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Thomas Doherty is seen on the film set of the “Gossip Girl” TV series on March 16, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

[afaulkncr]

ottobuch​:

Avery’s grip tightened, but it was his words that made Otto’s breath catch. A toothy smile curved at his lips and he laughed throatily, dark eyes begging for something a little more than words. They were both starving creatures, they lapped at the pool of affection when it came to their feet, in each other’s arms they feasted readily. Water caught the light as it beaded on exposed skin and Otto wondered if they looked to those who hurried by like something carved of marble: two gods intertwined, golden and beautiful. “You’ve got the spare key, I live there— I have my own bedroom.” He gleamed, “Moved my shit back last week, Kenna’s finally forgiven me, but I’m still working out how to forgive her. She’s gone and gotten a dog, you know.” He snorted, “Maybe it’ll send him running to join us. Three’s a crowd but I do love crowds.”

+

        it was otto’s own chuckle that made avery smirk with mischief in his eyes. avery knew what to say to get the other man feeling flustered, something he enjoyed doing often given that they were in public -- not that it stopped them from pursuing anything any other time. with the sound of bags and conversations dwindling down to a quiet day’s air, the pair were not officially the only ones left on the rooftop which means the curly haired man got exactly what he wanted: the two of them alone as if they were to be treated like royalty. “see? and when has he ever been upset with us before? it’s practically illegal,” avery shrugged, biting on his lip. “oh wow.. sounds like i can expect more hang-out invitations then with you being anti-dog and everything.” part of him was joking, only part. “you love our crowd.”

[afaulkncr]

astorfm​:

the blonde leaned into his touch, allowing him to pad the makeup wipe across her fair skin in order to remove at least some of the makeup she donned. it was a kind gesture — one brigid appreciated, though her insecurities did not allow her to voice this appreciation. her frown deepened as she looked up at him through her dark lashes. “i…” who hadn’t suggested she wasn’t? okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration — but her drunken self had made up its mind. he did not want her for anything aside from her body, and perhaps her conversation with astoria had swayed her mind in this. “it’s just sex,” she mumbled with a sigh, shrugging and fiddling with the hem on her nightie. she nodded slowly, padding towards the bed and tugging the comforter out of its tucked state so she could crawl in. “would it be asking too much if i wanted you to lay next to me ?” god, sober brigid would be ashamed of this behavior. berating him for not liking her for more than her body, then pressing him to lay with her.

+

        he had kicked off his own shoes once avery had taken care of the girl first, making sure she was set up and ready for bed. the entire evening was a rollercoaster of emotion, of conversation, all of which he did his best not to take to heart given the fact alcohol was running through the girl’s veins like a race car. ‘it’s just sex’. words hung in the air as avery decided to cut the conversation off at that — no use of running in circles, broken record of repeating words. just as he was heading over towards the couch which the hotel neatly placed underneath the large windows, walking paused to look over at her. “i.. don’t think that’s a good idea, brig. you’ve been pretty pissed off at me all night,” he chuckled out, leaning against the end of the bed.

[afaulkncr]

astorfm​:

her insatiable upset about this situation was driving her mad. no, she was not being reasonable — not in the slightest. in fact, brigid was green with envy and it was not her best look. she leaned into his touch as he wiped the makeup from her face, shutting her eyes and becoming malleable in his hands, though the pout never left her visage. she was upset. and, to no one’s surprise, she wasn’t happy about it either. “but it would make sense as to why you wouldn’t like me if you thought i was bad in bed,” she reasoned with him, green gaze landing on the scotsman in front of her. no, it wouldn’t — but her drunken mind was committed to getting to the bottom of this. you could call her a modern day nancy drew, sponsored by ginger ale and patrón. “i..” she began, pondering the question he had asked her. was she upset he was sleeping with other people? maybe. but sex was just sex — and she knew that. brigid astor, of all people, would know that — yet this felt different. “i just don’t like being one of many on your speed dial. and i especially —” she emphasized, “— don’t like it when i’m not even number one.”

+

        avery stood in front of the girl and began to wipe her cheeks first with the makeup remover, making sure to hit the more pigmented areas — eyes, lips — after to reduce the chance of smudging. had he done this before? yeah, so it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary too much for the man. “i don’t sleep with people over and over if they aren’t good in bed, b.” now was not the time for joking but of course a certain faulkner child didn’t know the difference between good and bad moments. the woman wore the same pout on her lips practically the entire time since he had picked her up from the bar in the town car. “who said you weren’t?” avery stepped back to throw away the makeup wipe, tempting to drop the conversation all together and allow her to lay back to sleep, giving the chance to forget any of this ever happened in the morning. god forbid the man talk about feelings let alone when he was already conflicted about where he stood on the basis of brigid astor. “you should get some sleep. i, uh.. i’ll stay on the couch for a bit just to make sure you don’t get sick or anything.”

