#gchqclosed

closed starter for @autumnonheels

This was Ingrid and Joel's evening, and the whole town (and more) celebrated with them, but one person appeared there for a whole different reason: tonight, he knew exactly where Autumn Manchester would be. Tonight and only tonight, her presence in Carroll was a given because tomorrow she could be partying her anger away on the other end of the world.

Eric tried to attract as little attention as he could while he snuck past the guests Bond style. Casual, but taking strategic pauses whenever his cover threatened to blow. Not that he expected to find Autumn in the middle of the dance floor, but as soon as he spotted Mr and Mrs Hawkins dancing, his gut told him he should be looking for Auttie somewhere close... And there she was: standing with a flute in one hand, looking stunning, and watching her friend dance with his wife, with that mix of joy and sadness in her eyes that made Eric want to run to her. Close her in a tight embrace and never let go... Or maybe he should stay there, watch her from afar, safely, and head back to Italy.

No, he only had two or three hours, and he didn't want to waste a single second. In the sea of lights, loud music, and laughter, Eric made his way towards Autumn unnoticed and stopped right by her side. Not more than two seconds must have passed before he made another move or uttered a word, but it felt like an eternity. His fingers reached for her hand, froze mid-way, and he retreated them before trying again. Finally, he decided the worst had already happened, and he had nothing to lose.

closed starter for @aspenreynolds

Elby was enjoying the party, swaying her hips to a Taylor song and munching on a cupcake when someone squealed behind her.

You are not the newest Bond girl, are you? Oh my god! Congratulations!

It gave away who she would see when she turned around, but that didn't stop her from doing so. Actually, she was curious how Aspen Reynolds looked today and wasn't at all surprised that the answer was fabulous. She smiled to herself, seeing the joy on Aspen's face as the conversation went on, but turned back around to avoid coming off as nosy. Instead, she waited for the two to end talking, and in the meantime, Elby finished her cupcake.

*

closed starter for @theodore-robshaw

Knox didn't want trouble. They didn't want Jack to be jealous or upset, they didn't want Teddy to be confused, but above everything else, they didn't want this beautiful makeup to go to waste. Theodore Robshaw had outdone himself with this makeover, and Knox had never felt so... feminine. A feeling that once filled them with disgust and fear was now synonymous with beautiful. No, they couldn't tear up right now! They agreed to be friends, and friends keep their promises.

"Claudio said they love my dress, make-up, and hair, and I said you were my stylist for today," they said with pride when Knox finally bumped into Teddy. "To be honest, I don't think anyone has recognized me!"

closed starter for @maverick-wh

When West joined Mav at the bar, getting another drink for himself and his date (!), he didn't know if his brother wanted any interaction at all. He seemed to be doing just fine being miserable, and, to some degree, West couldn't blame him...

...But then he just wanted to grab Maverick and shake that shitty mood out of him. Wake up, goddammit! With your charm, you could shine among the brightest stars of the evening, but instead, you're downing another glass.

"Mav, my man... You look like shit wrapped in decorative paper."

closed starter for @autumnonheels

With the kids having fun at their own party, safe and in their favorite trio, it was damn easy for Eric to relax. Hell, he and Zach could go back in time when the drinks in the bloodstream took over, and karaoke started to sound like a great idea, which could actually be that if they only picked the right song. Who chooses nice over funny, though? Feeling like kids themselves, they took turns jokingly reminding each other not to embarrass their dates and friends.

Autumn was busy being the beautiful host and spent more time away from her date rather than with him, but whenever they bumped into each other, there were sparks; a quick peck, a brush of hands, a dance if they were lucky enough to fit it into their busy party schedules. He waited patiently for the right moment to steal her for longer, and fortunately, it didn't hurt so bad when his consolation prize was admiring her from afar. Despite so many sparkly looks flickering like colorful flames, Eric easily picked her out in the crowd, for she burned the brightest, and he couldn't ignore the moth metaphor that crossed his mind at some point.

Who cares? His wings had been scorched for years.

*

The dance floor slowed down a notch with the next song, a merciful jog between the sprints, but Eric still took Autumn's hand and started leading her out of the crowd. After a few songs, he wanted a moment with her. Just with her.

Hands resting on her hips, as soon as he turned to face her, Eric smiled against her lips between several playful kisses. It was no secluded corner, no more than a few feet away from where they were dancing a moment ago, but he zeroed in on her as if they were alone. Someone tried to pull Autumn back in as female giggles and pleas caught up to them, so Eric protested by making a discontented noise, a smile broke through every sound he made, though. "No... Don't go," he cooed.

closed starter for @angstfactory

"No, no more marshmallows, Vivs, you've had, like, a whole bag with this cocoa."

Six, actually, but she had also had two cookies and vanilla ice cream, so this had to be her sweet stuff quota for the day. If Eric ever had difficulties staying faithful to his diet – which was the most difficult relationship he had ever been in – Vivienne watching his every move in the kitchen was his most effective hack: he had to be a good example for her. The one she could follow, not some hypocritical adult who "could eat anything they wanted because they were older."

Despite a little protest and a few attempts at snatching the bag from her dad, she finally gave up and took a drink of her cocoa, the last marshmallow floating in the mug cherished and invaluable.

A doorbell.

Eric turned to his daughter, chuckling at the look on her face, full of hope that he would leave the bag unattended. "No, don't even think about it," he joked, taking the half-full bag of marshmallows with him as he headed to answer the door.

*

Before his front door, with her bags by her sides, stood Lilith, and it wouldn't have surprised him some time ago, when Eric had shared his plans with her and suggested that maybe she should follow suit. Not follow him. Semantics. Some time had passed and he had all but forgotten about his "invitation"... Or maybe no quotation marks were necessary since she had bags with her.

"Lilith? What are you doing here?"

closed starter for @aggierobshaw

With his two charming companions disappearing for a moment to pet and feed all the zoo animals, Eric decided it was the right moment to run a top-secret errand. No way he was going to be the only reindeer in their tiny group, so he had to buy matching antlers for Autumn and Vivienne, but that was just a side quest. Now that everyone had already donated and the booth wasn't so swarmed, Eric decided it was his turn to contribute, and...-

And now, it was also much easier to notice who was sitting in the booth. Aggie Robshaw. Miss Ballerina. Not that he wasn't happy to lay his eyes on her; the sight infallibly made his heart skip a beat. The problem was that all their interactions were far from successful and left Eric somewhat dumbfounded.

closed starter for @angstfactory

With her short hair slicked back and barely any makeup on, Elby still served that million-dollar look. A baby-blue ribbon bracelet complemented her all-gold look, but despite its purpose, she had none of that "I'm single!" energy. Of course, Elby's demeanor was cheerful and friendly as usual, and, if anything, she only seemed more carefree when she spotted Grayson. Maybe because he was the one to thank for that, at least to some degree.

At first, she didn't say anything and took her time deciding whether she should approach him right now. Whether she should approach him at all. Sipping on her champagne with that effortlessly charming smile, Elby just arched a brow in a silent invitation for him to walk over. She couldn't get herself into trouble if the trouble came to her, right?