Housewarming / Easter Party

[callmeemily]

So, it started with a mass text to Raleigh's friends last week.

Somebody's all fancy with nowhere to go, so the party's coming to him!! Housewarming/Easter thing, some booze/food provided bring more if you want, 4/4/15. Be here!

That's the start of it, and Raleigh's apartment's actually mostly-sort-of furnished. Everything's open, the table that Joel made her is against one wall with booze and food, there's seating and music (not country, because she knows that's just her), and it's pretty much a party. Delicious food, good friends, and a good time, and her elderly neighbor's out of town so noise isn't really a problem. She's not that picky about who's here and who's not - not tonight, anyway, since it's just about celebrating her first Real Place.

OOC: If you can explain how you knew it was happening, you can totally show up! Gathering, tag each other, tag Raleigh, whatever! I'll try and hit up all top levels, too! This post is open pretty much from now until people stop tagging, but the actual party is Saturday, in game-time!

Comments

[davin]

Davin has been making the rounds with a beer in his hand when he spots James across the room. He looks a bit awkward, and a bit grumpy, and Davin frowns slightly. He knows James has been busy at work, and that he spent the night before with his siblings. They didn't talk, so Davin doesn't really know how that went.

He makes his way through the crowd and gets up on his toes to wrap an arm around James' shoulders and pull him in, kissing him quickly on the mouth. "Hey, babe. Glad ya could make it. How was work?"

[jamesthorn]

Smiling as Davin approaches him, James instantly feels a little more relaxed to spot not only someone he knows but his boyfriend in the crowd. His meeting with his siblings hadn't went disastrous, but things were happening that were out of his control and he just wants to be around less of that, and more of someone that makes him happy.

"Hey," he says, kissing him back with a small kiss and nodding. "Ah, it was fine. Busy. Are you having a good time?"

[davin]

A smile appears on James' face as Davin approaches, something relaxed and soft that makes Davin feel warm all over just for knowing he's the one who put it there. "I am! Better now that you're here. C'mon, let's get ya a drink."

He takes James' hand and threads their fingers together as he leads him over to the refreshment table. James looks a little tired, maybe slightly grumpier than usual, and Davin looks at him curiously. "How'd everythin' go last night?"

[jamesthorn]

"Uh---" James shakes his head finding two glasses and a bottle of open wine and pours some for himself and Davin. It's not that he doesn't trust Davin, but they've always been taught to minimize family scandals, present a united front, decline comments to the press. It's a hard habit to break especially on something that involves the Coombs.

Still maybe Davin doesn't understand everything about their families but he was there for James during that awkward horrible dinner. He does know Dacin's on his side. "I am not...jumping for joy that Daniel is with Amelie, but our father is stooping to new lows to punish him." He looks around. With all these people here he's not going to blurt out that William wants to buy off all the Coombs' properties. "It is what it is. I guess."

[davin]

It's obvious that James doesn't want to talk about it, and Davin isn't sure if it's too him specifically, in public, or just in general. He frowns slightly but it smooths out soon enough and he reaches out to slide his hand up and down the outside of James' arm. "I'm sorry t'hear that. 'Bout Daniel, I mean."

He can't imagine a parent wanting to go so far as to actively punish their child for their choice of partner. Sure, his own parents wouldn't be happy to hear that Davin was with James (if they haven't heard it through the grapevine already), but they wouldn't be happy with anyone he dated, because he'll never date a woman. Still, they'd never punish him for it. Unless they count not really talking to Davin as punishment. That's more of a perk, really.

"It's kind of a shame t'not take the opportunity t'forge some sort o' bond, y'know?" Davin says with a shrug. "Keep the future generations from makin' the mistakes o' the past. Maybe there's just too much bad blood. I dunno, I've never been in a feud before."

He smiles up at James and then wraps an arm around his waist, tugging him towards the kitchen where the food is. "Have ya eaten anythin'?"

[jamesthorn]

James only wishes he could do more to help Daniel. He's always been the one looking out for his siblings. If not for James standing up and his siblings following suit, they'd all be under lock and key from William, and even with James steadfastly refusing to play their father's games at times they still bend to his will. He wishes he could step-in and convince their father not to reignite all this once more, but he's not so sure he doesn't agree with some of his father's reason. These are not just innocent people. They killed his mother.

"I do wish all of it was that simple," James says putting his arm around Davin's waist to pull him in closer. He smiles after a moment though and lets Davin tug him along into the kitchen. "I'm starving. I didn't have much of a lunch."

[davin]

"Hopefully it'll all work out. If ya ever need anythin' at all, I'm here," Davin assures him. They get into the kitchen and Davin clicks his tongue as he hands James a plate and points the spread. "Now how did ya ever make it with out me remindin' ya t'eat all the damn time?"

