feed the flame

tristan sullivan.driver. mechanic. twenty-six

[tristan-sullivan]

Tristan was all moved into his new place. No more sketchy hallways with questionable neighbors. No more broken locks and missing furniture. His new place was nice, and Tristan was proud of it! He’d spent the last two hours at Target picking up a few essentials (and also a lot of non-essentials, like a fake plant and a cheap bottle of wine and some towels that were really soft). His birthday was right around the corner, so he figured he could splurge a little. 

“Kinda fucked up that I only came here to buy Lysol,” Tristan mumbled to the person next to him at the self checkout line. “Target got me fuckin’ good.” Tristan sighed as he swiped his card. 

[tristan-sullivan]

“But we’re friendss. Friendsies share cake.” Eva cheered as the cake was slid towards her. 

“Thank you! You’re the best!” She leaned in then and placed a kiss upon Tristan’s cheek. The cake was everything and more that she had hoped it would be. Decadent, moist, chocolate the dominant flavor that melted on her mouth. “I think they’re right.” The fork in her hand spinning in the air close to her. “This is better than sex.” 

It was better than what she was getting which was zip zero. “You’re sooo kind, Tristy.” Another forkful of the cake shoved into her mouth. Eva was so content she relaxed more into her seat and closed her eyes until she finished that bite. “You’re a man, Tristy.” She wagged her finger at him. “Tell me why men are idiots. You’re not an idiot.” A fit of laughter. “You’re not an idiot but you’re funny. You’re my Jolly Green Giant.” Eva was rambling and to combat that she shoved more cake in her mouth. Eva could eat the entire cake this slice came from and it would do little to absorb the alcohol in her system. It might have just made things worse. Sugar high could be added on to the state she was in. 

“I hate men but I love one of them. Idiot. Big grumpy idiot.” 

Tristan grinned as Eva kissed his cheek, agreeing that the cake was better than sex. It was pretty fucking amazing. But then Eva seemed to have other things on her mind – she called him a man, and that he wasn’t an idiot. She was probably having guy troubles, but Tristan wasn’t really sure with who. He wasn’t familiar with Eva’s love life, and despite his current drunken state, he was prepared to listen and offer advice as best as he could. 

“Oh,” he said, leaning forward prepared to listen. “Well, you’re wrong. You hate men, but you love two of ‘em. Me and whatever grumpy idiot you’re talkin’ ‘bout,” he corrected, grinning rather smugly. Tristan had his own relationship issues, but it wasn’t really safe to share them with anyone. He was keeping everything to himself, which proved to be incredibly difficult for someone like him. 

“What did this big grumpy idiot do to you? I’ll find him and... kick his ass, or something.”

[tristan-sullivan]

Nat smiled when Tristan told her that he was afraid of her; Powerful and shit. Natalia was glad to know her persona worked. “I promise I won’t try to kill you…tonight,” she joked, taking sip of the margarita that the bartender finished making. She handed the second one to Tristan and held up her glass. “Cheers.”

Tristan leaned forward, took a sip of the margarita as Natalia promised that she wouldn’t kill him. She seemed cool, whenever she wasn’t trying to kill him, and she had a pretty big social media presence, which was also cool. 

“Do you get paid for posting selfies and stuff, on your Instagram? If I got paid for my posts, I’d buy like... a drone.”

[tristan-sullivan]

Paityn smiled wide as Tristan passed over a slice of cake. She shoved a fork full in her mouth and sighed satisfied. “Ugh, that’s so good,” she said, as Tristan slurred about how drunk she must be and how he’d fuck the cake if he could. She giggled and said, “not drunk, just pregnant,” without thinking. 

Shit. 

It just slipped out; Paityn hadn’t planned on telling anyone other than family that she was pregnant until further along. Her doctor said most women wait until their second trimester, just in case of complications. 

Maybe Tristan wouldn’t register what she said; he was shitfaced, after all.

Tristan was pretty focused on eating the rest of his cake, but then Paityn said that she wasn’t drunk – but pregnant. There was no keeping a straight face. Tristan broke out into a fit of laughter – he felt his face turning red, felt his eyes well with tears from how hard he laughed. He was wasted – borderline blackout drunk – and the idea of Paityn being pregnant made him laugh! Not because she’d be a terrible mother, but because she was obviously lying to make him feel bad about not giving her cake. 

“No, no, no, Paity, you can’t guilt me into giving you more cake. That’s fucking unfair.” 

Tristan controlled his laughter long enough to flag down a server, ordering a round of Vegas bombs for the both of them. 

Tristan knew that he’d be on his ass if he had another, but oh well! He was drowning his sorrows, eating cake, trying to stop himself from missing Camila too much. 

