[Edward POV]
Although it was late fall, in Wisconsin, it could be said that it was early winter. The chill in the air was biting, with temperatures dipping well below freezing. A light dusting of snow covered the ground, crunching underfoot as people stepped on it.
Bundling up inside the blanket in my room, I was woken up by a smooch on my cheek as I struggled with the temperature. My Californian lifestyle didn't really do well in the cold wintry Wisconsin.
With a sniffle, I woke up to the sight of Vader licking and nudging my face with hers.
"Good timing."
Smiling widely, I grabbed her and used her as a warm heat pack before falling to sleep again. Vader was confused at first but she then lay down obediently on my toros. Before I truly dozed off, I casted the healing spell on Vader while she was purring in my embrace.
"Meow?" Vader was confused when she saw a green glow around her. As it disappeared, she forgot all about it and went to sleep. Half an hour later, as I squirmed to get up from the bed, her pupils dilated when she realized that she could feel something in her paws again.
"MEOW!" She extended her claws hurriedly, and as she was laying on top of me, the claws digged into my flesh.
"Ouch!" I yelped as I was immediately woken up by the pain. Lifting my head slightly, I looked at the excited Vader as she played with her claws, meowing relentlessly at me to make me look at it.
I chuckled and patted her head, scratching it at the same time. She purred affectionately, and I said, "Good for you huh Vadie? You finally have your claws back."
Sensing that I had something to do with it, she rubbed her face on mine, purring as she showed her gratitude to me. After a while I finally left the bed.
In the toilet, I was relieved when I saw that my eyes didn't change much, although the emerald green color became more prominent. The eyes sparkled with an inner luminescence, almost glowing from within. Subtle shifts in lighting would cause the eyes to transform, from deep forest green to brilliant jade.
"Damn Gojo-san. It is mesmerizing." I muttered with disbelief as I scrutinized the changes. "People will think I'm wearing contact lenses." I brushed my teeth and washed my face before going to the living room after.
Expecting to see the entire family there, I was surprised to see only Amy and my grandmother working in the kitchen to cook the Thanksgiving meal.
"Look who finally decided to finally wake up!" Amy greeted me with a disdainful look on her face.
"Double finally?" I muttered with confusion as I walked to my grandma, glancing at Amy as I went past her. She flinched in embarrassment and pointed her spatula at me, "I misspoke! So what!?"
Ignoring her, I asked my grandma, "Gram, do you know where my luggage is?" Amy gasped in disbelief, and stomped her feet in frustration.
My grandma looked up from basting her turkey and became concerned when she saw me. She placed her warm hand on my cheek and said, "Why are you so clammy?"
"Someone turned off the heater in my room." I tattled to my grandma while hugging my arms, shivering. My grandma quickly ordered Amy, "Go and grab a thick jacket for him."
"Grandma! He can do it himself!" Amy was flabbergasted, but Grandma was stern, "Go. Now!"
"Ugh!" Amy groaned before doing what she was told. My grandma led me to the couch, placed a blanket on top of me, and said, "My poor boy, you must've been so cold, and hungry. Why don't grandma make you some pancakes and a cup of hot chocolate?"
I smiled and said childishly, "Thank you grandma."
She broke into a smile and went to the kitchen with spry steps. Amy came back and rudely threw a jacket on my face. It hung up there for a while. Amy was confused and she took the jacket off and gave it to me carefully.
As I wore it, I asked, "Where's everyone else?" My nose suddenly felt itchy, and I shivered again. Worried, Amy asked as tried to check on my fever, "Are you catching a fever–"
"ACHOO!" I suddenly sneezed. The droplet missiles flew straight to Amy's face, which made her flinch in disgust. "AHH! You just sneezed on me!"
"Sorry." I said as I wiped my nose with a tissue I grabbed from a box nearby. "I don't think I'm catching a fever though. That will be… catastrophical. I have to start the movie shoot on Sunday." I added, however, Amy was gone by the time I finished wiping my nose. She had run straight to the toilet to clean herself up.
"Wait. Amy, where are the others?!" I shouted.
…
[General POV]
It was almost Thanksgiving dinner, and the whole family had gathered together at the long dining table. At the head of the table sat Grandpa Sam, with Aunt May and Uncle Jim on one side. On the other side were Maggie, Uncle Aaron, and Ted, with an empty seat on both ends.
