@kingkirbey

chessieabernathy‌:

Chessie couldn’t help but find it ironic, at how many people chose to dress as ‘saints’, herself included. She’d settled on a white dress, unable to stop herself from staring at the other guests who took the theme a bit more literally – Donning angel wings, halos, horns, the like. It didn’t take her long to find Ben, who seemed to have the same idea she did regarding a costume. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes as he spoke, “Living in Europe really made a douche, you know that?” Chessie lets out without question, a laugh following before taking a sip of her drink. “I think I’ll stick to my gin and sense of time.”

He enjoyed his routine morning smoke with Chessie for the past few weeks that he and King had been here. Maybe it was the bond of smoking that brought them together. However, he did like to poke fun at her. “Do you really think you should be wearing white?” He chuckled. “I don’t think it was living in Europe that really made me one,” He pretty much credited all that to where and how he was raised. “Gin makes me black out. Beer, on the other hand, is a social lubricant.” He tried to reply convincingly. “Weren’t you abroad for a bit? Shouldn’t you know that?”

taterodriguez‌:

Tate was sure that when he spoke of unfinished business to attend to that it had something to do with Quinn and that Tate would get some type of earful about it later this evening.  “That doesn’t sound fun,” Tate said simply.  “You should come to a party because you want to, not because you feel like you have to.  It’s an opportunity to have fun and let loose,” Tate sipped from their glass again.  “Honestly.  Not a whole lot.  Running a restaurant, writing books, you know… nothing too exciting.”

“Wife?  You’re married?”  Tate gave a raise of their brow.  The last thing Tate would’ve expected Ben to return home with was a wife, if at all.  “I mean, O has a pretty big heart, so that doesn’t surprise me at all.  It’s good that you had somewhere to stay when you got back, though.”  Tate should get an award for the amount of civility they’ve been able to maintain because they’d imagined the day that Ben had the gall to return and what would happen.  But, they’d leave that to their brother.  “I’m sure she’ll find me somewhere,” Tate chuckled.  “I don’t mind.  You’re more than welcome to stay.”

“I haven’t been in the partying mood since I’ve been back here,” He admitted, “I’ll make a real appearance when I’m ready. I’m not prepared for all of the questions that people are going to ask,” They were so accomplished compared to Ben. All he did was travel, meanwhile, they had been doing actual shit. “Good for you. I’ll have to try out the restaurant one of these days. Although, I’m expecting some sort of special treatment when I’m there,” He was fully joking, he figured no one around here would ever give him special treatment again. Especially if Tate knew what he did to Quinn. 

He forgot that not everyone knew that. “Yeah, thanks to the dude that officiated it in Greece, he married me and King,” They arrived in New York without securing a place to live so it was really lucky that O took both of them in. “Thank you, I appreciate that. Do you want another drink?”

@monty-santos

It was that strange time between Christmas and New Years Eve which meant plenty of tourists. Even on the Upper East Side. They were everywhere. Over the course of the past week, he had been thinking about Monty and his offer to volunteer. He’d never volunteer, ever. However, it didn’t hurt to at least check out one of the shelters he was talking about. And by checking out, he was just standing near it. When Ben was a bit tense, his automatic response was to take out a cigarette from his pack and light it up. He was still uncomfortable in the city, he felt like all eyes were on him. Whether that was the case or not was yet to be determined. 

Speaking of the Devil, or rather Angel in this case, Ben perked up. What were the odds? He threw his cigarette on the floor dramatically. For some reason, he wanted to be good for Monty. Or rather when he was around him. Sort of like how he was with King. He liked to think that Monty was a good influence. “Hey,” Ben tried to act casual, as if it was the norm to see him around here. “I’m really over this weather. I wouldn’t mind if the weather did a complete one eighty,” And that was true. He missed the warmth. “What are you doing around here?” He asked, hoping Monty wouldn’t inquire about him. 

taterodriguez‌:

Tate sipped at their vodka soda, crossing their legs as they allowed their self to get comfortable in their current location, knowing full well it would take a lot to pry Tate from the kitchen.  It was quiet, it was away from the typical crowd that swarmed Upper East Side parties, and there was free alcohol.  As Ben Vanderbilt came into their view, it had been like seeing a ghost.  It took a lot out of Tate to offer pleasantries but they had been unsure if Ben had been fully aware of Tate’s knowledge on his situation with Quinn.

“Honestly, never thought I’d see your face again after you left.”  Tate tried to remain civil, because it was clear he didn’t have bad intentions.  “You’re staying here with O?  Why?  I didn’t know you guys were that close,” Tate gave a raise of their brow.  O hadn’t mentioned that Ben Vanderbilt had been staying in their home.  “Honestly,” Tate chuckled before admitting.  “Hiding.  I came for the free booze and to see O because I feel like I haven’t seen her in ages.”  Tate sipped their vodka soda again.  “I mean, it’s a free world.  I’m not one to stop you.”

He was a runner. If something wasn’t going his way, he’d leave. If he was on the verge of getting in major trouble, he’d board the next flight to Europe. It just who he was. “Yeah, well, I had to come. Not because I wanted to,” He wanted to make sure that was clear, “But because I had to. I guess I just have some unfinished business. How about you? What have you been up to?” He asked in an effort to make small talk. 