“I think you should name your baby after my cat, who is named after the main character in Alien. That’d be cool as fuck.”

[tristan-sullivan]

“She probably won’t,” Sofia said, “but I feel bad after the last party I attended. I don’t want to make more work for her during her birthday.” She shrugged. Tristan seemed to be having a decent time but his words didn’t match his eyes. There was something off, but Sofia didn’t know him well enough to press him. 

“Chanel deserves to get shitfaced without worrying about how to fix things for me in the morning. It’s like a pseudo-birthday present, I guess.”

“Why don’t you join them?” Sofia asked, looking at the energetic boys in the Conga line. It seemed like the perfect thing for Tristan at a party. 

“Don’t ya wish you were a nobody like me so you could get as wasted as you wanted with no consequences?” Tristan laughed a little, already eyeing the server for another drink. He wanted something different this time – something stronger.

“Oh, because they’re annoying as fuck,” Tristan said, shaking his head. “I’m not wasted enough to deal with them quite yet. They pregamed before we got here,” Tristan explained. “I had work, so I’m still kinda sober. Not for long though.”

He smirked, watching as a server made her way over to Tristan. He ordered two shots for himself, giving Sofia the chance to order a different drink if she wanted to. 

“Why are you hanging out all alone?”

[tristan-sullivan]

“Well, it’ll wash right off with those washboard abs anyway, right?” Chanel cackled, gesturing to his bare stomach. She thought she was hilarious, but to any other observer, she probably wasn’t. “I’m having a blast. A blast from the past, am I right?” Chanel giggled again, downing the last of the drink she had in her hand before placing it on the floor as if it were the exact place discarded drinks were meant to go.

“Another drink sounds fantastic. What do you think, Gin and Tonic? Shots?  a Long Island Iced Tea? Why is it called that, did they make it in Long Island? Like, did they make it there and then tell every single person in the world that same day that this drink with five million different liquors in it was going to be named after this tiny strip of land? Because I think I should definitely have a drink named after me and I want to know how to get that started.”

Tristan wasn’t nearly as wasted as Chanel was, but he hoped he would be soon. He couldn’t help but laugh whenever she placed her drink on the floor. That was fucking funny. Everyone seemed to be pretty wasted. Tristan was already falling behind.

“I... don’t know the answers to most of the questions that you just asked. But I think we should do shots, ‘cause I’m tryin’ to get as fucked up as you are.” Tristan led the way over to the bar, listening as Chanel mentioned that she wanted a drink named after her. She was rich and powerful and could probably make it happen. 

“Alright. If you were a drink, what kind would you be?” Tristan asked. “And before you answer that, what shots are we taking?” 

[tristan-sullivan]

Eva had not stopped moving since she arrived at the event. Breaks were not a thing nor was providing her body with what she needed and should be having. Water. The once drink of choice thrown out the window in exchange for anything she could get her hands on that would stop the hamster on the wheel known as her mind from spinning out of control. 

Her hand swiped the last drink on the tray that passed her. “I’ll take that.” She said with a smile. There was a sway to her step and unfortunately it was not the music that had her off kilter. “Oops.” A giggle as she nearly spilt her drink on the passed out individual on the floor. That should have sent up red flags but instead she stepped over them and wished them sweet dreams. 

“Is that the Better Than Sex cake that everyone has been raving about!” Eva excitedly pointed at the cake before she tried to sit down with some grace but instead landed hard on the seat. “Come on JOLLY GREEN GIANT-” Eva’s voice obnoxiously loud for her. “-you have to let me try it! It keeps vanishing every time I go to the table where it lives.”

Had Tristan ever seen Eva this wasted? Probably not. He watched as she stumbled over towards his table, almost spilling her drink. She took a seat, demanding that he let her try some cake. He raised a brow, shoveled some more into his mouth. He was ... debating. He really loved this cake, and sharing it would mean that there’d be less for him. 

“Don’t know what kinda cake this is, but it’s amazin’,” Tristan declared, smiling happily as he stared down at the three slices. “I also don’t know if I can share. It’s special. It’s mine. I worked hard for it.”

Tristan sighed. He slid her a plate. 

“You owe me. ‘Cause I was gonna eat the shit out of that.”

[tristan-sullivan]

Paityn’s jaw dropped when Tristan refused to share; she felt like she was going to cry. The cake was the last straw. She was sober and her hormones were driving her crazy. Paityn’s lip even started to quiver. 

“Are you serious?” she said, clear shock in her tone. “That’s so mean. You have so much and you’re going to make me go over and deal with that,” Paityn added, pointing to the crowd of people swarming the dessert table. “My feet hurt, Tristan.” 

