When Barry glanced up at the sky at the sound of thunder, his distress was evident for anyone who as much as glanced his way. Thunder– the possibility of lightning to be more specific, made him particularly nervous. He had survived being struck by lightning before, and it wasn’t as if he was not fast enough to dodge a striking bolt, getting Blaine to safety in the process as well. But having had his speed taken from him before, just like that, like it were but a loosened possession rather than his very DNA, anything remotely related to how he had gotten them to begin with genuinely scared him. Almost like he had read the other’s mind, his own pace accelerated as he wondered how long he would have to stand under the building’s stoop, waiting for the rain to lighten or to cease altogether. He turned his head, perhaps hoping to see he wasn’t the only one as discontent with the weather, so he wouldn’t feel as bad for carrying a pout on his lips. One look at Blaine’s face and he turned it to a smile. “You’re not one, like– of those guys who ran around in masks, are ya’?” When he turned his head to look at him, he arched an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes, as if he were trying to picture him in the suit of any of the vigilantes he was acquainted with. “I– Yeah! I mean…” It seemed as though he was getting less and less free time every week, now that he thought of it. But he certainly got enough free time as a CSI to be able to carry out a less than conventional second job on the side. “– I get some time, I guess, yeah. How about you? How much leisure time have you got?”
Blaine normally didn’t mind thunderstorms. Now. As a kid–he was petrified of them. Ohio had some pretty bad ones that shook the house and wind that made the windows and shutters rattle. Then–the older he got? The more he started to like them. And the rain? If they were inside? The downpour would’ve been beautiful to watch from his balcony. So there was no real reason for a spark of nervousness to make him walk just a little bit faster once Barry caught onto the fact that he sped up. Other than the storm they were in when they met. His ever present smile turned into a jovial laugh that had a heat burning over his cheeks at the look Barry was giving him. Well! He–technically–was a superhero at one point. Who was he to shrug off Nightbird and say no? Years had passed since he embraced his inner superhero but he wouldn’t dare insult the masked avenger he once was! “Um. Only when necessary. I haven’t donned my mask in a while. Ever since my superhero best friend and I started living in separate states. Sort of hard to be a team when you aren’t a team anymore. Alas,” he sighed heavily and shook his head with a lopsided grin, “My days of that are on an extended hiatus.” Looking back up at him–Blaine smiled and motioned to the brownstone a few buildings away but didn’t miss Barry’s discomfort. “That one’s mine,” and back to Barry’s question, “Now that I’m on break? I’ve got plenty. A couple nights performing a week.. That’s it. Hey. Are you okay?” Blaine paused, bit his lip and seemed to be considering if he should ask what came to mind or not. He decided on the latter–for now–as more thunder rumbled hard. “I promise if this lasts all night? We can call you a cab. But..” Okay. His for now didn’t last that long.. Maybe he should offer Barry a means of getting out of the storm for a bit? He did look rather unsettled. Enough that Blaine was concerned but didn’t want to push the matter and embarrass the guy. “Would you like to come in and see if it passes? I could make us some tea or coffee..even some dinner? It can be my way of saying thanks for the umbrella.”
Jeff beamed at Blaine’s curiosity and wiped his mouth and reached for his drink. Once he set it down he opened his mouth and let the words fall out fast, eager to let his new friend know. “Well every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday depending on the schedules of everyone we try to make it flexible since a few of us have other activities other than the Warblers, like I dance” He told Blaine as he went on “We just practice whatever the council has for us, sometimes we do some moves, sometimes we just stand or sit and harmonize together, the best thing is, and sometimes the worst is that there’s no instruments to drowned us out” he laughed as Nicky and a few of the boys made a face at his words
Nick took over pushing Jeff back and smiled “We pretty much sing pop, jazz at time it depends on what we have to work with as Jeff said what the council picks is what we sing during competitions” he smiled at the new kid.
Idly toying with the end of a breadstick–Blaine tore it off and blindly popped it into his mouth and dabbed the grease off his fingertips with a press of them against the napkin folded to his right laughing over the rim of his glass when Jeff rushed to answer. The blonde’s over exuberant reply had Blaine playing tennis match with his attention shifting between him, Nick and the others. Seeing their faces screw up at Jeff’s poke only made him chuckle harder. The way they all reacted to one another was inspiring to watch. It was impossible to shake the notion that he might’ve just landed himself in the middle of something beyond special.
Letting Nick explain further–Blaine nodded and hesitated for a moment trying to give a voice to his excitement that the near contagious levels of from the other boys only egged on. He smiled, blushed and tucked his hands under the table so they couldn’t see him fidget his thumbs against one another. “How far are you from your next competition? I mean–my showing up won’t be a distraction, will it? I’d love to see this in action but I don’t want to intrude. I promise–I’ll sit and watch and keep completely out of the way,” he grinned hoping that they truly didn’t mind.
