Merry Grinch-Mas (Kieron)

[Deleted]

‘Nervous’ didn’t even describe how Maebelle felt at this moment. ‘Frantic’ would be more like it. The closer they came to their destination, the more prone she grew to asking Kieron to turn around. Or, heck, to just drop her off at the next fuel station where she could call a cab to go home again. Of course her boyfriend wouldn’t agree to that, and she didn’t really want him to have to face his parents alone. Based on what she had heard about them, Mae knew Kieron could use someone by his side, even if that meant said person would possibly go through a miserable evening as well. After all, the nurse had given her many warnings during the last couple of days, if not weeks. His parents would hate her. They already did, despite never having met her before.

So when Kieron pulled up in front of the house, hands gripped the fabric of her pants tighter, turning her head to the building. If she didn’t know better, someone had just peeked outside past the curtain. It still moved a bit when blue optics drifted back to Kieron. “The moment of truth, huh?” Her chuckle hinting at fear, but also wanting to come across as confident for the sake of her boyfriend.

After having inhaled deeply, the brunette stepped out of the car, slamming the door behind her. She adjusted the bolero by folding arms against her chest, decently covering up her upper body against the cold and against possible judgment from his parents. It was why the girl didn’t opt for a dress to begin with. It might stir disapproval. Or, well, more than it would already.

When Kieron appeared by her side, Mae moved closer to nuzzle under his arm. “I’ll tell you what your debt is by the end of the evening.” A small joke to light up the tension. Something told her Kieron might end up trying to make this up to her – in addition to the necklace which he had already given to her as preventive compensation.

[Kieron Sharpe]

There were not enough words in the world to describe just how much Kieron did not want to have to do this. He had spent his whole life being judged by his parents and living constantly in the shadow of their disappointment, and every time he was forced to go back was another time he seriously considered the prospect of moving to Australia. Every time he was reminded of how much he had wasted his potential, wasted their family legacy, and wasted their money. No Sharpe should ever be a lowly nurse, and a nurse in a school that wasn’t even highly regarded in the public eye was just insulting to them. Every single time it hurt to see their disappointment and to hear their passive-aggressive talking down about him… but this time he knew it would be so much worse.

This time, they had a new target.

Kieron had tried to put this meeting off, he really had, but as soon as his parents had found out that he had a girlfriend they were like laser-guided missiles in their efforts to get to meet her. There was only so long he could use the too-busy-at-work and the we’re-both-sick excuses before he knew that he couldn’t delay the inevitable any more. He had tried to warn Maebelle as best he could, to get her ready for the utter misery that his parents would create, and promised her that if it was too much to deal with and she wanted to end it afterwards he would completely understand. He hoped that perhaps the fact it was Christmas would help to make them a little easier to appease, but he knew the hope was a vain one.

After delaying for as long as he possibly could, Kieron finally got out of the car and went around to Maebelle’s side, giving her a gentle sideways hug, his face paler than usual and eyes slightly wide with anxiety. He did however manage a nervous chuckle. “I don’t think the Queen of England would have enough money to repay the debt I will owe you for this. Again, in advance, I am so sorry for their behaviour.”

The curtains had indeed been twitching when Maebelle had glanced up at the window, and they was no more than halfway down the immaculately groomed path through the front garden when the front door swung open and a young girl rushed out to greet them. Here was, in Kieron’s opinion, the only person really worth going home to see. “Hey, Bonny!” The fifteen-year-old ran forward and wrapped her arms around Kieron’s waist, and he returned the hug warmly before turning to introduce the ladies. “Siobhan, this is Maebelle. Mae, this is Bonny, my little sister.”

Bonny smiled shyly and gave a little wave to Mae. “Hi. I hope you like lemon; I made lemon meringue pie for dessert.” Her Irish accent was far fainter than her brother’s, the result of spending her whole life living in the States, but she had the same dark hazel eyes and wild hair that seemed to want to be in every direction at once, the low ponytail barely able to contain it. “I tried to get mom to ask Kieron when she phoned him the other night, but I think they were too busy yelling at each other again.”

Kieron gave a weary chuckle. “Yeaaaah… Shall we go in? It’s ridiculously cold out here.”

[Deleted]

Maebelle was scared, but at the same time a somewhat hopeful feeling still lingered. Perhaps his parents would be more acceptant than he thought; this was a new situation after all. Their son quite probably hadn’t brought a girl home yet. Kieron was happy; that was what should matter most, right? “I am certain we can think of another way for you to repay me,” the young woman mused with a suggestive combination of a smile and a smirk. She didn’t like to see him worry so much, and this was her attempt to limit it some, even though it might have been rather futile.

