Preemptive smooches Elliott was ALL to happy to return, taking his time with a distinct casualness of someone who had nowhere to be. No stresses, for the moment at least, just a gleeful content and a man he loved tight in his arms.
How anyone could think their love was wrong, when it made him feel like THIS, Elliott had no idea.
“Good to me.” Hopefully good all around, if Elliott got his way.
His Mom was an absolute DOLL, so he felt fairly confident that, yes, Good was indeed going to be the word for all of this.
“See, what I wanted to ask, and I’m hoping you’ll say YES,” He’s bridging the question carefully, trying not to force a yes, without at all implying he wanted anything but, swaying them from side to side as is creating CALMNESS in the rocking sensation.
“My Mom – she wants to have a proper family dinner. Just the three of us, all fancy and proper, so she can meet you. I was gonna drive down Tuesday night, if you wanna?”
He pulls back, waiting with baited breath for a yes or a no, hoping deeply not just that Blaine will come, but that it will all go smoothly.
Blaine felt safe. Content to linger right where he was, humming between kisses and sharing a moment of complete downtime with the perfect person to enjoy it against. Watching Elliott turn careful right after that sort of warm-up? How could he not be curiouser and curiouser? Enough that he lifted his head from Elliott’s chest and tossed him a burrowed brow nudge to continue.
Okay, that was the sweetest dinner with Mom proposal ever and the laugh that left him was light as air. Both arms shifted, up over Elliott’s shoulders where he held onto his wrists for steadiness before lifting up and pressing a kiss to the corner of Elliott’s lips.
“I’d love to meet her. She sounds so sweet on the phone and I think it’s more than adorable the way you light up when you talk about her.”
Though a little bit of unsurety creeps in and he bites into his bottom lip pondering if he should say what’s on his mind. Then knows Elliott wouldn’t want it any other way. “You’re sure she’s going to like me, right?”
He paused, looking for the right words. “It’s been a while since the whole first meeting of a parent thing,” and just for a moment his voice goes quiet before picking back up, “I want to make sure I don’t mess it up.”
“Please don’t THANK me.” Not for this – never for this. Thanking implied so many things to him; and it said so much about how Blaine viewed their relationship, how he viewed ELLIOTT himself.
It wasn’t how he wanted to be seen – Elliott didn’t want to be glorified or seen as anything but an equal partner. An equal man on equal FOOTING.
He had a lot of feelings about this, okay? About partners in which one was treated as so much more than the other, where one was more of a achievement being followed by a disposable lap dog, and Elliott had no wish to go back to such a thing any time soon.
Scratch that, any time EVER.
One arm snuck more firmly Blaine’s waist as they were talking, hand splayed under the shirt as it moved further – only to grip tightly in a SUDDEN movement, pulling Blaine. It was a sharp motion, tugging him right back into Elliott’s chest; a giggle elicited from him in the process. Breaking the softness of the moment before it broke itself.
“So, I actually wanted to talk to you about something – but I don’t want you to feel like you HAVE to say yes, yeah? There’s no pressure about it.” Now seemed as good a time as any to bring up the whole ‘My family want to meet you’ thing, and Elliott couldn’t help but see it as a fitting topic to move into.
He loved Blaine deeply, and what was a better way to show that, and that he considered Blaine a half of this pair, than to ask him about it?
“Okay, sorry.” He’d only said it because it felt it. Elliott had no idea how grateful he was for him, for them, for moments like this. Blaine was so convinced he was going to simply give up. Tell himself that maybe he needed to forget about having someone for a while. Then Elliott was there and look how far they came.
So what if he was grateful for it all? Grateful was such a good feeling to be. Considering how many darker emotions he had to sift through to get there.
Elliott’s hands always helped guide the way.
Just like now. As the arm wrapped around him, sending a ripple of goosebumps out from underneath Elliott’s touch that tickled their way up his spine–Blaine staggered towards where he was pulled. Their bodies met and he was in heaven. A perfect break-up of his apology and Elliott’s giggle brought one of his own to life.
Talk to him about something? Jerking up a dark brow, hazel eyes turned quizzitive. Better be a good talk. Cause he was about two seconds away from blatantly stealing a kiss. Doing so, now, would be very out of place if it wasn’t. Just to make sure? He gave Elliott a peck anyway. There. Preemptive smooches just in case.