Uncle Aaron has a bandage on his cheek, and he was sending off dissatisfied aura to the table. He glared at Ted, but Ted was ignoring him.
The table was laden with all the traditional Thanksgiving fare. A golden-brown roasted turkey took pride of place in the center, its crispy skin glistening. Grandma Jules had slaved away in the kitchen for an entire day to prepare it.
Surrounding it were heaping bowls of fluffy mashed potatoes, creamy green bean casserole, and sweet candied yams. Cranberry sauce in a cut-crystal bowl, a platter of homemade dinner rolls sat between a gravy boat and a crystal decanter of red wine.
Just then, Grandma Jules came back to the dinner table and said, "He has a 102 fever. (39 Celsius) Maybe we should take him to the hospital."
Maggie flinched guiltily as she heard it. Ted sighed and said, "How in the hell did the heater in his room turn off?"
Maggie's ears felt hot, and she tried to change the subject, "By the way Grandma, that Turkey looks delicious."
Amy said casually, "Maggie's the one who turned off the heater. She hid Edward's bag too. It's in the stables."
"Margeret Genevieve Grant!!" May widened her eyes and called Maggie's full name angrily.
Maggie's eyes shook and she stood up halfway subconsciously, almost running away from the dinner table. She defended herself with a shaky voice, "I don't know he's going to get a fever! It was a prank!"
"It's a cruel prank! You need to apologize to Edward right away!" Aunt May scolded. Uncle Jim quickly tries to disarm the argument, "May, come on. It's Thanksgiving."
Maggie's voice broke and she said tearily, "You don't even know anything, but you're asking me to apologize!"
Ted stopped the argument by defending Maggie, "May, she might just wants to play with Ed. They pranked each other all the time. He's already a bit sick from the flight. I don't think it's Maggie's fault that he has a fever."
Maggie's teary eyes glared at her mother angrily.
May sighed and still scolded her, "You need to get Ed's bag back from the stables after we eat. It's really pitiful for him. You know he came back even with his busy work just to be with all of us."
Amy grinned as she met Maggie's eyes, which made Maggie spat venomously, "You just need to open your mouth and get me into trouble. I fucking hate you."
Amy was taken aback, and the rest of the family exclaimed in dissonant voices. "That's it! You're grounded!" May slammed the table and shouted to Maggie. Maggie left the dinner table with a huff, tearing up as she ran. Amy hesitated on whether to follow her, but she missed the opportunity to decide.
"Amy, why don't you help Grandma find some medicine for Ed?" Grandma Jules said in a warm tone before walking away with Amy.
Grandpa Ron finally chimed in. "It's from the snow. There's a light drizzle this morning. Maybe that's why. Enough about that, Aaron, mind explaining how you get the bruise? And why are you glaring at your younger brother like he'd done kill your wife?"
"Cause he's being a bitch that's what." Aaron said contemptuously. Ted smiled slightly and said, "This bitch just made you eat mud this morning."
"YOU WANNA GO!" Aaron slapped the table and stood up abruptly. Grandpa Sam said sternly, "Sit down! And don't you dare fight like this in front of your mother! Especially since she had a hard day making the dishes for us."
Aaron calmed down, and he sat back down. Sam asked again, "So, what did you do that Ted decided to hit your face? Or, should I hear the details from him?"
Aaron was silent, so Grandpa Sam gave up and looked at Ted. Ted replied casually, "He wants to propose to his girlfriend."
Everyone gasped in surprise and looked at Aaron disdainfully. Uncle Jim asked in confusion, "Really? You just met her."
"Yeah. But I love her." Aaron turned to Jim and spoke with an infatuated expression. Ted groaned and rubbed his face in exasperation. "She doesn't have any respect for you or what you do. I can't believe you're this blind!" My dad scolded.
"Why did you say that? She likes me too! And she treats me really well!" Aaron snapped back. "I think you're just jealous of me!" He added.
"Jealous of what? That you don't have an ounce of self respect?" Ted snapped back.
Grandpa Sam asked Ted, "Why did you say she doesn't respect him?"
"He told me that she wants him to search for a real job." Ted replied and added, "An office job!"
Grandpa Sam's opinion on Aaron's girlfriend was lowered for a bit, "She doesn't think that being a rancher is a good thing?"
Aaron scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "That– She might not really understand what we're doing here. I– I can explain it to her. I'm sure she'll open her mind later on."
