Title: Barbeque Night Status: Complete Characters: Fang, Anon, Naser, Naomi Rating: SFW Classification: One-Shot Author: Skogsraon Summary: The extended Aaran family shares an evening in the sun. Two men clad in summery clothes and aprons stand in a standoff in front of the grill, a human male wearing a 'kiss the cook' apron while the apron of the hulking brown ptero says 'you should see my OTHER grill'. The smaller human male, as bald as they come, looks at the menacing brown ptero staring him down. This all started when they agreed to having a family cookout and the skinnie aptly decided to show off his ancestors' greatest invention - meat grilled over a flame. Little did he account for Ripley being an undefeated ringside champion that in his own domain stood towering over even the greatest master chef. Two plates stacked high with an assortment of marinated meats were the loaded guns that the two men were holding pointed at each other while the coals slowly approached the right temperature to let the bullets fly; the entire family caught in the crossfire. The tension, however, stayed by the flames. The rest of the family were sitting outdoors with the two cooks, yet at a loaded table instead of the grill, while chatting heartily. Samantha, Fang, Naser, and Naomi were having a grand time sharing a few beers and a freshly uncorked bottle of red while enjoying one of the last warm nights of summer - the alcohol helping to alleviate the cool shade that had slowly crept in, covering the backyard. The alluring smell of charcoal being prepared for a proper grilling had drifted out over the backyard, moving the topic of the conversations to the meal they were set to soon share - should Anon survive the ordeal. Fang shrugs off the humorous remarks from her family, insisting that Anon's cooking actually tasted well once he applied himself. A shout from the skinnie at the grill interrupts the table's conversation: "What do you mean ACTUALLY? You've tasted my specialties!" The ptero chuckles, deciding to tease her boyfriend: "Specialties? You eat noodles and sticks covered in weird yoghurt!" "They are called Pocky and they are a luxury from a HIGHLY ESTEEMED culture!", pointing accusingly at his girlfriend with a pair of tongs, clacking them together. "Dweeb. Are you going to come to join us at the table? A boiled pot is never watched.", smirking at him while beckoning. "It's 'a watched pot never boils', but with your diet of dino nuggies and dipping sauces I understand your confusion." Ripley grunts disapprovingly at the terrible attempts at flirting, but after a soft remark by Samantha eases up and takes a deep breath and reprimands them, as gently as a man of his caliber could: "You're going to make us all sick, go sit at the table, I'll watch the flame and call you over once it's good to go." "Thank you, sir." "Drop the sir, it's Ripley. But don't you dare call me stepfather or I'll drop you onto this grill too." Samantha cuts in: "Dear, don't barbeque our guest. It's so nice that Lucy's finally got herself a special someone, don't you remember how we acted when we were their age?" The sudden shift makes Ripley loses his composure for a second, stumbling slightly over his words, before shoving away Anon and grumbling something as he hides his expression by staring intently at the grill. Anon approaches the table, returning to his seat next to Fang and sneakily taking her hand under the table - receiving a soft squeeze back. Fang leans her head on his shoulder as they huddle up - rivaling Naser and Naomi that were close to perfectly intertwined on the opposite end of the table, with Naomi clinging fervently to her boyfriend. Fang kisses him on the cheek, following with: "I love you, dork. Thanks for coming over, it's nice to have you around the family. At least, when dad's not murdering you." "I love you. It's good to be here without being five feet under." "Amen." They sit there huddled up as the chatter resumes, the tension of months past having disappeared almost completely. It really was one damn fine evening.