“Sure. Is it a good talk slash question? Cause..I mean. Saying no to you is practically impossible.”
“A STARCHILD make-over.” Elliott corrected even as he flitted around behind Blaine, graceful on his feet and TRULY in his element as he made Blaine up just like he’d been. Like he still was, when he took to the stage as someone more than he was, a name and a look that was beyond Elliott.
It’s why he corrected Blaine at all, because he considered Starchild and Elliott to be VASTLY different.
“You look FINE – Better than fine. Handsome.” Elliott knew the thought running through Blaine’s head, the overwhelming sense that the man looking back at him in the mirror didn’t quite fit. It was just a case of…ADJUSTMENT.
“Trust me, people will dig it, especially when we’re singing. Everyone loves a man in guyliner.” Tattooed fingers hooked under Blaine’s chin, tilting his face up so Elliott add a small amount of glitter to his eyes inner corner with a Q-tip, before softly blowing the excess away.
Standing corrected, Blaine widened his eyes in a mock apology for the slip and tried to keep himself from fidgeting as Elliott darted about apparently having the time of his life as he dolled him up. How else was he supposed to describe what was going on? Not laughing was the true miracle here. Elliott was so excited that, once his nerves were put to rest, it was contagious.
“Sorry. Sorry. A STARCHILD make-over.”
Handsome? That word caused Blaine to pause, warmth washing over his cheeks and the bridge of his nose tinted olive skin. “You’re sort of forced to say that but thank you anyway.” A crooked, bashful smile and already thick lashes made doubly so rose up so he could look into the reflection of Elliott’s eyes in the mirror instead of his own.
Singing! Right! They were going to sing in less than an hour and Blaine hadn’t quite figured out what he wanted his last song to be. Thank God it was a piano piece that he’d be playing and not putting anyone else out for his lack of decision making. Guyliner sort of distracted him.
“As long as you do? That’s all that matters.” Elliott, back at his side and drawing his attention towards him by touching his chin, caused Blaine to step closer and look up trying accommodate Elliott’s effort for that extra dab of glitter. Not wanting to waste a pucker of Elliott’s lips on mere blowing away excess glitter, Blaine was quick to land a peck on those lips before Elliott could draw back. “And you better,” he grinned, “Especially after all this glitter.”
It’s funny, really – here Elliott was, constantly fighting the idea he was an IMPOSITION on Blaine. The idea that he was less than, nothing but a quick fuck like he’d been told he was again and again, that people had made him feel over the years – even people he trusted immensely.
He’d grown into that far, FAR too young.
But Blaine felt so similarly, and Elliott knew they both just needed a little more LOVE, a little more reminding and attentiveness. They both needed a partner like the other, and it was evening out into something altogether more BEAUTIFUL.
Once Blaine had turned, Elliott’s hands snaked around his waist, chin gently resting atop his partners shoulder as he just looking him over for a moment in the mirror.
Then hands were sliding up his sides, Elliott tip-toeing up behind, across Blaine’s shoulder blades with an affectionate pressure, ending their journey in his hair. Complete with another playful little TUG at the curls.
“Don’t look at me, look at you.” The hands that made their way back down, so full of gentle, loving touches that held nothing but affection. That made Elliott’s point without ever having to use words: Blaine was BEAUTIFUL, and so perfectly IMPERFECT, and Elliott only wished he saw half of what he saw in him. That Blaine could view what Elliott did in that mirror.
Blaine sighed as he relaxed back against Elliott’s chest. Feeling his chin press against his shoulder, he reached back to push his fingers through Elliott’s thick hair not once blinking out of fear that he might break their eye contact. Mirrored or not? Elliott had a way of making him breathless with that sort of stare.
Until he broke it and Blaine watched as Elliott looked him over. With a curl of his fingers against his scalp, Blaine slowly pulled his hand free and rested it on top of Elliott’s forearm. Now both rested there, holding on and making sure Elliott’s hold on him didn’t falter.
Their quiet was nice. Simple and without a need to fill it up right away. He shifted as Elliott did, letting arms fall loose as his eyes closed with the touch over his shoulders. Heaven. It felt like heaven and Blaine bit into his lip when the lengths of Elliott’s fingers buried into his hair.