[afaulkncr]

sage-walsh​:

Sage rolled her eyes, shrugging her shoulder. “The meek get the earth, remember. I’m trying not to ruin my inheritance.” It was funny to say, from a girl whose lineage was hidden behind her father’s surname— her mother’s legacy and bloodline was that of a world set to inherit everything, there was scarcely a swath of fabric of stray jewel in Europe that didn’t belong to the Arnault family in some way or another. She scooped up the chip, crunching on it thoughtfully. “Hm, you’re right.” She shook her head, “Let’s not make this about you, you’re getting more than enough attention.” The brunette laughed, “Maybe we’ll have to pencil in a unibrow on you or something, just so I’m cuter in contrast.”

+

        “right right, the inheritance of book and street smarts — not many people have both so i think that should start being your fun fact when people ask.” the man sent a wink in her direction after she took the chip he offered, leading him back to people watching; it was mainly tourists, families, the obvious spring breakers with accents of many kinds. he chuckled at the idea he had his hands full when in reality he did more so on the mental side of things and less so on the physical seeming he had been caught in between the lines of a few wary conversations. “hm, maybe not the unibrow part. im starting to think you’re trying to make me ugly on purpose, sagey?” it was all a tease, of course.

[afaulkncr]

astorfm​:

why would she be upset about him seeing other people if she didn’t have feelings for him? god, men could be so dull. they staggered their way through the hotel lobby, though brigid handled herself shockingly well. while her emotions were certainly heightened from the alcohol she had consumed, she was doing a good job of faking sobriety in the face of the public. thankfully, she was located on the third floor — so they weren’t left maneuvering the layout of the hotel for long. once avery had opened the door for her, she was already kicking her shoes off and trying to peel herself out of the dress she donned. a quiet grumble bubbled past her lips as he offered help, though she didn’t really mind the help. she just felt bad. she saw him, felt admiration, and then felt stupid. it didn’t take long before she was out of the little white sundress she had been wearing and engulfed in the silk nightgown that had been laid at the end of the bed, a pout splayed on her lips as turned around and looked up at avery through dark, thick lashes. “am i bad in bed? is that it?”

+

        avery selflessly and innocently changes the girl’s clothes into the silk nightgown — a favorite of her’s that he knew of. all he wanted at this point was to make sure she was safe in her room and free from any type of hangover mess that may come up to pursue her in the middle of the night. he didn’t take criticism to heart, he couldn’t given the way he acted with his don’t-give-two-shits attitude but it was just something about their conversation in the car that had him all stirred up. once she was dressed though, avery figured he’d finish it off by removing the makeup from her face — saving her from future breakouts and him from getting his ass chewed for keeping it on her. “brigid..” looking in her bag, it didn’t take long for him to find the sensitive-skin makeup wipes. “i have never said you were bad in bed.” avery turned to her, standing in front of her while that signature pout tattooed on her face once again. not once had anyone ever seen brigid astor so vulnerable, so organic in emotion as she was sitting in a feeling of cloudy blue. “are you upset ive slept with other people?”

[afaulkncr]

astorfm​:

she felt sick to her stomach, the butterflies that came when she looked at his cheeky grin turning rancid. “why would i care if you’re fucking everyone else in school if i didn–” she began to retort, but her words were quickly cut off as the town car came to a halt and the resort had come into view. she turned to face him when she knew she wouldn’t weep, lips pursed as she thought about his question heavily. did she have her room key? brigid picked up her blush dior saddlebag from the floor of the car, the calfskin smooth against the skin of her legs as she opened the purse and began to rummage through her things. surely she could find her own room key, even if her eyesight was a bit blurry. it took a bit of poking around in her bag before anything came to fruition, the blonde releasing the contents of her purse onto the seat of the car before having any success. “got it,” she mumbled, handing him the key card and taking stock of the mess she had created — then promptly shoving all the contents back into the bag.

+

        his eyes turned to look at hers as she spoke, feeling his stomach drop. was that what this was about? avery didn’t bother trying to keep the conversation going since she had already began to rummage through her bag to find her key. if she didn’t have it, he would offer her his bed for the night until all of this certainly blew over with some sleep and water in the morning. something about their conversation in the car got to him, which lead a quiet avery to lead the girl  up to her room via the resort elevator once it was noted that the astor key was in possession. she was only on the third floor, wasn’t too bad, and by the time he had safely gotten her into her room brigid was already attempting to take off her shoes. “stop, i’ll help..”

        you’re here to help, his mind told him. the whole car ride, the words, all a confusion to him but the least he could do is help in the way she called him to do. avery carefully, and with permission, undressed the girl to get her into some pajamas that had been folded onto the end of the bed -- most likely from the night before.

