[008] a roy thanksgiving

                                                                                         Celia wasn't looking forward to Thanksgiving with the Roy family, seeing as each and every one always managed to end in chaos. And from what Roman had told her about Logan, it seemed as though this wouldn't be very different.

                                                                                        Not only was Logan hellbent on taking over the news so they could be the only one providing the news to America, but Logan obviously wasn't in the right state of mind. He had ended up spilling far too much coffee in his office while being spaced out, acting like nothing had happened afterwards. Obviously, his mind was going along with the rest of his health and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it or him.

                                                                                        Even though Roman was still feeling pretty hurt by what Celia had done to him, he was willing to move on from it. While the healthier thing to do would be to talk about it (or maybe for Roman to finally throw in the towel and give up on their marriage like Celia wanted), he was far too attached to let go at this point. And so, they just ignored it and pretended like it hadn't happened... like they did most of their arguments and fights. 

                                                                                       Without Celia, Roman would truly be... alone.

                                                                                       "I think we should make a bet - see how long it takes before one of my family members try to kill each other. Oh, no, maybe we should try and see if my dad accidentally cuts off someone's fingers instead of the turkey," Roman remarked, finishing up with the last button of his shirt.

                                                                                       "Is he strong enough to cut a turkey?" Celia remarked with a raised brow.

                                                                                       "Maybe...," Roman trails off as he thought about it.

                                                                                       "Fuck... can you help me with this?" Celia asked, frowning as she struggled with the back of her dress which needed to be zipped up so they could both go.

                                                                                       "Uh...," Roman trails off, pausing as he took notice of Celia obviously struggling.

                                                                                       "Rome," Celia complained.

                                                                                       "Okay, fuck. I'll help," Roman says, throwing his hands up in defeat before rushing over to help his wife.

                                                                                         Celia turns back around so her back was facing Roman. Swallowing hard at the sight of Celia's exposed back, he hesitates for a moment as he thought about the last time he had seen Celia remotely nude. And that had been... way too long. Snapping out of it, Roman awkwardly cleared his throat before he finally manages to zip up the dress with ease. Celia then turns around to look at Roman, noticing how silent he had suddenly grown and Celia meets his gaze with a smirk.

                                                                                      "What's the matter? Are you seriously turned on right now?" Celia scoffed.

                                                                                         Roman stammers, struggling to come up with an answer. Celia moves in even closer, deciding to rub against him and tease him even more than before. Celia couldn't help herself, not when it was entirely too easy to mess with him and send him right over the edge.

                                                                                         "All you have to do is see a little bit of skin and it gets you hard? That's a little pathetic, if you ask me. You're just a pathetic little boy," Celia taunts, leaning in close enough to where Roman was and now brushing her lips against his.

                                                                                         "Celia...," Roman trails off, closing his eyes as he prepared to kiss her.

                                                                                           She suddenly pulls away from him, chuckling to herself as she now walked away from him. "Hurry up, Rome. We're going to be late."

                                                                                         "What? Are you serious, Celia? I'm so hard right now," Roman groaned.

                                                                                         "Then take care of it yourself and keep it moving," Celia shrugged.

                                                                                            Roman looked at Celia, waiting for her to come back and hopefully change her mind. But Celia kept walking anyway, not giving anything up to Roman. And so, Roman retreated into the bathroom and jerked off since Celia wasn't going to help him.

( 💵💄👗)

                                                                                      Marcia had welcomed both Celia and Roman with open arms, playing the role of the perfect stepmother. Celia had been looking for Kendall but she had been unable to find him. Instead, she and Roman would find Greg and the three of them would end up smoking weed outside on the balcony. Celia was instantly brought back to all the times she'd smoke weed with Shiv and Roman when they were younger and the world had seemed so much simpler back then.

                                                                                      Celia missed it more than she could ever admit.

                                                                                    "Holy shit," Celia says in between coughs, handing the blunt over to Greg when she was done with it, "That is a lot stronger than you said."

                                                                                     "You'll be alright, baby," Roman assured her, his tone almost mocking as he stroked her hair.

                                                                                       Celia lightly smacks his hand away.

                                                                                      "It is?" Greg asks, growing increasinly worried as he still held onto it.

                                                                                      "Oh, yeah. I don't smoke schwag. You're gonna get really high," Roman teased, obviously delighting in Greg's worry.

                                                                                       "Oh, man. No... no," Greg murmured as he began to walk away, acting as though he was contemplating his own life choices.

                                                                                         Roman's phone continued buzzing in his pocket and he finally pulled it out, only to frown when he saw what it was. And even Celia peeked over to see what it was all about.

                                                                                       "The Biggest Turkey. Look at this shit," Roman scoffed, glancing down at his phone. Celia frowned at the news, knowing just how cursed the movie was for Roman. "Now they're saying it's gonna set a record for Thanksgiving box office."