The evening seemed to ‘officially’ start the second Siobhan rushed outside, and Mae couldn’t have asked for a better beginning. A genuine smile appeared on her face as eyes landed on the teen, giving a gentle wave in return. She would have shaken the girl’s hand, but maybe that would have caused a weird and serious tension. Instead the gardener nodded, offering a bright smile, despite the additional information Bonny offered. “That sounds delicious; I already can’t wait for dessert.” Perhaps more meaning was hidden behind those words; depending on what followed, Maebelle wouldn’t be able to wait for the ending of the evening to arrive.

When his sister rushed inside, turning her back to them, Mae slipped her hand into Kieron’s, giving it a loving and reassuring squeeze. “You’ll be fine,” she tried to promise before stepping inside, immediately being greeted by a pleasant warmth. When the door got closed, the woman took off her coat, in the meanwhile already having spotted a hanger. Mae didn’t dare to emerge further though; she could hear faint talking in another room. Her hand found Kieron’s again, awaiting his guidance.

And once they moved, stepping into the living room, blue optics fell the man standing near the table. Kieron’s father didn’t speak though, and he hardly gave her an acknowledging look. Instead he gazed at his son with an arched eyebrow. “You are three minutes late.” He decided when a frown appeared. “Your planning skills could have been better developed,” he added – a stab at the fact that another study direction, would have helped with that.

[Kieron Sharpe]

As they sat in the car, memories from the last time he had brought a girl home to meet his parents flooded through Kieron’s mind. He had really liked Maria and they had utterly ruined any chance he had of a happy relationship with her. However, for however much he had liked Maria, he loved Maebelle and would not be so easily bullied regarding her, nor would he allow them to bully her as they had done Maria. That was what Kieron kept telling himself, anyway. He knew full well from a lifetime of experience that his parents knew just which buttons to push to make him crumple like a wet paper bag. Maebelle’s suggestive comment did manage to bring a small smile to his lips though, despite the uncomfortable knotting in his stomach. “I look forward to attempting to repay that debt.”

When Maebelle spoke to Bonny and confirmed that she was looking forward to dessert, the teenager grinned brightly and blushed easily; another trait she had in common with her brother. “Great!” Seemingly sated with her knowledge that her dessert would not go unloved, Bonny turned and quickly headed back inside. Kieron felt the fingers lacing with his and let their fingers twine, returning the reassuring squeeze. Okay, perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad after all. Maebelle seemed calm, so that meant that he could stay calm, right? “I really hope you’re right.”

Inside the house it was gloriously warm, but the lights were on and when coupled with the glow from the Christmas lights decorating the tree, it made Kieron wince and shove his shades further up his nose. He took Maebelle’s coat from her and hung it before shrugging out of his own and hanging that alongside it. He could do this. He could. It wouldn’t be so bad. It couldn’t be so bad. He joined his hand with Maebelle’s again before heading into the living room, trying his best to ignore the fact that his mother’s eyes instantly travelled to Maebelle, like she was assessing a potential new car or something. “I know, sorry, dad. There was a crash on the highway and it took us a while to get around it.” A lie, of course. They were late purely because it had taken him that long to persuade himself to get into the car in the first place.

Kieron’s mother stood then, walking over to them and not so subtly flicking her eyes over Maebelle again. After an agonisingly long moment she offered out her hand, her voice seeming to be slightly smug. “Well, then. I’m Ciara, this is Matthew. I’m sorry Niall couldn’t be here; he’s on a study placement with Yale University. He got accepted onto their molecular science programme.” She then seemed to finally realise that Kieron was stood there and gave him a quick glance over, indicating to his shades. “Do you really need to wear those ugly things inside the house?”

Kieron shuffled slightly where he was stood but somehow managed to put on a small smile, choosing to ignore her last comment. “Hello, mother. I brought this for you.” He offered over the bottle of wine he’d been holding, and was not at all surprised when she merely glanced at the label and then nodded before placing it on the coffee table. No doubt it would just get passed along as a gift to someone they didn’t really like that much. His mother had always been a fussy sod when it came to wine, and the ones she considered ‘good enough’ were outside Kieron’s price range. He decided to at least attempt the friendly route. “How are the painting classes coming along? Is Mrs Price still trying to sabotage your portraits?”

