(no subject)

[lost_boy]

This was it, my very first birthday party.

I was nervous and excited and I was probably driving Eddie and Magnus both absolutely mad with all my checking and rechecking of things. I wanted to make sure everything was exactly right, because I had never thrown a party before and although Magnus had helped me quite a bit, I still felt like I needed to make sure I didn't make a mess of it. I knew the rules -- no going upstairs, no alcohol -- and I would make sure everyone else knew it, too, because I didn't want to disappoint Magnus with any terrible behaviour. He was doing me a very big favour, letting me use his place and his pool to have a proper party and I wasn't going to take that for granted.

There was food and drink of all kinds, and plenty of snacks. The pool was lit up with different colours that would get brighter as the sun set and all sorts of inflatable toys could be found so people could just float if they wanted to. At the shallow end of the pool was a little floating basketball net and a bunch of inflatable balls to use with it. There were toys for diving, even a little obstacle course under water with rings people could swim through. The towels were big and fluffy, the chairs were comfortable, and there was even a big birthday cake with my name on it and seventeen candles, although that was for later.

All I had really wanted, I told Magnus, was for it to remind me of his party with all the colours. The one where Eddie and I had first kissed, and he had come through for me. The decorations were fun and bright and everywhere I looked there was a different coloured light.

I had invited all my friends, regardless of their age, so that meant there were little kids on the guest list and adults, too. A part of me worried some of the other kids around my age might think that was weird, but in the end I decided I didn't care that much. I wanted my friends to be here with me, all my friends, and not all my friends were the same age. I liked that about them all very much.

As the first people started to arrive, I clutched Eddie's hand nervously, beaming at him, then kissed him quickly on the cheek before going to greet people. I was supposed to be the host, after all. It was my first party.

Comments

[lost_boy]

Lounging in the pool, floating on an inflatable swan with a sweet pink drink in the cup holder, I realized I had never felt like this before. I was growing up, not all at once, but in the proper way, the same way everyone else did it. And I was happy about it. I was getting to celebrate it with the people I loved and from the way the day seemed to be going, everyone was having a good time.

I certainly was. As the sun began to set and the lights in the pool grew brighter, I slipped gracefully off the swan and cut through the water to the edge of the pool where I pulled myself out and wandered toward the food. A little while later, people sang happy birthday to me, which made me blush and grin as I cut the cake and began to hand out slices to those around me.

There was music and some dancing, but for a moment I just stood there at the edge of the pool with my eyes closed, soaking in the noise and the feeling of the people around me.

[Find Jamie at any point of the party. He's a happy boy.]

[speakordie]

Jamie seems to have the right idea, so after grabbing some punch I make my own way into the pool and grab at one of the floats hovering near the edge. Mine is far less extravagant than a swan, just a clear tube filled with glitter, but it'll get the job done.

"You've got the right idea," I say as I wade out towards Jamie and hand him my cup long enough for me to get up on the tube at his side. With a happy sigh, I take the cup back and then stretch out, tipping my head back to catch the sun for a moment before looking over at Jamie.

"Buon compleanno," I tell him, reaching out to pat him on the arm. "That's happy birthday in Italian. Bon anniversaire! God, seventeen. Why does it feel like you're catching up to me?"

[forthsofar]

After tiring herself out with swimming, Rosie claimed a frankly ridiculous-looking float from the collection of them grouped near the pool. She's simply been floating, feeling glamorous and decadent and quite a bit absurd, trailing a hand occasionally in the water and simply enjoying the aimless drift as she moves around the pool.

With her eyes closed, she doesn't realize a collision is imminent until it occurs. Her yacht bumps gently into Jamie's swan, and she opens her eyes, looking over at him and laughing brightly. "Oops."

[speakordie]

It makes me exceedingly, overwhelmingly happy to see this party come together for Jamie. He deserves to have a fantastic birthday surrounded by people who care about him. My only worry is pulling focus from him because, well, we’re identical, so I made sure to wear swim trunks the opposite color of his, a completely not flashy deep green, and a pair of dark sunglasses. Hopefully this keeps anyone from running up to me with birthday greetings, because Jamie deserves every bit of excitement.