                                                                                     "Shit, Rome, that sucks," Celia pouts, only to scoff when Roman glared at her. "What? I was actually being sincere that time."

                                                                                      "Record? That... that's great, right? I mean, that's ours," Greg remarked, faltering at the way Roman glares at him.

                                                                                        Finally, Roman storms off - phone in hand - and makes his way back inside the house. Celia felt just a little bad for Greg and so she'd approach him, deciding to tell him the truth.

                                                                                       "Did... did I say something wrong?" Greg asked, totally clueless.

                                                                                       "Look... The Biggest Turkey in the World is not a good film for Roman. He did everything he could to try and stop it back when it was being made. But the men in charge overruled and went ahead with the film anyway. He had no control over it," Celia answered, remembering just how upset Roman had been when the film came out.

                                                                                       "Oh. Well, although, it has made Roman and everyone more money," Greg tried to reason.

                                                                                         Celia just scoffs before she leaves a stammering Greg behind on the balcony, just as Tom had been walking out there. The right thing to do would be to find Roman and make sure that he was okay. But instead, Celia's eyes landed on Kendall who seemed to light up the moment he saw her. Celia smiles in an instant, making her way over to Kendall who pulled her in for a gentle hug.

                                                                                       "Hey, you. I almost didn't think you'd make it," Celia replied as she glanced up at Kendall with a smile. 

                                                                                       "I wouldn't miss this for the world," Kendall responded. "You look... wonderful, by the way."

                                                                                        He could barely keep his eyes off of Celia who looked absolutely stunning in her black cocktail dress. Even without trying, Celia managed to steal the show with ease.

                                                                                       "Oh me? Thank you! I just threw on the very first thing I could find," Celia replies, motioning towards her dress with a sheepish smile. "Did you come here on your own?"

                                                                                       "Yes. Well, no. But technically, yes. Rava and the kids are here as well," Kendall shakes his head. "But, uh, they didn't come with me. Obviously."

                                                                                       "Right. Well, I can't wait to see them," Celia says awkwardly. How could she face Kendall's soon to be ex-wife when all she wanted to do was steal her man?

                                                                                       "Aren't you two adorable?" Shiv remarked from her seat, causing the two to look at her. Shiv had a knowing look in her eyes and it made Celia frown. She didn't like being under such scrutiny - especially not from the one person who knew her the best. 

                                                                                      "Shut up," Celia says softly, now standing beside Shiv, "That's not funny."

                                                                                      "I think it's hilarious actually," Shiv kept going, eyes now narrowed in light suspicion.

                                                                                        Thankfully, Kendall found a way to change the subject - using the likes of Connor and Willa to do so. "He brought her to Thanksgiving."

                                                                                        "Do you think she charges overtime for Holidays?" Shiv bluntly asked.

                                                                                          Celia scoffs. "She should. She'd be an idiot not to."

                                                                                        "It's not cool. Like, one day that's a story. You know that," Kendall argued.

                                                                                         "I know," Shiv says as Tom and Greg come back from outside.

                                                                                         "Oh, no. Why'd they bring cranberry sauce too?" Tom remarked, sounding absolutely crushed.

                                                                                        "Oh, yeah, forget it. You can't get him anything. Last Christmas I thought I'd had an idea, new General MacArthur bio? He got, like, seven copies," Kendall remarked.

                                                                                        "You should warn your future hubby, Shiv. He needs to know these things," Celia teased, causing Shiv to stand up and pull away from Tom's comforting massage.

                                                                                        "Hey, can I talk to you for a moment?" Shiv questioned. But before Celia could respond, she pulled Celia over to the side so they could talk alone. "What are you doing?"

                                                                                        "I don't know what you're talking about," Celia blinked.

                                                                                        "First, Kendall's sending you flowers and now the two of you can barely keep your eyes off of each other like you're high schoolers in love. Celia... there's nothing I have to worry about, is there?" Shiv asked, folding her arms across her chest.

                                                                                        "Of course not! Shiv, you know me. I'm just developing a little friendship with Ken. He's been there for me when Roman isn't. That's all there is," Celia insisted, although it was a bold faced lie.

                                                                                         Shiv frowns, searching Celia's face for any sign of deceit. But Celia didn't break. And eventually, Shiv had no choice but to believe her. Even if she had a little bit of doubt within her, she didn't want to show it. And instead, she just sighed before pulling her into a hug.

                                                                                       "I'm sorry. You're my best friend and I'd never think you were capable of something like that," Shiv stated, her face remaining emotionless. She was determined to fake it for as long as she could until she found out the truth.

                                                                                       "It's okay. I forgive you," Celia replies, determined to fake it for as long as she could. She knew she was close to getting Kendall and she wouldn't let anyone stop her. Not even her supposed best friend.

