riverviewlogs | [closed] a little party never killed nobody

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[closed] a little party never killed nobody

who: The IPRE + friends
what: A dinner party!
when: Novemeber 18
where: Chez IPRE
warnings: some mild drug use (alcohol + marijuana)

Party time, motherfuckers.

After sending out invitations, the IPRE (mostly Taako, because he's the most extra of the group) spends a significant amount of the week preparing for the party, making sure they have all the food, decorations, and wine necessary to put on a good evening. The whole point of this is to be a distraction from a shitty month, and to get everyone together, since they have a range of friends who haven't all met each other. They've been talking about doing something like this for months, so it's nice to finally pull it all together.

Upon arrival (and despite Taako and Lup's involvement) the decorations are minimal. Couches have been transmuted from their regular fabric to rich velvets, there's a little glitz and feathers here and there, but they didn't want to go too hard on the theme. It was just a way to have a little fun with the evening. The bar cart, on the other hand, is definitely in line with Speakeasy, featuring a lot of gin and whiskey based drinks, though anyone with a preference for wine or beer won't be disappointed.

The start of the evening is dedicated to introductions and mingling, probably helped by the alcohol, though there's also cheese and antipasto plates set out, just in case anyone was worried about not being fed at something hosted by two chefs.

As a way to break the ice, and to get people talking and having fun before the evening really kicks off, the brick wall of the small living room has been set aside as the designated backdrop for a 'photo booth', which mostly consists of a few instant cameras, including one that takes what are essentially magical gifs, so long as the button is held down for 5 seconds. There are a few props that match the theme of the evening - fur stoles, feather headbands, felt hats, long strings of pearls - to make the photos a little more fun.

Once everyone is seated in the dining room, it's time for dinner. The food brought out for the main meal is warm and rich without being too heavy, slow cooked meats and roasted vegetables can be mixed with salads and lighter sides to avoid anyone slipping into a food coma before dessert has even begun. Everything is set in the middle of the table, for people to serve themselves, so they can pick and choose what they want to try. Lup has made at least one incredibly spicy dish, so be careful.

While there's no rush to leave the table, eventually plates are cleared away (by magic, so none of the hosts have to stop chatting) and everyone is ushered into the larger of their living rooms, where the small coffee table has been replaced by a seemingly floating table that's large enough to accommodate all the desserts. There are various pies (pecan, pumpkin, cherry), apple & maple cake, chocolate tarts, brownies and trifle. There aren't quite as many options as there were on the dinner table, but it's near a thing, especially when the section of the table devoted to cream, ice cream and sauces is taken into consideration.

Dessert is an extended affair, pies will stay warm and ice cream will stay frozen for as long as they remain on the table, so people can return and try more even as the rest of the night presses on. And although the food is, really, the main attraction of any kind of event that Taako is involved with, that doesn't mean there aren't things to do other than eating.

Once the dining room table has been cleared, (plastic) champagne glasses are laid out in what might be a familiar formation to anyone who went to college, especially when a ping pong ball is added to the mix. It's beer pong! Except it's actually prosecco pong, because this is a classy joint, not some frat. Or at least, that's the excuse.

There are a few other things to do, mostly in the more generic range of party games, including a deck of Cards Against Humanity that Taako discovered a couple weeks ago and had been delighted by. He's definitely going to wrangle people into a game of Never Have I Ever, maybe Truth Or Dare, and anything else he can think of that requires drinking alcohol and saying stupid shit. What better way is there to get to know people?

As things wind down, the backdoors open up into the courtyard, where a fire is set up, cushions and blankets placed outside for people to curl up with. The fixings for s'mores are available for anyone who somehow still has room to eat more food, and there's mulled cider just in case the fire isn't enough to keep people warm. It's a nice way to wrap up the evening.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Cisco makes a psshht sound at the 'hottest man' comment, but doesn't otherwise protest it. He sinks into the seat, leaning against Eddie and staring at the flickering of the fire, feeling relaxed and a little tired and very content.

Eddie's telephone invention answer surprises Cisco pleasantly, and he chuckles. It's exactly the sort of answer he'd expect from, well, himself, or someone like Tony Stark, but not Eddie. ]

Wow, a tech-based destination, nice. Guess I'm rubbing off on you a little, huh?

