Baby you're a firework [4th of July Gathering]

[jeongbro]

From Candlewood, Henry could hear the party going on northeast of town, the thud of distance bass and the pop of fireworks and the shrill of cars put to the test. And how shit was that?

He texted Blue, first. A soft, subtle inquiry, a joke of an invitation, but a broad one. One for all of them. He remembered Ronan's arm in that cast, and him saying it was from Kavinsky, and Henry had no duty to them, but it would be good to keep all of them away from the mess that was going on at that party outside of town. None of them had to come, of course. They were all their own people, adults--and a ghost who was as good as one, in Henry's eyes--and they were each allowed their own decisions.

So Henry texted Any plans for the 4th Wendybird? And then he followed it up, even before she could answer, I think my place could use some Virginian charms.

He had no decorations. Fourth of July over the past two years had become a thing tainted by Joseph Kavinsky. But he could, easily, go down a couple blocks and buy more two-liter bottles of Pipsy and lemon-lime soda than he could possibly need, and some liquor and mixers, and chips and dip. If he didn't use it all up, he'd bring it to Panoptes. And that seemed like a good enough way to ignore that Joseph Kavinsky was trying to blow himself up, to him.


[Running as a gathering]

Comments

[iwasmore]

Noah didn't mind missing the Fourth of July party down at the old fairgrounds. He could have made it earlier in the day, but after the carnival, solstice, and Pride, he was okay skipping one. Only yesterday they'd had a little party for Adam, and sometimes those kind, with just a few people, were even more fun. Also, thanks to Pride, Noah even had something American-ish to wear that someone had been selling.

He wasn't sure if he was supposed to bring anything, so he'd brought some cookies and some board games if anyone got in the mood for them. And also some pot. Just in case.

[thedreamthief]

For one hot second, Ronan actually considers going to Kavinsky's shitshow of a party. There are signs all over town, though fewer of them than there had been at the start thanks to Ronan.

Despite what he knows of the last party, despite what he's been told by Adam and Noah and Gansey alike -- or maybe even because of what he's been told -- Ronan nearly goes. Not to drink, of course. Not to party. No, he'd go for another reason altogether.

It's Blue who mentions Cheng's as an alternative. It doesn't feel like much of a second choice, but Noah's excited for it. And Adam is amenable.

So here he is, slumped against a wall, attempting to numb the self-destructive itch under his skin with his third beer of the night. It feels like a fucking kiddie party compared to what he knows is going down with Kavinsky right now, juvenile and innocent. But there's no one at that party he really needs to see. Almost everyone he gives a shit about is right here, in this room.

And Cheng.

[incognoscibilis]

Even without the annual Kavinsky shitshow, Adam's memories of the Fourth of July were not particularly favorable. It was a lot of his drunk dad and their drunk friends setting off fireworks and burning themselves. Or some drunk teenagers and their drunk friends tying a roman candle to a dog's tail or throwing them as close as they dared to people's windows. The thought of having someplace distant and almost sterilely civilized had its appeal.

And he knew that Ronan wouldn't go if he didn't.

So Adam went and parked himself with a Cola away from the window, rearranging the chips around the edge of his plate.

[incognoscibilis]

"The disaffected outsider propping up a wall look doesn't really work when there's only five of us here," Adam said. He held out a glass of water he'd poured from the pitcher on the table for Ronan to drink. Three beers was a good breaking point for water, he figured, hating himself a little for how he counted how many drinks his friends had. Three beers, water, and some food.

Adam told himself to stop being irrational in the same moment that he told himself that he was being perfectly reasonable.

"We should've found one of those balcony grills and cooked something up," he said, feeling strangely stilted with Henry in their midst. His was not a bad presence but it did still change the dynamic and left Adam on his tiptoes.

[thedreamthief]

"Nice shirt," Ronan says, tipping his beer against his lips for a quick drink before digging his fingers into the bowl of Fritos and chomping into one. He can't help feeling like he's some kind of party organized by a suburban house mom where over half the people invited failed to show up.

Across the room, Cheng is busy talking to both Blue and Adam and Ronan takes another swig of his beer to dull the flare of irritation under his skin. It doesn't work.

"How long do I have to stay to make it look like I give a shit about being here?" he asks, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth.

[thedreamthief]

Ronan scowls at the glass of water Adam holds out to him, but after only a few seconds thought, he takes it, flashing a grin that's more of an irritated grimace before taking a sip of it. Then taking another sip of his beer. If he's going to get through tonight, he's gonna need a lot more alcohol than Adam probably thinks is wise.

But he does appreciate the effort of lessening his hangover.

"Should've just stayed home," he argues, glancing across the room at where Cheng sat happily talking to Noah and Blue. "Why the fuck are we even here?"

