Work Text:
Levi hates crowds, loud places and the heat of multitudes. And physical touch.
But Levi has beautiful and sweet girlfriend, and when she invited him to spend New Year’s Eve with her and her family, he couldn’t refuse. He pictured a regular thing: the nuclear family, a simple late dinner and conversation, perhaps finding an alone moment to not have to socialize too much and kissing at midnight before calling it a day.
He was not expecting a house adorned and lit beautifully (although, perhaps there was no need to have so many lights?), along with round tables filled with steaming food, snacks around and loud music, different liquors and sodas, kids screaming with laughter and plastic chairs scattered with all the family screaming lovingly at each other while giggling on stories that were repeated over and over again in every celebration.
To say he was hesitant was a lie, he didn’t want to linger and the whole scene was overwhelming.
He sighed, her girlfriend screamed and carried the cake she bought into the kitchen, where her grandmother was delivering the plates for dinner. He followed her, repeating his name a million times to different cousins, and every time it seemed more appeared. He couldn’t speak much Spanish, but everyone tried to make him feel included.
It seemed that they arrived late, because soon everyone was sitting outside the house, eating in an uncomfortable position but with a filled heart. He saw it with different eyes, meeting a new part of the woman he loved for so long, the caring and shy girl he was always around changed when her mother tongue came out. Bossy, as usual; teasing and manipulating her younger cousins. She was the baby of seemingly all of the men in the house, specially her grandfather.
Loud and messy, but it was loving.
He accepted every plate and drink they offered to him, his pants already tight on his waist. He took his belt off, just like the jacket. It was a cool night, but everyone felt hot around. He had trouble following many of the conversations around, but he found himself feeling great to share a nice moment with a big family that now was welcoming him in.
Levi didn’t understand many of the traditions around, since most of them carried a religious background he never had before. The ladies held a conversation filled with giggles about underwear of special colors for different wishes, and he was tempted to pull her to one of the rooms inside to check what color his lover had on, it was obvious from the heated eyes he was giving at her, enjoying the way her cheeks warmed up.
He saw one of the girls getting under the table, some of the men carrying a dollar in their pants and others put keys in their shoes -to manifest a home, they said.-
But when everyone stood around and the radio pulled out a special song, he noticed how they began passing around vases filled with round and juicy grapes. He was about to eat one, when (y/n) arrived by his side, stopping him with alarmed eyes.
“No, Levi! You cant just eat them, baby.”
“Why not? You give them to me…”
She chuckled like he was a fucking clown, making his heart swell with devotion.
“You eat them once we start to count the 10 seconds until midnight, and for every grape you make a wish. We just serve them a bit early so when the time arrives, everyone already has their grapes.” She explained.
The song in the background was already making some sob, eyes watering around. He noticed the same effect on her girlfriend, her hands shaking as they called a family member that was not in the country and everyone started counting together.
His arms wrapped on her waist, watching her eating the grapes and looking at her family with shiny eyes, mumbling something lowly -probably her wishes.- And when the song ended, and fireworks illuminated the sky, she turned with open arms and offered him the warmest hug and kiss.
“Happy New Year, my love. May this year give you so many blessings that you can’t even remember any sadness from your past.”
His eyes watered, and he mumbled another congratulations back, seeing her going for more hugs with her family, and they also taking him in, with hugs and filling his forehead and cheeks with kisses.
Levi hates crowds, loud places and the heat of multitudes. And physical touch.
But he embraced everyone back, accepted the kisses with a deep blush and humbled himself to the kind of love he never thought to experience, specially from strangers that tonight, became his family.