new years eve party! ota

[the_caped_crusader]

WHO: Everybody!
WHERE: De Chima Grand Hotel (and the entire block around it)
WHEN: December 31st, 2017
WHAT: New Years Eve Bash!
WARNINGS: Drinking, partying, etc.



[De Chima's Grand Hotel is the city's most luxurious and expensive hotel, mirroring the sophistication and art-forward nature of the neighborhood that surrounds it. The space inside is an electic mix of cast-iron detailing and majestic masonry columns, all of which create a leap from the street outside to the accomodations inside. Bruce rented the entire hotel months in advance, wanting to make a gesture to imPorts and native citizens for all of the turmoil they endured over the past year. Now, instead, they could all come together and celebrate their entry into a new year, and hopefully, better circumstances.

The hotel leads party-goers up the iron wrought grand stair, hand painted silver leaf ceiling overhead, to equally beautiful hand painted elevator doors. It takes them all the way to the rooftop, a spacious outdoor oasis with unobstructed views to De Chima's own glittering New Years Eve ball. There's a premium open bar, with catered hors d'oeuvres and dessert stations. Festive hats, horns, and noisemakers are complimentary as well as Champagne at midnight.

Not to be outdone, Tony Stark has the entire street outside of the hotel set up with a DJ and the largest speaker setup anyone has ever seen, blasting an upbeat playlist of blood-pumping music. Woden is, unfortunately, uninvited from performing after the events of last month, his photo passed around to security and bouncers alike to remove him from performing. Unfortunately, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, who had planned on attending, is immediately removed from the premises by mistake. He can be heard screaming through his vocodor that there is some sort of mistake, but his cries go untended. As with the rooftop above, complimentary Champane and alcohol is served at ground level.

At midnight, the countdown begins to 2018, with a fireworks display the moment the ball drops at 12:00, a joint effort between both billionaires, and one of the few things the both of them could actually agree upon for the evening. HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE AT MOM!]

Comments

[nightmarist]

It's a strange thing, to be kissing Adam one minute and kissing Gansey the next, seemingly out of nowhere. Though Ronan understands what's happened, Gansey using his powers his a rare enough occurrence that it feels more like Ronan's in a dream. For one sweeping moment, the air fills with magic, and it could only be more perfect if Noah were here, too.

"You maniac," Ronan chides Gansey, though he sounds more impressed than reproachful. "Breaking the laws of the universe for a kiss." It's terribly romantic, leaving Ronan fighting a smile while his cheeks grow red. He draws Adam back into his arms, hugging him from behind in case Gansey wants to go for another.

[hondoyota]

"What--" Adam says, bewildered when time reverses around them and Gansey takes his kiss from Ronan. "How--how can you do that?"

Gansey kisses him, too, and Adam flushes in confusion, brow furrowing because he didn't know this was one of Gansey's powers, and it annoys him that he didn't know. He leans back into Ronan, letting Ronan support some of his weight. "You can control time?"

[disentombs]

"I can," he begins, punctuating with a peck on the lips. "I very rarely use it and Noah strongly prefers I don't, so I don't usually. He'll forgive me for this." And while he talks, he looks between Ronan (practically glowing at Ronan's scolding) and Adam, eyes alight.

"It's very limited in scope, only 3 minutes in the past or future."

[nightmarist]

"Gansey," Ronan sighs, "You would be absolutely fucking terrifying if you weren't Gansey." He has a set of powers no individual ought to be granted, because just about anyone would have used them to take over the world by now. Even Adam, Ronan's certain, would be turning back time and altering reality constantly in his favor.

Not that Ronan's judging. As far as he's concerned, Adam deserves to have whatever he wishes. He nuzzles Adam's shoulder and brushes a small kiss just above the collar of his shirt.

[hondoyota]

Ronan’s kiss instantly dissolves most of Adam’s quarrelsome edge. Ronan’s devotion is an anchor for him, soothing away Adam’s insecurities so that he can react logically instead of defensively.

His eyes flick briefly to the side, toward Ronan. He thinks Ronan knows the effect he has, and a part of him dislikes being pacified, but mostly he feels steadied by Ronan’s presence and devotion. His hand settles over Ronan’s, encouraging him to stay close.

Attention returning to Gansey, Adam watches him more assessingly. He doesn’t like that he didn’t know about this power. He doesn’t like that it’s something subject to Noah’s approval, not his own.

Adam can feel the fight building in him, and he doesn’t want to fight. Not now, not again, not over a romantic gesture with the purest intent. And yet he’s pissed at Gansey for coming out of nowhere and using a power that Adam didn’t know about on him without his consent.

Even though Adam knows perfectly well that he didn’t ask Gansey to be his date to this. Didn’t even mention it. Gansey must have gotten the information from Noah or Ronan. Possibly only after Adam had failed to turn up to the meadows gathering.

“Is it Noah who decides now, what is and isn’t allowed?”

[disentombs]

Oh no. Gansey heard the edge to Adam's voice initially, and was hoping the explanation would assuage him. As per usual, it does not.

His smile falters a bit.

"Considering he has the most experience of all of us regarding time, I take into consideration his expertise on the matter." Really? Is this really going to turn into a fight with Adam now?