[ It's not like telephones are an obscure technology, but even so. Cisco is tickled Eddie would think of that as such a pivotal moment. Hell, even the moon landing is kinda nerdy, in its own way. ]

If it were me... I'd definitely wanna meet Tesla. Just on a regular day, you know, nothing momentous. Make up some reason and just get to talk with him for a while. That's the dream.

[When Cisco makes that noise at himself, Eddie ducks to the side so he can nudge against his side, shaking his head.]

No raspberries. Just accept a compliment. Hottest guy here.

[Eddie beams a little at Cisco's comment, and laughs.]

I mean...I think it's mostly about wanting to see something that was a really big step ahead for us. Or maybe it's just that every single other historical thing I could think of was really depressing and I wouldn't be able to, you know, not do something to try to stop it.

[Reaching over, Eddie breaks off another couple of bite-sized pieces of brownie and hands one to Cisco, taking one for himself and nibbling at it.]

Tesla, Tesla...he was the guy that the other one, the one who invented light bulbs stole all his ideas from?

That's true. Lotta really memorable depressing shit. But a lot of good shit, too. People fighting for their rights and winning. People inventing vaccines that saved millions of lives. People discovering planets and stars. People making movies and art and building skyscrapers. There's plenty of good.

[ He shifts so that he can drape his legs across Eddie's lap, tucked up against his side, sharing in his warmth as the night air grows steadily cooler around them. Cisco doesn't feel anything from the brownie yet, but he figures it shouldn't be all that long. If there was one thing that magic was probably good for, it was speeding up the effects so that it wasn't quite such a wait.

And in the meantime, he launches into an animated explanation of Tesla's various ideas and inventions. Some - electric motors, x-rays, the idea of wireless transmissions - were easy enough to explain. Others - alternating currents, or reliable units for measuring flux density, were a little more technical and obscure. Cisco gets into the explanation, all gestures and an excited flow of words almost without pauses for breath. He has no idea how long he's been talking when he draws up short, laughing softly and saying: ]

Sorry. That was probably a lot more than you ever wanted to know about Tesla, huh?

[That's so Cisco, to talk about all the good things that people have done, all the positive, strong things they've accomplished. Cisco often worries about how the bad things that have happened in his life have affected him, whether he might be turning paranoid and negative, but Eddie looks at him and sees someone who still believes in goodness and positivity despite those things, someone who hasn't let go of his ability to care and see the best in people.

For a moment, he's intensely overwhelmed by how much he cares for Cisco. When Cisco shifts and drapes his legs across his lap, curls in against his side warm and cozy, Eddie feels his throat tighten, rests his cheek against Cisco's head. This is good. It's perfect, and he slowly nibbles at his bite of brownie while Cisco talks about Tesla, animated and perfect and full of life.]

Mmm, it's more than I knew I wanted to know about Tesla, but I have no regrets about asking. I like listening to you talk.

[Eddie shoots Cisco a little grin, eyes bright as he smiles at him, then finishes the bite of brownie and picks up the last piece of the first one, breaking it in two and handing Cisco another piece.]

What a good night. You know...if you'd told me a year ago that this is where I'd be now, who I'd be with, I wouldn't have believed it. But I really couldn't be happier.

[ Cisco accepts the additional morsel of brownie, staring at it as the two of them sit in silence for a moment or two. Perhaps it shouldn't mean much - such a small thing, Eddie saying he liked to listen to him talk. Cisco's gotten used to people telling him to get to the point, or translate thing "into English", or making other jokes about how he never shuts up. And he's never minded; the sort of people who do it are often people that Cisco considers associates and friends. Joe. Singh. Taako. Even Barry and Caitlin.

But it's still nice, to see Eddie smiling so warmly at him, not a bit impatient even after he went off on such a long ramble, saying he likes listening even when the topic can't possibly be as exciting to him as it is to Cisco. ]

A year ago. [ Cisco frowns, doing some quick calculations in his head. After all, their timelines don't quite match up neatly. Eddie had arrived here a month before him, but Cisco had lived through the six months after Eddie's death in Central City. ] So a year ago for you would've been... February, ish. And for me, it'd be July.

[ He gives a tiny sigh, curling in closer to Eddie. His emotions at the moment are complex - mostly happiness, but with a tinge of remembered sadness, and gratitude, and solemnity. Cisco loops his arms around Eddie's shoulders, and says, simply: ]

I wouldn't have believed it, either. July wasn't great. And this place... being here with you... I still feel like I'm going to wake up sometimes. Like, it's all too good to be true.