Having my giant blond boyfriend probably helps distinguish me as well, but eventually he wanders off to find snacks and I head up to the edge of the pool. It’s full of people laughing and having fun, and for a brief moment I long for an Italian summer before I push it away and tip my head up to feel the sun against my skin.

It’s a peaceful moment and I turn away from the pool only to bump into someone, and in my ensuing instinctive backwards scramble I step right off the edge of the pool and fall into the water. With an ungraceful splutter, I resurface and laugh as I push my hair out of my face to look up at the person I had bumped into.

“At least I didn’t drag you down with me,” I say with a chuckle, treading water easily. “But the water’s fine.”

[underthefloor]

Octavia is excited to attend Jamie's birthday party - she's been to so few of them in her life that she is probably unreasonably excited for every single one she's gotten to attend in Darrow, including her very first birthday party back when she'd turned 18. Any excuse to have fun is great, but birthdays seem extra special, and she's glad to be here to help celebrate a friend.

The fact that it's a pool party, though, just reminds her that she really, really needs to learn how to swim. She's got on a simple black bikini, and she idly wonders if she should be wearing a pair of those water wings she's heard about in case someone doesn't know and decides to push her in. She can at least hang out in the shallow end, since like she said back on that first day on the ground that seems forever ago now, they can't swim, but they can stand. And she doesn't want to stay out of the pool completely.

When she's not lounging in the pool, she's roaming around with a towel wrapped around her waist, talking to friends and nibbling on things here and there. All in all, it's a pretty awesome party.

[lost_boy]

"Catch!" I called to Octavia when I say her. I waited to make sure she had seen me, too, before I gently lobbed one of the inflatable balls her way. I had decided basketball wasn't the sport for me, although it was fun to play in the pool with my friends. But when school started up again, it wasn't the one I was going to be interested in.

"If you get it in the hoop from here, it's sixteen points," I told her, having completely made up the rules on the spot.

[and_survive]

There was a certain delight in holding her breath and staying under. Doing the obstacle course, or a length of the pool. Being underwater had been a real bad thing, once, but now she was in control of it. That was good.

Also, you got a good view of people's legs. Which was maybe weird and pervy, even when you'd made out with the person in question, but they were very good legs. She reached the shallows and lingered under the water a moment, at last surfacing, close enough that when she made herself a little fountain by pursing her lips and blowing water out, the arc almost reached Octavia. Whether she'd been trying to or not she wouldn't say.

[runtowardsomething]

Beverly always tends to wind up a little awestruck at parties at Magnus's. Before Darrow, she'd never seen anything remotely like this in person before, had grown up in circumstances about as far from this as it's possible to get. It's not a bad thing, not by a long shot, but it is sort of intimidating. At least it's a little less so when it's a private party and not one seemingly the whole goddamn city has turned out for. And given the occasion, she'd have been thrilled to show up regardless. Jamie has become a good friend of hers, and not just because he's dating Eddie, though that doesn't hurt. She remembers when he wasn't even sure when his birthday should be. For him to be able to throw a big party for it, then, seems pretty fucking great to her.

She winds up sitting by the pool, still wearing denim shorts and a t-shirt with her swimsuit underneath, her legs in the water up to her knees. Chances are, she's tempting fate, but she doesn't actually expect to keep her clothes dry at a pool party anyway. She'll deal with that whenever it comes up.

[lost_boy]

"Hi," I said with a smile as I sat down beside Beverly. My legs slipped into the water as well and I kicked them back and forth gently, swirling the water around us both, but not creating any big splashes. The lights in the pool changed from pink to purple to blue and I watched them with a small, contented smile.

"Are you having fun?" I asked. "I'm just... I'm really glad you're all here."

I still missed the Lost Boys, I knew no one would ever be able to take their place, especially Charlie, but I had new friends here. I had a family. People I trusted not to hurt me the way Peter had. It felt good to trust like that and I wanted to give something back to them if I could.

[forthsofar]

She's been trying to touch the bottom of the pool for a few minutes now--for no real reason, just as a challenge, something to do. Plunging down, getting deeper each time, her curls swirling around her head in a way that makes her think a little of mermaids, makes her feel just slightly magical.

At last, she brushes the tile floor of the deep end with the tips of her fingers, and it feels like a victory. When she resurfaces, gasping for air, it's only a few feet from where Bev is sitting. "Hey," she says, paddling over to her. "The water's not that bad, once you get used to it." She holds on to the edge with one hand to keep herself in place, kicking her feet gently as she looks up at the other girl.

