Monty-santos‌:

taterodriguez‌:

“Parties in the Upper East Side are the only good thing about Manhattan,” Tate had grown to detest Manhattan and everything it had stood for.  The drama and politics of it all had grown to be too much and sometimes they wish they had been able to abandon it all and leave the way Monty and Ben had done, but they had unfortunately set roots here.  “Honestly, don’t let them get to you.  They feed off of drama so just don’t give it to them.”  Tate gave a shrug of their shoulders before sipping their vodka.  “Don’t be a stranger, I’ve heard the food is pretty good.”  Tate boasted playfully.  “Only since you haven’t had the chance to taste my food.”

“King?”  Tate hadn’t been able to keep track of people these days especially if they hadn’t been around since their days of Nightingale Prep.  “Why does that name sound familiar? – Anyway, congratulations.  I’ll drink to that,” Tate chuckled before finishing their vodka.  “Please, I’ll never say no to that.”

"Have you been to SantaCon? That comes in a close second,” He had never been but he heard about it. People dressed in Christmas gear while drinking. Now that sounded like a good time. Tate was giving some good advice, advice that Ben should probably listen to. However, most of the time, information went in one ear and out the other for him. “It’s hard not to when I guess I’m this drama filled apparently,” He confessed to them. “I’m sure it is,” Was it as good as the food he had abroad, though? That was the real test. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“King Kirbey, she’s the hot blonde at this party,” He pointed out, shocked they didn’t know exactly who she was. “And she’s Bishop’s sister,” He added, seeing if it would ring any bells. “Thanks, I’ll drink to that too,” He decided. “How about we skip the chaser and go right for some shots?” Ben suggested. 

planning on running back to europe now that something has gone wrong?

“Where I go is none of anyone’s business.” He answered. He was a bit defensive when it came to running away. Yes, he was a wimp when it came to facing his consequences but that was for him and only him to admit to himself. “Right now, I’m staying here.” He was at least going to finish what he started here. Beyond that was a mystery to him. “I don’t know who this concerns anyways.” He’d keep King in the loop and well, anyone else didn’t matter. “Thanks for the concern, though.” 

arlovasquez‌:

chessieabernathy‌:

She hardly hears what the say, focus taken by the small bag they’re passing around. Part of her immediately regrets letting Arlo take the first hit, purely from her own impatience. It’s a bad idea, intentionally taking something laced, especially given her current state – But thanks to the high she’s already riding, Chessie doesn’t care. With a smile, she takes the bag from Ben, staring at it for a moment with bottom lip caught between her teeth. 

She cuts a line, and takes it with ease. Eyes falling shut soon after, she wipes at her nose to get rid of any excess, sniffling in the process. Breathing deeply, she nods, “S’fuckin’ lovely.” Chessie settles with, words slightly slurred, as she turns to Arlo with a grin, confirming his words from a moment ago. “I wish I would have got more,” she continues, a certain dizziness finding her after. Had the room always been spinning? Trying to disregard it, Chessie dips her finger into the small bag, picking up the last of the contents to rub against her gums. Trying to enjoy the moment, she takes a deep breath in, pushing her hair out of her face and behind her ears – Instead of commenting on how hot the room had begun to feel, or the way her heart was slamming against her chest. 

“Honestly? I think I’m okay without any more. I feel absolutely wonderful and like I could do anything,” Arlo said, leaning himself back to lay on the floor. 

When he got high with marijuana, the room would become less focused and almost whimsical in a way. Things would shift ever so lightly but everything would feel light to him in the process. With cocaine, however, he was finding himself sharp and focused, a welcome difference. 

“I can hear the music really well,” he said pushing himself up to stand. “Chessie, you should dance with me!” He extended a hand towards her. 

Could she really handle more? Damn, he was impressed. Here he was assuming Chessie would be the lightweight out of all of them when it was really him. That’s what he gets for not doing this shit for two years. He was pretty content for now. He felt like he could be anything he wanted to be at this point. King Kong, Jeff Goldblum. Whoever he wanted to be thanks to Chessie and Arlo for sharing their stash. 

