Owen had been given an assignment in Mrs. Baldwin's cooking class. His group was to earn a culinary passport stamp for the country of Sweden. The group had made meatballs, soup and saffron buns as an in class project. Now Owen had to research and make one recipe on his own, and collect a review from a friend or family member on his presentation of it. Owen chose Vincent over dealing with the teasing of his family. If it turned out, he'd make it again for L too. He had asked his parents if he could get the ingredients for an anchovy potato bake called Jansen's Temptation through their weekly grocery shop and they had agreed. They were also happy NOT to be the guinea pigs. So Owen chose a night when Fi was sleeping over at Addy's, L and Shay had a party for their hockey team, and Vincent's mom worked late. He carted his supplies to Vincent's, grateful he had agreed to all of this, and knocked at the apartment door.
Vincent knew Owen was coming with food he had cooked himself for the cooking class. He ALSO knew that Owen had been improving. But he and Owen were friends, and he knew that he was one of the few that could tease Owen a little without his going off. If his brother Seamus did the same, Owen would go off and that always fascinated Vincent. He opens the door and reaches for the supplies to help bring them in. "Come on in." he commands, taking the bags into the kitchen while Owen takes off his shoes and coat. He sets the bags down and backs off a little bit, knowing he can't help. SO its like a test for him, too.
Owen watches Vincent backing off as he comes in after taking off his outdoor stuff and chuckles "No helping. But I got it all on my phone. I just need to follow the recipe........" Owen walks to the sink and washes his hands "Hey Vincent, I know this is none of my business but I'd hate to give my Dad any reason not to like you...since he really seems to....so I'm just going to say it....you guys should know....um that her bed really squeaks eh......I didn't stick around and listen....but I did watch for my folks for a bit....you know the other week." He looks truly awkward about bring it up.
Vincent nods and leans against the counter to watch when Owen mentions that his sister's bed squeaks. He blinks, for a couple of reasons. "Wait? What?" he straightens. "I didn't ... we've never. What?" he blinks horrified.
Owen looks confused "K buddy, I don't care if you guys do it. ........but it really wasn't you? Fiona doesn't have any other guys who would be in her..." He thinks about it "Maybe it wasn't Fi.....oh god....Daisy was staying with us. Do you think she? I hope to fuckin god it wasn't Joey Piccolo.....they're done right?"
Vincent's jaw drops. "Of COURSE Fiona doesn't have any other guys ....." and then, somehow, his jaw drops more. "Joey and Daisy in Fiona's BED?" he blinks. "No ... WAY?" he blinks. "Yea, they're done. Daisy wasn't happy. And he would never be able to talk his way out of THAT ..... would he?"
Owen looks baffled as he starts washing the potatoes "I dunno...it's all messed up right. I mean it wasn't you guys. I would never even sit on Fiona's bed without her permission. She's a freak about her room and people touching her stuff....well Shay and I anyways....." He looks like a thought crosses his mind and he dismisses it with a head shake "He wouldn't.....she'd fucking pound him if he did....."
Vincent nods and then blinks. "SHAY?" he slowly shakes his head, but he follows Owen's thoughts. "Shay and Daisy in Fiona's bed?" he blinks. "It's like a fucked up game of Clue....." he pauses. "You could ASK him?" and he's glad he isn't in a position to be asked to ask.
Owen looks distraught " I know right. And I can't believe it but I'm actually hoping it's Shay...but if it is...we can't tell Fi.....her bed is like some sort of sacred relic and sleep is her religion. I know you don't live with her....but you know future warning....don't ever wake her up...for ANYTHING....seriously...." Owen shakes his head around and starts chopping up an onion.
Vincent snorts. "I know the religion of sleep and the church of bed." he turns away a bit, blushing. "I mean .... hard to say which would be worse. Joey or Shay ... she'd kill them both ... " he chuckles. "Always set an alarm to wake her up."
Owen hesitates for a second at the first part and then slides the chopped onion aside "Well she won't kill Daisy as long as she's carrying an innocent child at least.......Sorry I came home early to sounds I did not expect...I didn't mean to accuse you....just the location." He opens up a can of anchovies and starts chopping them roughly. In the distraction of this intense conversation it seems Owen is just....cooking...without even missing a beat.