[and_survive]

She'd gotten her tattoo before her birthday. It hadn't seemed like a birthday thing, given that it was something that Harley had designed for her. An impressionist cityscape overgrown into wilderness, wrapped around her left leg from ankle to mid-calf. Healed, now.

So the timing had worked out. She could swim with it. The one piece covered the giraffe, but that left the new one and her moth on display. She tended to keep that one out, even when it got colder. Just because she could, now. She'd spent a long time covering that arm up.

But it wasn't unseasonable for it now. The warm weather was back, there was a party. Things had gone to shit, and then they'd un-gone to shit, and Jamie was having a birthday party for the first time. Because things got better, sometimes. That was kind of the point of the city-gone-forest. Which was currently tucked up to her chest as she cannon-balled into the pool with no regard for who was in the splash zone.

[lost_boy]

I had been about to call out to Ellie, because her bathing suit was really cool, but suddenly she was flying into the pool, creating a huge splash, sending my inflatable swan bobbing on the waves.

When she came up again, I was laughing, wiping water out of my eyes, and I leaned over the edge of the swan to look at her.

"I like your bathing suit," I told her. "I think you splashed everyone within twenty feet."

[healthymalehost]

Peter wasn't exactly great friends with Jamie, but he'd been assigned the same room as him and his boyfriend for a while, before they'd gotten all split up for one reason or another. He seemed like a cool enough guy, and some of the other kids from the Home were there, and even though he already felt like he had one foot out the door of that place, it still felt kind of important that he show up.

He wasn't exactly surprised to see Ellie there, but before he could walk over for what would probably be a pretty awkward hello, she made a run for the pool, soaking him with the impressive radius of her splash.

"Jesus," he said to himself, taking a step back, the bottom half of his t-shirt soaked along with his board shorts. "Nice one," he muttered flatly, when she emerged from the water.

[daughterofawolf]

If Eponine stares at Ellie just a little, it's because her bathing suit is simply that attention-drawing, clearly. She's a new, rather lovely, tattoo, too, or at least, she doesn't remember it and it's not exactly in a place she thinks she'd never have seen between catching Ellie at various parties and the ones that have occasionally cropped up with her and Octavia in the country. So she has plenty of reasons her eyes might be drawn to the older girl.

She's not expecting her to barrel into the pool with all she's worth, though, and Eponine bursts into delighted laughter. It's humid, even if it's a little cooler than it's been, and she'd half thought about jumping straight into the pool in her dress anyway. Now she's soaked, and she looks down at herself, dripping, and thinks hell with it and jumps in after her.

The pull of her dress is a touch fearful for just a moment as her mind takes her to the cold Seine and the dead she'd seen pulled from the water in their drenched clothes, the moments of freezing desperation in which she'd considered that fate for herself. Just for a second, as she plunges. Then she stabilizes, her eyes opening in the clear water, her dress and her hair swirling around her, and she feels not so much like a corpse as some mythical creature, and surfaces with a smile.

"Bringing the pool to the party?" she laughs, treading water, as Ellie comes back up.

[high_warlock]

It's not the kind of birthday party that Magnus would have asked for himself, but then again Magnus doesn't celebrate his own birthday anymore. Instead he indulges others, and in that sense this is exactly what it should be. It's simple (to Magnus) and colorful and fun, and that's what Jamie asked for. So that's what Jamie's getting.

And the young man seems pleased, though that doesn't stop Magnus from keeping a wary eye on him and his friends, conjuring up anything they might feel they're missing at a moment's notice. No drink remains empty for long, no food plate needs to be trashed and refilled.

He himself lazes though, like a king, on a chaise lounge. He's elected for board shorts instead of his common Speedo, to save the children their eyes, and sips from a ferociously magenta drink with a large pineapple slice and a large amount of rum in it. Just for him.

Music filters through the air at just the right volume and Magnus sighs contentedly. He might look as though he doesn't want to be disturbed, but every time someone happens to wander near, his head lifts and his sunglasses slide just a touch down his nose so he can get a good look at the guest.

"Having fun?"