[Deleted]

Maebelle grew painful aware to the eyes travelling over her. It made her feel selfconcious, and even more so when her gaze made brief contact with his mother's, unable to detect a friendly smile or anything else along that line. And the situation managed to get tenser faster than she could have imagined when Kieron's father opted to reply to his son's excuse. "Oh? I'm sure we'll hear it on the news tomorrow then." In other words, it was doubtful the man was buying the explanation. He was pretty much calling his son out on it. "Either way, this is the perfect example why you should always leave on time." Even if the truth was told, Matthew refused to let it slip. He always questioned Kieron's decisions.

When Ciara reached out a hand, Mae quickly offered her own. "It's a pleasure meeting you." While it was a cliché answer, the young woman opted for the safe road. If she were to be blunt, she would have stated that it was unnecesarry for Kieron's mom to explain why Niall was not around. Simply excusing his absence would have been enough. They were clearly trying to rub in his brother's achievements in life. The 'pleasure' that she spoke of did fade when Kieron's mother commented on his shades though. She kind of did want to react, but the fact that her boyfriend didn't was the reason why she wisely kept her lips tightly together.

"Is it champagne?" His father looked over for a second before a knowing smirk settled on his lips. Right, wine. The look said enough; no more words were waisted on it. Instead he allowed his wife to answer the question of their son. "Of course. It's not hard to be jealous of my portraits. I filled a complaint; she's not worthy being part of that class." Her reply filled with a snobbish attitude, and the way the woman held her head high easily gave away the ego she carried along.

It was at that point that Maebelle realized a floral table piece was being held in her hand. "I brought this with me as well. Thank you for the invitation." Offering it to the woman, she hoped Ciara would like it. The gardener had been tending to it for a while now, making sure it was at its best at this point.

"Red doesn't exactly fit into our interior... but alright." The woman decided upon taking it from Mae. She barely paid any attention to it though, placing it on a nearby table without giving it another worthy look. The plant manipulator could feel the plant's excitement make place for sadness, hardly feeling accepted by its 'new owner', making Mae want to take it home with them again. So while his parents might not notice, Kieron would possibly spot the change on his girlfriend's face.

[Kieron Sharpe]

Of course they hadn't even been able to make it to the table before the waves of judgements and inappropriate comments had begun. Clearly it was far too much to hope that his parents could be civil for one simple straight-forward dinner. This was quickly becoming one of those frequent points in his life where Kieron found himself wondering if he was actually adopted. “I'm sure you will.” It did sometimes worry Kieron just how easy he found it to lie to his parents, even though his dad's comments were enough to tell him that the lies were not being bought for a second. Then again, his dad probably wouldn't have believed him were it the truth anyway. “Thanks for the advice; I'll make sure we leave extra early next time.” Assuming there would be a 'next time', of course, if Maebelle didn't run for the hills before the evening was through.

It was a physical effort to refrain from telling Maebelle to go and wash her hands after she shook hands with his mother. There was a small, irrational part of Kieron's mind that wondered if the spite and snobbery might be contagious. Kieron figured it might be a little safer trying to steer the conversation to let his parents keep talking about themselves, and that seemed to be proving a smart move when his mother started off about her painting class. “I'm sure she isn't, mom. Do you think anything will come of the complaint?”

“Hmpf!” The nasally snort of a laugh from Ciara was laced with smug pride. “If they have any sense, they will remove her from the club. All she ever paints is those mangy mongrels of hers. I had to sit next to her last week; I wouldn't be surprised if I brought home fleas from her!”

Unlikely. The perfume you bathe in would have gassed them all out. The impolite thought was kept contained solely to Kieron's head, and he managed a hopefully sympathetic looking smile. “Well, I hope the leaders of the club come to a swift and decent solution, then.” Ciara seemed momentarily appeased by that, and turned to Maebelle when the plant was offered. Kieron observed the interaction and noticed the sudden subtle shift on Mae's features, and knew what was likely to be causing it. As Ciara went to get some glasses (and presumably a 'worthy' drink for them all) Kieron sidled over to the table, feigning looking at one of the paintings on the wall. His fingers reached down and lightly brushed over one of the broad green leaves, stroking it gently in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. Kieron had never really paid much attention to plants before, but since that night in the meadow a year and a half ago he held them with so much more respect. Not just for Maebelle, but because he had learned that they were sensitive too and deserved to be treated with care and compassion.

Matthew chose that moment to delight the world with the sound of his voice again. “So, he said you're some kind of janitor?” Kieron bristled where he stood. “No, I said she is a grounds-keeper at the school where I work.” His dad just shrugged. “Different words for the same meaning though, isn't it?”
The noise that left Kieron's lips was a near-muted grunt of anger as he bit his lip to stop himself saying anything. He didn't trust himself to speak without saying something he would come to regret, and instead he just turned and looked at Mae apologetically, giving a small shake of his head.

