he wasn't remotely surprised that his father was the first to reject the idea in typical gabriel fashion. " here we go, " he didn't imagine this was going to go anywhere good, but he'd hoped to at least get through the first course before his father began his game. " you're probably about to get that show that you wanted. "

nikhar made his way into the dining room, pleasantly surprised by how much better the evening had gotten when felix had walked in. he was captivated with his company and nothing was going to put a dampen on that. the moment they stepped into the dining room, however, the vibe of the party shifted, the impending doom of religion always was a blow to anyone's good mood. " uh, no, not... not really, " he admitted, " it ruined my mother and I didn't want to ⸻ " niki cut himself short, unsure why he was divulging such a thing to felix, he'd never confessed anything of the sort to anybody else, " uh, no... just no. "

louis never felt the need to fill any silence, he was quite content to sit back and watch all of this unfold. he would not interfere with anything the pastor wanted to say, even if he had no respect for his religion. it seemed the eldest vampire at the table needed to have his say first. louis' lips quirked as he slid his hand over the back of riley's seat, " wouldn't that be fun to witness. "

kieran's lips twitched . " wonder if we can slip out without being noticed . " it was doubtful but worth a shot at this point . their eyes lifted when brian took the bait and the vampire couldn't help but cringe . " think i'd rather stick a fork in my hand . " they weren't exactly looking to play along here and they certainly weren't looking to make brian happy .

dakota was buzzing . he was sure this was better than any high he's had before and he half wondered if it was obvious . maybe it was but at least it didn't make him violent like most things did . he found himself snorting at gabriel's comment . dakota knew he usually wouldn't have . he was usually far more rigid when it came to being under this roof let alone anywhere near his father . his gaze eventually lifted , making eye contact with brian . " sorry . "

" i'm all for dinner and a show . " colby was interested to see how this would go especially when it came to gabriel and brian . he wondered how long it would take before the pastor finally cracked . " are we going to hold hands ? " colby taunted as he put his attention back on matteo , his lips twitching at his own question .

felix tilted his head when nikhar spoke . he almost frowned when the other stopped but he decided that he wouldn't push for the moment . he simply nodded his head accepting what little information nikhar gave . " ah , we share the sentiment then . never been very religious myself if that wasn't obvious . " maybe it wasn't but it was clear that his siblings and even father around the table didn't seem to jump at what brian was selling .

" we're definitely going to witness something . " whether or not it would be fun was the question . despite riley's words , they offered a hand to louis . " the quicker he starts praying , the quicker we can get this over with . " riley hadn't always hated religion . they weren't even sure they really hated it now . their mother had a stint with the church and maybe their issue wasn't with god but brian morgan himself .

josh grunted, it wasn't his business to divulge but it seemed he didn't need to explain that brian was a monster, thankfully, it was written all over his face as far as joshua could tell. he hummed, usually first to offer an irish goodbye, but it wasn't only early and he didn't want to disappear on dakota just yet, even if he his friend seemed happily preoccupied elsewhere. " maybe we can... steal away early. "

it was easy to manipulate a human into believing they enjoyed being fed on, it was a rather common occurrence when a vampire took a liking to a particular individual. a human who genuinely enjoyed it was harder to come across, and gabe had been pleasantly surprised to find that dakota was one of them. his grin brightened all the more, his thoughts trying not to linger on the small spike of what appeared to be jealousy from kieran's new boy toy, and instead nodding his head towards the door, " lead the way, baby. "

matteo perked a brow, " you see me in my dad, you see felix in my dad. are you attracted to them? or not attracted to me? " he taunted playfully, his lips spreading into a soft smile as he nudged the other with his elbow. matteo didn't take much issue to anybody acknowledging the attractiveness of his family, it wasn't a secret to anybody. " yeah? " he laughed, " do you have eyes for me? or am I just fun? " maybe he could have been more discreet, but he didn't see much use in that, half the room could hear them regardless of whether they were in here or a mile away.