With a nod, he agreed with Arlo, “I’m good right now.” He said as he leaned back more. “Ben watched Arlo invite Chessie up, perfectly content to stay on the floor. “Yeah, you two do that.” He said with a laugh, “In the meantime, I’ll be looking for my beer.” 

chessieabernathy‌:

There was no way for them to go about this conversation without any tension, or the obligatory awkwardness. How could they? At least he wasn’t trying to bring up New Years, wasn’t tryin to make her talk to him about the hospital, rehab, or anything in between. A shoulder shrugged as he questioned her, not bothering to give him an actual, complete answer. She’s quite for another moment as he speaks, taking another inhale. Chessie remains quiet for a moment too long, but doesn’t dawn on it – Instead, she wordlessly pulls a cigarette from the pack, handing it to him without turning to him. “I think s’the first good idea you’ve had in a while.” She finds herself say, glancing over to him as she exhales. 

Are you coming back soon? Chessie looks away as he questions her, a sad look finding her face. “No,” She isn’t happy about the answer – Living with O, King, and Ben had been fun, and she’d come to enjoy the mornings where she and Ben shared a pack of cigarettes and sipped on coffee. Moving in with Wren, however, felt like a decent enough idea – Surely one that would make it a bit easier to stay sober, given that he barely even touches wine. “The movers took everything to my brother’s, I’m going to be staying there for a while.”

Good ideas. Yeah, he wasn’t full of very many good ideas. Now bad ideas, that’s where he flourished. Ben took the lighter out and quickly lit the cigarette. Smoking was a habit he had especially when he felt nervous or uncomfortable. It occupied his mouth, giving it something to do. “Something you should know about me is that I never really have good ideas. If I suggest something in the future, it’s always best to say no to me.” He said with a shrug. It was something he just accepted at this point. Or maybe he just had bad luck. That could be a possibility too. 

His lips formed a frown as he listened to her explain. Was she ever going to be coming back? Who even knew if he’d still be here by the time she got back. “It’s different without you there,” He admitted,  “And I’m not sure if it’s just because King is really mad at me or because you were the reason we all got along without any hiccups.” He exhaled some smoke, before looking at her. “I’m sure you’ve heard this from just about everyone but I’m glad you’re okay. It’s good to see you.” 

iamrenanpacheco

TITLE: Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me. LOCATION & DATE: Arlo’s Place & Early New Year’s Day (1/01/19) SUMMARY: After a night of drinking and getting high, Ben gets busted. However, that doesn’t stop him from resisting. AKA Benjamin Vanderbilt is an idiot.  TRIGGERS:  Oding, mentions of drug use, mentions of arrest and jail

It was destiny that he had run into Chessie or Arlo. Or rather, that they had ran into him. Or met him in the same room. Whatever. And now he was feeling this high all over again. It felt like wind on a crisp fall day to him. He felt something he hadn’t felt in two years. He was pretty damn out of it but it’s not like he really knew that. He thought that he was completely coherent. 

Then when Chessie went down, it didn’t hit him much. It should’ve brought him back to reality. Instead, he just saw her go down without it registering. He then spent the rest of the night, away from others. With a little baggie tucked away in his pocket. How it got there, he wasn’t sure but he knew he’d save it for a good time. 

When uninvited guests made their way in, Ben tried to quickly get up from the floor but pretty much stumbled over. 

“Hey, hey, hey. What are you doing?” He asked, his words completely slurred. Next thing he knew he was against the wall with his hands behind is back. 

“If you fellas wanted some too, all you had to do was ask.” He announced as they searched his suit. Fuck. The counsequences of his actions weren’t something he was really thinking about, his thought process was blurred but he knew that this probably wasn’t good. He should’ve just fucking left with King when they were talking about it. Now Ben was stuck in a god damn mess with no one to save his ass. Talk about being a Damsel in Distress. 

“We were making it snow since it’s not even cold outside!” He exclaimed, not helping his case. He was told to be quiet immediately but he couldn’t shut the fuck up. The adrenaline rushing through him was warping his judgment completely. Maybe this was a nightmare. Maybe he was dreaming. That could be the case. He was a heavy sleeper. This could’ve just been his guilt. Yes, that made the most sense. This couldn’t have been real. 

“Can Olivia Benson at least arrest me?” He asked one of the cops as they took him off the wall. The Miranda Rights being read to him were muffled. He couldn’t hear shit. It sounded like a bunch of idiots in a room talking. “These handcuffs are really tight.” He made it seem like he was talking to old buddies. There was no filter. He was just blurting whatever the hell he was thinking. Next thing he knew, he was being led by a police officer out of the building. It felt worse than the walk of shame. At least with the walk of shame, you weren’t being carried out by police officers. Fuck this.

