Closed Togetherness

[Ruby Morales]

As much as she could, Ruby struggled not to let her nerves get the better of her today. Her relationship with Ignacio was young, but their connection was deep, and though she was trying not to move fast she couldn't help but feel when they talked as though they had known each other all their lives. It was clear to both of them that this was more than some simple fling, and as scary as it felt to trust a partner again, Ruby felt more than she had ever felt in her life, that this thing with Ignacio could really last. So, after a long discussion, she and Ignacio had decided to introduce their families. She knew Ignacio had a lot of siblings, and wasn't sure if all of them would be around to meet, but she hoped they would like her anyway.

Ruby was only bringing Vivian with her, and the discussion with him where she told him about Ignacio had almost been more nerve-wracking than this visit. Ruby had never had a relationship serious enough to bother telling Vivian about, and she didn't know how he would feel about the prospect of new people in their family. Though Ruby often found her quiet son difficult to read, she thought he had taken it rather well, and she was pleasantly optimistic about how this meeting was going to go. So, a tupperware of muffins in her hands, Ruby led Vivian down to the apartment they were meeting at and took a deep breath before she knocked on the door, smiling nervously. Today felt like it was going to be the beginning of something good.

 

[Ignacio Morales]

Ignacio's relationship with Ruby had been a whirlwind from the beginning, moving faster than he ever imagined. Though moving fast in a way that seemed so natural and normal for them, as if they had been best friends all along and just now decided to move on to something more, even if this wasn't the case. It wasn't what he expected from his first relationship in years, but the comfort and constant sense of stability Ignacio felt around Ruby as he got to know her better was welcomed and he knew deep down it would be stupid of him to do anything but embrace it. With their fourth date being to a wedding, of all events, and this being the natural progression of their relationship, it was no surprise they soon decided to introduce their families, leading Ignacio to organize an afternoon and evening where all his siblings and his mother were available to meet Ruby and her son, Vivian, for the first time.​

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While he was excited to introduce Ruby and her son to his family, Ignacio couldn't keep himself from feeling nervous at how the introductions would play out. His siblings were dear to his heart and he would do anything to ensure they were safe and happy, proven in his life over the last decade, but that did not mean he was ignorant to their vastly different personalities, and of the possibility these personalities could clash with his growing relationship. He knew Pia would be welcoming, as she had kindly allowed this meeting to be held in her apartment. Flavio would be polite and Marcos would likely act polite in turn with him. But it was Val's personality specifically that worried him more than the others, her quick wit and low tolerance for falsities a hindrance at the best of times. There was a nagging thought in the back of his mind that if his other siblings liked Ruby, Val wouldn't, and in the last moments leading up to Ruby's arrival Ignacio managed to down a glass or two of red wine in an effort to calm himself down.​

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Luckily not too long afterwards a knock sounded through the apartment, and Ignacio took in a deep breath as he walked the door. After opening it and pulling Ruby into a quick hug, he wasted no time greeting Vivian and then guiding them both to where his family were situated in the living room. "Okay, guys, this is Ruby." He introduced, draping an arm affectionately over Ruby's shoulders. "and this is Vivian." He added, looking over to Vivian for a moment and then back to his siblings to gauge their reactions.​

 

[Pia Morales]

Pia had known about Ignacio's new found relationship from the day it began, because she was the first person he told, and since then she felt nothing but happy for her older brother, knowing that the relationship symbolized the many recent positive changes in his life. Nevertheless when Pia offered her apartment up for the family to meet this woman Ignacio had been seeing and the son she would be bringing with her, it was still a tad overwhelming. Change had always been a difficult thing for Pia to grasp, but after being single for a while and leaving her second job to focus on her first job as a healer now that her training was completed, she was realizing how wholly important it was to embrace changes and move forward with optimism. Thus she cleaned her apartment from head to toe and rearranged her furniture, and ignored how surreal it was to meet a person that could potentially be part of the family one day, attempting to stay calm in preparation for meeting this girl named Ruby who was now such a staple in Ignacio's life.​

By the time Ignacio left to greet Ruby at the door, Pia was feeling more settled down, confident that there was enough room and that everyone could sit down and chat if they desired. A few moments later, Ignacio walked in the room, thereby introducing Ruby and Vivian, which caused a smile to appear on Pia's face. She walked up to Ruby and offered her hand to shake. "It's great to finally meet you Ruby, I'm Pia." Shortly afterwards she looked over to the boy introduced as Vivian and nodded in recognition. "It's nice to meet you too Vivian." She added, turning away from Ruby and taking initiative to introduce her family since Ignacio had not done that himself. "This is our mother, Florence, and next to her is Valentina. Over there on the sofa are Flavio and Marcos." Pia said, pointing out each member of her family as she said their names.​

