[PRP] Turkey Day

[insidiousEnigma]

Nothing was burning.
Nothing was on fire.
There was no loud, boisterous laughter.
It was...odd, not having Vincent in the kitchen helping with preparations for Thanksgiving dinner.

"Andre?"

Said man turned his attention outward to give his little brother a questioning look. Zacharie's gaze flickered from his and down to the bowl where he was absently mashing potatoes. "...If you mash them any more I'm afraid they'll become liquid." He said, his tone teasing but his eyes holding concern. Andre looked down at the bowl of potatoes as well, vaguely surprised at just how much he had spaced out. "Whoops~" He gave a soft huff of a laugh as he took the beaters to the sink to rinse them off. "Let's see...potatoes are mashed, stuffing is done, the turkey has another half an hour, veggies...?" He looked over his shoulder to where the younger boy was hunched over a cutting board. "Chopped and ready for steaming!" The boy chirped, turning with a flourish and a wide smile. The information broker nodded in satisfaction. "I'll get the steamer ready then."  

[insidiousEnigma]

While this was only his second Thanksgiving with his older brother, it wasn't hard to notice the difference in the atmosphere from the year prior. The house was missing that...electricity that Vincent brought wherever he went. It was affecting Andre, no matter how well his older brother tried to hide it.

He sometimes still found it strange that he had learned to read is brother so well after such a short amount of time.

"Once we've got the vegetables steaming," Zacharie scooped the chopped vegetables into a nearby dish to carry them over to the other male. "we could start on the pie? It'll take a while since we're making it from scratch." He handed the bowl over to Andre so he could put everything in the steamer. His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he watched his brother work, watched his shoulders move beneath the light blue button up shirt he had chosen to wear. "Excellent idea. Why don't you-" The younger of the two wrapped his arms firmly around Andre, effectively cutting him off. "Zacharie." There was amusement in his tone, which brought a little smile to Zacharie's face.

It was weird since he had gotten taller than the other. Andre couldn't tuck his head beneath his chin anymore, couldn't kiss the top of his head without him having to crouch down to be able to do it. It made him seem....more fragile, he supposed. Though he knew that his brother was anything but.

"...You just seemed like you could use a hug." He muttered, tightening his grip for a moment before stepping back.  

[insidiousEnigma]

Andre gave a soft huff of a laugh as he turned to regard his little brother, "You are so,"

His gaze roamed over a strong jaw, the slightly upturned nose....everything still so familiar despite the changes Zacharie had gone through over the past months. He felt a swell of fondness fill his chest and he reached out to wrap his hand around the back of the others to draw his into another hug, tucking his face into the crook of his neck. "You are so sweet." He sighed happily before kissing the top of his head. "I don't what I'd do without you." After a moment, he released the younger boy and stepped around him. "Now, how about you grab the flower and sugar while I get the pumpkin."

Zacharie nodded, eyeing him once more before turning towards the pantry.

Honestly...what was he going to do with that boy? He smiled lightly as he shook his head and turned to the fridge.