Love Bites Oneshots

Italian Wedding Soup

written by: yourhonor

status: canon

warnings: mild swearing, period-typical sexism

"Why am I carrying the soup?" Julia asks, struggling to carry the large ceramic dish. Soup sloshes around within the covered dish, spilling over the side a little, leaving a golden stream of broth in its wake.

"I'm tired, Julia." He sighs dramatically. "You know I have to save my big-boy muscles for work. Besides, we're almost there."

"I think your big-boy muscles are dumb."

"Yes, well, they helped me make that soup. Careful, or you're gonna spill it." Sapnap says, adjusting the cover. She just rolls her eyes.

They approach the front of the house and Sapnap takes the door knocker into his hand, rapping it against the wood three times, a crisp sound ringing out into the air.

Dream answers the door. "You made it! Good evening!"

"Good evening, Dream." Sapnap grins. "Julia, say hello."

"Hi." Julia smiles. "We got soup."

"Let me get that for you." Dream says, gently taking the dish from her and walking into the kitchen. The dish is warm in his hands. "Come on in!"

The two of them shuffle into the house as Sapnap closes the door behind her. He reminds her to remove her shoes, which she lines up next to the door.

They walk into the kitchen where Dream slides the soup dish into the oven to keep it warm. George is in the middle of buttering some slices of bread when he sees them. "Good evening!" He smiles.

He throws his arms around Sapnap in a tight hug, crouching to do the same for Julia, who eagerly reciprocates. It makes him feel warm.

"Can I get you guys something to drink?" George asks.

"George." Sapnap tuts in an accusatory tone. "Offering alcohol to a child?"

"I meant like a juice or something, idiot."

He pours a glass of whiskey for her brother and a glass of orange juice for her, handing the glasses to them both. She thanks him, taking it with two hands. The glass of chilled juice feels cool against her palms. She presses it against her face.

Dream finishes the bread and slides the tray into the oven to toast them.

It's a dance watching Dream and George move around the small kitchen the three of them had crafted together. It's a warm memory that lingers in Sapnap's mind, a lighthearted impatience from the constantly falling shelves, weaved with the refreshing atmosphere. It felt like a new start. It was a new start.

"Can I help with anything?" Sapnap offers. George appreciates the way his manners jump out at the start of the evening, genuineness seeping out of the seams of his fiery personality.

"That's okay, just make yourself at home." George grins.

The siblings sit at the dining table. Dream had given her a cushion to sit on so she isn't too short to feel part of the conversation.

Dream and George seat themselves across from them. "So, how have things been?" George asks.

"Good, good." Sapnap says. "Julia's staying with me for a little longer while mom's out of town. We're having fun."

"We went frog hunting yesterday." Julia pauses blowing bubbles into her juice to say.

"That's cool." George nods. "I used to hunt frogs a lot as a kid." Memories of muddy hands and the cool fog enter his mind, he can practically feel the dirt under his fingernails. He looks down to pick at them as if it's there.