chessieabernathy:
Ben didn’t pry, and Chessie gave him the same respect – It’s what made her enjoy their banter, knowing he wasn’t going to bother her about who she’d slept with recently, nor would she ask him about Quinn. She gave him an eye roll, a scoff following, as if he’d insinuated something beneath her. “I can name a few things I’d rather do than drink an ‘ice cold beer’, but I don’t want to scare the rest of the guests with graphics,” Chessie poked, before gesturing to the bar they had set up in the corner of the living room. “If you stopped your moping for half a second, you wouldn’t have missed one important detail.”
“Please don’t. Let's keep this party PG-13. It’s fine, no one around here could even come close to making the beer they had in Greece. It was amazing,” Ben was always reminiscing. “Hey, I am not moping. That’d mean that I’m trying to have a bad time and I’m not trying to have a bad time at all. I’m just waiting for the drama because I know it’s inevitable,” He considered himself above drama and all of the Upper East Side antics at this point in his life. “I guess I’m going to have to have a gin and tonic like a barbarian.” He was teasing her completely, only because he liked the wisecracks they were both able to deliver.
bishopkirbcy:
News and rumors traveled fast around here. Bishop was no stranger to that. Despite how much he didn’t like the other man, he was at last attempting some level of friendliness. His sister was a stranger, but she still had the Kirbey name, so there was something to that. And he still had the Vanderbilt name. Whatever that meant, because neither Ben nor King seemed to care for the title. “She does.” Bishop’s voice was blunt, his eye ticking to look at Ben without moving his head. “I really haven’t the inclination to do the cliche winter in New York that people make Instagram famous.” Bishop’s instagram had been lacking in posts for months now. Same with his twitter. The last tweet was in reference to Blur burning down and his condolences. “I guess both that and skinny dipping would be rock bottom, truthfully.”
He stared at the other man. A part of him was weary as to why Bishop was even continuing the conversation. He made it clear that he didn’t want anything to do with Ben. And that was enough for Ben to give up. “There’s a reason why I haven’t posted on social media in years,” He mentioned, “Trust me. Instagram fame isn’t it at all. Social media’s fake. It’s unhealthy,” He lectured even though Bishop didn’t ask for one. “But I do think it’d be very entertaining to be in trouble for skinny dipping out of everything. I’d do it if the police weren’t up my ass.”
duchessb:
“They might let them believe in Santa longer then. Beer is more accessible to most father’s sitting around wrapping presents for kids. And to be honest let’s think about this… children with dads did have a Santa Klaus if you think about it because it’s some man who drinks and shows up to give you presents and acts like he’s owed something for it.” A shrug lifts Beau’s shoulders as she glances over to Ben, pursing her lips for a moment. She wasn’t sure what caused her to go off on that tangent, but she could blame Chessie’s plying her with Champagne, if nothing else.
“Or their father might just tell them the truth.” That’s what Ben’s dad did after he moped one too many times about not being able to see Santa deliver gifts. “Good for them for still being able to wrap nicely. Maybe we should just be getting rid of the Santa myth and giving the load of work to dads. ” Were all dads that fucked up? “Yeah, that’s the difference between milk and beer. Milk makes Santa seem so pure, I guess and beer makes me think he has an alcohol problem.” Ben said with a shrug. “At least if he was having champagne, it’d make me think he was a man of superior taste.”
You ever get in a Mood where you just wanna poof off to another country, erase your history, re-write your identity, and become a mysterious figure who’s never been photographed but occasionally appears in paintings done by unknown artists
quinnxarchibald:
Quinn couldn’t believe that this was happening, that this was his life. If it had been any other day or any other event, he might have played it cool, acted like none of this bothered him. Tonight though, with alcohol running through his veins, Quinn didn’t care about the consequences. As soon as Ben spoke, as soon as he tried to act as if nothing had happened, as if the past two years were nothing, Quinn saw red. Before he knew it, he’d already drawn his his fist back before letting it connect with Ben’s face.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” He practically yelled as he took a step back from Ben, mind still reeling. He couldn’t believe that Ben would walk in here acting like he hadn’t ruined Quinn’s life, like he hadn’t just disappeared and left Quinn to fight on his own.
He knew Quinn pretty well. Ben thought his own face was safe. “Fuck,” He said, cupping his face as soon as he felt the skin split open. He wasn’t sure what the hell to do now. Ben wasn’t going to hit him back, not when he deserved it. However, a part of him felt his fists tensing up. They were supposed to be talking this out, not using their fists.