[lost_boy]

"Yes," I answered, beaming at Magnus. "Of course. This is the best."

Honestly, it could have been just a tiny gathering with my closest friends at the Home and I still would have been happy. Having never had a birthday party before meant anything would have been special, but this was extra special. This was something people had helped me with and I knew it was easy for Magnus, because of his magic, but I still appreciated it more than I could say.

"Thank you," I said to him again. At this point, I had probably said it nearly a dozen times just today. "This is a lot of fun."

[forthsofar]

For all that she feels daring and fashionable in her bathing suit while she's in the pool, swimming around or lounging on one of the floats, once out Rosie wonders if she doesn't simply look awkward and ungainly, with her too-pale skin and damp head of curls, already starting to frizz. Still, she can't very well stay in the pool forever.

She's making her way over to a lounge chair, a plate of food from the refreshments table in hand, when she hears the question. "A lot of fun," she answers honestly, looking over at the man with a bright smile. "You're Mr. Bane, right? The one who usually throws all these parties?"

[eddie_spaghetti]

Even though he knew Jamie didn't care, Eddie was still self-conscious about his weird, skinny chest and noodle arms and how his feet seemed to be too big for his body. He knew it probably meant another growth spurt, but part of him was convinced he was just going to look like an alien freak forever. He hated his hair and kind of hated his face, and he really hated how he looked in his board shorts, which made his legs look like tooth picks.

The party made him more nervous than he wanted to admit. Not only was it Jamie's birthday (sort of), it meant they'd been together for a year, which felt huge and scary and crazy. Kids their age weren't supposed to be together forever. Everyone said. Everyone acted like it was some kind of anomaly. A fluke that would eventually right itself. Nearly every other relationship between the kids in his grade shuffled around like musical chairs. They were freaks, and it wasn't like he cared what anyone else thought, but it made him scared that their expiration date was coming up.

He'd even mentioned it to his therapist, who'd gently reminded him of his habit of expecting the worst, always. Catastrophizing, she'd called it. And she was right, he knew it, but as the date came closer, his ability to not freak the hell out about every little thing was slipping further and further away from him. He'd even had his first panic attack in ages that morning, alone in a bathroom stall while Jamie brushed his teeth across the room.

Now, he stood on the edge of the pool, feeling like a jerk because he wasn't having as much fun as he should've been, or even as much fun as he wanted to be having. Jamie was so happy, smiling and talking with their friends, blissfully unaware that he had the worst boyfriend ever.

[lost_boy]

Eddie being here was the only reason I hadn't spent the entire morning worrying myself sick as we waited for people to arrive. I knew at a party I was supposed to try and spend time with everyone and I had done my best, going from friend to friend, group to group, knowing it would continue into the evening, but right now, as I spotted Eddie standing at the edge of the pool, that was the only place I wanted to be.

"Hi," I said breathlessly, nearly crashing into Eddie's side, but pulling up at the last second so I didn't knock us both into the pool. It was a year. A since we had first kissed in this very house and sometimes it felt like so much had happened in that time, but it was so good. This was so good. I put my arm around Eddie's shoulders and pressed my nose into his hair.

"Magnus said that one is just for us," I told him, pointing to an inflatable pineapple that had space for two people on it. "Do you want to come float with me?"

[negative_feedback]

Part of Regan wonders when she'll stop thinking 'it's been a long time since...' but for the moment, she's doing it again: it's been a long time since she's been to a pool party, never mind wore a bathing suit in public, subjecting herself to the scrutiny of her peers. She feels a little self-conscious, but not as much as she'd expected herself to.

She's wearing a one-piece suit, something with splashes of color and wide straps that feels a little modest. Her hair is pulled into a low ponytail. It isn't very long, but she hasn't cut it since she came to Darrow last winter, so it's grown a bit. A pair of big sunglasses, some cute flip flops, and a sheer floral cover-up and jean shorts finishes the look.

She'd brought a present — something small, something meaningful, that she knows Jamie will appreciate — and she'd placed it with any others that might be around, so he can open it when he's ready.

Later, she's lounging on the edge of the pool, hair still damp from her brief, unpracticed swim. It's great to see everyone having fun.

[healthymalehost]

If the guys from back home had been around, they never would've come to a part like this, first of all, and they sure as hell never would've gotten in the pool. Not unless there was some girl to try and impress, and Peter had no intention of doing that.

