Billy has absolutely no delusions; he can hardly imagine living up to any of Chris's parties, but he's still going to try to throw the best party he can for Tony
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Sometimes, it was a real pain in the arse being the lone responsible person in your group of friends. Is there really anybody who likes putting the kibosh on their mates' good times? Freddie hadn't asked to be the conscientious one, but with friends like Cook and Effy, there really wasn't anybody else, and fuck only knew how badly off they'd all be if nobody put the brakes on from time to time.
The fun sponge. That was Cook's favorite nickname for Freddie, grudgingly accepted if only because behaving annoyed would have ensured it got used even more. That weary logic was how Freddie had ended up at a Halloween party dressed as a bloody vicar instead of something fun, Cook his accompanying red devil desperate to lead him astray. As if that was in any way difficult to do.
Scripps hadn't expected to be a part of an unexpected duo, but when he meets his stranger-in-crime, he has to stop and offer up a bow. "How'd you know I was getting lonely?" he jokes warmly, raising his glass in salute (and appreciation) of the costume. "It's a bit warm, though," he confesses. "If ever there was a time I yearned for a spare, now was it." He juggles the rosary in one hand to meld with the drink, offering out a hand. "Father Scripps," he introduces himself. "Or just Scripps'll do. And you are?"
"Freddie," he replies, and takes in the other boy with an astonished laugh as he shakes his hand. "I reckon it's good to have a kindred spirit, someone to commiserate with about candles and communion wafers."
"Lord have mercy on those who must commiserate on communion wafers alone," he intones, a broad grin hinting at the corners of his lips. Inevitably, he gives in and lets out a laugh. "Freddie, great to meet you," he says enthusiastically, shaking his hand. "So, what inspired your taking of the cloth tonight?"
This is not the first Halloween party thrown in honour of Tony's birthday, but it is the first to take place on a magic deserted island, the first thrown by his boyfriend, and the first that involved more set up than lining up bottles of booze and turning on the stereo. He'd been expressly forbidden to turn up at Billy's early, and truth told it was all a bit wedding day, the bride a drag queen Madonna and the groom in a giant codpiece. Fortunately, Tony's fond of making an entrance, so it hadn't been difficult to indulge Billy's idiosyncracies.
What he'll never admit, not even to the handful of people who could understand the reference, is that all of the effort reminds him tangibly of Abigail Stock's posh attempt at "getting jiggy." Idly, Tony wonders whether this party will end the same way.
That people can be stranded on a desert island and still throw Halloween parties is, Lionel thinks, pretty fabulous. Halloween is like gay Christmas, after all, and he'd hate to miss it just because he happened to be stuck on Isla de Hotties. In his delirium at having received a party invitation, he'd even invited Jon to go with him and been accepted, glory be. Not that Jon has any idea of why he's been asked; that poor pup probably doesn't even know what a date isAll of this meant that Lionel had been in desperate need of an amazing costume, but it wasn't as if he could hop onto the internet or rifle through the closet in the back of the school auditorium. It was the basement box or nothing, and for awhile, nothing had seemed like a good option
( ... )
"Don't say it," Marshall said, trying to preemptively put a stop to the joke that would inevitably roll off of Lionel's tongue at the sight of his costume.
If he'd been the type to get excited over the two plastic katana that came with the costume, it might've been okay, but he really wasn't.
"Oh, I don't have to say anything, Leonardo," Lionel replies as he gives Marshall a critical once over and does a truly horrible job of biting back a smile. "That outfit completely speaks for itself, babe."
"Right, I'm here for everyone's amusement, Ferris," Marshall said, sounding as put upon as he could manage, even though he really didn't expect any less out of Lionel. Or anyone else, for that matter.
He was dressed as a turtle. He kind of deserved to be made fun of.
"I looked for something else. Believe me, I looked, but the idea of me in green felt was apparently hilarious to someone."