What I mean by this is if I become really busy and can’t respond to all of my rps, I want to know that it’s okay that I respond when I have the time. Some people easily lose interest in threads and will drop them if they become too old, which is why I’d like to know who is okay with me responding whenever.
“Mr. Anderson… “ Jane was completely speechless by her superior. She knew that Blaine had taken a soft spot for her since she auditioned for the Warblers, but this was a little bit more than she really expected for herself. She wanted to be on the warblers, sure. It was important for her to be – not only for her sake but for her family too. They went through so much to just get her there.
She nodded her head though and let herself go inside the room, though still wary. “I appreciate this extra help, Mr. Anderson, but I don’t see how this is going to help. If they’re so set on keeping things in the male retrospect then like you said, they won’t break their tradition for me.” Sure it stung to say things like that, because Jane wanted it so bad and she knew she was good enough.
Sometimes defeat was just a thing.
“Because maybe I’m not as okay with keeping things in the male retrospect as the rest of them.” Blaine tucked his hands inside his pants pockets as he followed her inside. The dimly lit room was given a measuring glance like he was trying to pinpoint something he couldn’t quite catch. The tail end of his point he was trying to make to her–perhaps? A few overhead lights came to life inside their stained glass fixtures with a flick of a switch.
“That and,” he deflated and his head bowed. “You’re an amazing performer, Jane. You have something far too special to give up on because no one inside this room is willing to change,” one hand freed itself from his pocket so he could rub the back of his neck, “You know? The Warblers might’ve blindly lost a golden opportunity to have you as a part of them. Even if they can’t see it because they’re stuck?” He shoved his bottom lip up against his upper and shrugged. “Doesn’t mean others wouldn’t jump at the chance. More on that in a minute. For now? Do me the honor of one song before I ask you to hear me out?”
Sebastian chuckled and shook his head. Moments like these were so simple and oh so very sweet. Jokes aside, he loved these moments with Blaine. He was able to open up just the slightest and feel a little better. He didn’t feel like he was ready to explode all the time. Sebastian finished the rest of his plate and set it to the side. He sure knew how to clean a plate though.
“Yeah, yeah,” he shrugged. Hopping out of the bed he grabbed two picture frames. “I have these two pictures right here. One’s of me and my parents. And… there’s this one of me and my brother,” he became slightly more quiet. Showing it to Blaine he had the remnants of what once was a smile on his face.
“Yeah, yeah yourself, Mister. You’re the one that did it. Not me,” he mused jokingly and cut off another small piece of steak. He had to admit–at least to himself because face it the other boy didn’t need yet another item to add to his list of things to inflate his ego. Or ego that he liked to broadcast–anyway until the quieter moments they got to share. Like these ones. Blaine found himself looking forward with baited breath to each and every chance for days and nights like this that he could have. Back to the point! Sebastian was a phenomenal cook.
Blaine finished quickly and sat his plate to the side. Toed off shoes fell with a thud-thud and his feet lifted so he could sit cross legged in the chair. Smiling with a curious tilt of his head–hazel eyes followed Sebastian to see what he was grabbing. When they were close enough to see–Blaine hummed with his smile renewed at the images in the photographs. His brother was cute. Adorable, actually–Wait! What? Blinking up at him–Blaine about burst into excited chatter upon learning something new about the mystery that was Sebastian Smythe. But the faded smile and softer voice had his own dropping instead. “You have a brother? I didn’t know.” Did they not get along now? Was that it? Why the sudden–quiet?
Hunter just wanted Blaine to know his place. He may be the legendary Warbler they all knew and loved, but Hunter was KING now. Maybe someday things could change, but for now he needed this. He needed his team to remain exactly that. HIS. Once again the ex now once again Warbler caught up to his speed. The idiot had a lot to catch up on. “Blaine — I’m going to stop you right there.” His hand went up, so quickly it could of smacked him right in the face if he hadn’t been walking so fast. That of course could of been avoided if he just stayed in his lane, two steps behind. Sebastian knew very well where to stand, constantly proving himself as the best right hand man a leader could ask for. Blaine could learn a thing or two from that one. “I don’t care why you’ve come back to Dalton. In fact, I’d rather not know. The drama involving Mckinley is only my business when it directly involves my team. As much as I love a good battle, I don’t have time for idle drama between the New Directions. Especially now that my only involvement with them, is back where he belongs.” He smirked as he continued towards the Lima Bean. This better go down easy, though Hunter was always prepared for a fight. “My only concerns are keeping us on track. You being back on the team might confuse people. They might believe you’re going to take over in the middle of all of our hard work. With all due respect, I’d like for that to remain out of the question. Maybe one day it’ll be out in the OPEN, but you wouldn’t want to sacrifice the teamwork we’ve created just to take over for yourself right now, would you? I’m ready to put aside my differences and play friends. So I’d hate for any unnecessary drama to spark up before you’ve even settled back in.”