 

[Ruby Morales]

Ruby knew Ignacio had a large family, he had talked about them plenty, but it was still surreal to walk into a room filled with so many people all at once. She tried not to let her nerves show in her smile, hoping to make a good impression on the people who mattered most to Ignacio. Their relationship had been so wonderful so far, and Ruby couldn't help but hope it would continue for a long time. When one of Ignacio's sisters approached Ruby she shook her hand happily, giving the younger girl a smile. "It's lovely to meet you too." She said happily, smiling as Pia moved on to greet Vivian. She was relieved when Pia introduced the rest of the family, smiling at them brightly. "It's lovely to meet you all. I made chocolate muffins, I hope that's alright." She smiled, holding up the container she had brought with her.

 

[Vivian Brackenstall]

Vivian didn't remember the last time his mum had dated anyone. He was sure there were things in her life that she didn't tell him about, but this seemed like... a real, serious relationship. And it had happened so fast. She had only met him a few months ago, and now Vivian was meeting... people who Mum clearly hoped would become family. It was all a lot of change very fast, but at the same time, Vivian didn't think he ever remembered seeing his mum this happy. So... however fast things were moving, he wanted to try and make this work. When the door opened he followed Ignacio into the flat, wondering who they would be meeting. Mum had warned him about a big family, had mentioned that Ignacio had some siblings Vivian's own age at Hogwarts, and he just hoped he would make a good impression, for Mum's sakes. As soon as they entered the room where everyone was meeting though, Vivian's heart stopped. Although they had agreed there was nothing between them, Vivian had found himself avoiding Flavio ever since their awkward kiss in Vivian's third year. It was nothing against Flavio, he was nice, and Vivian had enjoyed their friendship, but there was... something uncomfortable, about just trying to be friends, as though that kiss had never happened. When Pia introduced them to all the people in the room he smiled awkwardly, not quite able to bring himself to look at Flavio. Vivian didn't know how the older boy was going to react to this, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio couldn't remember a time in his life that Ignacio wasn't single, and had grown up knowing his older brother as someone that actively avoided relationships to focus solely on working and spending time with the family. So learning that Ignacio had recently started seeing someone was a lot for him to take in. But no matter how sudden and surprising the news was, he felt happy for his brother and wanted this venture to go well for him. Being in a good relationship himself and being nothing but happy and stable with November, he wanted to wish the same for Ignacio and intended to be as polite and welcoming as possible to ensure this first meeting went well. Thus Flavio was situated on the sofa in Pia's living room next to Marcos, chatting idly with his younger brother as they waited for Ignacio's new partner to arrive. Earlier on Ignacio mentioned the woman had a son also attending Hogwarts, and Flavio hoped to get along with the boy going into the next school year because it was the least he could do.​

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Though this hope changed to nerves and his heart began to sink in his chest when Ignacio returned to the living room, introducing his new partner as Ruby and her son who he already knew as Vivian. After sharing his first kiss with Vivian in the midst of confusion over his feelings for November, Flavio's friendship with him had grown apart, not from animosity but from them both being busy and the underlying feeling of awkwardness in their interactions as they attempted to return their friendship to the calmness it had been prior to their kiss. Now they were acquaintances at best, but not in such a way that he felt comfortable with Ignacio seeing Vivian's mum. A blush began to spread onto Flavio's cheeks and he moved to run a hand through his hair as he turned his attention to Ruby, not wanting to keep his attention on Vivian for too long in case the situation became more awkward than it already was. In the moment it seemed better to act as if the awkwardness wasn't there and pretend he wasn't unsettled by the possibility Vivian could be part of his family, for the sake of this meeting going well.​

 

[Pia Morales]

Chocolate muffins sounded delicious, and reminded Pia that she hadn't remembered to prepare some food for the meeting. She was glad Ruby did think to bring something for everyone, and already knew her mother and younger brothers would likely be eager to try the muffins. "Oh that's awesome." She said, wanting to make sure the muffins were on the coffee table as soon as possible as she looked to the container and back to Ruby. "If you like we can take that into the kitchen and put everything on a plate?" Ruby soon agreed with this suggestion and Pia led her to the kitchen, closing the door behind them and smiling as she stood on her toes to reach the cabinets and find a spare plate. When one of the plates was in her hands she placed it on the counter, and opened the container to begin arranging the muffins on it. "How are you feeling so far? Nervous?" Pia asked Ruby, hoping the question wasn't too intrusive. Pia wanted to be welcoming and embrace the fact there was someone special enough in Ignacio's life for him to introduce them to the family, and hoped that this was showing. It had only been a few moments since Pia had officially met Ruby but immediately she liked the woman, gathering the impression she was sweet and humbled which was the exact kind of person she thought was perfect for Ignacio.​

Godmod has been approved!