( 💵💄👗)

                                                                                         Things grew from bad to worse as time wore on.

                                                                                         Dinner had been pretty tense from the moment Logan had gotten on Iverson, forcing him and Rava to leave the room. Logan was an old fashioned man and he just couldn't seem to understand (nor did he care to understand) just how different Iverson was. After that, Logan and his brother, Ewan, got into an argument and Ewan had stormed off with Kendall trailing after him.

                                                                                         Oh, and Ewan had come back. Only to call them all a nest of vipers.

                                                                                         Celia had retreated shortly after that, Sophia calling her over and asking if she wanted to watch a movie with her. More specififcally, The Biggest Turkey in the World. Celia didn't care for kids and she knew she'd never have any of her own. But Celia wasn't going to be completely evil towards Sophia. She was Kendall's daughter after all. Besides, Roman was busy downstairs so she probably wouldn't even know what was happening.

                                                                                        Or so Celia thought.

                                                                                        As she sat with the little girl and watched the movie (which was kind of terrible but Celia was playing along for Sophia's sake), someone new would barge into the room. Roman, having been on the hunt for Celia, was happy to have finally found her. But when he saw what they were watching, his mood soured in an instant.

                                                                                        "What is this?" Roman questioned. "Who put this movie on?"

                                                                                        "Celia did!" Sophia pointed right at her.

                                                                                         "You tattle-tale," Celia pretended to frown, crossing her arms across her shoulders.

                                                                                         "Can I talk to you for a moment?" Roman questioned.

                                                                                         "Sure," Celia huffed. "I'll be back in a second, Soph."

                                                                                         "Okay," Sophia responds, watching as both Celia and Roman left the room together. They'd walk a little ways away from the door before Roman stopped, turning around to face Celia.

                                                                                         "What the actual fuck?" Roman questioned.

                                                                                         "It was the only kids movie there, Rome. Jeez. It's not like Sophia knows the whole big deal about it," Celia shrugged.

                                                                                         "You know how I feel about it," Roman frowned.

                                                                                          "I didn't think you'd find out," Celia admitted.

                                                                                          "So you weren't going to tell me then," Roman scoffed. "You're good at keeping secrets, aren't you?"

                                                                                          "Excuse me?" Celia raised a brow.

                                                                                          "Excuse me?" Roman mocks her before scoffing. "Don't act so fucking innocent. You're the Devil in Prada. You're so full of shit."

                                                                                          "Did you just throw a movie reference at me?" Celia chuckled, slightly in disbelief.

                                                                                          "Maybe. You know what? Fuck it. I don't care since you clearly don't give a fuck about me," Roman shakes his head.

                                                                                           "You're right, I don't. Aw, poor Roman. Did I hurt your feelings?" Celia taunted. "You can be such a sensitive little bitch sometimes."

                                                                                          "Fuck you," Roman remarked as he decided to storm off like he always did.

                                                                                          "Fuck you," Celia shot back before she went back into the room, hoping Sophia hadn't heard her. If she had, she certainly didn't say anything.

                                                                                            A long while later, everyone would be called down for pie and Celia and Roman were still at odds with each other. Even Kendall could notice and he was already feeling pretty distracted with everything he was thinking about. Although Celia and Roman were sitting next to each other, they didn't even bother to look in each other's direction.

                                                                                         "And if by some chance that bear pushes me off the roof, I'm gonna shoot that fucking dog," Logan declared, earning some laughter from the others.

                                                                                         "So you shot it?" Greg asked.

                                                                                         "What?"

                                                                                         "So you shot it?"

                                                                                         "It was a joke."

                                                                                          "It's not an anecdote."

                                                                                          "You missed the beginning."

                                                                                            Greg ultimately nodded in agreement. "I didn't hear the first part, yeah."

                                                                                         "Nobody did," both Celia and Kendall say at the same time, sharing an amused look before reluctantly looking away from each other. Roman unfortunately noticed that too.

                                                                                         "Can we do what my family does for Thanksgiving?" Tom suddenly asked.

                                                                                         "Fuck the turkey?" Roman suggested, earning a kick in the ankle from Celia. "Ow!"

                                                                                          "Go to other people's dinners," Logan offered in irritation.

                                                                                          "No, no. We go around, we go around the table and we each say what we're thankful for," Tom explained.

                                                                                          "Blecch," Roman pretends to gag.

                                                                                          "Very well, I'll go first. I'm thankful to have the family all together," Marcia replied, deciding to take the first initiative.

                                                                                           "Nice," Tom nodded.

                                                                                           "I'm thankful that I was not born a Siamese twin," Roman replied, looking over at Shiv.

                                                                                            "I'm also thankful for that, but I'm also thankful for the food," Shiv added.