A brow shot up at Hunter’s abrupt stop and Blaine glanced from his hand back to Hunter with a blink of disbelief. Did he actually–in a not so roundabout way–shush him? The mostly relaxed posture of the smaller boy stiffened and Blaine crossed his arms defensively over his chest. “Excellent. We can avoid talking about it and both of us will be happy,” he pressed his lips into a thin smile and continued on along with Hunter suddenly wanting this talk to be over probably more than Hunter did. They didn’t make it to the door before Hunter revealed the real reason behind their ‘coffee break’. Blaine wasn’t sure they’d ever get inside the shop at this point. Because he came to his own stop and caught himself grinding his back teeth. Were they going to have this conversation? Apparently–the answer was: yes. No matter the level of patience Blaine had towards most people–there was a limit that was harder for some, softer for others. Hunter just plopped himself on the are you serious? side of hard. Blaine’s chin bowed towards his tie but his eyebrows went higher. Thing is? When people use the all due respect line? Not much respect is due from them in their books. He didn’t like the saying in general. Hearing Hunter use it? Blaine enjoyed it even less. Hunter was given a beat or two to say anything else and when the silence stretched for an acceptable amount of time? Blaine smiled and kept his voice soft. “I understand where you may be worried that the Warblers could be confused. But. I think they have one thing in mind that we all have. Winning. No. I won’t do anything to risk our chances. Nor would they. If you were a part of us from the beginning? You’d know I never took over them to begin with. They trusted me. Valued my opinions and knew what I brought to the team was in all our best interests. So? With all due respect? I never set out to be their leader. It just happened. I’m not doing it now either. Any drama occurs? Isn’t of my doing. I have enough of that in my life. Neither one of us needs to risk everything for a petty need to feel in charge–yeah? And if it happens? It isn’t going to be from me.
Last sprinkle of salt on my dash tonight under the Read More! I promise!
✂ A fandom that you feel isn’t open and accepting?
The Anne Rice fandom is a nightmare. They are–by far–the worst towards one another. From hate anons to death threats to encouraging people to kill themselves. I saw it all when I was there and that’s why I left.
I met some really good friends in my adventures. Ones that are now IRL friends or IRL internet buddies. But for the most part? Wow–the meanness far exceeds any enjoyment I found with the people I love there. We can just do things on the side, imo. Much better than being a part of that fandom.
Right now wasn’t the time for such things. Barry had learnt the hard way to cherish the moments he had with people, especially those he cared deeply for. While he might be hard to get rid of, and had the knack of just bouncing back. Not everyone did. So he’ll push his negative feelings aside, it was pointless, and he’d rather enjoy it. Forget, forget, and let go. There’s more laughter that leaves him, looking up with a grin. “You seriously just compared yourself to lint, I hope you know that,” he teased, that grin growing wider. Although, he was rather accurate, Blaine was firmly seated, and wasn’t going to be leaving. Nor was Barry going to make the effort to push him off. As if, ha! Instead, his own eyes had that mischievous glint in them. “Good, because I was going to let you leave anyway,” he uttered, moving a little to nip at his lower lip. Before capturing those soft lips with his own, humming a bit as one of his hands settled on the small of his back. The other nestled in that hair, that he knew was soft, and sometimes wished Blaine would use less gel. He really liked those soft curls.
“I did and I’m not taking it back either. Actually? I’m fine with embracing my lintdom and accepting who I am. So? Deal with it,” he grinned and teased back twice as hard. But– lintdom? What is that even? Blaine had little to no time to think on his latest what the heck? before there was a bite to his bottom lip that had caused a hiss of breath to cut off his ability to speak–or think–coherently. Barry took advantage of a well known weakness. But before he could point that out–there were lips covering his and muffling a pitched groan that tumbled out of his mouth and fell into Barry’s. Blaine’s calves tightened around the small of his back and his hands cupped and stroked freckled cheeks. Fingers in his hair caused his eyelids to flutter black lashes over a pair of rolling back eyes. Definitely not fair at all. Not that he was complaining. Pulling back, half opened eyes peeked open to sneak a glimpse of a wet, open mouth before he upped the ante and bit into Barry’s bottom lip only to soothe the sting away with a sweep of his tongue. “Two can play at that game, Mister Allen.” His voice was lower and barely above a whisper before he merely pecked his lips and grinned daringly. Another quick peck turned into a peppering of kisses. How long would Barry be able to stand it was the name of said game. Let’s see–shall we?
pianokeysandbowties back up 