nikhar's lips parted, a soft but surprised sigh left his lips in unison as he stared back at felix. he didn't expect the offer but he'd be an idiot to turn it down. he snapped his lips shut and swallowed somewhat loudly, praying that felix didn't notice, before nodding his head, " I'd like that a lot actually. " he looked around the room, each individual here was striking, some rather similar to felix himself, but he couldn't imagine he held a candle to the others, " why me? "

louis didn't imagine riley would deny him, but it was still pleasant to have the confirmation. he smiled warmly, leaning in to brush his mouth against the shell of the other's ear, " I'll try not to keep you up too late. " the vampire was not typically a liar, but the comment felt playful enough that he didn't see the harm. he slipped his fingers up beneath the back of riley's shirt, feeling the warmth of his flesh and humming delightedly in response, " scratch that. "

kieran wasn't exactly interested when dinner was eventually called . then again , they weren't exactly interested in being in this house but maybe it wouldn't be too bad . josh was a nice distraction and maybe everyone would be on their best behavior even if they had their doubts about that . kieran filed into the dining room with the others , taking a seat next to josh . " stealing away early doesn't sound like a bad idea right now . "

the fun had come to an end a little sooner than dakota would have liked but that didn't mean he was exactly in a rush to get to the dining room although he eventually did with gabe . while dakota was feeling good in the moment , he couldn't deny that there was an underlying feeling of tension .

" think we're gonna have to pray ? " colby asked as he moved into the dining room with matteo . " feels like we're gonna have to pray . " he paused . " do you think they hold hands while they do it ? " it wouldn't have been surprising . the morgans were religious . they were having a dinner but the idea still made the vampire want to cringe .

felix had stayed rather close to nikhar . maybe he should have chosen to mingle with his family but they all seemed to be pre-occupied and that was perfectly fine with him . he moved into the dinig room , lips twitching as he overheard colby's comment before he paused , pulling a chair out for nikhar before opting to take a seat . " consider yourself religious ? " he eventually asked his counterpart . it didn't matter much to felix either way but he was curious .

" oh , this is definitely giving the last supper . " riley commented as they found a seat . " wonder who judas is . " they were almost half surprised that this many people could fit under one roof but the morgans weren't exactly modest people living inside a modest house .

he smirked, " trust me, I know what you mean. " he glanced around the room, " you know about dakota, I'm guessing? this isn't exactly my favourite place to be. " not even close, but he wouldn't let dakota show up without him, he may have only been human, but he could give some of the vampires in this room a run for their money when it came to protecting his best friend. he'd never let brian out hands on him again.

gabriel didn't much appreciate jack's interest in matteo, not when the man seemed to be intentionally attempting to close his mind to him. maybe jack knew all about vampires, which was never exactly a good thing for a god bothering stranger. he tilted up his chin, " I see, " he murmured, tugging dakota a little closer, " make sure ya eat enough, darlin', m'having you for dessert. "

matteo wasn't too surprised by gabriel and dakota, he adored dakota, and he didn't mind too much that his father was interested, nor did he blame him. dakota was beautiful, and a hell of a lot of fun. he did have some doubts about his father's intentions, for now, dakota wasn't too hooked on anything, but he knew how things could get. he turned his attention back to colby, knowing his father could hear his words loud and clear in his mind. a warning. he smiled, " I think you just told me you think my dad and my brother are hot. "

nikhar grinned widely, he didn't expect this sort of reaction or even attention from felix, but he definitely wasn't disappointed by it. the man nodded enthusiastically, " I would like that, feel free to fill my calendar, felix. " he didn't bother to hide his excitement, he liked the other, and for whatever reason, it seemed mutual.

louis could appreciate how direct riley was, but their efforts to deny him, had they decided on that route, would have been for nothing. once louis set his sights on something, no matter the difficulty, he pursued until he got what he wanted. companionship, or a meal, either way he'd be satisfied. the kiss they followed up with was soft, simple, leaving the vampire morning for more, but he did not push it. instead, he offered obedience, waving a hand ahead, " after you. " he wandered slowly behind riley, " I'd like for you to stay over tonight. " they'd never had that, for obvious reasons, but louis found himself eager to have riley to himself that bit longer, stealing away before morning hadn't suited his hunger.

kieran nodded . " i know enough . " it wasn't as if matteo had very many friends and people around this town liked to gossip . " even if i didn't , it doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell me that brian is bad news . " kieran didn't like him and they were sure that was obvious by now . they weren't the biggest fan of bev either . " just hoping the night ends sooner rather than later . "

dakota wasn't exactly an expert when it came to jack . he knew the basics , of course , but he had the tendency to avoid him much like how he attempted to avoid bev or his father for that matter . dakota looked up when gabriel brought him in closer , lips twitching at what he said . " well , " he hummed . " dinner isn't ready just yet and ... " his voice trailed off for a moment before continuing . " nothing wrong with having a taste of dessert first . " dakota knew it was a risky idea but he was all about risks .

