Dinner with the In-Laws — The Quiet Bond

The dinner was… suspiciously calm.

No weddings.
No baby showers.
No chaos.

Just a long table, warm lighting, and food—a lot of food.

Beckett sat between Diana and one of his sisters, already halfway through his plate. The twins sat across from him, perfectly composed, eating with quiet precision.

“This is nice,” one cousin said.

“Suspiciously nice,” another added.

Diana glanced around. “You planned something.”

“Maybe,” Damien said, smirking.

Beckett didn’t react. He just kept eating.

Small Openings

“So, Beck,” one cousin’s spouse said carefully, “how’s the design work going?”

Beckett paused.

“…efficient.”

They waited.

“…clients are tolerable.”

A beat.

“…mostly.”

Laughter—light, not mocking.

“That’s high praise from you,” one sister said.

Beckett shrugged.

But he didn’t withdraw.

That was new.

The Twins at the Table

Peresphone looked at an aunt. “You made this.”

“Yes,” the aunt said, slightly nervous.

“It’s good,” Peresphone added.

“…Thank you?”

Hades nodded. “We will remember this.”

The aunt blinked.

Then smiled.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The Realization

Conversation flowed—not loud, not overwhelming.

Beckett contributed in small ways:

A quiet correction

A precise observation

A dry, perfectly timed comment

Each one landed.

Each one mattered.

“He’s not distant,” one cousin whispered.

“He just doesn’t waste words,” another replied.

Diana smirked faintly.

Exactly.