As Maggie arrived at the stables, she was horrified to find Edward's luggage cracked open, with his belongings strewn across the straw and muddied, and even chewed on by the horses. "Oh my god!" She exclaimed in bewilderment as she rushed to save the clothes, however, it was too late.
"He's going to kill me for sure!" She exclaimed fearfully as she collected Edward's stuff before dragging it back to the house. "This is not the revenge I wanted!" She whispered in a pitiful manner.
…
[Edward POV]
My mind felt a bit hazy, however, I was still conscious enough to hear the argument coming from outside of my room. Forcing myself to get out of bed, I rummaged my sling back with my laptop in it, and took out a black pill.
It was one of the pill recipes in the alchemist book, which would help me manage my fever quickly. I swallowed the marble-size pill without any drink. I had to hit my chest with my fist because it was stuck on my throat, however, I managed to pass it down safely.
Without even waiting for it to act up, I wore a triple layer of jacket, more cold protection and went outside to join my family at the dinner table. As I was inching towards them, I heard the conversation between my dad and my uncle.
Uncle Aaron was agitated, "When you know, you know!"
My dad snapped back, "Just like you did with your ex-wife? How did that turn out?"
"Hey! Melissa is not that devil! She's kind, and affectionate… and uh…"
"That's it? That's your big argument to propose to her? She's kind, affectionate, and 'Uh'?" Aunt May commented mockingly.
"I'm sorry, but didn't your husband knock you up 2 months into your relationship?!" Uncle Aaron retorted back to Aunt May. Uncle Jim was in disbelief and said, "Why did I catch the heat too? I was silent the whole time!"
Uncle Aaron apologized quickly to Uncle Jim, "Sorry. You guys come in packages."
Aunt May ignored Uncle Aaron as she saw my figure. "Edward! Hi! Long time no see!" She greeted me cheerily with a huge smile on her face.
Uncle Aaron also smiled and greeted me, "Ed! Finally! You'll definitely be on my side."
"I heard the arguments, and I'm definitely not on your side." I commented casually before I sat next to my dad. "Where's the others?" I asked curiously.
My grandpa looked at me and said, "Ed. Don't push yourself. You should go rest."
"Grandpa. I'm starving. Let me eat." I said jokingly, which eased up the mood around the dining table. Turning to my uncle, I asked, "Is this Melissa the same girl you slept with after you received my guidance? The one that looks like Marisa Tomei?"
"Ed! You were the one who caused this?!" My aunt asked with disbelief. Even my dad has the same look as her as he turned towards me. My Uncle Jim snickered and said, "Can you teach me too–"
His wife glared at him, which made him quickly shut up. I chuckled and said, "Why don't you invite her to Thanksgiving dinner with us? Then, maybe, my dad and Aunt May could get to know her? Right now, they never really met her, so they don't know why you're acting this way."
My uncle's eyes lit up and he stood up immediately, "That's right! I should invite her here!"
My grandpa advised hurriedly before Uncle Aaron could go away, "Wait! I have no problem if you want to invite her, but ask your mother first."
"Okay I will." Uncle Aaron nodded before he went to find my grandma. He bumped into Maggie as he walked away, and saw the condition of my luggage. "What did you do?!" He asked with extreme shock.
Everyone turned to Maggie following Uncle Aaron's outburst. My aunt widened her eyes in horror as she saw the condition of the luggage, and Maggie tracking mud into the house while pulling the luggage with her.
She saw me and teared up, "Ed! I'm sorry! I didn't expect this to happen."
My eyes kept moving between the luggage and Maggie's face as I processed the whole thing. I asked worriedly, "Was any of it saved?"
Maggie's voice cracked as she replied, "No."
I slowly stood up from the chair and walked to my luggage. Maggie waited for my reaction anxiously. The table became empty as everyone went to check out the luggage's condition. My grandma and Amy also returned at the moment, and were surprised to see the sight too.
"Maggie, what did you do?" Amy asked accusatively.
"I didn't do anything! It was the horses!" Maggie defended herself hurriedly. My head hurts too much for me to even care about my lost clothing right now. I turned to Maggie and whispered, "You realize I own you from now on, right?"
Fortunately, I didn't keep any important stuff inside the luggage, only articles of clothes. Although there were some branded shirts in there, I didn't really care much as the brands would fight a war with one another to send me another batch of clothes.
