Closed Champagne Problems

[Valente Espinosa]

Valente's apprehension shows mostly in his hands. The irritating action of applying the cuff links he detested to each sleeve, the knotting and undoing, and eventual coming together of his messy tie as he attempts to piece himself together. To piece together a semblance of an appearance to maintain, because they were once partners in heart as well as in their project. Partners in varying enough successes to both receive and RSVP an invitation to a museum benefit. Partners who in every intent still planned to attend said benefit together for the sake of their careers, and in spite of their break up. Usually welcoming a chance to dress up and and unwind at an event that was very much still work, Valente instead was dreading the night, more so the act and effort exerted to arrive as a pair as if nothing had changed when in fact everything had changed. It felt like a farce because that was exactly what it was.

He knew after walking into the established museum they would likely part ways and seek out their individual networks. It was the truly the only choice Valente had not to feel suffocated and the only solace he was able to look forward to. But until then, until they had arrived they had to save face against Valente's better judgement. He was nothing if not dedicated to his work in spite of the emotional turmoil his work now afforded, and it was this dedication that allowed him to slide the black suit blazer over his shoulders and add the finishing touches to his appearance. He reminded himself to breathe, running a small amount of gel through his curly hair to neaten it slightly before parting from the guest room he had moved into. He stepped into the second floor landing, glancing for a moment down the grand staircase and chewing the inside of his cheek when he couldn't spot Emery. After checking his watch to see they were still on time, Valente tried to gather his patience as he waited for Emery to emerge from whichever part of the house he had gotten ready in. Hopefully within the means of the time they had before they were fashionably a little too late. ​

 

[Emery Elwood]

Awkward wasn't a strong enough word to describe Emery's life these days, frankly. He knew mixing romance and professional life had been a mistake from day one, but it was a mistake he had leaped into headfirst. When everything had gone t*ts up, he had wondered if he ought to get his head checked, because he must have hit it on something jumping so eagerly into such an unwise situation. But it was too late now, and all he could do was stick it out and carry on with life as best he could.

At least there was enough space in the house for privacy and Emery was taking full advantage, spending far longer than he needed to tidying up his hair and making sure his tie was straight. If there was one thing he hadn't gotten into his field for, it was black tie alas. But it was part of the job, and he technically did have to do his best. Teeth brushed for the third time, Emery finally had to admit to himself that he had overdawdled, and it was time to actually go. Taking a deep breath he headed downstairs and grinned at the sight of Valente, biting back every red warning sign flashing in his mind that this looked like a wedding. It wasn't, and it never would be. He gave Valente what he hoped was an appropriately professional smile as he reached him. "Ready to go, then?"

 

[Valente Espinosa]

As Valente waited he stepped down the staircase, adjusting his cuff links that were already perfectly in place in an effort to distract himself with something that wasn't the elephant in the room or the nerves he felt. His chest was tense, and his brows furrowed in representation of his apprehension, a demeanor he only felt worsen as Emery finally revealed himself, walking downstairs to meet him in the entryway. All Valente could do was wordlessly nod at Emery's question to whether he was ready. Words rarely escaped him when he was working or caught on a tangent his work and research afforded him but the moment they were in was outside of their usual work, it was a limbo in between a work day and an evening at a museum benefit that was working outside of work, where the failure of their relationship hung in the air without a change of topic to distract them nor their mutual goal of their current project to keep them occupied.

Instead, Valente was in a moment he would rather avoid and it was predictable that he wasted no time in moving a hand to Emery's shoulder to apparate the pair of them to an alley next to the gala they would be attending. Ignoring the usual nausea of apparition, only heightened by the nerves and butterflies in his stomach, Valente stepped away from Emery and adjusted his own tie. He still chose to remain wordless as they walked up the stairs to the building, only after entering and glancing around the room deciding to say something to his once partner. "Should we meet back here at say, ten?" He asked, keeping his gaze on their surroundings. He was trying to be polite but remained in their detachment, an ironic gesture given they both lived and arrived to the event together. As such was the circumstances of their relationship. "Unless you want to stay later?" Valente added, only after his second question deciding to properly look towards Emery. It was an action he immediately regretted as he felt his heart flip, because Emery always looked good in a suit and it was a fact he couldn't ignore through the awkwardness of their situation. ​

 

[Emery Elwood]

Emery closed his eyes at the feel of Valente's hand on his shoulder, relieved that he hadn't tried to link arms or anything like that. He moved away as soon as the side-along apparition was over, straightening his suit selfconsciously. He nodded at Valente's suggestion, relieved that this whole exchange would be done with soon. "Ten is good." He agreed, looking around the gala. "Shouldn't be much that would keep us later than that." He couldn't quite keep his eyes on Valente as he uttered the word 'us', looking away for a second before coming back to him.

 

[Valente Espinosa]

Valente looks away as soon as Emery looks over to him, his face flushing slightly in embarrassment that he might have been caught looking. Lingering his gaze for longer than appropriate for their situation would only cause further strain on their already strenuous circumstances, Valente's sanity at least feeling like it was hanging by a thread between words left unsaid and his inherent failure to keep up a personal life when he was by nature a workaholic. He cleared his throat, looking to past the entry way and to the makeshift ballroom just outside of the museum's lobby. To his dismay he didn't immediately spot someone he recognized, but still tried to seem like he had so he could keep a semblance of distance from Emery. "Ten it is, then." He answered softly. They could at least agree on the time they would be leaving, if nothing else. It was a time he kept in mind as he headed further into the gala, ordering a whiskey sour he intended to nurse before he eventually spotted an acquaintance from another project and promptly greeted them, after a few minutes able to distract himself with his usual work conversation. ​

 

[Emery Elwood]

Emery gave a brisk nod and straightened his clothes again, glad when he was free to... not flee the awkwardness, definitely not, but... saunter away from the awkwardness and leave it to its own devices. He made sure to head in the opposite direction to Valente, gratefully acquiring a glass of wine and falling into conversation with people whose names he was mostly doing a good job of pretending to remember. Passing from conversation to wine and back again, the evening passed blessedly quickly. The only downside of finally getting to go home was having to track down the man he was going home with, albeit not in the way he had ever wanted. "Ready to go?" He asked, failing to look as sober as he wanted to.

 

[Valente Espinosa]

Valente hadn't been keeping count of his drinks, didn't know how many he had when he finally checked his watch to see it was almost ten, but when he walked to the lobby to meet Emery he had to admit he felt a familiar haze over his consciousness. He was tipsy, to say the least, feeling a warmth to his skin and a sense of carelessness that wasn't there earlier in the night likely due to his lowered inhibitions. In this way he strolled over to Emery when he spotted the man, smiling sloppily at Emery's words. "Yeah, all ready to go home." He answered softly as he tried to ignore the fact he had called Emery's house his home. "Though, I think we should floo. I have had a few drinks." Valente admitted a moment later, moving a hand to his chest as he spoke. It wouldn't be a great distance to apparate home but Valente wasn't willing to risk such an act when he didn't feel entirely himself, and especially when traveling by floo would be far easier for the both of them. If they used the floo network it would keep them from having any further contact - another action Valente wasn't willing to risk when he wasn't sober. There were too many things, apologies and promises he worried his tipsy self would make if he got too close to Emery, promises while he entirely meant would be subsequently too easy for him to break. "There's a fireplace off of the main stairwell we can use." He added, already turning and heading in the direction of the stairwell assuming Emery would follow him. ​