Ben then nodded at them, “You’re not wrong, we really aren’t close. My wife’s pretty close to her so she’s letting us stay here for a bit. This place is pretty nice compared to where I’ve been living these past few years,” He admitted. “O’s not in here if that narrows down your rooms to find her in,” There was a bit of joking in his voice. “This is the part where you’re supposed to tell me, of course, you wouldn’t mind. But, uh, I get it.”

arlovasquez‌:

“Oh my god, the Looney Toons movie. I honestly forgot that existed. Or maybe I just thought it was some type of fever dream I had as a kid.” Arlo shrugged at Ben’s question, taking another sip. “They used polished metals and shit like that before mirrors were actually around. I don’t think they’re as good as what we have now, but I guess people would make do?”

"That movie was definitely made by people who were high,” he said with a chuckle. Thank God he didn’t live back then. Yeah, he’s one of those hipsters who thinks he could live without technology but not without a mirror. He needed to see himself when he put his hair into a bun. He had a hard time doing it without a mirror. “That’s weird. I’m glad we live in the present rather than the Rennaissance. I would’ve hated having no mirror.”

wrenabernathy‌:

Getting out of the house for non-work-related events for the first time in almost three weeks was a thing in itself, but Wren also felt like he was being watched with every step he took. That’s Wren Abernathy, his sister is the one who overdosed on New Year’s Eve, he could hear all around him. And even though he knew it was just all in his mind, it made him uber-conscious of every move he made.

So, instead of looking for the crowds, Wren was happy to find his favorite café and make his way all the way to the back to sit at the tiny round table. He’d been reading the newspaper for a few minutes when he heard glass falling and looked up to the barista who’d dropped things, and then couldn’t help but recognize the person standing just a few feet away from him. “Oh,” he said as the other also seemed to notice Wren. “Hi.”

Cafe’s reminded him of Europe. Well, sort of. Anything was better than Starbucks. Ben was longing for a pastry which is why he ended up inside in the first place. And then he saw Chessie’s brother. Shit. 

“Hey Wren,”  He said. He wasn’t sure if Wren got the full rundown of events that had occurred o New Year’s Eve. Did he know that Ben was with Chessie when she OD’ed? “How’s your sister?” He couldn’t help but ask. All of this felt too familiar and he was going to ask if she was alright any chance that he got.

monty-santos‌:

“I don’t see the point in checking out more than I’m going to read, especially since I go there once a week,” Monty admitted as he started walking, “Well for people who didn’t grow up here, it’s the dream. There’s Broadway, there’s a million and a half movies that are set here.  Not to mention all of the history that happened here and is still here.  It was the first capital of the United States after all,” he continued, fully aware of how nerdy he sounded, “Plus I think that it’s that prices are that high because of the tourists.”

“It’s not about actually wanting to do it. It’s just to see if you actually can.” There was a huge difference in his mind. Sometimes he liked to do shit just to prove that he could do it. If someone said he couldn’t do it, it made him want to do it even more. New York was no big deal to him. It was his hometown, a town that made him revert to his old ways and nothing more to it. He didn’t have many ties here, or if he did he pretty much severed them. “Until Hamilton sold it down the river.” He pointed out. “I would just rather not have tourists around here.”

quinnxarchibald‌:

Not knowing what to say, Quinn shook his head. There were so many emotions running through his head but no real words were forming. It was all just angerbetrayalfear mixing together into something dangerous. “How could you think it wouldn’t fuck things up Ben? It was me for god’s sake. The Archibald golden boy.” Quinn let out an angry sigh, resisting the urge to stomp his foot in frustration. “So you left. You ran away and let me face my parents, the media, the courts, and rehab all on my own. How kind of you.”

Ben furrowed his brows, the anger inside of him building up. He was only mad at himself. He only had a right to be mad at himself. He felt like there wouldn’t have been as many consequences if Quinn took the fall. They’d both escape unscathed. He was extremely wrong, however. “I don’t know, I wasn’t thinking straight,” He admitted. Quinn had a squeaky clean reputation compared to him. Had was the keyword. “I didn’t want to leave you to do all that shit on your own. I just didn’t know what else to do,” The guilt that Ben had after watching a man OD in front of him, unable to help, was something that was incomparable. He watched a human life leave a body. “I know it sounds bad, but...” His voice faded, realizing he shouldn’t turn this onto himself. “I should’ve just had your back,” Why couldn’t he just tell Quinn he was sorry? Why was this so hard? “I don’t know what happened.”

@quinnxarchibald

The amount of guilt that Ben felt towards a certain someone was a bit overwhelming. How do you apologize for screwing your best friend over? Quinn was probably the closest friend that he had. And he ruined it, all because of the fact that he was so desperate. His ex-best friend was the reason that he was back. Thankfully, he hadn’t run into him yet. As per usual, he spoke too soon. Fuck. He wasn’t ready to face Quinn. 

He wasn’t sure if Quinn noticed him yet, but Ben didn’t want to take any chances. He tried to find a hiding place but everything was too obvious. He didn’t want to seem like he was avoiding the other man, not when that was exactly what he was doing. Ben panicked and gave Quinn a slight smile.

“Hey,” He blurted out. He wasn’t quite sure how to act. Should he act like nothing happened? He wanted to apologize but he knew that was going to be a bit hard for him. “It almost feels like old times around here.” Ben was pretty sentimental and just downright stupid sometimes. Why would he start off by saying that out of everything?