[afaulkncr]

astorfm​:

she heard his words, and yet she still couldn’t find comfort in them. “okay, so then i’m just a fuck buddy rather than someone you just fuck. just a friend with benefits, benefits including access to my kitchen and my bedroom,” she mumbled quietly, cheeks flushed pink as her green eyes stung — limpid tears threatening to spill out of her eyes as she shook her head and looked out the window. she would not let him watch her cry. her emotions were heightened, understandably, by the liquor pulsing through her bloodstream, but even a sober brigid would feel embarrassed. “my point still stands. you don’t want anything serious out of this.” a strange declaration from brigid, but it was clear that her mind had been made up. she had no reason to believe he’d want anything further. he continued to sleep around, doting on any that showed him affection. “and that’s fine, i guess. it just makes me feel stupid.”

+

        avery watched the girl look away and that lead him to roll his eyes, her words weren’t like any other he hadn’t heard before: from people catching feelings with him in the past when all he wanted was a quick fuck, those were what he would refer to as fuck buddies. but he didn’t put brigid in that category. why wouldn’t he? well, avery faulkner didn’t express feelings out loud; he learned to suppress emotion from a young age which evidentially still applied today, and though he had ideas as to why he wouldn’t dare to spit those out into the open air so easily. “and do you? you have yet to answer this question for me, because this all can’t be coming from no where, brigid.” with a roll of his eyes -- again -- avery let out a sigh, noting there was no point in arguing: she was drunk, he was not, and the topic was more vulnerable than he’d like to get. “... do you have your room key? i’ll take you up.”

[afaulkncr]

astorfm​:

the question sent her fuzzy mind spinning. what did she want? and, more importantly — could she even have what she wanted? the blonde pursed her lips, pondering the thought momentarily before looking back at him with green eyes darkened. suddenly, she wanted out of this car — feeling much too vulnerable in front of the man who had seen her naked quite a few times. an admission of feelings felt far scarier than than baring her skin, she came to realize. “aren’t i, though?” she asked, raising an eyebrow up at him as disappointment flooded her face. “what makes this any different than the other hookups you have? i’m just…” just what, brigid? she had already used the notch in the bed post motif, so her foggy brain searched for another reference. “another conquest.” good enough.

+

        he couldn’t help her if she didn’t tell him what she wanted. even then, could he help her? taking into account that she was intoxicated enough so that she probably wasn’t in control of her words avery attempted to take her words with a grain of salt at this point, but that didn’t stop him from trying to salvage himself from the dirt in this conversation. blue met her green from across the middle seat -- the only thing that separated them but at this point it felt like there was acres of land that came between them. “you’re not some... name on a list, some tally mark i keep in my notes app.” god, the driver was probably loving this given they knew the english language. “we hang out, hell you had me baking with you a few weeks ago.” avery shook his head, looking away for only a moment. “you think i just see you as another fuck? you’re not.”

[afaulkncr]

astorfm​:

this behavior was not like brigid at all. even when drunk, the blonde knew how to maintain her composure — but between the words astoria spoke at the bar and the conversation exchanged with one otto buch at rye library, the blonde found herself embedded in a world of doubt. she pursed her lips, her drunken brain trying to decide how much of itself she wanted to spill — though her inhibitions were low due to the amount of alcohol she had ingested this evening. “i don’t just want to be someone you like sleeping with,” she admitted sheepishly, sitting upright and her head growing dizzy before she leaned into the opposite side of the town car, head rested on the door of the vehicle so she didn’t have to lean into avery any further. “i don’t want to be just like everyone else you sleep with.”

+

        you couldn’t have paid the man enough money to understand where any of this was coming from, but to alleviate anymore confusion for the both of them he didn’t ask any further questions about what made her bring all of this up. it was odd given that he had learned brigid hadn’t given two thoughts into avery being anything more to her but the concerns he was hearing in the car were quite the contradicting matter. blue eyes looked over in her direction, watching her weight shift off of him and over onto the door closest to her. “brig..” voice was low, showing no hint of anger or confusion but more so of sympathy. “talk to me, what.. what is it you want? you know i care about you, you’re not just someone i sleep with.”