So, it felt kind of great to just dive in, without thinking about how it would look, or what his friends might think. The friends he'd made in Darrow didn't seem to give a shit about that sort of thing, anyway.

Speaking of, he caught sight of Regan sitting by the edge of the pool and lifted a hand to her in a wave, swimming over to the edge and folding his forearms across the sun-warmed tile. "Hey, how's it going?" He asked, signing with a lot more confidence than he had in the beginning. He still wasn't fluent or anything, but it felt good to actually be able to talk with her, especially when his phone was over with his stuff on the other side of the pool.

[wildmage_daine]

It's fair strange, being at a sizable gathering for the first time since she got back. At least it's in familiar territory; she knows Magnus's house and yard well enough. If it feels a bit off, that's probably just because this party, while still large, is still a good deal smaller than the sort he usually throws.

That, and Kitten's absence. She loved parties.

But today is about Jamie, and Daine wasn't about to miss his birthday for anything, especially now that she remembers things properly. She'd considered gift possibilities for a while before crafting him a small sling. She's not sure if he already knows how to use one or not, but she's happy to teach him if it's needful. More to the point, since it doesn't really look like a weapon when it's folded up, she thinks he might be able to get away with keeping it at the Home.

She's sitting on the edge of the pool with her legs dangling in the water, wearing a bathing suit but debating the merits of discarding it somewhere so she could muck about in otter shape or something.

[lost_boy]

"Hi," I said as I cut through the water toward Daine, swimming with smooth, strong strokes until I was at the edge beside her. I rested my forearms on the edge of the pool, folded over each other, and grinned up at Daine.

So far I had barely gotten out of the pool. I just loved swimming so much and I didn't get as much opportunity to do it as much as I had on the Island. Next summer I would go to the beach as often as I could, I decided. I would make the most of my last summer at the Home and do as many fun things as I was able.

"Are you having a good time?" I asked.

[forthsofar]

Though Rosie was still feeling off, still unsettled from the last few days--that sense of something forgotten, the twinge in her shoulder from whatever she'd done to it--she'd promised Jamie she'd be at the party, and so she was. In a way, it felt more important now; a bright spot of something normal, a chance to celebrate something good with a friend she saw less often, ever since she'd moved out of the Home. An excuse just to relax, if only for an evening.

After changing into her suit, she makes her way to the pool. At first, she just sits on the edge, kicking her feet through the water and watching the shifting colored lights as they cycle below her. After a while, though, she takes a breath and plunges in, paddling about, even attempting a bit of the obstacle course.

It's nice, just to have this for a night; something good, something fun.

[daughterofawolf]

Eponine has been in and out of the pool a few times. It's nice, the perfectly clear, cool-but-not cold water, the lights, everyone laughing. Once she's in the deep end, she tends to stay within a stroke or too of the walls -- it's not that she can't swim, but there's something almost claustrophobic about being too far from a handhold and under deep water -- but for the most part she enjoys diving and resurfacing with her hair streaming, feeling a bit like a mermaid, some sort of magical creature.

It's on one of these resurfaces for air, flipping her hair back out of her face, that she spots Rosie sitting on the edge, her eyes a little distant though not necessarily unhappy. Her bikini swimsuit is not at all shocking given the fashions here -- it's not much less than what she's wearing herself. Certainly at the Home, they'd been in various states of undress in front of each other, too. Yet somehow Eponine feels like she's seeing more of her than she's allowed.

She takes a breath, fighting a feeling she can't name that tells her she's not necessary, and instead ducks under and resurfaces again near the wall, pushing a splash of water at Rosie's calves.

"Penny for your thoughts," she says, leaning one elbow on the ledge and looking up at her.

[fatesdesign]

While Rapunzel knows that the guest list for this party isn't exactly small, she's still honored that Jamie took the time out of his day to invite her to his party. She makes him clothes, which isn't much of a surprise considering the business that she's in, but Jamie had been so happy to receive the sweater she made him. She still has his measurements, so she makes him another sweater and a nice button down shirt to go underneath it, along with a pair of slacks. She even tucks a little handmade coupon into the bundle, redeemable for help with Jamie (and Eddie's) Halloween costumes if they would like.