Ben wiped off the blood on his white cuffs, not caring if he ruined them or not. He should’ve blended in with the damn walls as soon as he spotted Quinn. He always pinned Quinn as a lover and not a fighter. That shows how much he knew about him now. He wanted to egg Quinn on more, knowing that he deserved it. A part of him hoped he’d feel less guilty once Quinn was done. But what was a good fight without Ben at least hitting him once? As soon as Benjamin made contact with Quinn’s, he immediately regretted it. “Shit, are you alright?”
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.”
kirbcy:
The sound of his voice drew a slow look from Bishop. It was hard to not recognize him, despite the fact that the man had aged some. This was the man that his sister decided to marry. It seemed to fit, just in that moment, that they were together. Granted, Bishop didn’t know Ben and he didn’t know King anymore either. Bishop stiffened against the smooth tone Ben had, like they had known each other all their lives, like he had been invited to the wedding, or even knew about it when it happened. Bishop had to bite his tongue as to not let fly a completely scathing remark. “Why does that even matter to you? You’re an in-law by title only.”
He heard about what happened, Bishop had been through a lot recently. The least Ben could do was cheer him up. And if King cared about him so much, that meant Ben cared about him as well. “I’m not just talking to you because you’re my brother-in-law now,” He stated. “This party’s supposed to be a fun time. Can I get you another drink? Or two?” Ben offered.
monty-santos:
“Yeah, I guess. If you say so,” Monty shrugged, even though he didn’t really feel like he was really that strong of a person. And while he knew that others would probably protest, it didn’t change the feeling. “So clearly you went to France, anywhere else exciting you went while you were gone?” he asked, trying to get the subject off of him.
“Oh yeah, I was all over the place. One of my favorite countries was Greece. Everything’s so modern yet not modern there,” He said, trying to sound like he was cultured. “I went all around the EU, I’m surprised we didn’t run into each other. I ran into King in Italy, like what were the odds of that? I really think that being abroad changes you, in a good way, of course.”
kirbcy:
The moment Blur burned down was the moment that Bishop went missing. Well, in spirit. His body was present at every meeting, his mind spewing nothing but business, curbing any condolences with a glance that kept it business. His phone was a log of unanswered messages and emails from friends and family. The only hope they had was to turn it into business and he may answer, but only in regard to business. This holiday was the first time he had been to a social event since Celia’s death, and bitterness was on his tongue just like the scotch. This was an attempt to get some bearing back on his life, despite the fact that he was not ready to face any of it.
Benjamin found himself loosening his tie a bit before stretching out the kinks in his neck. He did not miss all of these people, but he sort of did miss the partying. Once he spotted Bishop, he walked right on over to him. He had a soft spot for the Kirbey’s for some reason.“Hey, Bishop,” He said nonchalantly. Ben didn’t want to sound like he was sucking up to his brother-in-law. Even if he was. Sue him for wanting to be liked. Wait, no, don’t sue him. “Are you enjoying yourself so far?”
wrenabernathy:
“Well, it’s healthy. For your bones, and stuff.” Wren didn’t mess about when it came to his health regime, but regardless, he smiled faintly as he spoke. Wren knew that when they were younger, Ben and Quinn had been close, and after that confusing blast from Gossip Girl Wren had been left with more questions than he liked to admit - but it had all paled next to his break up with Quinn. And so, Wren was fine being polite to the returned Ben, but it feel weird to talk to him, as if too much was still unclear to him. “Oh, yes, she wouldn’t be an Abernathy if she wasn’t,” Wren replied to Ben’s last comment with a smile, though it would sound slightly bitter if Chessie could hear him. Keeping up appearances, that was all that mattered to the Abernathy dynasty - being a good host certainly came with that. “So .. why did you decide to come back?” Wren tried tentatively, not sure where that question would lead them.
“So is kale but you don’t see me downing it every day,” He replied jokingly. Fuck, he really should watch what he put into his body more. There was a lot of shit he put into it. “Yeah, she lets me have some coffee in the morning which y’know, I’m a simple guy. Give me some coffee and I’m set,” The smile completely faded from Ben’s face as Wren asked the question. It seemed like the big elephant in the room. What was he doing back? He hadn’t revealed to anyone that he was here to make amends with Quinn even if Gossip Girl had outed him. As far as he was concerned, it was no one’s business besides his and Quinn’s. Ben then gave a slight shrug, “I guess I felt like it was time for a visit. It’s been a few years,” He tried to sound composed while he answered Wren, “It’s nice to see that not much has changed. I feel like I’m right at home,” That was a lie as well, “How about you? How have you been?”
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