[afaulkncr]

astorfm​:

she settled into the seat, letting avery buckle her in and the pout on her lips deepening. why was she feeling like this? it wasn’t like brigid to be insecure — at least, not outwardly. she had always been self-critical, born into the reminder that she would never be enough. however, the coupling of a little too much alcohol and the news that avery had all but decreed he and brigid would never be more than fuck buddies brought out the worst in her. “you don’t like me. like, you wouldn’t want to date me or do nice things with me,” she whined out, green eyes somber as she looked up at him through the shade of her thick, dark lashes. “i’m just… like, another person you sleep with. just a notch in your bed post,” she grumbled out, shaking her head and letting out an exasperated sigh.

+

        avery asked the driver of the car to return them back to the hotel where they had just came from prior, while looking out the window at all the other tourists and some of the students from rye having fun on their night out. why doesn’t he out, you might ask? for once, faulkner decided two days of drinking wasn’t worth not remembering his time in ibiza. he listened to her, confused, and looked down at her as her pout seemed to only get larger — if that was even possible. “brigid, where is all of this coming from?” he said softly. “do you.. want me to like you?” honesty the whole composition, the idea of the girl craving his attention to only be for her was nothing they had ever discussed or came close to discussing but her actions were speaking louder than any words she was saying. again, she was drunk; drunk thoughts were just drunk thoughts… right?

[afaulkncr]

ottobuch​:

“My ego is very delicate you know, I just need little whispers to keep me going every once in a while.” He curved closer into Avery, basking in the attention as fingertips brushed against the sun kissed skin at the back of his neck. Had he of been something feline, the tip of his tail would have curved in contentment— this was where he was happiest, the center of someone’s attention. They belonged to one another, fitting together like pieces of a puzzle: this never changed regardless of how much time spent away, but they belonged to the rest of the world as well. Otto’s affections were not singular, a hypocritical stance for someone who got terribly put out over the idea of Avery’s heart beating for someone else as well. “Think he’s dumped us?” He pouted, “I wonder who they are.” Dark eyes rolled, “A normal text message? He can stick with whatever vanilla girlie he’s banging these days if that’s what he’s after.” Otto reached up for his phone, grappling for it with a damp hand as his lips curved indulgently. “Should I send him a picture? Let him know what he’s missing?”

+

        “you think i don’t know that? i see how tight your pants get the second my voice goes low enough for only you to hear, buch.” his fingers got caught in the tight curls of the man’s nape, never stopping him though from using this time to stay close to him. avery getting time away with otto wasn’t too far short from a rare thing, though the fact that the other had found this rooftop pool so easily after they had landed it seemed like the plans had already been made for the two of them. “he can’t dump us, he tells us his deepest secrets. plus, i have the code to his garage and stole the spare key,” avery shined off a falsely innocent smile over towards the direction of otto with a shrug. “it’ll either piss him off that he wasn’t invited or... yeah, just that. you know how he gets -- hell, almost just as jealous as you.”

[afaulkncr]

ramiropalacios​:

The two of them made for a striking pair, both dressed colourfully— though in the rest of their appearance fitting the bill for something tall, dark and handsome. It was Avery’s smile that was something dangerous, had it not been so pretty, Rami was sure he could have seen through the illusion to see rows of sharp teeth, glittering like that of a shark: there was something dangerous about wealthy men with a wild streak, or at the very least, caution was to be given to those who were impishly mischievous. Devils often made the best company however, and he laughed. “In that case, the bar across the street. We’ll start with two carajillos and the rest of the night’ll be a blur, how’s that?”

+

        avery sent over that signature, faulty smirk that he was known to be wearing in pretty much every conversation he could ever have. not for any particular reason but it was just one of the more natural looks that his face automatically turned to. “mm, a two for one deal, huh? i think i could definitely wrap my head around that one.” he nodded, looking around at the others in the lobby, both other tourists and those who had just gotten of the plane with them from new york. “it’s been a while since we hung out anyways, you can always catch me up on the excitement that is ramiro.”

[afaulkncr]

astorfm​:

most of her late night calls to a certain avery faulkner were of a different nature, wanting to entangle their bodies ‘til neither one could fully grasp where they ended and the other began. however, he was also on her favorites list — which had become the modern speed dial for individuals who had long ago retired their motorola razrs and blackberry pearls for the sleek designs of the smartphone. this meant that his name was one of the first she’d seen when she drunkenly grappled her phone to contact someone to get her back home. if they were back in the states, she’d strap up her walking boots and get home herself.. but brigid had no clue how to get around ibiza. she nodded, the pout displayed on her lips deepening as she leaned into his frame in the back seat of the town car. “but you don’t like me like me.”