Vincent chuckles. "That helps." he sighs. "I'm sorry too, but ... yea .. Fi and I ..." he watches Owen now and his brows raise. He considers mentioning that Owen is doing it, then decides that might cause a distraction and Owen might hurt himself. "Anyway, we don't spend a lot of time in your house alone ... who CAN?" he teases. "When no one is home?"
Owen takes it all in stride and just laughs "Someone chanced it. Someone who wasn't thinking carefully. Lucky it was only me....could you imagine if Fi had come home to that...or our parents? Gawd..." Owen looks at his recipe for a second "Holy shit I'm halfway to baking this thing....that went fast..."
Vincent scoffs. "Someone who wasn't thinking carefully ... sort of implicates Shay even more, huh?" he mock shudders. "Which would be worse. Fi or your Dad?" he snorts. "Which is why we don't have sex in Fiona's bed." he quips. Then he grins. "Yea. Looks like you might just have the hang of it, man." he compliments.
Owen had moved onto the cheese and was now grating, totally in his groove and had started to answer when his eyes went wide at Vincent for a second and then he looked down and laughed "So I wasn't THAT far off the mark in my guess....still none of my business....yeah cooking...cooking good...." He grumbles the last part out like an awkward neanderthal.
Vincent stiffens a bit, realizes what he's said and flushes. "Yea. Well .... Cooking VERY good." he agrees and laughs. "So, I'm guessing you and L aren't there yet?" he wonders, actually a little curious. "How would that even work?" he murmurs, not realizing hes spoken aloud.
Owen starts and knocks over all the potatoes. They roll in every direction and he starts chasing them around "Nope, not there...no rush. Dammit it's still rolling..."
Vincent watches Owen, amused at the whole reaction, up to and including the potato race. "Yea ... round stuff does that...." he grins. "I didn't mean to make you nervous, although to be fair YOU started talking about sex before I did."
Owen manages to catch them all "That's because I was afraid you had a death wish or something....I don't always know how to answer those questions about L. We had a good but kinda weird sad Valentines Day. I say the L word....and it kinda made L a mess about a bunch of stuff to do with her family. I didn't mean to pick at old wounds....we worked it out but I felt like I was breaking us....all day..." He sighs "I'm still new at all of this.....but I do love L. Hopefully that's enough right?"
Vincent chuckles. "Well, John and I are getting along better than ever, but I am positive catching me in bed with his daughter would undo every SECOND of it." and he listens and winces. "Well ... love heals a lot. Take it from me." he considers. "It changed my live since I moved here." he pauses. "Is L afraid of being loved? Does she .. um ... he .. feel the same way?" hes still unsure which pronoun to use, but is sure 'it' is definitely wrong.
Owen mixes it all and then grates the potato on top last and sighs "L feels unloved by family. I know you understand that. I don't but I'm trying to. I know how good I have it. My parents have never given any of us reason to question how important we are to them. L did say it back to me after getting upset. Maybe I rushed it. It was just Valentine's day and I just let the words fly."
Vincent nods. He did understand. "Think of how your grandfather treated your father." he suggests. "How he must have felt. It might give you an idea." he shrugs. "How can you rush it. If it feels right, go for it. That's worked more for me than waiting for." he makes air quotes. "The right time."
Owen knows his way around Vincent's kitchen after a few cooking nights and digs to find a casserole dish. He scoops the mixture in and then uses measuring spoons to add only the correct amount of seasonings that the recipe calls for "Yeah...I think it's different...but I get it. More neglect than abuse I think. They might not even realize they're doing it. But L has an uncle who's nice at least. I'll try not to totally bomb his French class...." He laughs as he sets the oven temperature and puts the dish in to cook.
Vincent nods. "Then she's lucky, but that's me." he groans. "Oh my god! Tell me about it!" he laughs back, pleased to see Owen just following the recipe religiously. Once the oven door is closed, he mock applauds. "All the right ingredients and everything." he nods, impressed. "And now ...." he puts a dramatic tone in his voice. "We wait!"
