Work Text:
Kendall Rose Wambsgans walks into her 18th birthday party with some trepidation. This isn’t her real party, not yet, this is for the press. She’ll be CEO of the company one day, her daddy has promised her, although she’s not sure that that’s what she wants. Since Matsson’s death last year, her dad has been working harder than ever. Living+ is huge now, and they are this close to being able to cryogenically freeze people. “Who wouldn’t want an eternity of this?” she’s heard her mother comment sarcastically.
As soon as she steps through the doors, her uncle and namesake greets her with a hug and a kiss. As usual, her parents are on opposite sides of the room. She looks around for her cousins and Sophie hails her from where she’s talking to Iverson. She makes her way over to them, narrowly avoiding Cousin Greg, her dad’s best friend, who takes his godfather duties way too seriously and always wants to know every detail of Kendall’s life. Her Uncle Roman attempts to wave at her while carrying two martinis. Uncle Connor is in the corner with his third wife, who is only five years older than Kendall.
There are images of Kendall projected all over the walls. She’s the image of her mother, with long red hair, but everyone knows her temperament is more like her father’s. She has none of her mother’s fire, she’d rather please everyone around her. Sophie discreetly offers her a bottle of vodka from inside her coat, but she shakes her head. Journalists are watching her every move.
She keeps a fixed smile on her face for all the speeches. When it’s time for cake, she moves to the middle of the room and smiles more genuinely as she leans in to blow the candles out. Her relatives are all applauding for her, her parents are standing together at her side and she thinks that, for better or worse, this is family.