 

[Ignacio Morales]

Everything seemed to be going alright, and it removed some of the lingering nerves in Ignacio's chest. Pia was her enthusiastic self, introducing Ruby to the family in his stead, and as he watched for everyone's reactions, he was relieved no one seemed to be bothered by Ruby and Vivian, at least on the surface. With a smile still plastered on his face, Ignacio moved his arm away from Ruby, allowing her to walk to the kitchen with Pia. When they were gone, he stretched his arms over his head and sighed, more visibly relaxed with the introductions out of the way. Now everyone could chat and get to know Ruby, hopefully also realizing how much of an amazing person she was and liking her as much as he did. "Feel free to make yourself at home." Ignacio said as he looked over to Vivian, waving his hand to where the chairs and sofa were. He wasn't forgetting this was also the chance for him and his family to get to know Vivian as well and vice versa, and couldn't wait to learn more about the son Ruby had spoken about. It was after this Ignacio moved to sit in the closest armchair, relaxing into the softness of the cushions and posing a question to everyone in the room with the intention to get a conversation going. "How has everyone been, then?" It was an unusual feeling to speak English around his siblings, and especially his mother who did not speak much of the language, but it was necessary and Ignacio was confident Val would translate for her if none of his other siblings did.​

 

[Valentina Morales]

Valentina wasn't sure what to make of that day, the knowledge Ignacio had been seeing someone and the notion she was about to meet this woman a surprising revelation to her. Ignacio often spoke about being single for the remainder of his life and wanting to keep working for the family's sake, and this is what Valentina expected when he changed careers, over him creating a life entirely different to the one she expected of him. But as she thought about it she did figure he had not voiced these thoughts recently, and he did seem more carefree as if his life was now on a better path. This should have led her to think Ignacio's new partner was a good thing for his life and she would have thought as such, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that said to hold on to her skepticism, and watch the woman from afar to gather a more informed opinion of what she was like before making proper judgements over her character. So after Ignacio introduced the woman as Ruby and the son named Vivian, Valentina remained silent, sitting on the arm of the chair her mother was in rather than standing to introduce herself the way Pia did.​

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At the mention of chocolate muffins, Val turned to her mother and translated the words. "She brought baking, are you in the mood for chocolate?" The answer was in the affirmative as she expected and her attention was soon turned to the others in the room when Ignacio sat down in a different chair and asked how everyone was. Looking between her siblings and this Vivian boy, Valentina anticipated what would be said next while alternately wondering what Pia and Ruby were speaking about in the other room. She intended to stay quiet rather than answer the question, not seeing it as necessary. ​

 

[Ruby Morales]

Ruby was good by now at picking up on her subtle son's moods, and she could tell right away that Vivian was uncomfortable as soon as they entered the room. Did he know the other boys from school? Ruby wasn't sure how she could reassure him with so many people watching them, and Pia quickly addressed her. She nodded, smiling, and hoped Vivian could fend for himself for the moment. "That would be lovely, thank you." She smiled, following the younger woman into the kitchen. She was a little lost for what she could do to help so she just watched, laughing a little awkwardly at Pia's question. "A bit, yes." She smiled apologetically. "I know family is very important to Ignacio, I want to make sure we make a good impression." She hesitated, not sure how much to say to her partner's sister. "I... really like him. I want this to last." She said softly, a little embarrassed to speak so candidly.

 

[Vivian Brackenstall]

Everything about this moment was horrible and awkward and nerve-wracking, and then Mum was gone, off to the kitchen, and Vivian was left alone with a room full of strangers, and a boy he had barely spoken to since their kiss. This was the nightmare situation. Ignacio gestured for him to take a seat, and to Vivian's horror the only remaining free seat was directly next to Flavio. Of course. Smiling nervously at Ignacio he crossed the room, sinking nervously into the seat next to Flavio, and hesitated a moment before giving the older boy a nervous smile. "Hi." He said softly, trying not to seem as uncomfortable as he felt. He had no idea what Tristan would do in this situation, but it definitely wasn't stand about saying nothing and feeling like a deer in the headlights.