PARKER | Dark H.S. AU

lxv. stand up

If only hands were the organ for breathing, Charlie would already choke to death by Harry's tight grip. His reluctance to enter his father's threshold is obvious from when he climbed off of his car to the moment when he and Charlie, hand in hand, stand in front of the giant door just like the day they arrived in London.

"Harry," the blonde stares at the side of his face, memorizing the outline of his nose and lips, his sharp chiseled jaw. "If this bothers you, I don't think we should go." She squeezes his hand back.

Harry stares right at her, a tight smile on his pressed lips. "We're already here. Don't worry about me. Derek's a monster, but he's not going to kill me." He looks ahead and whispers the next set of words to himself. "At least, I think so."

-----

"So, Charlie," Derek starts the dinner conversation, wiping his mouth with a table napkin though there's no dirt on his skin. "What do you do for a living?" For a brief moment, he sounds like genuinely curious but as he cocks his eyebrow while waiting for the blonde's response, every person present at the table sees that he's being condescending.

The prick sits at the head of the table directly across his father, his very much swollen wife, Olivia, adjacent to him. Terrence sits between his sister-in-law and younger sister, Patti -- where he can sneak a glance at Charlie who occupies the opposite side of the table with his half-brother, Harry, every once in a while.

Harry, who is already on edge the entire evening, straightens up and opens his mouth to snap at Derek, but a squeeze on his lap under the table stops him from his attempt.

Charlie carefully places her fork and knife down to her plate, wipes her lips with a clean napkin and grants a casual smile to Harry's father before addressing Derek.

"I am a commercial model, sir." The words flow from her tongue freely, an air of confidence around her. Across the table, she catches Terrence's stare and he quickly looks down at his plate.

Derek nods, absorbing the words and seeming perceptive though he doesn't seem impressed. His wife wants to say something, to express what she thinks about Charlie, but she suppresses her words when she catches his husband's eyes. A complete control-obsessed prick.

"Oh, a commercial model. Cute. What kind of products do you usually promote?" Patti smiles at Charlie as she pushes the beans to the edge of her plate with the fork around her coiled fingers.

"Toothpastes, detergents, energy drink, ointment for athlete's foot." She shrugs nonchalantly and the rest either try to hold back a laugh or gag. "I also make pastries, sell and deliver them around Spellborough." She adds though her earlier statement still hangs in the air. Some already lost their appetite. Pregnant Olivia chose to be oblivious and continues to slice her food. Harry finally does his first smile of the evening.

Mr. Styles chuckles, amusement evident on his sparkling irises contrasting the wrinkles that are drawn on his forehead and at the side of his eyes.

"This is why I come to like you, Charlie." He nods, chewing the last bit of steak in his mouth and swallows it. "You're definitely going to make my son happy. Speaking of which, when's the date?" He asks the couple hopefully. Patti chokes on her drink and Terrence clears his throat, containing their silence about the matter. They kept Harry's engagement from Derek and their dad didn't know they were supposed to keep it.

Derek's wheel starts to turn, his eyes dart to the shiny silver band around Charlie's left ring finger. A different kind of emotion pass over him. From disappointment and disgust to anger, his stare adjusts to a hard glare.