[jeongbro]

"Hi!" Henry said, enthusing the presence, the cookies and board games. He spotted the weed and managed to keep his smile close and polite. After all, he had no problems with it; lots of the Vancouver crowd smoked, and Henry did as well, from time to time. But his Darrow apartment was meant to be a sanctum tonight.

"Nice shirt," he said with a smile, and relieved Noah of his food stuffs, for now. "If you have plans to smoke, my bedroom window goes to the fire escape? I just don't know how well the apartment ventilates."

[jeongbro]

Henry was not avoiding Ronan, exactly, but he was incredibly aware of where he was in the apartment and the fact that the taller boy was watching him like this little get together would be better if Henry had volunteered his place and then left.

So, Henry was going to drink, and be aware of Ronan scowling at him from the wall, until he worked up the gumption to go over there. It took significantly less drink than he thought; he didn't even feel buzzed. Maybe that was a good thing.

"I'm glad you came," Henry said, and he meant that, even if Ronan didn't believe him.

[jeongbro]

"You know," Henry said, parking himself at a respectable distance to Adam in case Adam didn't want to be seen consorting with him at his own party, "I think you're supposed to eat the chips? Cards make a bit of a better tower."

He didn't ask if Adam appreciated the gesture of the sodas, because Henry was not doing this for praise or attention. The fact that Adam had a cup and it was being used spoke of a quiet sort of trust. Henry was trying.

[iwasmore]

"Thanks," Noah says with a smile, even though he isn't quite sure if Ronan is complimenting it for real or just being sarcastic. "I got it at Pride. I couldn't believe it when I saw it, actually. I guess there are enough Americans here to show interest."

Noah follows Ronan's gaze to where the other three are talking, and then back to Ronan. He presses his finger against Ronan's mouth to shush him.

"That would imply you're succeeding at doing that in the first place. What's the big deal?"

[iwasmore]

"Thanks, I found it at Pride. I thought it was nicer than the only clean red shirt I own," he says, following Henry in.

"I brought it in case you like it, like an apartment warming gift. I guess you don't? That's okay, nobody else here does. Ronan prefers alcohol, and Blue and Adam aren't really into anything," Noah says, returning the little bag to his pocket. As far as he knows it doesn't bother any of them, but he realizes he doesn't do it much around them in the first place.

Mostly parties with adults, which is kind of weird, now that he thinks about it...

"Is anyone else coming, or just us four?"

[thedreamthief]

Ronan watches Henry's approach with a single arched eyebrow. He tips his head back for another drink as he pushes himself away from the wall and plunges his hand into the bowl of Fritos. When he turns back, Cheng's still here, watching him carefully. Warily.

"Shut it, Cheng," he says popping one of the curled corn chips into his mouth with a snap. "We both know I'm only here because these losers dragged me along."

He crosses his arms then, knocking his shoulder against the wall. He cocks his head, gaze assessing. "So what is this anyway? Some kind of fundraiser?"

[thedreamthief]

Ronan's brow furrows and he jerks back at the press of Noah's finger to his lips, scowling.

"Fuck off, at least there's beer," he snarls, though he keeps his voice low, more sulk than bite. He takes another drink then before looking back at Noah, eyes narrowed, a frown still creasing his lips. "You really like him?"

[jeongbro]

Henry wanted to point out that Ronan could not have it both ways--Henry could not both shut it and answer the questions, unspoken and spoken alike. He wanted to point out that, no, he thought Ronan was here because his alternative options were disapproving sidelong glances from people who mattered to him or bitterness because his friends had left him behind.

But Henry was fine being the target of Ronan's wrath, as long as he didn't try to start something.

He sipped his drink, speculative. "If this were a fundraiser, I would have done my cold pitch already. Also, I would have invited people who might actually consider raising funds."

[jeongbro]

Henry chuckled a little, and then waved a hand, sort of meekly. "No--I mean, I don't mind it. Ryang and Rutherford, back home, were more into that scene than me. I just don't want to make the atmosphere more stressed than it already is--will be--might become?"

Henry was distinctly aware that, perhaps, this get together had been a bad idea. Blue and he and Noah got on well, and he and Adam didn't dislike each other, but he didn't want to cause tensions.

"No, it's just us," Henry said, a bit shyly. He knew other people, but-- "I wanted to spend time with Henrietta."

[iwasmore]

Noah grins briefly and pops a chip into his mouth. He raises an eyebrow at Ronan as he chews.

"Why wouldn't I?" he asks. He knows Ronan doesn't like most people. (Which, sometimes, when he bothers to think about it, he wonders why Ronan likes him. It's not like inclusion in the group means friend of Ronan: case in point, Blue for awhile.) But Noah does like most people, so he isn't sure why Ronan would expect him not to like Henry. "He's nice. He helped Gansey back home, by the way."

[iwasmore]

"So what you're saying is I should get Ronan to smoke some?" Noah whispers, leaning in conspiratorially with a barely-hidden smile. In truth he doesn't think Ronan will do anything. He might act cranky, but Noah just can't see him getting into an altercation with Henry, and certainly not with anyone else here.

