she had to give to blaine ; ever since he moved to new york he had proven to be a worthy person to hang around , most importantly , a willing partner when she was in the mood to drag someone through the mud . santana pushes him playfully in return . “ they knew exactly what they were in for the minute they asked me to entertain her when she came to visit . in my defense , i TRIED to be nice , but the minute she started dishing her RIDICULOUS diva attitude around , i couldn’t be held responsible for my actions . god knows i can’t leave her alone with you ; she might vapo – rape you again . or worse ; scented oils .”
Hazel eyes followed the tantrum throwing diva all the way to the bathroom. The door slammed and he couldn’t stop himself from cracking up to the point he had to muffle the noise with his hand clamped over his mouth. Thank God she was locked away. What came next made, even him, stumble a beat or two before he could figure out what to say. Santana went there. “How could you,” he tried to pretend to be serious, “that is a very tender subject even years later. I still can’t smell Vick’s without laughing.” He leaned in, that low-browed look faded into an uneven, sharing a secret kinda grin and his voice wobbled with held in laughter. “Kurt can’t either without teasing me. And then rolling his eyes and scrunching up his nose like he’s having a flashback of a memory he wasn’t even there for. I swear. It’s hilarious. Don’t tell him though.”
it was STRANGE being there. despite it having been a week and a half, he still sometimes felt like he was just in a weird friends-esque dream. living in the big apple with a bunch of high school friends ( at least until he was able to find an apartment of his own ). there was something about the city that felt strange – stranger than how it was when he was GOOFING OFF in LA. it wasn’t necessarily unpleasant – just different. maybe it was just the idea that nearly everyone he knew has ended up there in hopes of fulfilling their wildest dreams. new york was where that kind of thing happened, but it wasn’t the kind of thing he ever expected for himself. he didn’t even know what he wanted to come from the move. what his goal was. he was just kind of THERE, but surprisingly that didn’t bother him. he may not have known what he wanted, but he knew that the second he’d set foot off the subway, it felt right.
still, puck had been struggling to adjust to the hustle and bustle of city life. it was DIFFERENT somehow from the experience he’d had in los angeles. he wasn’t sure if it was because there were actually people he knew around to see whether or not he was fucking shit up, or doing things he shouldn’t be. then there was the very-likely possibility that it was because his time in la had been before finn had passed, and puck was arguably a very different person now than he was then. no matter what the reason was, he’d been slowly but surely figuring things out, but still found it hard to sleep at night. usually he was awake until his body gave in to exhaustion. he usually managed to do so without anyone waking up and QUESTIONING him about it.
he jumped at the sound of blaine’s voice, quiet but unexpected. he gave a shrug of a shoulder, and ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. ❛ nah, not really. i was just watching fresh prince. ❜ eyes shifted back towards the television, and once again the only sound filling the room was that from the tv ( and even that was soft, puck having turned the volume down, not wanting to wake any of them ). he looked over at blaine as he spoke up again, and he raised an eyebrow, picking up his phone to see the time. ❛ uh. sure ? ‘s a little late though. you aren’t tired ? ❜
he blew out a breath at the question, giving a small nod. that was for sure. ❛ little bit. not that it’s bad. i’m pretty happy here. plus this place is as badass as i am, so i know it’s the perfect place for me. it’s just a little different. ❜
Blaine leaned back against the counter, palms pressed on the very edge, as he waited for the milk to heat up. His attention shifted from Puck to the television, an AMUSED smirk curved the edges of his lips when he took note of Puck’s choice of mindless television to watch. “When I was a kid? I used to dance to the theme song of that show when it came on. Pretty sure Cooper put me up to it as a means of entertaininghimself but I guess I was having a great time regardless. If the embarrassing video he took once tells me so. One of many,” he added in with a mumble. “I think he’s going to use it for bribing material if I ever go past him in the fame department.” His eyes narrowed and a brow jerked up. “Although I’m pretty sure my mother has ones with him in them that are far worse. Maybe I can bribe her into giving me a couple. You know? For a counter-bribe,” he grinned as he flicked the burner off.
Turning with a shrug, he snatched the pot off the stove and carefully filled the two mugs. “Sort of but not really? I’ve been up off and on for most of the night.” Skirting around the counter and coming up to the couch, Blaine took a seat beside him and offered Puck one of the steamy mugs. “This stuff is amazing. Found it in a cafe near NYADA. Probably not the best to help you sleep since, well, sugar but worth a shot?”