The worst part was getting booked, and telling him that he had one phone call. He couldn’t call his mom, he hadn’t spoken to her in two years. He couldn’t call his sister. Besides, he knew he was going to call King. However, he wasn’t sure what the results of his actions would do to her or them. They were here for Ben to make amends, not to get actually arrested this time. But he had to suck it up to get the fuck out of here. That meant putting on his big boy pants and calling his wife.

chessieabernathy‌:

In the short time King and Ben had lived with O and Chessie, the latter had become decently close to Ben. And after O was jetted off to international meetings and shows for two weeks, she had grown more fond of their visitors-turned-roommates, feeling as though the four were building a sibling-esque relationship. She’d begun to look forward to her morning coffee and cigarette with Ben, and while this morning was motivated by the inability to sleep, it was no exception to a rule. His words provoked an eye roll, though she didn’t fight his request – Her own headache was in full swing, as well. “I’m not sure,” Chessie responded quietly, glancing out the large balcony windows before continuing. “I’m not sure my nicotine addiction is bad enough to make me trek through snow, though.” She spoke bitterly, another eye roll following. “And going to change sounds like too much work.” Chessie couldn’t help but whine, slumping against the counter. “This coffee is so warm, I don’t know if I can move.”

He sighed at her hesitation. He’d probably go out and smoke by himself then. He was going to get a little stir crazy with all of these people in here. “Don’t be so dramatic,” He responded, which was ironic considering his own tendencies. “I’m sure it’s only a little cold out. I think you’ll be fine out there,” He gestured towards the window. “You mean your milk with a little dash of coffee.” Ever since he moved to Europe, he drank his coffee black. Everything else seemed way too weak to him now. “Put pants on and the smoke will keep you warm. I’ve needed a drag ever since I got pummeled in the face yesterday.”

quinnxarchibald‌:

monty-santos‌:

Monty knew from what Quinn had told him at the lockin that things with Ben were going to be tense. That much was given and understandable considering the situation.  However, the last thing that he had expected to see was for Quinn to punch the other man.  And as soon as he did, he started making his way over, just not getting there fast enough to keep Ben from punching Quinn back. “Hey, both of you need to break it up, take a deep breath, and calm down,” Monty snapped as he gave Quinn a look, getting between them in hopes that he wouldn’t get hit. 

As shocked as Quinn was by the fact that he’d punched Ben, he was even more shocked when the brunet punched him back. He should have known it was coming, Ben had never been the type to go down without a fight but still, the action sent Quinn stumbling back. He let out a dry laugh at Ben’s words, trying not to start crying right then and there. Of course Ben would ask if he was alright, it was just so Ben of him. It reminded Quinn of simpler times, back before the arrest and before Ben had up and left. 

Opening his mouth to speak, Quinn was interrupted by a familiar face stepping in between them. “Monty.” He replied, suddenly feeling a bit stunned. Part of him knew that he should listen to his friend but a larger part of him wanted to go right back at it, to walk up to Ben and punch him again, to make him feel exactly how Quinn felt. Taking a step back though, Quinn raised his hands in surrender, glaring at Ben before looking back at his friend.

Monty keeping himself in between the two of them led to Ben having a realization of what he was doing. He wasn’t supposed to touch his best friend. Or ex-best friend. Whatever. Ben wanted to always protect Quinn and now he was doing the opposite. He couldn’t make eye contact with Quinn or even Monty. Instead, he just stood there soaking in what just happened. 

CLOSED.

monty-santos‌:

“I never made it down to Greece, but I’ve heard that it’s amazing,” Monty nodded with a smile, “But it’s really not surprising if you look at how big all of Europe was, not to mention we probably were in very different places if we did happen to be around the same area,” he pointed out with a shrug, “But that’s good, King’s pretty great. Did you two travel together after that?”

“It’s one of my favorite places in the world. The ocean’s so damn blue there, especially compared to the crappy Hudson. But you can’t flush toilet paper cause their piping system is too old. That was something that was hard to remember when I was drunk,” Ben disclosed to the other man. “You could’ve been the third wheel if you wanted,” He proposed, “Pretty much, yeah. She somehow was able to put up with me for that long.” He let a slight chuckle out but it was true. Ben was honestly a mess when he ran into her.