a surely disastrous comment about his appreciation of sweet things being evidenced by his delight in this encounter is swallowed down and replaced with an amenable smile. ❝ i’m from wiltshire , originally. in the south – west of england, ❞ he adds, tentatively , as he understands that he himself might be too shy to request clarification.
❝ though i went to school in scotland from eleven —— boarding , of course. quite a way to travel if i hadn’t. ❞
lopsided grin is shrouded in awkward tension. scorpius malfoy was a great many things , though SMOOTH was certainly not one of them. blaine’s ease in capturing the bartender’s attention , followed by the gleeful expression that touched every one of his features , made scorpius’ chest flutter. though he knew that any moment now blaine would surely mention ( or worse , introduce him to ) his boyfriend.
❝ it’s —— different. louder than i’m used to , and everything moves much faster. when you say that the city lures people in , are you speaking from experience ? ? i assumed you were born and raised here , you seem so comfortable. though your accent isn’t what i’d expect of a seasoned new yorker. ❞ ‘ it’s softer , sweeter — ’ another comment gulped hard.’
“I can imagine that it’s a lot louder than Wiltshire or Scotland and you’re right about it being busy,” Blaine idly traced the pattern of the woodgrain with the tip of his pointer as they spoke. A mindless carry over from his fingers still refusing to stay still after spending so long plucking at the keys of the abandoned piano. “Nothing ever pauses for too long here. If it does, it might get bowled over by the next best thing. Or..just anything rushing by, I guess.“
Both eyebrows perked up and a whimsical half-laugh accompanied a shake of his head. “That’s a wonderful compliment. Thank you but, no. I’m not from here originally. And it’s nowhere near as beautiful as England or Scotland. Instead of rolling fields and castles to get lost in? Where I come from it was cornfields and rolling cow pastures with towns dotted between.”
“Lucky me? I got to live in one of those towns verses the cow pastures,” he grinned wishing that he didn’t feel heat rising up in his cheeks at explaining where he was from. “Westerville, Ohio. It’s nice. It’s pretty…but a far far cry from New York City. I moved here just after graduation. Dream come true, you know? That sort of thing.” Which it was. Even if it didn’t go as planned, it was going and that was what truly mattered.
whether blaine had really meant that his finger flare was the best thing ‘ ever ’ or he was teasing, scorpius was thrilled beyond the telling of it. just to be standing having a conversation with this man and have him seem genuinely interested in that was —- it was unlike anything he’d ever known. maybe americans simply did things BETTER ? ! “ visiting and in desperate need someone to tell me what i should be ordering from the bar because these ‘ manhattans ’ aren’t as good as i thought they’d be. so —- y e s , whatever you’re having? ” perhaps he’d have impeccable taste to match his impeccable EVERYTHING ELSE.
His attention was drawn towards the drink that Scorpius didn’t particularly care for. Manhattans were always too bitter for him to enjoy. Something about all that Vermouth not killing the straight up whiskey taste. Just not his thing. “Oh? Those? Yeah. The sweet ones are better in my opinion. If you don’t mind sweet?” A sweep of his fingers towards the bar and he rocked forward on his heels until gravity pulled his momentum forward and off they were to the bar. Putting his hands in his pockets as they walked–hazel eyes combed over the stranger’s features. “You’re visiting? Where from? Careful. I feel someone should warn you, New York City has a habit of luring visitors in and making them never want to leave. As they bellied up to the bar–Blaine lifted his hand and to get the bartender’s attention. He got a nod of acknowledgement and turned all his attention back to his company, eyes bright and smile wide. “Are you enjoying your time here so far?”
LIPS CURL NORTH as the other male speaks. a smile painted in a variety of colours —— ( a few strokes of relief that he hadn’t yet been thought strange here. a dabbing of hope that his presence truly was appreciated there. ) “ scorpius —— ” he says, much too quickly. “ it’s ‘ unusual ’, i know. my father’s idea. ” a wince , now was certainly not the time to be talking about his father. “ w e l l , i um — you … do you live here in the city? the uh , BIG APPLE. ” ‘ jazz hands ’ wave in the air to accompany the city’s nickname and he sincerity wished they hadn’t. sometimes his limbs reacted in the strangest of ways.
If this wasn’t the most adorably sweet introduction he’s had in a very long time? Such a thing never existed. Grinning as he watched Scorpius start to race himself in a game of ‘how awkward can I get in as little time possible’–Blaine almost felt guilty for laughing in the wake of jazz hands. Who couldn’t? You’d have to be HEARTLESS not to at least chuckle. He tried to combat how that might come off rude by looking towards the tops of his polished black shoes but that probably didn’t do much good. When their eyes met–Blaine’s were absolutely sparkling and nothing short of a spontaneous disaster of epic proportions would be able to wipe the smile off his face. “Yes. I live here. I take it you’re visiting,” his brows shoved together in a nearly comical way, “Haven’t encountered a local using finger flare to describe New York City yet and–I think that’s the best thing I’ve seen. Ever. Pleasure to meet you, Scorpius. I–. Would you like to join me for a drink? I mean–. The bar here is pretty great and–wait you probably already know that.” Looks like he was about to enter that race as well. “Would you like another?”
“ you were just ——– W O W up there. really, very … wow. ” all too aware that he’s making an utter fool of himself, he presses the back of his hand to a warmer – than – usual cheek in an attempt to suppress a blush that may be creeping in.
“I.. Wow,” Blaine’s eyes brighten as he watches the man who was obviously trying to hide a blush. Like notices like? His own cheeks turn a light pink and a shy smile is aimed at the ground. Instead of his face being touched–he cups the back of his neck and rubs it with that smile only growing once they make eye contact again. “Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I really appreciate you taking the time to tell me. I..er..,” it always feels weird introducing himself when they announce it so often when he plays but he does it anyway. “I’m Blaine. And you are?”
pianokeysandbowties back up 