A tiny curve of his lips let him keep his not so playful reaction to that tug more of the playful sort and not groan-worthy as it might’ve been had he not caught himself. The stupid expression was still there when Elliott’s voice drew his eyes open and his breath caught cutting off his initial protest. Instead? He listened. Slowly. His gaze shifted from Elliott to his reflection with his loose curls hanging near his eyes and he quickly decided he probably needed a haircut.
Goosebumps prickled up in the wake of Elliott’s fingertips and he tilted his head at himself. Blaine understood what Elliott was trying to say without words and it was beyond sweet. Beyond kind. Typical Elliott but something Blaine hoped wouldn’t change. “Thank you,” he whispered letting his head rest against the slope of Elliott’s neck and collarbone. “Thank you for being you. And for us.”
It was funny, really. That Blaine spent all this time tip-toeing, dancing around these lines like eggshells, so cautious to do WRONG that he so often opted to do NOTHING AT ALL.
Because Elliott could take it. He was a grown man, he’d seen enough shit, and little things didn’t bother him; things so often ROLLED off his back like a duck, Elliott was good at accepting and moving forwards. The idea someone was so…CAUTIOUS around him, that someone treated his feelings as if they mattered and were BREAKABLE?
It was sweet, nobody treated him like that. EVER.
“I get it – really, I DO,” He could relate. Old habits really did DIE HARD.
Turning his face in time to catch the kiss, instead making it one full on – a proper kiss instead of something in the corner – Elliott’s hand found it’s way to Blaine’s chest, pushing him back. A gentle pressure, not trying to knock him over, just GUIDING him back until the others back was against the sink, loosely cornering him with that cheeky little grin.
“Turn around?” Elliott’s request might be odd, his hands falling down to rest at Blaine’s hips, toying idly with trouser tops, but he hoped Blaine would RETURN the earlier trust and do it.
That he would look in the mirror, like Elliott so CLEARLY wanted.
Elliott always got it. There was never a moment in their friendship or what they were now that Elliott failed to give him nothing but absolute understanding. The amount of patience and acceptance towards others mistakes, learning curves or doubts Elliott possessed was without measure. Something that made him a beyond precious gift to anyone who was lucky enough to have him in their life.
Elliott always understood. Just? Blaine, even though he infinitely appreciated him, often wished he didn’t have a single reason for Elliott to have to get anything about him. Well. This brand of getting it, anyway.
At least now? They’ve slipped into a comfortable median between the pair. Eventually? The need to get anything inthatway wouldn’t be a need at all? Where was his mind going again? Elliott turning into the kiss stole his thoughts away. Took them from where he’d been honing them in on (thankfully) and made the Earth spin faster with a simple, real kiss.
He moved with a building grin to match Elliott’s, underneath the taller man’s fingertips, Blaine’s heart began to race and the twinkle in his eye said it wasn’t necessarily for a bad reason. Being cornered like he was–welp–who would complain? Especially while looking up at the one doing the cornering. Gorgeous didn’t do Elliott justice. Never had. But it was close.
Blaine chewed against the inside of his lip at the instruction. “Okay,” he nodded anyway slowly exhaling through the touch against his waistband sending a chill up his spine as he turned and rested his back against the other’s chest. He met Elliott’s gaze in the reflection, arched a brow as if to ask if this was what he wanted.
Elliott was MORE than happy to let Blaine have the next kiss, even giving him ANOTHER peck as they pulled apart for good measure. He was so DESPERATELY and HOPELESSLY in love with Blaine, it was almost hilarious.
He loved him, right down to the scrunched nose and curly hair.
Elliott’s ink stained hand remained clinging to Blaine’s hair, stroking his hair through again and again with a sort of repetitive fondness to the actions, smiling at him like a child would look at their presents on Christmas morning.
Well, a child who CELEBRATED Christmas at any rate.
“So, hon,” Elliott’s face moved from looking at Blaine, letting his lips instead find his jaw, the down to his neck, peppering kisses every few moments in lieu of talking just yet. Giving himself time to THINK before he opened his mouth.
“This sort of thing, the stuff you’re so CONSCIOUS of…You KNOW I don’t care, right? About any of it? You’re as beautiful right now as you are when you’re all done up for the day. Prettier, even – A new look just for me.” And he liked the thought of that, of being SPECIAL.