                                                                                            "Yeah, me too. The food. Amazing," Kendall agreed.

                                                                                            "You can't piggy-back on my thanks. Have your own," Shiv argued.

                                                                                            "I'm feeling thankful that Logan's better. Feel - yeah," Greg chimed in.

                                                                                           "Well, I think we're all thankful for that. I think it goes without saying," Tom replied before wiping his mouth with a napkin.

                                                                                           "But - yeah, I am. Really," Greg insisted.

                                                                                           "You," Roman points directly at Rava with his utensil.

                                                                                           "Me?"

                                                                                           "You."

                                                                                           "Um, I'm grateful I'm not in a refugee camp. I guess this is better than that," Rava responds.

                                                                                           "I think you should be thankful for that," Marcia agreed.

                                                                                           "And so say all of us. That was a good one," Roman agreed, leaning back in his seat.

                                                                                           "Can I say?" Amir, Marcia's son, chimed in.

                                                                                           "Go ahead," Logan assured him.

                                                                                           "I'm thankful for the opportunity to head up Animation in Europe," Amir replied, almost sounding as though he was bragging. "And I hope to turn around an underperforming division."

                                                                                            Of course, his words were shocking to the Roy siblings. Even Celia was a little surprised. But it only showed that Logan would sooner care for his stepchildren rather than his own flesh and blood.

                                                                                           "Well, I'm thankful that you told us about that, then," Roman remarked, his tone nothing short of snarky.

                                                                                          "Congratulations," Gerri told him.

                                                                                          "Thank you," Amir responds with a smile.

                                                                                          "I'm thankful to have Willa here," Connor replied.

                                                                                          "I'm thankful to be made to feel so... welcome," Willa added.

                                                                                          "Hmm," is all Roman says, obviously wanting to say more. But he wasn't dumb enough to say what everyone else was thinking.

                                                                                          "And I'm thankful that I am gonna be marrying into one of the most vital and interesting and... kind and loving families in the world," Tom declares as he hugs Shiv close to him, giving her a chaste peck on the lips.

                                                                                         "Are you not gonna be marrying Shiv anymore?" Roman teased, earning a middle finger from Shiv.

                                                                                         "Since we're talking about families, I have a little announcement. Uh... Willa and I are pleased to announce that I've asked her, and she's agreed that we are to... take the next steps," Connor announced. And honestly, it had to be one of the most underwhelming announcement she had ever heard in a long time.

                                                                                        "Mm-hmm," Willa nods.

                                                                                        "What? Y - you're not getting, uh...?" Logan trails off.

                                                                                        "No, we're... goin' steady," Connor explained.

                                                                                        "Oh," is all Logan says.

                                                                                        "Jesus Christ. You're going steady? What are you, nine?" Roman taunted.

                                                                                        "What?" Connor faltered.

                                                                                        "Happy for you, man," is all Roman says, giving up.

                                                                                        "Thanks," Connor perks up in an instant, wrapping an arm around Willa's shoulders and holding her close.

                                                                                        "That's wonderful, Connor," Celia finally spoke up.

                                                                                        "Thank you, Celia," Connor nods in appreciation while the others look at her, suddenly remembering that she was there.

                                                                                        "Celia?" Shiv sends her a small smile. "Do you wanna say what you're thankful for?"

                                                                                        "Fine. I'm... so thankful that I'm in a happy and loving marriage with the man of my dreams," Celia replied, tone dripping with venomous sarcasm. "Roman's the best husband a girl could ever ask for. He's so sweet and kind and understanding. Not at all entitled, selfish, or an egotistical drama queen who only cares about himself."

                                                                                        "You're very welcome, darling," Roman scoffed before finishing the rest of his drink.

                                                                                        "Okay, a game," Marcia suggested when things at the table quickly became tense.

                                                                                          Celia scoffs before she storms away, leaving the others so she could have a moment alone. Once she was on her own, she was able to take a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down. She instantly thought back to the time she'd be with her family, having good and happy moments. Celia had been so sweet back then, so innocent. Maybe not so innocent but she wasn't nearly as miserable back then like she was now.

                                                                                          Celia just wished Roman would agree to the divorce already so she could be free.

                                                                                          Just then, Celia heard a whole bunch of shouting and commotion - causing her to run over to the room where the rest of the family and guests were playing the game. Kendall was shouting in Logan's face, Marcia stepping in to try and intervene. But then, Kendall and Rava left with an injured Iverson and Celia was left to watch the already tense room descend into chaos.

                                                                                          But Celia was stuck in this chaotic mess, married into it by her dead father's design.

( 💵💄👗)

word count: 3328
notes: this was one of the longest chapters to date but i hope you enjoyed the chaos and mess! we'll have a celia/kendall centric chapter real soon