With a pout on her mouth, Paityn crossed her arms over her chest. “I thought we were friends.”

Tristan could tell that Paityn was pretty upset over the fact that he said no to cake. He was nearly blackout drunk, but he’d struck a nerve. She must’ve been sloshed out of her mind, too, which made him laugh a little. He forked another bite into his mouth. 

“We are friends,” he said, staring down at his cake. He eyed the pieces, weighed them in his hands to see which one was smaller. Tristan wasn’t cruel, he’d give her a piece, but he was having fun messing with her. Finally, he slid a plate over, slowly, along with a fork. Tristan rubbed at his eyeballs, took off his hat and placed it on the empty seat beside him.

“You must be wasted. Sloshed. Zooted. Whatever. Cake is special. I get it. I would... fuck this cake if I could.”

He laughed a little deliriously, reached for his cocktail that was pretty much just ice at this point. Still, he popped a few ice cubes into his mouth, chewing on them. Tristan was getting restless. And the cake had helped elevate his spirits. Just a little. 

[nataliacardoza]

Natalia was starting to get back to normal; she opened up to Sofia about what happened with the dude in the bed when they were drunk and celebrating her job. With that weight off her shoulders, Nat felt like she could move on.

Scantily clad, Natalia was having fun teasing the party-goers, knowing full well none of them were in her league. She took a break from dancing and flirting to head to the bar for her next drink of the night.

“Two tequila shots, por favor,” she ordered, already tipsy. Nat stuck out her chest when the bartender returned and he blushed, offering her the drinks on the house. She winked as a thank you before downing both shots with ease, slipping a lime in her mouth as a chaser.

“I’ll take a margarita next,” she said. Feeling generous, she turned to the patron next to her. “Want anything? It’s on the bartender.”

[tristan-sullivan]

Tristan had endured a few interesting interactions with Nat. They all made him laugh to think about. And whenever he was this drunk, he didn’t really mind. She offered him a free drink, but he hesitated. 

“I’m kind of afraid of you,” he admitted, his filter regressing the more and more that he drank. “I guess that’s a good thing though. You’re powerful and shit. Yes. I'll take a margarita, too. Those are a fucking blast. As long as you don’t try to kill me.”

[tristan-sullivan]

Paityn was wandering the party, trying to find ways to distract herself when she spotted Tristan shoving cake into his mouth. She smiled walking up to him, but he interrupted her before she could speak.

“Hold on. Havin’ a moment. This might be the best thing I’ve ever had in my life.”

She shook her head and laughed, happy to have found a friend whose company she could enjoy. Paityn sat down next to him and used a finger to steal a small taste of icing from his plate. “Oh, you have to share…that’s the greatest thing I’ve ever tasted. Please, please, please?”

Whenever Tristan finally looked up, he saw Paityn sliding her finger over the icing. He furrowed both brows, mouth agape as he watched her steal the best part of the cake! And then she had the audacity to ask him to share?

He shook his head, wild eyed (and obviously joking), as he dragged all of the plates closer to him. “No,” he simply said. He was wasted. And he would obviously share after giving her a hard time, but he was a little territorial over this cake. It was fucking good. And probably expensive. 

“I worked hard for this. Walked all the way over to the table. Picked out the slices and everything. Sorry, Paity.”

[tristan-sullivan]

Seeing Tristan, Sofia sighed. He was dating Camila; at least, that’s what she last heard. She wondered how Cami dealt with the situation; maybe Tristan didn’t even know Sofia told her who he was and who he worked for; she felt bad. Leon would kill him if he found out; hell, Luca probably would, too.

“Not too fucked up,” she answered honestly. “Can’t give Chanel a hard time on her birthday.” Sofia paused. “How are you?” she asked. “Having fun?”

Having fun? No. He’d spotted Camila, and she looked good. And Tristan wanted to go up and talk to her, but he wasn’t drunk enough to be that stupid... yet. But Tristan was a big boy, and he didn’t want to ruin anyone else’s mood. 

“Yeah, lots of fun,” he said, smiling as he nodded towards his group of friends. They were doing some ridiculous Conga line and kept yelling at Tristan to go join every time they passed around. It made him laugh. “Well. I’m getting shit faced,” he said, downing the rest of his cocktail. It was ridiculously sour – he made a face. “Maybe Chanel won’t care if you get fucked up on her birthday. She looked pretty drunk a few minutes ago.”

[tristan-sullivan]

Tristan was pretty drunk – drowning his sorrows and all that. His friends, like everyone else at the party, were on the dance floor, going absolutely insane every time another iconic song played. Tristan didn’t feel like dancing. He felt like wallowing in his own sadness, which he didn’t like. But he had a solution to that problem. Cake. He snuck three platefuls away from a table. There was a lot of it, anyway, and no one would miss an extra slice or two that he’d taken! 