One bare foot lifted so he could prop his heel against the edge of the cushion, his mug was carefully held on top of a bent knee. Laughing with a dip of his head in a nod, bright eyes read back and forth over Puck’s face. “Yeah. That’s a way of putting it. As badass as you are is hard to match. New York City is, probably, the only place that could even try. It was up and down for me after the initial ‘Wow! I’m really here!’ period of the first week or two.” To say he had some issues adjusting to several parts of his new life in this city was an understatement but no one was awake that he had to downplay it in front of.
“Sorry. I have no idea why I just decided to plop that in your lap. Guess I just want to make sure you’re happy and it stays that way,” he finished with a careful sip keeping his focus on Puck over the edge of his mug as he did.
Now that Mike was all settled in and used to his new schedule, there was not much stopping him from hanging out with an old friend. That’s how he liked to think of his friends from back in Lima, the kind of friends he didn’t see very often often but when they got together, it felt like they’d never been apart.
All wrapped up in his new coat, he shoved his beanie onto his head and wrapped the knitted scarf his mother had sent him around his neck. In spite of his excitement, Mike had the presence of mind to check that his wasn’t forgetting anything. He patted his pockets. Phone: okay. Wallet: okay. Keys: okay. He was good to go.
Closing the door behind him, he hurtled down the stairs, hoping that he hadn’t kept Blaine waiting too long. That is if his friend was already there. Willing himself to slow down as he reached the last few steps, he looked up only to find that Blaine was indeed already there. “Hi!” he smiled. Walking closer, he pulled Blaine into a one-armed hug. “I am so ready for this! How have you been?”
Blaine tipped his cider back to take a sip as he dug at a tiny patch of snow that missed being shoveled off the sidewalk as he waited. Eyes bright with anticipation as he waited for any sign of Mike. The mugs in his hands were doing a great job at keeping them warm in spite of the tint of pink his cheeks were taking on. No worries. Central Park after a snowfall was worth the cold. Being the first person to be able to show Mike around it? Extra bonus.
Hearing steps on the salt covering the sidewalk, Blaine turned his head right on time to catch sight of Mike seconds before he was pulled into a hug that he happily returned with a squeeze of his forearm around Mike’s middle. “Hey! Hi,” one more half-hug and he stepped back to offer one of the thermoses to his friend.
“Great! Yourself? Wow. It’s really good to see you.”
A cheeky, happy smile from ear to ear brimmed with excitement. “I take it you’re settled in? My offer to come help you unpack and get whatever you need still stands. I mean it.” Blaine took the lead with a nod of his head and a ‘shall we’ arch of his eyebrow before walking through the gated entrance. He meant it a million times over. “OH and,” he grinned gesturing to the pathway in front of them with it’s snow dusted trees, statues and benches, “welcome to Central Park.”
“ just wait until tomorrow ; i’m determined to make her cry at least once before rehearsal is over . its not MY fault she lacks character . she can dish it but she can’t take it . at least rachel berry has a backbone . its sad . like watching bambi trying to walk for the first time , PAINFUL but impossible to look away ”.
“At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if her head didn’t blow up. Or SHE just goes,” Blaine’s fingers waved around like he was mixing together just the right concoction for a massive Tina Tantrum Bomb then shot up in a mushroom cloud formation gesturing that his conjuring worked along with a perfectly timed, “KAPOW!” Smirking, he leaned in and bonked their shoulders together. “All I’m saying is if we were put in charge of keeping her distracted so she doesn’t make Rachel want to throw her–or herself–out the window and she explodes while under our supervision? THEY’RE going to make us clean up the mess.”
“You know? I didn’t think it was possible for someone to slam a door when, in fact, the door in question is a curtain. But! This is the second time in the last week you’ve managed to make her bound and determined to pull it off. Do you ever think she’ll catch on that it doesn’t quite have the same Rachel Storming Out Oomf Effect that I think she’s really going for?”
She appreciated that he didn’t waste her time with feeble excuses but he sure as hell didn’t look ready to get it together. This one needed a healthy dose of tough love, and she believed in him enough to give it to him herself.
“Aw,” she said, lips gathering into a pout, mocking pity. “The novelty of the big city wearing off? You lonely? Homesick?“
It was tough on kids—she remembered her first months in New York, living off dreams, ramen noodles and weekly calls home. She’d pushed through it, throwing herself so deeply into her work that she couldn’t think about anything else. The sooner he learned to do the same, the better off he’d be.
Probably wrong of him to assume that an apology and a promise to not make excuses was going to get things back on track and let her give the students (all of them) her attention. Didn’t stop his heart from falling to the floor and taking his stomach along with it on the way down when she kept her focus right on him. So much for assuming. Everyone knows what ‘assume’ means in the first place. Right?