[hondoyota]

Adam sighs, dropping his eyes aside and shaking his head. Time and its manipulation isn't what he cares about on this issue. Gansey just wanted to make a romantic gesture, and now they're fighting again. "I'm so tired of being like this."

He offers his free hand, keeping the other one on Ronan's. If he's going to fight with Gansey, he certainly doesn't want to do it in the middle of this party. Even if they're not going to fight, he's just ruined the mood and he doesn't want to be here anymore. "Home, please. My room."

[disentombs]

[Gansey's face falls in a manner that normally would not be seen in public. His eyes flick between Adam to Ronan, a silent question wondering what he did wrong. Ronan, after all, didn't seem to mind it. Gansey is about to protest, opens his mouth to do so, but thinks better of it when he sees Adam's face. Besides, this was certainly not the place for that kind of discussion.

He takes Adam's hand and pulls he and Ronan through a portal leading directly into Adam's room.

When they're all safely through, Gansey continues:]

Tired of being how?

[hondoyota]

Tired of fighting with you.

[He takes his hand back and extricates himself gently from Ronan. It doesn't feel right to keep cuddling with Ronan now that the conversation's taken a turn. He doesn't want to let Ronan leave, but he also doesn't want to rub in how naturally he and Ronan have been getting on lately when he and Gansey only ever seem to fight.]

I can't seem to stop. I'm frustrated with you all the time.

[Adam goes to his bed, sitting down and leaning back against the pillows. He hugs one knee to his chest, watching Gansey.]

I don't think it's you, either. Or at least that it's not your fault.

[disentombs]

[Even if it's not something he did, there's a pang of guilt because there's something about him in particular that seems to trigger this frustration in Adam.]

I'm not sure what recourse we have, then.

[hondoyota]

[Adam already has a plan, because that's what he does. But he's still turning it over in his head, because it's not a very good plan, and it will make some of them sad and some of them angry and maybe both.]

I loved it when it was just the four of us. A complete set. There was something... tidy about it.

Ever since we started dating outside of the Raven boys, I've been crazy with insecurity. Jealousy.

[Adam picks at the knee of his trousers. The fine, expensive fabric of the tuxedo. It feels all wrong for this.]

I know it's not that, either. It wasn't perfect. You and Noah always were missing Blue and wanting to be with her. It just seemed right, when it was the four of us, but it's only because that's all there was and because the fractures--mostly mine--hadn't had any chance to spread.

I think I need a break.

[disentombs]

[Gansey listens but Adam continues to sound more and more distant the longer he goes on. When Adam finishes talking, he feels like the bottom has dropped out of his stomach. He's been sobered in the most unpleasant way.

He's silent for a few long uncomfortable seconds as he processes.]

A break? Is that any different from "breaking up"?

[hondoyota]

Maybe not.

[Adam's eyes flick up, lingering on Gansey for a moment and then away. He loosens his bow tie, tugging it free from his neck and letting it fall carelessly aside.]

A break-up has more connotations of me not loving you anymore.

A break has more to do with I still love you but I'm overwhelmed. Something's not working and I can't figure out why. I want things to be simpler.

[His gaze strays toward Ronan, then returns to Gansey. Now that he's chosen this course, he's dedicated to it. There's certainty in his eyes, determined to see his decision through.]

Call it what you want.

[nightmarist]

[It doesn't make sense to Ronan. It hadn't made sense to him from the start, that Adam insisted on being with him when he was already with Gansey. It didn't make sense that Adam wanted him at that party instead of Gansey. It doesn't make sense that Adam's leaving Gansey.

(Or is he leaving all of them?)

Though he's been watching Adam the whole time, Ronan looks at Gansey now, pushing a thought at him: Don't you dare blame yourself for this. Adam is just this way, has been ever since they met him, and no amount of kindness or sacrifice on Gansey's part will fix what's broken here.

His next words are out loud, to Adam:]

Should I go?

[disentombs]

[Simple, to Adam, means cutting Gansey out. It hurts, a lot more than he realized words could.

Ronan's thought cuts through the whirlwind of his own, and Gansey's glad that Ronan can no longer read his thoughts. The only acknowledgment is a brief stilling of Gansey's person, there and gone.

How could Gansey not blame himself? Everyone was having a great time at their respective NYE parties until Gansey showed up, careless and giddy. And now here they are.

His expression closes off to further emotional fluctuations.]

Then...I'll leave you both. [His own gaze flickers up to Ronan, blank, before he turns to exit Adam's room.]

[hondoyota]

[Adam wants to say a hundred things. He wants to apologize and take it all back, kiss Gansey until he smiles again. But he knows that he'll just fight again with Gansey tomorrow, or the day after that, and he doesn't want to keep that up until he's figured out why they fight and fixed it--fixed himself.]

Gansey. [He gets up, taking a few steps toward them both. His heart clenches with hurt and regret.] I love you. I just need some... time.

[It's Ronan who he goes to, curling his fingers loosely around Ronan's wrist. Making clear to them both that Ronan will be staying.]

[disentombs]

[Though he knows it's not going to happen, he wishes Adam would come up to him and take it all back. He's not sure at this point if it hurts or helps him to hear Adam say he loves him.

He's decided that it hurts when he sees Adam go over to Ronan.

Gansey nods.]

That I can give you. Good night. [Because it feels too weird to say "I love you" back right now, even if he means it with his entire being.]

[hondoyota]

((Continues here.))