+

        after getting the both of them settled into the car for the time being, avery made sure to buckle the girl into her seat, as he knew it was about a ten minute drive from where they were back to their hotel given it was were he had come from to get her. “what the hell are you going on about?” eyes looked down at the girl with furrowed brows. he was taking her words with a grain of salt as she leaned into him, he lingering smell of cocktails wafting into the air around them with the knowledge that brigid was probably just tired as the night went on around her. it wasn’t all too uncommon to see the blonde intoxicated as much as it was to see him sober at the same time. “don’t get too soft on me, astor. i’m too sober for that.”

[afaulkncr]

sage-walsh​:

“I want it to be very clear that if I wanted to, I could pull anyone I wanted.” It was a lie, but she felt better for saying it, leaning forward to punctuate the thought with her finger. In fact, she felt coltish lately— too tall and awkward, stumbling about as she tried to navigate a world that felt brand new. Sage envied those who could master the world so easily, it had never laid in the palm of her hand in the way that she desired, not like how her mother told stories about her own youth. “But I’d also never say no to going out with you.” She grinned, “Can I do your eyeliner? I feel like we could get a very sexy look going on for you, very,” Sage gestured, “Captain Hook’s son in energy. That’ll make them all seething with jealousy, for sure.”

+

        the chain around his neck dangled towards one side as the smell of coconut sunscreen and salt flew in the air around them. it wasn’t all that often he got the chance to see a beach unless an impromptu trip to the lower east coast called his name at any given time. “that’s the confidence i need to see from you more, sagey.” he smiled over at her, offering one of the chips from the small big he had bought just before they chose their spot on the warm sand. “mm, trying to find me a meet-cute now? i think my hands are already full but nothing wrong with a little make-up now and again.”

[afaulkncr]

lanefm​:

of course lane’s luggage got lost. of all the things that could possibly go wrong on this trip, that was amongst the more tame yet most annoying. while the airline worked to track her items down, the petite blonde was left with a conundrum — the only clothes she had were the ones she wore on her back, and she did not think any meet-cutes or rom-com moments paired well with grey sweatpants, slides, and an extra large t-shirt with holes in it. in short, lane did not look put together. though, in her defense, she hadn’t expected to lose her luggage. she had sworn to avery that if he helped her compile a new “ibiza” wardrobe, she would accompany him to the beach — and she did intend to keep that promise, she just wanted to be certain she would not be skinny dipping when fulfilling her side of the deal. “how is the barista supposed to fall in love with me when i look like this?” she teased, rolling her eyes as laughter flooded her lips. “fine. let’s grab coffee, but then we have to get serious about getting me some clothes.”

+

        ever since they had gotten off the plane, it’s all avery heard: her luggage, she looked run-down, this is not who she was, etcetera etcetera. avery was always one to listen to some people so he put on his helping hat and tried to reassure. “oh shut up,” he chuckled with the girl, rolling his eyes about the worry she may have lost her chance at an abroad romance for the week. it wasn’t hard to tell that lane was dressed out of character for anyone who knew her, but given that she was already stressed and been on numerous phone calls avery decided to cut the sarcastic comments out of the question… for now. “coffee, clothes.. you’ll owe me a shot by the time we are finished with all of this,” he nudged her as they walked down the sidewalk, avoiding the bikers and natives to the city.

[afaulkncr]

ottobuch​:

“You might not, but if I don’t look super glowy and handsome, I hope you lie to me about it. I want to come out of this week looking like the bronzed god of sunshine, y’know, like I was raised eating olives under the Tuscany sun or something like that.” He’d done his hair especially for the occasion, soft curls coiled at the crown of his head and he hoped briefly that Avery would run his fingers through them. Otto laughed, flicking his tongue out teasingly to run a stripe against the other’s nose when he moved in for the peck. “I once tried to send him voicenotes, in case I was missing out on his preferred form of communication, you know how they say everyone’s got a different style or whatever, but he literally left me on read. It hurt so, so bad.”

+

        avery made sure the water didn’t separate the two of them, staying close to the other in the time of being in the pool while listening to his every word. it made him chuckle the way otto was describing his dream bronzed look which got a nod out of avery in the way of showing he was all in for the ride. “whatever you want, ill make sure to inflate that head of yours.” almost naturally though, a hand moved up to play with the curls on the nape of the other’s neck while a fit of laughter filled the air from the stripe left on his own nose. “maybe he needs a boys night out, i couldn’t even tell you what the hell he’s been up to these days.” it was true, the three of them were beginning to look more like two and a half in the way rhys was m.i.a which wasn’t something avery liked. “or maybe he wants a text message, like a normal person, o.”