To be honest, Hank is still not sure how he keeps ending up at these things. After essentially making a fool of himself at the last one- the result, he's sure, of some kind of drug in something he ate- it likely would have been in his best interests to steer clear of this party.
But there's the matter of it being Tony's birthday that brings him there despite his reservations. For all that he's not terribly acquainted with his near-twin, he feels that it might be rude to decline the invitation. Besides, a night out of the lab isn't going to hurt him.
He's turned up in a lab coat and stethoscope, the former his own, the latter on very short loan from the clinic, and mostly he's trying not to look too out of place.
"Oh, come on, that's not a costume," I protest, pushing my way through the crowd to Hank. Between the two of us, we have costumes enough for two people, and I'm wearing both of them. The only one that's visible is my Ada Lovelace routine, though; old-timey dress, cards punched for an Analytical Engine.
Which admittedly is its own kind of cheating, since the engine wasn't built when she was alive, only designed, and her algorithm was written out as notes, but I want to give people at least some chance of figuring it out.
"...unless you're Tony, in which case that's still cheating. Also, maybe kind of mean." I squint at him. But, no, that has to be Hank.
"No, I'm not Tony," Hank replies, and it's actually something he'd worried about before deciding whether or not to accept the invitation to the birthday party; there was always a chance that someone might mistake him for Tony simply due to the fact that the party is a costume party.
His response isn't in any way annoyed, however, any oddness that might have accompanied his response tapered by the fact that he doesn't have to deal with there being two of her this time around.
"That's like me putting on a pair of my own glasses and coming as a hipster," I say, shaking my head. "It's a costume party, not a your-usual-get-up-with-one-different-accessory party. Those never caught on because it's way harder to fit it all on the invitation."
Sometimes, Grace is certain that she loves Halloween even more than she loves Christmas. Halloween is the one day of the year that you can be anyone you want, and everyone has to go along with it. If she wants to dress as the black swan tonight and attend Tony's birthday party even if her heart tells her not to, she will.
Because she's not Grace, and Odile has more important things to be concerned with than how she's supposed to behave around the boy she once fancied.
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The fun sponge. That was Cook's favorite nickname for Freddie, grudgingly accepted if only because behaving annoyed would have ensured it got used even more. That weary logic was how Freddie had ended up at a Halloween party dressed as a bloody vicar instead of something fun, Cook his accompanying red devil desperate to lead him astray. As if that was in any way difficult to do.
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What he'll never admit, not even to the handful of people who could understand the reference, is that all of the effort reminds him tangibly of Abigail Stock's posh attempt at "getting jiggy." Idly, Tony wonders whether this party will end the same way.
He certainly hopes so.
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If he'd been the type to get excited over the two plastic katana that came with the costume, it might've been okay, but he really wasn't.
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He was dressed as a turtle. He kind of deserved to be made fun of.
"I looked for something else. Believe me, I looked, but the idea of me in green felt was apparently hilarious to someone."
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But there's the matter of it being Tony's birthday that brings him there despite his reservations. For all that he's not terribly acquainted with his near-twin, he feels that it might be rude to decline the invitation. Besides, a night out of the lab isn't going to hurt him.
He's turned up in a lab coat and stethoscope, the former his own, the latter on very short loan from the clinic, and mostly he's trying not to look too out of place.
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Which admittedly is its own kind of cheating, since the engine wasn't built when she was alive, only designed, and her algorithm was written out as notes, but I want to give people at least some chance of figuring it out.
"...unless you're Tony, in which case that's still cheating. Also, maybe kind of mean." I squint at him. But, no, that has to be Hank.
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His response isn't in any way annoyed, however, any oddness that might have accompanied his response tapered by the fact that he doesn't have to deal with there being two of her this time around.
"And how is this not a costume? I'm a doctor."
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Because she's not Grace, and Odile has more important things to be concerned with than how she's supposed to behave around the boy she once fancied.
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