Owen looks at the oven, amazed at himself "Vincent, it's getting easier.......even the one in class was pretty good and authentic Swedish meatballs are a bit trickier than spaghetti meatballs.....Is it possible I'm not a total disaster anymore?" He laughs at the thought.
Vincent grins. "I'm not sure you were in the first place." he argues. "Your thing was ... you got bored and wanted to spice things up. Then you went about it like crazy." he chuckles. "Moderation, man. Moderation. I've been telling you that."
Owen draws his hands up in front of him and then back down "Dude I am totally kitchen zen now. I'm like a Buddhist Italian." He teases.
Vincent laughs. "Very cool! Do you like it? Maybe you can get a job in one of the kitchens around here? Or you gonna try and get one at all."
Owen thinks "Well I have a flier route for now....maybe something else in the summer. Are you working? Oh the music right? You've sold lots of albums..."
Vincent nods. "Yea. The music. That pays so well I don't have to do it for long periods of time. Plus when I'm 16 I can probably work at 13 in White Rock as a waiter or in the kitchen." he blows out a breath. "But that's still a year away." he grouses. "I have money saved but still. At least I don't have to worry about having to get my own apartment anymore."
Owen looks around "Yeah that's cool... this is cool. You're in a sort of Avengers tower up here. Like Tony Stark but with kitchen gadgets... 13 huh? I hear it's kinda swanky."
Vincent smiles and looks out of the window. With Fiona being absent the curtains are thrown wide. "Man I LOVE it up here." he admits. "But I HAD been thinking of those small apartments .. maybe like the one over the print shop. Cause it would only be me ... and maybe later Fiona, you know. Ironically enough the ones on the water are cheap because of the ferry blocking the view so often ... and its whistle or horn or whatever that noise is." he then grins. "My uncle Vincent owns 13. And yea ... its gonna be the best Italian food in the area!"
Owen looks impressed "Oh wow! So like a guaranteed job basically. Nice!"
Vincent nods. "Well ... it'll get me through college, along with the music industry. I figure by the time Fiona graduates, and with both of us working through college, we can probably live together in decent comfort." clearly he's been thinking on this.
Owen looks amazed "You and Fi have talked about the future this much?" He's hoping these ideas are mutual. He likes Vincent and they seem really in love. It would be cool if it went that way.
Vincent looks a little sheepish. "Not yet." he admits. "But my plan had originally been to get out from under Gino by the time I was 16. Fiona knows that much." he considers. "I don't know what the future holds, but Fiona is in it. I hope. Both of us want a lot of the same things and I already know I want to marry her and have kids with her." he bites his lip. "Think it's weird to want to marry someone LONG before you plan on kids and stuff?"
Owen smiles a little "Nah it's sweet. Have fun before kids. My parents barely get a break, maybe now that we're all older a bit better but all they did was work and take care of us. Maybe if they had more time before us they wouldn't have almost split up right? Hey man...got any pop?"
Vincent nods. "My parents had a shotgun wedding. Might have been an actual shotgun involved, too." he laughs a little. "I don't want that. My plan was maybe live together through college, then marry and kids after college." he shrugs and heads for the fridge, opening it despite its clear door. "Then again I planned to save myself for marriage in the first place and that didn't happen." he peers in. "Mountain Dew and cola." he takes a Mountain Dew for himself and holds the fridge door open for Owen to choose.
Owen reaches for the cola and blushes a little "Save yourself? Like a religious thing?" He chuckles and then backs out of the open fridge door almost hearing his mother's voice on the matter of fridge doors somewhere in the recesses of his mind.
Vincent closes the fridge door, laughing. "Well, I AM Catholic ... technically." he admits. "But no. Not having sex until my wedding night, sort of thing. But .... yea .... that ... was ..." he blushes a little as he opens his pop. "Impossible to resist."
Owen grimaces "This IS my SISTER you're talking about." He laughs awkwardly "But yeah I hear the same thing from Seamus...so I guess that's how it goes once you pass a certain point." He helps himself to a glass from the cupboard and then hands one to Vincent too and pours the cola.