" did i ? " colby smirked . " or is felix a spitting image of him and , well , dakota and older men go hand in hand ? at least sometimes ? " maybe he should have minded hs words considering most in this group could pick up on any conversation at any time but colby didn't see the point in policing himself . " not as if i have eyes for them . "

felix didn't believe for a moment that the other would turn him down . he hummed , rocking back and forth on his heels . " could come home with me tonight . " he looked back at nikhar before offering a shrug of his shoulders . " no pressure , obviously . "

maybe riley would never really saw it but they didn't exactly plan on letting louis go any time soon . sure , the sex was great and louis was fun and entertaining but it was more than that . riley was quite happy to be in his presence at any given time . they were a little surprised by the offer but that didn't stop the smile from tugging at their lips as they glanced over their shoulder toward louis . " i'd like that . "

joshua wasn't sure how convinced he was by that, but he trusted kieran, for whatever reason. he had no reason not to, even as a vampire,they'd never really manipulated or lied to josh. they hadn't needed to. he nodded his head, then turned his attention back to the other once and for all, " glad you're here, " he admitted, rather out of character for josh, but he didn't see much use in pretending, at least not here, where there was no opportunity for a game.

gabriel figured that his lie was something dakota could relate to, he hadn't intentionally dug around in dakota's mind, but he had picked up on a thing or two, and even if he hadn't, brian's thoughts taught him everything he needed to know. the vampire hummed at his gesture, slipping his arm around the other's shoulders as bev fought the urge to scowl (and lost). she turned on her heel, only after forcing a pained smile to gabe and moving back in the direction of her pastor. " they're quite the pair, ain't they? " his concentration drifted ever so slightly in the direction of a man, picking up on matteo's conversation with his friend. would jack become a problem? " who is this man? " he gestured in the looming stranger's direction.

his expression softened, he didn't exactly imagine colby would care too much about what went down between himself and jack, but he appreciated the comfort. " I know, " he murmured, " you're right. but... right now, he's not too big of a problem. " matteo's gaze drifted towards his father, " that's my dad, by the way. " he hadn't interacted with gabe just yet, but gabe always wondered when matteo was going to make the change, which made most conversations between them rather insufferable.

nikhar laughed again, felix had managed to bring more smiles to his face than anybody else in a long while, it was rather refreshing, and also deeply concerning. nikhar didn't let anybody in these days, it never lead anywhere satisfying for him. " oh, " he breathed, blushing deeper, " I would like that, you'll have to take my number and let me know when you're free. " he was only here a short while, but something about felix made niki want to extend his stay, something he'd never once considered before in a sleepy little town such as this one.

" I appreciate that, riley, " he murmured, although louis did not need to be reassured of that, he still enjoyed it when riley complimented him in any way. the vampire shook his head, " there's always a first time for anything, riley, but I hope I never know what it is like to be on the other end of your rejection. " he'd witnessed it enough times, riley was as cold as they were beautiful, it wasw rather amusing. he looked towards the door, bringing a hand up to cup riley's jaw as he did, " we should go inside, dinner is almost ready. "

they understood josh's worry when it came to dakota and they wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't quite trust it but it wasn't as if kieran had made a habit out of lying to josh . they really didn't believe that their father had made it a mission to ruin dakota's life . he seemed quite fond of him . kieran looked back at josh , lips twitching . " i wish i could say i was happy to be here . " but they both probably knew that kieran would rather be anywhere else . " but i'm happy to be here at least with you . "

it seemed , as if for the moment , bev was at least willing to let it go . dakota's gaze lingered . he watched as she moved to join his father . " yeah , " dakota hummed in response . " birds of a feather and all that . " he looked up at gabriel's question , brows pinched together before his eyes followed the vampire's line of sight . " jack ? " he questioned . " uh , friend of my father's . he's fond of matteo , i guess . a little pushy . everyone in this crowd is . "

colby decided to drop it for now . his brows raised as he looked away from matteo , his gaze settling on an older man by dakota's side . " your dad .... " he repeated . he never really thought he would set his eyes on the guy . " i see where you get your looks from . and felix . " he looked away to put his attention back on matteo . " and maybe i shouldn't be surprised by who's next to him . "

" for you ? i'm free any time . " maybe felix was laying it on a little thing but the youngest moretti didn't usually find himself with company he particularly favored . he could fake it , sure . " especially since it seems our time is limited . " although , felix was hoping to change that . maybe he could convince nikhar to extend his stay for a while . or , maybe , forever .