At least he hopes not.

"Oh, okay. Hey, can you play any instruments?"

[iwasmore]

Noah sits down next to Adam, knocking his shoulder very gently against Adam's and then just leaving it there to lean against. "I brought your birthday crown with me in case you want to wear it again today," he whispers like a secret, knowing Adam likely won't want to here in front of Henry who he's still getting to know. Hell, he might not have even wanted to wear it yesterday, either, but Noah can't help himself. You're supposed to feel special on your birthday.

[formicine]

Blue is sure that there must be some nostalgia in her, at some point before the fourth of July became synonymous with Joseph Kavinsky in her mind -- and he had only had the last two years to make that mark, but between the effect at her own school and the horrific mess that was last July, it was a pretty indelible one.

She can't summon it. Her family isn't really the barbecues type. She's not especially patriotic, and too many boys in Henrietta take it as an excuse to get drunk, ride around on ATVs and try to set themselves on fire. Or other people: once when she was small she'd gotten a firework thrown at her. She'd accepted the colossally stupid risk of picking it up and throwing it back while the older boys laughed.

So when Henry texts her, she texts back, I'll rally the troops with a little firework emoji.

Well, they didn't all look rallied, but they were here, which is the best she can do as a stand-in general. She refills her cup and plunks herself down next to Henry on the sofa declaratively, and doesn't think too hard about Gansey not being here. "I didn't say thanks for all of this," she waves at the party favors, "earlier."

[thedreamthief]

"Or maybe you did and they didn't show," Ronan points out with a smirk, pointing vaguely at the weirdly empty living room. If Ronan didn't know better, he'd assume Cheng invited only them, like some sort of fucking Henrietta reunion or something.

He narrows his eyes then, lips quirking into a grin. "Don't tell me we're the only friends you have here, man."

Friends, of course, is a loose term. The others may be be all too eager to include him, but Ronan hasn't extended that hand. And after everything Cheng's told him about the ties between their two families, he's not seeing that change anytime soon.

[formicine]

Ronan is here, and that's probably all Blue can ask for, but the sullen expression and back to back beers are starting to get to her. She takes an opportunity to excuse herself from where Noah and Henry are chatting and leans on the wall next to him, popping a chip into her mouth.

"You look like an 8 year old dragged to the fancy party," she informs him, face carefully neutral. "It's kinda killing the vibe."

[jeongbro]

Henry arched a brow at Ronan, because as far as taunts went, it wasn't a very good one. If Ronan had it his way, Henry was fairly certain that this--sans him--would be his friend group. Also, the taunt seemed to entirely miss Henry's point that a fundraiser need not have people you liked or even got along with, just people who would potentially contribute to the cause.

"The only ones that would appreciate making jokes out of Kavinsky potentially blowing himself up," Henry settled on. Because there were too many people in this place that not only know Joseph Kavinsky, but knew him and still wanted to know him. And the other friends, if they could be called that, that he'd made--Yona and her strange collection of boys; Tony Stark; Tris--did not know or fear Kavinsky as they should.

[jeongbro]

Things were odd. Henry knew why that was. It was not only him, and not only the day. It was because Gansey ought to be here to smooth the whole thing out, to oscillate seamlessly between each of them. To pull Ronan away from the wall and Henry out of his slightly nervous corner of the couch until all of them became one puzzle, laid out to show this: teenagers laughing about how stupid this holiday was, young people enjoying each other's company in a safe place. Henrietta.

He smiled at Blue, sipped his drink and did not lean toward her though he wanted to. He was hyperaware of Ronan's continuously critical staring.

"Glad to be of service," he said, genuine instead of gallant. "I figured, after last year...we could all use something quieter."

[jeongbro]

Henry laughed softly and wobbled a hand, indecisive. Comme ci comme ça. He had no objection to anything, so long as it was on the fire escape and not in the apartment. He wanted this to feel like an escape for everyone, not a knock-off version of a substance party.

"I appreciate the gesture," Henry said earnestly. Then he blinked, a little baffled. "I...played violin, for years? I haven't, since I moved to Virginia. Does a karaoke machine count as an instrument?"

[formicine]

She laughs at that. "Yeah, I think I could go a long time without showing my face at one of Kavinsky's parties. Not that I thought it was likely to be a possibility, after that." Blue frowns at herself. That sounded harsh, as though she was relieved for his death, as though it was convenient for her. She doesn't like him, hasn't forgiven that other him, but that isn't at all how she'd felt, what she'd meant. The entire experience just sort of sits in her chest, not entirely processed. "I mean." She waves a hand. "You know. This is better."

She folds one leg under her and glances obliquely at where Ronan and Adam are talking in the corner. "On the other hand, part of me wants to put on some truly obnoxious music, if Ronan's going to be antisocial anyway."