He could feel what guts he had left twist when she started to mock him. Deep down past the nerves he felt were sandpapering themselves against their own edges as they became undone, frustration and anger began to simmer. Hot, hotter… The back of his mouth tasted awful.
Blaine swallowed the flavor of adrenaline and bitterness that tone drug out from where it’d been buried deep. His hands swung behind his back and clasped together to keep themselves from fidgeting. “No. Nothing like that. As I said. Excuses. That’s all it’d be. Thank you for asking.”
Tina’s last day in New York City. How did the time go by so fast? Wasn’t it two hours ago when she got in? Nope. It’d been days and now she was due to go back to Brown later that evening and Blaine was determined to make her last hours here something to remember. He had the day packed full until it was time to go to the airport. Groggily walking through the loft after a way-too-early alarm–Blaine stopped beside the couch and tilted his head. Could she fit herself any tighter against the back? Least she looked comfortable? Listening to her steady breathing made his eyes want to close again. Heavy limbs pulled him closer.
Breakfast could get started a little later–yeah? Kurt wouldn’t be ready to wake up for an hour or longer. Woe be to anyone who decided to interrupt his sleep after going an entire night without. Snuggling up to her was easy. Big Spoon? Thy name is Blaine Anderson! The bridge of his nose fit against the back of her head and he didn’t even mind all the hair. Sort of hard to mind much when this was so comfy and she was so warm. “I’m going to miss you,” he mumbled quietly. God, would he. This was always the worst about reconnecting with the friends who drifted off. That sad tug in his heart when he knew it was time to say goodbye felt awful. Hours, right? They had hours. Shutting that thought away–Blaine held her a bit closer and let himself doze off.
There was no better time to show off Central Park to one of the Glee Club’s latest additions to New York City than when a fresh blanket of snow put a soft white blanket over the trees, statues, bridges and fountains that lined the twisting paths through one of Blaine’s favorite places to be. Mike had yet to experience the scenery fully, as far as Blaine knew, and that was –or should be– a crime. Why not steal a day when classes were cancelled and neither one of them had many plans to check that item off Mike’s too-busy-to-really-enjoy-the-city first few months of getting settled into NYADA’s and living in New York City’s routine?
Standing at the gate he’d texted his friend to meet him at, a thermos of warm apple cider in each hand, Blaine used the tip of a black boot to mess around with the clumps of snow at his feet. A brow lifted up in his concentrated attempt to Etch-A-Sketch away a circular pattern by swiping his foot back and forth over it to flatten out the sparkling powder underneath his sole. He’d barely begun a careful crescent shape when a shadow ghosted itself into view. “Sorry, waiting for–,” he looked up ready to excuse himself if he was blocking someone and his smile went from apologetic to brilliantly delighted. Mike! “Waiting for you! Hey! Hope you like cider,” he lifted the silver and black beverage container in his right hand to give it a light ‘look here!’ shake before holding it out to him. “Make the walk so much better. Ready for the view of a lifetime?”
The loft was quiet. Only the soft sounds of people breathing as they slept. And a soft mumbling noise of the television in the living room as Blaine stirred enough next to Kurt that he figured getting up and grabbing a glass of water was probably a good idea before he woke up his fiance’. Bare feet slid into puffy, soft wool lined slippers and he shrugged into a dark crimson robe before pulling apart the ‘privacy curtain’ to Kurt’s room. One more glance to the man stretching himself out sleepily just to make sure he hadn’t done the opposite of what he was trying to do and Blaine was gone to the kitchen.
He’d nearly missed the back of Puck’s head creating a roundish shadow in front of the television he figured their friend had fallen asleep watching. “You’re still awake,” he whispered pulling the door to the fridge open, “Can’t sleep?” Thinking better, he grabbed the milk and snatched a box of hot chocolate off the top of the fridge before the space around him went dark again when he nudged the fridge closed with the back of his heel. “Want some company?” Though he was already grabbing two mugs and setting them next to the milk and box on the counter.
“Alright. So. Here’s the thing,” Blaine’s voice greeted Claire from behind as he carried two drinks they’d ordered from the barista in the way too busy coffee shop. It was a miracle they were able to snag a table without having to stare down someone else for it. “I’m thinking so what if we’re both single for Valentine’s Day. I have a solution for that. Because neither one of us is going to spend it alone and wallowing in self pity.” His smile spread wide, brightening his eyes along with it. “I say you and me,” he sat her drink down beside her hand and pointed back and forth between his chest and hers. “We go out, get dinner. Eat obnoxiously fattening desserts and see where night takes us.”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged before taking a seat, “What do you think? Could be FUN?”
pianokeysandbowties back up 