riley couldn't help but chuckle . " oh , my love , if i was going to reject you , it would have been the first night we met . " they knew they could be cold and they often were . riley didn't have much of a filter and they didn't pretend and while they had always assumed this would just be a little bit of fun , louis had managed to work his way under riley's skin . riley hummed at the idea , their eyes remaining on louis . they didn't turn to head inside just yet but instead , curling their fingers in the vampire's shirt before leaning in to press their lips together , slowly pulling away as they looked louis over . " lets go inside . " riley stepped away then but was quick to offer their hand .

joshua thought to make his way towards his friend but it was rather difficult to concentrate on that idea when he was so close to kieran, his ability to deny or avoid them was depleting by the second. his lips twitched ever so slightly, " hopefully he convinces him to off himself. " maybe that wasn't the kindest thing to wish for, especially since it wasn't his family to decide that for, but he hated brian for the things he did to dakota. he eyed dakota and gabriel but turned his attention back to kieran rather quickly, " your dad won't hurt him, right? "

gabriel was mildly bemused by bev's efforts, she was overly reassuring but they were often that way. dakota's return was appreciated, as was the introduction, although unnecessary. " pleasure, although... ya might be barkin' up the wrong tree with me, darlin', as much as I appreciate the warm welcome, I ain't ever gonna be a man of god. " she didn't seem to appreciate that comment, although she managed to compose herself rather quickly, questioning why. " my old man was of the cloth, " gabe breathed, " cruel and viscous man, really turned me off. " that wasn't the truth, but the truth was a rarity when it came to the moretti vampires origins.

matteo glanced back at colby when he spoke, his brow furrowed although a faint smile worked its way onto his features. he did know that colby, although playful, was likely rather sincere in that offer. jack was a complication, he seemed to care for matteo, or at least value him, but he seemed to be very aware of matteo's complicated position in life. seemingly surrounded by vampires as the sole human of his family, jack seemed to want to save him, although he had no interest in that. no need for it. matteo was exactly where he wanted to be. jack looked between colby and matteo, finally piecing together the marks on his arm and the vampire to his side. " he means well, " he breathed, although he was sure colby didn't need him to say that, he could dip into jack's mind if he liked, if he was in control of his abilities enough.

nikhar chuckled, he didn't know the ins and outs and he didn't believe it was his business, so he didn't press on the vague comment felix had made, at least not right now. " I suppose not, perhaps I'll drink so much that this feels less awkward and more fun, " he glanced back at felix, managing to meet his gaze now, although not without colour in his cheeks, " although the company is much better now. I'm glad you're here, felix, I was hoping I'd see you again soon. "

louis watched riley, he paid close attention to most things they did. they were more difficult to read than the average person, but not impossible. micro expressions gave them away each time and they didn't need long to consider the comment they offered about their brother. louis hummed, nodding his head, " we are more than what we are, think it's the least interesting thing about me too. " he reached out, snaking an arm around the other's waist and bringing him closer, " will we play our usual game here? "

kieran hummed as if in mild thought about the idea . " wouldn't put it past him eventually . " and they wouldn't . they half wondered if their father had flipped through the pages of dakota's mind yet but they were taken out of that thought by josh's next question . kieran's expression softened . they couldn't fault him for being concerned for his friend . " i think my dad likes him . i don't think being cruel is the intention . plus , he knows we like dakota . how close matteo and dakota are . i don't think he's going to piss anyone off here . "

dakota's arm slipped around gabe's waist without much thought to the gesture or the company they were in front of even though he knew all too well how bev could be . she was as dedicated to her father as she was to god . she stuck her nose where it didn't belong and had the tendency to push most people past her limit and yet , when she spoke , dakota couldn't help but tune out although gabriel speaking again brought him back to the conversation at hand . " yeah , that can certainly do it . " dakota looked back at bev . " shouldn't you , i don't know , check on my dad or something ? he might be having a moment . "