Vincent shrugs. "Yea ... I know it is. But if you had the idea you heard us having sex in Fiona's bed ...." he lets the sentence die a natural death. "And ... Seamus is right. After a certain point ... you CAN say no, but its not easy." he takes the glass and fills it. "Hashtag cold shower."
Owen snorts "Hashtag. Nice......" He chugs back some cola fast and then lets out a long wicked belch. It looks like it was truly satisfying and he pats his chest after "Oh yeah!"
Vincent laughs and drinks as well, parroting his friend, but not as loudly. He sighs. "I'll never be as good as you are, man." he laments.
Owen dramatically bows and then takes another big sip and shows off a little, burping the alphabet to the letter L. He coughs after and laughs at the irony "I'm not sure if L would be flattered or disgusted by that one."
Vincent listens, but this time doesn't even try to do the same. "Depends on which L you're dealing with?" he sips and looks innocent. "Might outdo you. I've heard she's ... he's ... um ... made a hell of an impression on the hockey team."
Owen smiles and shrugs "Yeah both. I'm pretty used to it now. Although L and Shay hanging out all the time sometimes gets on my nerves. I don't love the idea of L confiding in Shay about stuff to do with...us....it feels like a crossover that I don't know how to make."
Vincent arches his brows. "Really?" he considers that. "Would Shay keep secrets from you? Man .... I can see ... that's strange. But Shay wouldn't keep anything IMPORTANT from you, right?"
Owen looks conflicted "I dunno...lately...maybe. I mean he had a whole secret life going on before you and Dad busted that chapter open and we all found out. Hopefully that just lets him be honest now. But more than ever he's been taking his little digs at me...I mean you wouldn't see it. He makes it look nice, like he's taking the high road, but I know he's not. I just don't want there to be a day when it involves L. I worry L will just think I'm being a dick again then...because god knows my brother can bring that out in me more than ANYONE...."
Vincent considers and looks thoughtful. "I don't know. I never see any of that." in a way he is glad to be an only child. "But ... aren't you still brothers at the end of it all?"
Owen sighs and nods "We are. I think I'm still adjusting to the changes in him. His moods are not so allover the place at least lately. In fact the last few weeks he's been pretty cheerful. Probably a girl...or two... I dunno. Maybe L knows. It was her roommate for awhile. I think it still is. Maybe it's just going better than that Sam girl."
Vincent nods. "Maybe it was all about hiding his relationship with Sam?" he speculates. "I see him around with that new girl. Candy or something. But he's also tutoring. He hasn't made a pass at me ... but then again I'd reject him and Fiona would put him in the hospital." he laughs. "But its more responsibility and maturity and .... he can't be the big jock hockey player forever, can he?"
This hits a note with Owen that has been a worry "No but you're a dude.....Shay likes girls, and half the time at least...L presents as one....I try not to think too hard about that...." H tosses back another sip as if to cleanse his mind of the idea.
Vincent blinks. "He wouldn't!" he predicts. "I mean .. if they ARE besties...." he shakes his head. "That's be like ... like ... Fiona and Addison or .. or .. me and you. Not happening, even if she DOES present as a girl sometimes." but he, too considers it. His current seemed pretty feminine, but before that he'd been with Sam .. who was a very boyish girl.
This actually manages to cheer Owen up about it and he pretends to jump step back from Vincent "No offense man....but you're not my type....not that I have a type." He laughs awkwardly.
Vincent shakes his head. "None taken, believe me." he bites his lip. "Okay ... can I ask you a personal question, Owen? It's none of my business, but ... I admit I'm curious about it."
Owen looks curious at the curiosity "Sure, what?" He leans back on the counter casually.
Vincent takes a breath. "You might have sex with L someday .... what happens if she's in boy mode?" he lifts his hands. "I mean ... if you love all of L, then ... wouldn't you have to be like .. bi sexual?" he frowns not in disapproval, but in clear confusion.
Owen looks as confused at Vincent "I honestly don't know. I feel like a bit of a heel sometimes. I mean, I mostly straight. I say mostly only because of L....but if the biological base wasn't female, would I have had an attraction? I'm not sure.....I feel a little closed minded about that aspect of myself. And as to what would happen in what mode...I'm not sure L knows either..."