Another peck? How about one more? Blaine chased after Elliott’s parting kiss and snatched a repeat before he was able to get too far away. Sure, he could just inch close again and steal about a dozen more but Elliott had to have put distance between them for a reason. Right?
He better have. Or Blaine was going to be sorely disappointed.
Elliott wasn’t the only one crazy for someone else in the room. Blaine realized months ago that he was just as head over heels. It’d been a long journey for him. Of making sure that he didn’t ruin things. Or wasn’t overstepping boundaries. Was keeping his distance but not too distant that he seemed like he didn’t care.
There were lines drawn in the sand that only he could see (because they didn’t really exist) in the beginning. Elliott brushed those doubts away with one delicate stroke of a tattooed hand after another. Until..here they are today. With Elliott’s fingers in his curls, a brilliant smile that made Blaine starry eyed, and kisses running down Blaine’s neck that had him reeling and leaning in towards them with a cant of his head in encouragement for more.
Left speechless by words spoken near his skin (beautiful? wow..), Blaine’s face grew hot and he gave Elliott’s hip a grateful squeeze. “Sorry. Old habits, I guess. I know you don’t care. Thank you.” Distance between them disappeared again and Blaine lifted off his heels to press a kiss to the corner of Elliott’s mouth. “Only for you. Just like I am. You know that. Don’t you?”
Elliott jumped – well, TENSED was a better word for it – at the hand to his shoulder, fighting the basic instinct to turn and address the person talking to him. Manners battling it out with what was asked of him.
He relaxed into the touch as soon as it happened none the less, a fleeting reaction before limbs turned loose, just another show of how greatly he trusted Blaine. Always would trust him.
“You sound like I’mma make a break for the door.” Was all Elliott said before turning around on the ball of his foot, a bright smile BLOOMING across his face as he took in the mess of curls. That was even worse than he’d been expecting – and in ALL the right ways.
Hands lifted to cup Blaine’s face, starting on his cheeks and steadily RAKING back through his hair, feeling the texture and dampness under inked hands. When they went far enough for fingertips to touch, Elliott gripped tightly for a fraction of a second, hands dropping to Blaine’s shoulders.
Never able to keep his hands OFF him.
He would’ve said something, but what do you say? ‘I like them,’ was so cliche, laughing so cruel, so what was he MEANT to do?
Pulling Blaine into a kiss seemed like a good option, hands sliding back up to pull him forwards for a tender kiss, his head tilting to one side as he drew the moment out.
“See? Now isn’t that better?”
“You might. Who knows? I wouldn’t be surprised if you did.” He grinned, only half-joking. They all had their insecurities. Every person in his life did. No matter how small or how big. They were there and stole the worst moments possible to dig into their confidence. His, one of them in spite of the fact he liked to believe he’d put them all behind him–there were a few that lingered, happened to be his mess of curls that he called hair not being under some semblance of control.
Seeing the smile–the shorter of the pair shifted on his feet and even curled his toes against the tile trying to gauge what the smile meant. Unsurety crunched up his nose and caused his eyes to squint questioningly.
Then Elliott’s hands where on his cheeks and he curled his fingers around the his wrists to keep them close. Even moved with them as they ran through his hair and made him rock slightly onto his heels. Feeling the slight tug against the back of his head made him swallow hard and a rush of color ran up the sides of his neck with goosebumps chasing after it.
Whew! Okay. That sensation was an amazing pay off for possible self-induced humiliation.
Being kissed when he was vulnerable enough to consider how he might be able to fit underneath the clawed feet of the bathtub if Elliott didn’t say anything sooner rather than later was exactly what he needed. And he stayed lifted onto the balls of his feet so their mouths wouldn’t leave their close proximity to one another.
“Yeah.. I guess you can say it is,” he grinned a dopey, happy grin as his nerves began to untangle. Another kiss and he’d be in heaven. So, he stole one. Cause when in Rome?
Blaine’s fingers lightly toyed with a strand of dark hair on the side of Elliott’s head as he laid in bed beside his softly breathing boyfriend. Waking up less than ten minutes ago to the sight of snow falling heavily outside the window–he checked his phone and just as he guessed? School was cancelled for the day due to the weather. An email would be sent later to confirm what was happening the next morning. Nowhere to go. No rush to be in?