" you and i both know meaning well doesn't mean much . " if matteo wanted to defend jack , although weakly , colby wasn't going to stop him completely . in a lot of ways , that relationship wasn't his business but he wasn't known for not at least putting his opinion out there once . " especially if you don't want what he's offering . "

felix chuckled . " oh . are you going to let your hair down ? " the vampire couldnt' help but tease nikhar a little . " i'd lke to see that . " although , he couldn't deny that he liked what he saw of the man so far but he had no issue with seeing a different side of him ." well , if it isn't obvious , you can see me any time you like . we don't have to leave it to chance . "

louis wasn't exactly wrong . maybe being what he was added an extra layer . maybe it even added some level of excitement but riley knew that they would be right here by his side even if that wasn't the case . being a vampire wasn't the reason riley was drawn to him . " you are intriguing for more reasons than one , " riley agreed , a smile touching their lips as louis drew him closer . they hummed , a hand resting against the other's chest as if they needed to think about it . " have i ever denied you ? or our game ? "

gabriel chuckled, shaking his head as if mildly embarrassed by dakota's words, glancing back to his host who seemed to immediately shift in energy. no longer curious, no longer confused, no longer in a position of power. the man seemed to dismiss the thought after opening his mouth a couple of times with no real response, straightening up and clearing his throat. gabriel patted him on the shoulder, an overly friendly gesture exchanged between strangers, before moving further into the house. " beautiful home, " he lied, the forced presence of false religion plastered all over the walls made his skin itch, but that didn't need to be commented on. " thanks for the invite, " he grinned widely, " very welcomin'. "

matteo's lips twitched, head tipping to the side, " I'm not unconvinced that brian hasn't already lost the plot, " he admitted. the man glanced towards the door as jack entered the room, immediately feeling the skin on the back of his neck prickling, " the last religious man who tried to convince my dad ended up walking off a roof... tragically, " his gaze fell back on colby, a little less confident than before.

nikhar brightened all the more at felix's response, he couldn't believe he'd managed to befriend possibly the most beautiful person in this town but he wasn't going to mess it up. he tilted his head to the side, nodding slowly, " I'm glad too, the morgan's seem like fine enough people but... they're not exactly my favoured company. "

josh laughed, shaking his head, " you're an adult, I'm not worried about your dad... " he paused at that, brows pushing together, " oh, right... but he's a vampire? or no? " if he'd had waited a little longer before asking, he wouldn't have needed to, gabriel and dakota swiftly entered the room, seemingly as a pair, and josh could see it from a mile away. the man was a predator, and he was messing with brian already.

louis chuckled, moving closer to skate a hand down riley's back, " family is family, blood or otherwise, " he assured softly, " no judgement from me, mon cher. " his louisiana slipped through with the pet name, but he didn't linger on the moment, glancing over his shoulder towards the house, " I didn't know you had a vampire for a brother. "

dakota felt the shift with his father . it didn't take much to get under his skin but he knew that his comment would . he offered a bright smile regardless as he moved further into the home with gabriel . dakota didn't come back here often . it wasn't exactly his home anymore but he noticed how not much changed . he knew the layout like the back of his hand . he knew the decor never really changed and it was only ever added to . dakota paused at one of the tables in the living room reaching out to pick up a picture from . he really did wonder how long this family was going to grieve what was . " the morgans are a rather welcoming bunch . " bev's voice seemed to come from nowhere and dakota had to force himself not to groan at the sound . " as are most members of the church . "

" and touchy , " dakota finally chimed in as he set the picture down , opting to join gabe at his side again . " beverly , gabriel . gabriel , beverly . my father's .... " his voice trailed off as he attempted to find a way to describe bev . " right hand woman , i guess . "

colby only looked away when he heard the door open . his eyes landed on jack before he looked back at matteo . " would pay to see that . " although , he guessed brian's death wasn't exactly his or anyone else's choice here . " you know , i could eat him . " he didn't quite understand the dynamic between matteo and jack but the offer stood regardless .

felix wanted to chuckle at the description . " not that fine but that isn't my story to tell . " although , depending on how the night went , nikhar might begin to see the cracks within this family . he was sure if his father had anything to do with it , they all would . " but hey , free food . free drinks . can't really beat that , huh ? " it was the least they could do . " i'm glad to see you again . "

kieran didn't answer right away as they looked off to the side . they weren't too surprised that dakota and gabriel entered together nor were they surprised to find their father had their sights set on brian . kieran figured the answer was obvious at this point . " good thing no one really likes brian . " they looked back at josh . " my dad is going to have a field day with him . "

riley beamed at the pet name , a smile touching their lips even if the conversation moved on . they hummed , " not something that usually comes up in conversation . " riley paused before shrugging . " also the least interesting thing about him . " riley knew what colby was but colby was still just colby to them .