Tristan shoveled another forkful of icing into his mouth. He closed both eyes, smiled in a drunken, endearing way. Sweet, delicious, creamy – maybe the best icing he’d ever had in his life! He felt someone approach, but he didn’t look up. 

“Hold on,” he slurred. “Havin’ a moment. This might be the best thing I’ve ever had in my life.”

[tristan-sullivan]

Chanel stumbled from the bathroom at Sapphire, drink in one hand while the other held on to the door for support. She’d been pregaming well before the party had even started and was now the drunkest she’d ever been in the last year. Her birthday last year was it’s only equal, as was true every year on her birthday. Of course, Chanel had been drunk several different times throughout the years, but her birthday was the one day of the year where she refused to be a publicist and instead made everything entirely about herself. All while being as extra as possible.

Finally letting go of the door, she used her now free hand to adjust the short brown bob wig she’d been donning for the night and looked around the party, smiling at everyone who had shown up and the costumes they came in. Mia had sincerely outdone herself tonight and owed her BIG TIME for putting it all together.

Just as she was finally stepping away from the bathroom to go back out to the dance floor, she bumped into someone and spilled half her drink on the floor. She almost felt tears come to her eyes but then she quickly remembered that crying wasn’t cute and all her drinks for the night were entirely on the house anyway. Looking to the person she’d bumped into, she tried her best to focus on who it was all while making sure she kept her balance.

“It’s so lucky I have like four other outfits to change into tonight otherwise this would’ve totally sucked. Did I get you?”

Tristan wasn’t very familiar with Chanel. He just knew she was a big deal, powerful, and tonight’s celebration was all about her. Also, she was fucked up, spilling half of her drink on the floor, some of it on Tristan. It was cold (he was shirtless), but he wasn’t too bothered by it. She looked like she was having fun! 

“A little,” he said, shrugging as he wiped some of the liquid off his stomach. It’d be fine. “I’d be more upset if I had on like... an expensive dress, or something,” he said, gesturing towards Chanel’s very well put together outfit. “You look like you’re having fun. I’ll get you another drink, if you want. Since it’s your birthday and all.”

[sofixcostello]

Sofia loved her outfit; being one of Chanel’s Spice Girls for the evening was a blast. Especially because Sofia was Baby. Feeling cute and bubbly in her hand-made replica outfit and pigtails, she downed liquor like it was water. Though, as a birthday present for the woman of honour, Sofia was sure she wouldn’t get into too much trouble for the woman to deal with come morning.

No kissing Sinclairs. That was a promise.

She was drinking from the bottle when she felt an energy approach. Startled, Sofia pulled the bottle from her lips and laughed with a shrug. “Want some?”

[tristan-sullivan]

Tristan had only showed up to the party because his friends had dragged him out. He’d spent the last month confused, upset, and anxious. He hadn’t felt like himself – so goofing off, dressing up like someone else and getting drunk – it was worth a shot at feeling normal again. 

Sofia was drinking straight from the bottle. Tristan didn’t know her all that well, aside from the time he gave her a ride home and got some ice cream, but she offered him a drink nonetheless. Tristan was already working on a candy flavored cocktail, so he declined. Plus, she’d told Camila about him, and he wasn’t sure what intentions she had behind that. 

“Nah, thanks, I’m okay. I’ll finish this.” He held his own neon colored drink up, taking a swig, before eyeing the bottle in Sofia’s hands. It looked expensive. “How fucked up are you trying to get?”

[tristan-sullivan]

You’re Invited to Chanel Albright’s 90s/00s Themed Birthday Extravaganza!

August 1, 2020. 7:00PM. Sapphire. Come dressed as the VIP pass says or you will not be admitted to the event nor permitted anywhere near Sapphire. 

xx

Mia 

[tristan-sullivan]

“More like you’ll be the one eaten when you’re dead. You need to work on your phrasing, Sullivan”A dark remark that turned quickly to a tease at Tristan’s expense. “Ha!” Laughter easily escaped her lips at the words he spoke. The two were not far off in age yet he felt more like a kid to her than any functioning adult. Especially now. 

“Sullivan, you couldn’t get me wasted even if you tried. High tolerance, thank you Sinclair genes, and a toddler keeps me from being as wasted as you are going to be in about an hour.”

“You’ve never been to a Sullivan house party, but it gets fucking crazy, and I make a mystery punch that’ll have you on your ass in like an hour. High tolerance or not.”

Tristan wiggled his eyebrows at Margot before he scanned the crowd for a server with a tray full of shots.

“You have a babysitter, right? Take some shots with me.”

[jammusings]