Suddenly, with a free schedule and a freaking blizzard outside? Lounging inside the warm blankets snuggled up to an even warmer Elliott was the best idea ever. Not wanting him to miss the flurry of snow (and admittedly, the house was too quiet with him asleep..plus..since it was Elliott’s usual day off..they had all the time in the world..some kisses would be a great way to start it?), Blaine scooted back down until his nose touched Elliott’s. Stealing another minute or two to admire him from this angle, he gently let the cool silken strand slip from his fingertip and rested his palm on the other’s cheek instead.
Blaine kissed him not once but twice before whispering with a grin as one blue eye cracked open, “Good morning, handsome. Guess what? School’s been cancelled.”
“Why’ve you gotta DEPRIVE ME of a view this good? I’m not DONE staring at your ass.” Elliott turned none the less – if Blaine asked him to he’d do just about anything, following and obeying on fairly blind faith without TOO MUCH complaint or grumbling.
Blaine had earned his place in Elliott’s heart, and as one of the few people he inexplicable trusted – trusted FAR MORE than just simply turning around, but even so.
With his back to Blaine, Elliott waited PATIENTLY for him to be ready, only the bouncing of his foot showing his excitement.
“If it makes you feel better, I’ll show you a picture of me BEFORE I started dying my hair. There aren’t many floating around.” Elliott wasn’t even sure if Blaine NEW his natural hair colour – his dye job was pretty damn good, even if he DID say so himself.
Elliott turned just in time to miss the cheeky grin and roll of eyes he earned fair and square from his boyfriend for his protest. “I promise I’ll let you look again soon.” Lighthearted and jovial as that was, Blaine felt his insides want to curl up and peek out from underneath a rock to see his reaction.
Ahh! The true test of a relationship! Will they stick around after the mop of below the eyebrow length curls are revealed?! Okay, so it wasn’t that huge of a deal but making fun of his own hesitation (even if it was in his head) was enough to calm his nerves.
The towel was placed on his hook by the shower leaving his damp hair for his fingers to run through. They combed over his scalp once before resting against Elliott’s shoulder in a feather light touch to get his attention.
“Might hold you to showing me that picture. We’ll see if I’m gonna need ammo.” A kiss pressed to Elliott’s shoulder blade later, Blaine stepped back and swung his hand up to rub his neck. “Okay. Turn around… Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“I really, REALLY want you to.” Elliott’s response was INSTANT, almost a little breathless.
He was so excited to get to see Blaine like that, the metaphorical man behind the mask for a moment more – a new level of intimacy for the two of them. Elliott could place all the times he felt like they went past a level of intimacy and got to know each other a little more; the first kiss, the first time he took off his shirt – that had been BIG for Elliott – the first FUCK, the first date…the first EVERYTHING.
“I can wait.” Elliott stepped back to give Blaine room, his arms crossing as he lent against the door frame, not being remotely subtle in the admiration of Blaine – his eyes followed him around, staring with a somewhat playful grin stuck on his face.
“Besides, I’d REALLY like to grab at your hair WITHOUT it leaving my hand feeling GROSS.” Was he purposely making it sound sexual?
TOTALLY NOT.
Elliott’s eagerness was a bit amusing to the shorter of the pair. If he wanted this so badly, he could have asked for it months ago. If he caught Blaine in a good mood and a confidence high? Blaine would have had no issue letting him take a peek at these curls he was so happy with the idea of getting to see when he was getting ready in the morning.
Seeing Elliott so delighted gave Blaine the little boost to his ego he needed to quell the nerves in his stomach at the thought of.. What if he laughs? That was habitually in the back of Blaine’s mind the first time he let his curl flag fly in front of anyone.
“Oh. Okay,” he quipped up seeing Elliott walk to the wall and lean there watching him with adoration. Blaine expression went from unsure to content, his smile real instead of forced as he walked barefoot to the shower, grabbed his shampoo and bent over the sink.
He heard Elliott’s comment just as water splashed on the back of his head. Damn near jerked up and smashed it into the faucet to. There was a new feeling. The realization that he could be embarrassed, turned on, and stunned enough that he nearly cracked his skull off metal. Weird sort of combination to feel. No doubt about that!
Within minutes, the scent of sandalwood filled the room and his hair was clean and dripping as he covered it with a towel resisting the urge to go right for his comb even though his hand dropped towards it before jerking back up. He gave Elliott a guilty, apologetic look.
pianokeysandbowties 