Maggie was startled and she bit her lips, eyes full of tears as she accepted her fate.
"Tomorrow, on Black Friday, you're going to go to the mall, and replace all of the clothes." I gave my first order. "Before that happens, you're going to do every single thing I ask you to do, no excuses."
"But–"
"No Excuses!"
"FINE!" She groaned in exasperation. I smiled in return and said, "So, now that everyone's here, let's eat!" My stomach grumbled as I was feeling quite hungry, and I walked to the dining table again casually.
"Ed, you send your Uncle away." My dad chimed in after everyone followed suit and sat down on the table again.
"Fuck." I cursed whisperingly as I watched the turkey getting colder and colder.
…
Half an hour later, my uncle finally returned with his girlfriend. Confused by the sudden invite, she found herself being swept away by my uncle's momentum, and suddenly, she was already here at the ranch.
"Everyone. Meet Melissa." My uncle introduced her. I didn't really care about the whole thing, and waited for grandpa to finish carving the turkey. I spent the first 15 minutes of the Thanksgiving dinner just gorging myself with the food before I joined in the conversation.
Well, no one really talked, so I didn't really miss anything. All that was said was just some perfunctory remarks like 'Is the food to your liking' or 'Where are you from'.
"So Melissa, you're a teacher?" Aunt May was slowly trying to get into the topic, but I interjected and asked directly, "Hi Miss, we're all kinda curious about why you told my uncle to search for another job?"
"Ed!" My grandma tried to shut me up by pushing some yams into my mouth. But I swallowed them within 1 second. The curly short haired brunette was taken aback and glanced at my uncle with disbelief.
"Um…" She stammered for a bit before she had a determined glint in her eyes. "I just think, that he can do much better than being just a ranch hand!"
"Wait everyone! Don't react yet." I interjected quickly, which halted my family's reactions. I smiled and asked her, "What do you mean you can do better? You can speak honestly. And Uncle Aaron, keep your mouth shut."
Her eyes shook for a bit before she replied to me, "I mean, he's already 50. And he still doesn't have his own place– Um…"
I nodded in understanding and supported her point of view, "That is a valid point. He's 50 and still living with his parents. It must be hard for you to show him off to others."
"That's right!" She replied sincerely, without thinking much. My grandparents, aunt, and my dad, realized that too, and their expressions softened.
She added without thinking much, " I mean, if this relationship wants to go somewhere, he needs to at least get his own place."
My grandpa suddenly chimed in, "He has his own place. It's 2 miles away from here."
"Wait! He does? You told me you live on the ranch" Melissa looked at Uncle Aaron with disbelief. He looked at me and asked whisperingly, "Can I speak now?"
"You can." I whispered back.
"I am living on the ranch." Uncle Aaron replied to Melissa. Amy chimed in, "The land is pretty big. We have multiple houses here. Even a guest resort."
"Oh! I didn't know that." Melissa replied with disbelief. "B-But, he…Um…" She tried to say something else, but stopped herself midway.
Raising one of my eyebrows, I turned to Uncle Aaron and asked, "Did you give her the impression that you were poor or something?"
"No? I don't think I did?" Uncle Aaron replied with confusion. Still confused, Melissa asked Uncle Aaron, "Um, didn't you tell me that you are struggling to make ends meet?"
Everyone was confused and turned to Uncle Aaron, expecting an explanation. But he was confused too.
"When did I say that– Oh, that's right. I did say something similar. I said, 'I have to work hard at the end of the month'. Is that it?" He finally figured it out.
Grandpa Sam chuckled and said, "Is this right before the harvest time? Everyone is busy around harvest time."
Melissa lowered her head bashfully, embarrassed by her presumptuous thoughts. My dad chuckled and teased his brother, "How in the world did you come to the proposal conclusion when this just proved that you're not at the stage yet?"
I nodded to my dad's words before turning to him and said, "By the way dad, you and Frankie are way past that stage–"
"We're talking about your uncle now." He stopped me quickly. Melissa was baffled when she heard that Uncle Aaron wanted to propose to her.
"Why did you already think about that? It's too soon!" She asked anxiously. Suddenly, she remembered something, "Is this because I let you put it in the butt—"
Everyone spat what they were eating except for me. I chuckled and said, "Ah, the mystery of why he's so smitten is finally solved."