Vincent tries to process it. "Yea ... I ... don't know man. I just find I can't wrap my mind around it." he shrugs and then laughs. "I don't want footage anymore than you probably do, but ... it's an interesting concept to me. Gay I get ... I even get bi ... but both in one person ... I can't ..." he taps his head. "Visualize it." he considers it and, as he expects someday that he and Owen will be brothers in law, isn't sure he should even want to be able to see it in his minds eye.
Owen gulps "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. But it's a ways off. Maybe I still need to work on opening up my mind a bit....the heart is there though." He grins "I should check our food..." He walks to the oven and opens the door, peering in. It smells scrumptious but isn't quite browned as it's supposed to be yet "A bit more time I think."
Vincent grins and nods. "The heart has to come first. At least with guys like us." he nods and stands, then leans back. "Don't hover, Vincent." he tells himself.
Owen laughs and makes helicopter noises at Vincent and then asks "Hey have you gone up in your mom's chopper yet? Don't take Fi...but that would be wicked.."
Vincent throws a mock punch at Owen's arm. "Ass." but he's laughing. Then he gets serious. "No. But I would LOVE to." he sighs. "I know Fiona would never go with me. That's one thing where we're complete opposites. But so many other ways its so perfect."
Owen shrugs "You can't have everything in common. Fi's always been afraid of heights. With me it's needles. Everyone has their thing. What's your Kryptonite Vincent?"
Vincent nods in agreement. "Well, at least I don't love heights so much it effects our relationship." he shudders. "Me? Spiders. Definitely spiders. Big or small .... spiders."
Owen almost falls over "Seriously? Dude, you didn't tell me! I've gone on about Sebastian...holy shit I'm so sorry!"
Vincent blushes and shrugs. "No, its OK .... I haven't seen him, by the way and I just tell myeslf your talking about Sebastian Knight .... so ... I can delude myself its a human and not a spider. Probably like the trick of closing the drapes here when Fiona's over so she can think we're on the second floor or something."
"Oh the singer?" Owen laughs "Yeah I was totally talking about him...living in a little cage in my room. the ultimate fan stalker...." He cracks up "He's pretty kick ass. Have you heard his new stuff. It's all birds but powerful stuff."
Vincent laughs. "Hey, leave me my delusions!" he demands. He nods. "I've heard it. Don't OWN any of it but ... its not bad. Guy really had a hard on for birds. Or it means something else probably." he chuckles. "OK, check it now. I mean ... Sorry. I'm trying not to interfere. Anal." he chides himself.
Owen cracks up and walks to the stove "Shoulda brought the exlax...I got this." He opens the oven "Oh yeah that there look like food stuff." He gestures fro Vincent to look "What do you think?"
Vincent laughs and approaches. "Nice!" he proclaims and takes his phone out of his jeans and takes a picture. "No flames or ANYTHING." he nods. "OK, take it out, let it cool a little and feed me." he pffts. "I never thought I would ever say those words to you, Owen."
Owen does a little dance and then takes it out and then sets it on the stove top. He then jokingly makes a show of watching the clock.
Vincent takes another picture and thumb types. "Sending this to Fiona ... " he reports. "Granted, I haven't eaten it yet, but .. looks good and smells GREAT!" he looks at the clock. "If this was bread I wouldn't care if it was piping hot." he laughs.
Owen laughs and goes to find plates, forks and a serving utensil. He gives it another two minutes actually counting down until he scoops in and plates up and then carries both plates to the table "OK, provided you don't die, can you give me a quote after for your review. And the pictures! I can email this assignment in....you know...cause it's already late." He admits with an innocent smile.
Vincent watches and brings silverware. "Alright ... so no blowing it off, eh?" he loads up his fork and blows to cool his food, taking his time and teasing Owen. And then he outs the food in his mouth and chews, not moving ... only chewing.
Owen watches Vincent looking amused and then takes a bite himself and his eyes go wide as he smacks the table with his free hand. After he chews and swallows he exclaims "Holy fuck...I made FOOD!"
No comments:
Post a Comment