Edited 2017-11-26 23:46 (UTC)

[Eddie can understand why people might ask Cisco to get to the point or dumb things down for his audience - a lot of times, the things that Cisco are saying are important, vital to some mission that can't be put off, his ideas are the things that are going to save the day for all of them. In that context, it makes some sense.

But, relaxing on a pile of pillows looking at the stars next to a warm fire, quietly getting high together by nibbling on sweets, there's no reason at all to dismiss Cisco's thoughts or words. Cisco is bright and animated and happy, passionate about what he speaks about, and even if Eddie doesn't get it or doesn't share the passion, he enjoys the fact that Cisco does. His voice is great, his expression is great, and even if the topic wasn't interesting, that would be enough for Eddie.

When Cisco comments about when a year ago was for him, Eddie feels a momentary pang of sadness, and the fact that Cisco curls in closer is a big relief. Eddie's eyes sink shut for a moment while he listens, and he soothes the moment of pain by basking in the warmth and security of Cisco's body close against his.]

I'm sorry things were rough for you, back home. I'm not...really surprised, I think people tend to get brought here during really bad parts of their lives. Mine was obviously pretty bad, but... [He shakes his head a little.] ...it wasn't just the death and the kidnapping. It was stuff with Iris and Joe, and Barry and my whole life kind of felt like it was falling apart, for a few months before I got here.

[Opening his eyes, he looks down at Cisco, then lifts his hand to brush Cisco's hair back behind an ear.]

I know how you feel. That it feels too good to be true. I like it here, I like my job and Shadow and the apartment. I like being with you. I like this. I'm content. It's been a really long time since I felt that way.

[ While Eddie talks about how his life had felt like it was falling apart, Cisco heaves a sigh, clinging to him a little tighter, as if by the mere presence of his body, he could compress all that remembered sadness down into a tiny, inconsequential thing. He still feels bad about it sometimes - how he had looked right past Eddie, seeing him but not seeing him at all. Why hadn't he realized how quietly unhappy Eddie was? Why hadn't he spoken to him more, made the effort to check that his smiles weren't lies?

And he realizes, then, that he's never vocalized this, and maybe it's his verbal filter starting to slip away, but he decides he should, now. ]

I don't think I've ever apologized, for like... not noticing, y'know? Not seeing that. Not being a friend when you needed one.

[ He leans his head into the touch as Eddie plays with his hair, eyes slipping shut. It doesn't do to dwell on the past, and Cisco knows that. But he thinks Eddie deserves an apology, to hear it out loud. ]

It's been a long time for me, too.

[ Cisco had thought he was happy, working with Barry and Caitlin and Dr. Wells. He had been happy, for a while. Especially after they'd found out Ronnie was still alive, but before he'd started having gnawing suspicions about Dr. Wells. In that window he'd been really, truly happy. But that happiness had been built on such a monumental lie that in hindsight it looks hollow. Cisco wonders if that's how Eddie feels, about his engagement with Iris. ]

Can I say something really cheesy? It feels like... I was meant to be here.

[Cisco presses against him like he wants to take away all his suffering, or fill a hole left behind by the things that had happened back home, and Eddie smiles a little to himself, eyes sinking shut. Those things are never going to go away, he's always going to think about them a little, they're always going to be there making him question himself, just a little. But they're fading more quickly with Cisco's help, he feels like those things affect his sense of self-worth and how he thinks about himself a lot less than they used to.

When Cisco apologizes like that, Eddie opens his eyes and looks down at him, his fingers still caressing back through Cisco's hair.]

It's okay, Cisco. You were going through a lot of stuff then too. That was when you first started manifesting your powers, you were dealing with vibing and dreaming about Eobard killing you, and everything was happening with Barry...you don't have to apologize for taking care of yourself. I mean, the whole thing with Joe refusing to give his blessing happened the same night that whole trap thing happened. And then the kidnapping...

[Shaking his head, Eddie sighs a bit.]

It was a lot. A lot of stuff was going on, and some things were bound to get lost in the shuffle. My stuff wasn't nearly as big a deal as your stuff or Barry's stuff.

[Gently, he cups the side of Cisco's face, and leans in and kisses Cisco's forehead, his eyebrows and his nose and cheeks, then his mouth, slow and gentle.]

That's not cheesy. It's how I feel too. That I'm meant to be here. And that I'm meant to be with you.