She also bakes some cupcakes, even though she knows it isn't necessary. A party hosted by Magnus will have more than enough food, but she still wanted to make something personal. It's how she shows people that she loves them, and she really does adore Jamie.

The party is in full swing when she arrives, and she sets the cupcakes and her gift down with the others. She's dressed in a pink sundress over a purple one piece suit, and she quickly abandons the dress near a chair, leaving Pascal snoozing while she steps up to the edge of the pool.

"Hmm," she says as she pulls her braid around to the front of her, wondering if would be too much of a bother to keep out of everyone's way. "Maybe I'll just get some sun."

[lost_boy]

"Are you going swimming?" I asked when I appeared at Rapunzel's side, already eating one of the cupcakes she had made for me. I would share them with others, of course, I liked being able to share with my friends, but I wanted the first one all to myself.

And I wanted to show Rapunzel I was already enjoying them. She was very good at baking and they were delicious.

"I didn't open the rest of the present yet, but the cupcakes are delicious," I said to her with a smile. "Thank you very much."

[daughterofawolf]

Eponine is almost always glad to go to a party at Magnus's, but going to a big party for the occasion of Jamie's birthday is an even better thing. She hadn't had many friends, growing up in Paris, hardly any at all until Marius if family didn't count. Here, she reflects, she's made friends she would give her life for, but not just out of some misplaced desire to feel needed -- friends she thinks would fight for her, as well.

Jamie, almost from the outset, has been one of those.

It does remind her that her own birthday is in only a few months and it means she'll be an adult, with all the strange responsibilities that come with that (the sort she'd wanted so badly when she found she was thought to be a child here and now really does not). But right now, looking at the lights dancing over the water, everyone enjoying the food and drink and the floating toys, she can't be too worried about it.

Right now, everything feels free and celebratory and like it might just stretch on forever tonight.

She's wearing a swimsuit under a white lacy dress, and she's sure she should go undress properly and put her things well out of the way of splashing. But standing on her toes at the edge of the pool, part of her feels reckless and bold and she toys with the idea of jumping right in, dress be damned.

[ithastobeseven]

Luke doesn't remember everything from when he was 13. It's kind of like a weird, long dream and when he talks to Saoirse about parts of it he remembers bits of it better, but some of it he just can't get back.

He remembers talking about Jamie's birthday, though, and he's pretty sure now he would have liked still being a teenager, because he's not totally sure of what he's supposed to do being so much younger than everyone.

But it also makes him really proud and feel a little more grown up to have been invited. Jamie wanted him, here! He knows how to swim a little bit, but he's still mostly scared of going on his own into the deep end, so he walks down the steps in the shallow end deep enough that he has to stand on his toes, and watches everyone, happy but nervous.

[forthsofar]

Rosie's on her way back to the pool, a series of weighted rings looped around one arm, when she sees him picking his way down the steps and into the water. The two of them had only overlapped at the Home for a matter of days, and it'd be easy to pass him by, small and young as he is. But there's a look in his face that Rosie recognizes, a mix of hesitant uncertainty and hopeful joy, and before she knows it she's sliding into the water and sloshing her way over to him.

"It's...Leo, right? No, sorry, Luke," she says, smiling down at him once she's close enough. "I'm Rosie, you were moving in to the Home the same time I was moving out, weren't you?"

[the_trashmouth]

This... was awesome.

Jamie had mentioned a while back that he was going to have a pool party for his birthday, and while Richie had been looking forward to it ever since he'd first heard, somehow the reality of it was even better. Richie had to get one of the ladies at the Home to give him enough of his Darrow money to buy swim trunks, but nagging them for a week straight in his Irish Cop voice had been well worth it.

Especially now, as Richie runs full speed at the water, leaping into the air at the last moment, wrapping his arms around his legs.

"CANNONBALL!"

[lost_boy]

I had seen Ellie do a cannonball already and so I was prepared for the splash when Richie launched himself into the water, but I propelled myself out of his way just in time, treading water a foot or so from where he'd landed. I grinned and reached up with one hand to wipe some of my dripping curls off my forehead as I waited for him to surface.

"Ellie's made a bigger splash," I teased when he did. "But yours was a lot better than mine."

In my defense, I had never done a cannonball until today.