[Deleted]

Maebelle had mentally prepared herself for the evening, but it was slowly becoming clear that nothing could have given her real insight in what was to take place. The way his mother carried herself: it was everything that the gardener avoided in her life. To acknowledge that Kieron was their son... Well, it felt rather impossible to grasp. He seemed to be the complete opposite of his parents, and Mae had only been inside for a few seconds so far. She had been rather hopeful that her boyfriend had been exaggerating when it came to telling her about his parents, but nothing was less true. The incident with the plant rubbed the harsh truth in, immediatly inflincting the belief that things could not get any worse. She didn't have the intention for Kieron to take notice though.

So when his fingers stroked the leaves of the plant, blue eyes drifted into his direction. With Kieron not facing her, he quite probably didn't detect just how much that lifted her spirit. She was on the verge of stepping over and to nuzzle into his side, if it weren't for Matthew picking that moment to degrade the woman even more. "A janitor doesn't tend to the plants," Maebelle treaded carefully. She didn't have the intention to correct the man; she simply was trying to stand up for herself. That had to count for something, right? They did seem like the kind of people who could appreciate a confident person, if dealt with in the right way.

While part of the gardener wanted to expand further on her profession, she feared his parents would tear down her enthusiasm without a second thought. It was why the brunette opted for the safer option: feeding the man's ego. "So, um, Kieron told me you are a lawyer. Is there anything you specialize in?" He quite probably would find a way to formulate a minutes-long answer while one simple word would suffice. Her interest was genuine though, if only because it would probably keep them from making her feel awful. Perhaps that hope was naive, but it was there nevertheless.

At that point, Ciara stepped into the living room again with, as Kieron expected, a worthy drink. While Maebelle did doubt they wanted to 'waste' such good one on them, she was convinced his parents would not settle for less. As the woman poured the alcohol in four glasses, offering one to Mae, she spoke up again. "This is a very rare champagne. The extraordinary taste does the price tag justice. I bet it is beyond anything you ever tasted." Her son's girlfriend gave a thankful smile and nod, not knowing how else to react. The second afterwards, blue optics drifted about in search for Bonny. For some reason, knowing that a normal person other than Kieron was around, made her feel at least a tad bit at ease. At the same time she pitied the youngster though; hopefully she would be as immune to her parents' egoes as her brother was.

[Kieron Sharpe]

Kieron had tried to prepare Maebelle for the truth about what his parents were like, but he knew that no amount of words could fully sum them up without sounding like some morbidly gross exaggeration. To this day he still wasn't sure why he was so resilient to their upbringing while his brother had fallen right in line like a good little clone, but whatever had spared him from it, he was thankful. Bonny seemed to be fending off a little too, though there were subtle things that Kieron had noticed. He'd never known her willingly wearing a dress before, for one. As much as Kieron wished he could rescue his sister before they morphed her completely he knew he would just have to settle for rescuing the plant, for now.

Matthew gave a huff of a breath at Maebelle's explanation of her job and he eyed her up, glancing at her face curiously for a moment before giving a small shake of his head and looking away again. “So you're a glorified gardener, then?” He ignored the hissed 'stop it' that came from his son, dismissing Kieron with a wave of his hand as Maebelle asked him about his line of work. “Copyright law. I started in Belfast, and now I am a senior partner in a firm that handles some of the Silicon Valley giants. You can actually achieve things in life, if you bother to make an effort sometimes.”

Kieron didn't have to see his father's face to feel the daggers the man stared into his back. Kieron fully believed that if he died first, they'd have that engraved onto his tombstone. Kieron Sharpe. Reluctant son. We gave him everything, but he still wasn't a doctor. Thankfully his mother rejoined them and stopped Matthew's tirade, and Kieron took the glass when it was offered to him. He knew the bottle likely cost more than he earned in a week, but to him it just tasted weak and flat. Still, his mothers eyes were probing and he decided to appease her. “It's... subtle. Delicate. Thank you for sharing.” Ciara seemed pleased with that and went back to check on the table.

When Matthew stood up and went to wander into another room, after casting another curiously glance at Maebelle, Kieron frowned and stepped over to his girlfriend. He kept his voice low, whispering in the hope that his mother wouldn't hear them from where she was checking on the table settings. “I am so, so sorry. As soon as we've eaten we'll go, I promise.”