Eddie. [ Cisco is so tempted to let it slide, to bring it up some other time, when he's not feeling the first buzz of a high coming on, when they're not at a party. But he can't. There's a touch of firmness in his voice, under the patience and softness. ] Your stuff was just as big a deal as mine, or Barry's, or Caitlin's, or any of ours. Okay?

[ He knows it's a habit of Eddie's, seeing his own struggles as less important. Diminishing himself. They've discussed it before, more than once. It's like a reflex to him, but it is one that Cisco has been gently, persistently, trying to uproot. So he reminds him, simply, briefly, that he is not less important, and then lets it go.

Cisco savors the small kisses, starting to feel pleasantly light-headed. He smiles broadly but doesn't say anything for some time, just grinning and feeling the warmth coming off Eddie's body, how his thoughts have slowed down pleasantly. He feels heavy, and lazy, and stupid, in the best way possible. Belatedly, he replies: ]

Maybe we are. I mean... soulmates, right?

[Eddie thinks he probably won't ever quite get used to this, to how Cisco gently corrects him when he says things like that, his gentle chiding as he calls Eddie out for saying his issues are less important than other people's. It's a little bit embarrassing and more than a little bit heartwarming to have Cisco stand up for him against...well...himself. No one's ever really called him out on this part of himself, people have always chalked it up to selflessness and left it at that. He's used to it being considered a good thing.

Ducking his head a bit, he smiles slightly, and leans in closer against Cisco.]

Fine. Whatever you say. You're the genius.

[Exhaling into Cisco's hair, he closes his eyes, enjoying the slight dizziness that's coming over him, the hazy lightheadedness of being high. After a moment, he kisses Cisco again, his forehead and temple, his lower lip, enjoying the warmth of his mouth and skin.]

Not sure if it's the weed or what, but your skin tastes really good. [Softly, he exhales against Cisco's hair, eyes half-shut, feeling lazy and warm and dopey.] And yeah, we are. Soulmates.

Mm, you gonna go all zombie again?

[ It's not a complaint so much as a gentle tease, particularly since Cisco shifts position so more of his face and neck is available to kiss. If the PDA gets too bad he has no doubt that Lup or one of them will step in and get a spray bottle or something; for now he's just going to enjoy the pleasant haze. ]

'm kinda excited to see what high Eddie is like.

[ You never could predict, with people. Maybe he would get really chatty, and silly. Maybe he would get quiet and giggly. Maybe (though hopefully not) he would get paranoid or stressed or totally incoherent. ]

Thanks for coming with me, 'n meeting everybody.

Nah. This is different. That was all...tactile, I guess. This is just...you know, looking at you and thinking about you and how you are and how I feel with you and how much I like you, and it's...it's not tactile. I think it's emotional. Just some extension of how much I love you...

[For a moment, he goes still, swallows hard, and exhales against Cisco's throat.]

Love being with you. You know.

[It's awkward, and he furrows his brows a little, sighing against Cisco's throat.]

Sorry, I just...apparently high Eddie is really awkward. Big surprise there, huh?

[ Cisco might not have thought twice about that little slip, through the pleasant floaty haze, if it hadn't been for the way Eddie's body tensed and went still after, the heavy silence that followed. That gave Cisco's sluggish mind a chance to catch up, to actually process it, and oh. Oh. That's... pretty big. If Eddie had meant it, of course. Hard to say, considering he's drugged, and might not be thinking too much about what he's saying, who he's saying it to, what it might mean.

His subsequent fumbling and frowning and sighing confuse the issue further; thinking about it seems like way too much effort right now, and a whole complicated emotional thing, so Cisco cuts it off by pulling him closer, letting Eddie hide his face near the curve of his neck. ]

Mmm, well, I'm into awkward Eddie. Awkward Eddie's great, and I love being with him, too.

[It's a bit of a relief, when Cisco doesn't comment or ask about the slip, because this isn't the right time or way to talk about it, and Eddie knows it. There's no denying a bit of disappointment, though, because that feeling is still sitting inside him, warm and intense, the feeling that had caused the slip up in the first place. And it feels bad even calling it a slip up when Eddie knows deep down that the only mistake had been the timing, the place, the situation.

But Cisco makes it okay, by nuzzling into the curve of his neck and whispering that he's into awkward Eddie, that he loves being around awkward Eddie too. And at that, Eddie laughs softly, shaking his head and turning his face toward Cisco, burying his nose into his hair.]

Well, you definitely have some strange taste there, Cisco Ramon.

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[closed] a little party never killed nobody

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