He winks and reaches out to snag a pastry for himself with one hand, keeping the other on James' back. "How 'bout I bring ya lunch next week? That way ya won't have t'worry about forgettin'. Plus, it'd be fun t'see ya at the station."

[jamesthorn]

"Fun?" James raises an eyebrow at him as he spoons some dip onto his plate and then he chuckles. "You mean you hope I'm going to be wearing my uniform. Which I'm not." He nods anyway as he grabs some chips and vegetables. "But I'd like that. You'll be much better lunch company than Grant."

[davin]

"No, 'cause like, you'll be in your element. Doin' what ya love t'do. Haven't ya ever had the urge t'come watch me work?" Davin asks, brow furrowed slightly. Then again, maybe he's just weird. Who would want to watch a boring mechanic tinker around with tools and auto parts? "Never mind."

He laughs and looks down to tear a piece of his pastry away, feeling a little self-conscious all of a sudden as he pops it into his mouth. "An' I know ya don't wear your uniform on the day t'day. I'm just hopin' I can convince ya t'let me see ya in it sometime."

[jamesthorn]

"No," James admits biting into the carrot he removes from his plate. "But now I do. If you bring me lunch, count on me to return the favor one day."

When Davin puts the idea that way James is much more interested in taking time to be there and to see what Davin does since he obviously enjoys it. Other times he's been there, it's been a quick trip or only to get his police car maintained.

He shrugs a little with a smile. "Maybe," he jokes. "It's gonna take more convincing though."

[davin]

"Sounds good," Davin says with a small smile, popping the last bit of pastry into his mouth. He wipes his fingers on a napkin and picks up his wine again, standing next to James as he picks at the food. "Oh, I bet I could convince ya. But we're in polite company so I can't tell ya how."

[jamesthorn]

"Ah. That's probably best. I'd hate to make a bad impression on all your friends," James says, as he turns back to Davin, satisfied with the food he's collected, and he eats a few of the appetizers from his plate glancing around the room. He's not too sure if Davin knows everyone at the party, but he thinks Davin probably knows a far amount of them so James is hoping not to be wholly terrible.

He smiles at Davin because he's glad to be here, to try to get to know the other people in Davin's life a little better.

[davin]

"Well, they're pretty used t'my antics. I don't think we're gonna scandalize 'em." He laughs and slides his hand up under the back of James' suit jacket, dragging his nails back and forth lightly against his back through his shirt. James is smiling at him in a way that makes him blush slightly, and he leans up for another quick kiss. "Don't worry, okay? They'll like ya."

[jamesthorn]

"Well, you're saying that because you like me. I can name several people off the top of my head who find me rather unpleasant," he says, kissing Davin back as he leans against him for another kiss. "Do you not remember me making a horrible impression on you when we met?" For the several weeks upon knowing Davin, all James did was manage to offend and insult. It's a miracle that hadn't completely turned Davin against him, which James thinks speaks more to Davin's character than it does it his.

[davin]

Davin laughs and wrinkles his nose as he gives James a fond look. "I guess ya were kinda uppity."

He winks and leans in to kiss his cheek. "But ya made it up t'me, babe. Believe me."

The beginning of their relationship as friends was kind of a rocky one, but Davin can admit that he came on a little strong. Everything changed the night of Mira's birthday, and Davin was glad they got the chance to become friends before anything else. "Just don't be grumpy, an' I'll reward ya for it later."

[jamesthorn]

"I'm not grumpy," James protests even as Davin moves in to kiss him on the cheek. Lately he's been much more relaxed, or so people keep observing. "But if there are rewards involved I'm okay with that..." Considering he doesn't know many people at this party anyway, no one may even care to talk to him.

He wipes his hands free of crumbs from his food as he glances around the room then quickly back to Davin. "So, who are all these people exactly? Raleigh's friends? Your friends?" he asks with a curious smile.

[davin]

"I thought you might be," Davin says with a laugh. He cozies up to James' side and looks around the room. "They're one in the same, for the most part. Ya know Mira, o' course. An' that's Coop, over there. He's a vet. Helluva guy."

He decides not to mention the part where he and Coop have hooked up, because that's not really relevant. In Davin's opinion, it doesn't matter. He turns and skims over a few people he doesn't know, and then grins and points over to a couple turned in towards each other in the corner. "That's Spencer an' Joel. They run Crossroads, the bookstore, an' they kinda keep t'themselves, but they're some o' the greatest people you'll meet."

Davin sighs happily and rests his head on James' shoulder, happy to have him here with is friends. "Lot o' good people in this room."