“still in town, man?” it’s alwayssomewhat nice to come across someone he actually thinks he recognizes, a break from walking around and wondering how many faces he’s forgotten.“hope everything’s alright.”
he looks down for a moment, hoping he actually has remembered him, and isn’t making an utter fool of himself. he decides to give it a shot anyway.“i have the day off, so i could show you around if you want.”
“Yeah. Still in town,” Blaine hummed over the rim of his glass quirking a brow as he took a sip. “Looks like the part they need has to come from the nearest dealership. The closest one that has it in stock? Phoenix. Aside from the one they thought they needed two days ago when it arrived and it was the wrong one, I mean.”
He’d already let Cooper know he was going to be late. Like days late. Now? Seems as though it’s going to be a few more.
Aside from knowing no one? The quiet and boredom from lack of company or anything to do was going to start driving him crazy. No wonder why so many townies ended up right where he was. At the tavern. “Yeah? Seriously?” His heart leaps at the offer and he’s already stepping away from his half empty drink and motioning towards the door. “Lead the way. You have no idea how stir crazy I’m getting. Good day off so far?”
She groaned and shook her head. It was disgusting. The school’s policies should be looked at, in Mohini’s opinion; they ought to be strengthened. But a lot to time to think about that she didn’t have because Blaine stuttered and blushed when she explained how she met Ray Beech, telling her not to laugh. “Aww, that’s adorable,” Mo laughed. “And you can’t say don’t laugh and then laugh yourself; that’s totally against the rules.” Her original plan was to wait until her laughter died down but it didn’t, each time she looked at Blaine, opening her mouth, she’d started to laugh again. “—Sorry,” She snorted, holding up both hands.
“I’m allowed to laugh at myself for an idiot crush on a famous person that you happen to know. Because awkward barely grazes over what that is,” he was still laughing between the words as his face went ten degrees hotter. But his eyes continued to sparkle with a mischievous glint. For now, slushies and his complete disdain for something more being done about them from the staff, who were supposedly there to protect their students, was finally let go from his thoughts completely. Nudging her by bouncing the side of his knee against hers, the former Warbler rolled his eyes, sat back in his chair and slung his arms across his chest. All for the fake, overdone pouting grumble of nonsensical noises of pretend offense and mumbled protests. “You should be sorry. To think I was going to see if you still wanted that help on your history project when I sat down.” His nose crinkled, the corner of his lip curled up and he huffed loudly. “And this is the thanks I get.. I see how you are.”
“You can’t think like that, Squirt, you’re not going to let anyone down,” Cooper told him, his voice was a little firmer than usual, mostly because he hated Blaine being so hard on himself. That wasn’t his kid brother, and he didn’t want him ending up on some sort of downward spiral. He turned his head to the side when Blaine dropped down into the vacant seat next to him. He let out a sigh, turning his body a little more so that he was facing him directly, and placed his hands on Blaine’s shoulders as he forced him to look at him. “I’m more worried about tonight, if I’m being honest, B,” his voice was a little softer now, tipping his head a little so that he could meet Blaine’s eyes, like he was trying to find something in them, something that Blaine wasn’t saying aloud.
“You sure this is just about the competition?” he asked, his question lingering in the air as he removed a hand to let Blaine pick up his cup to take a sip of his drink. He could smell his own drink, but that could wait a few more minutes, he just wanted answers right now. “You know you can talk to me Squirt, about anything,”
Cooper settling in close with his hands on his shoulders caught Blaine’s attention more than just the sound of his voice as they spoke and Blaine did his best to make his own steady and not so lost. The warmth seeping into his skin from Cooper’s palms was much more comforting than sitting at a table, close to someone but still feeling alone. Hearing that Cooper was worried pushed Blaine’s bottom lip up against the other in an apologetic pout of a frown. He met Cooper’s gaze only after his brother chased his down a couple times as Blaine tried to dart his to more neutral territory before Cooper ended up locking his attention into his bright blue stare.
The question hit him square in the chest. He wasn’t fully prepared to answer something he came downstairs to try to shake off. “I… I know I can. I promise. It’s not that I don’t think I can talk to you, Coop.” Raising a hand to cover the top of the one Cooper left behind on his shoulder, Blaine gave his hand a squeeze and his expression softened. “It’s not that. I’m just,” he frowned hating that he was still trying to find excuses or skirt around the question even when Cooper was clearly concerned. Caving in, Blaine deflated and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I just feel like this is the only thing I can control right now. Everything else, in my life and head, is just so chaotic. This is the one thing that shouldn’t be but I can’t focus enough for it not to start slipping into that same mess and it feels like it is..”
Things were at a HIGH in Hunter’s life. He was still captain of the Warblers, && dealt with little to no disagreements on the matter. Instead of betraying his orders, Blaine was showing him how to trust. Teaching by example, that not everybody is going to turn on you for their own gain. It was strange, starting to believe in some kind of hope that not everyone has ulterior motives. As a matter of fact, in their time together, a bond was forming. Even stranger. It was a kind of friendship Hunter wasn’t sure he was ready to reciprocate. Yet as time went by, he found himself with Blaine more &&more each day. Instead of dreading his presence as he anticipated, Hunter was starting to enjoy it. He relied on it, actually. Not many good people stuck around when it came to the young man. So that only made it that much worse when the ball dropped. He’d been suspicious for weeks. Not specifically of his new friend, but of those who surrounded them. The team he relied on was plotting against him, for their new leader — BLAINE ANDERSON. Hunter’s fists were clenched to the point of going while, && his teeth gritted from the bad taste this left in his mouth. Being sly && deceiving was his SPECIALTY. How could they possibly think he wouldn’t figure it out? How could Blaine parade around as a team member, a good man, a FRIEND? Nothing was more sickening than a villain who plays the innocent. “Blaine!” His voice boomed as he entered the room, being sure to have each door closed before approaching the other. He’d requested a meeting, but he had no intention of making small talk. “I knew it. I KNEW you were going to betray my trust! You’ve been planning this all along, && I’m just the fool who tried to be hopeful! I should of never let you PURSUED me into thinking people can be GOOD. Nobody is pure of heart, Blaine! Especially not YOU.” He was getting in Blaine’s face, making a point to be threatening. With a scoff he pushed the ex captain back, as if he wasn’t the one who got so close in the first place. “It’s over! They want to overthrow me for your sick need to take away the only thing I have left!? I’ll show them how WEAK you really are. I’ll show them that I will NOT be pushed around or erased!”
Hunter becoming a friend was something Blaine didn’t quite ever see happening. Yet as the weeks went by after his return to Dalton and their very tension filled beginning? That’s what Hunter Clarington was becoming. Blaine liked the fact that Hunter didn’t push him to reveal too much about his personal life and the reasons why he returned. Unlike some of the other well meaning boys who wanted to do what any friend would and tried to be there for him by offering him understanding–and the questions that came with it. Hunter seemed to sense that Blaine didn’t want to talk about it and avoided the topic. Seeing Hunter starting to open up to and trust him meant so much because he didn’t have to be a mind reader to see Hunter didn’t put faith in just anyone. You had to earn it. Blaine thought he was doing a pretty good job at doing so. In the beginning? His efforts were for the simple fact that he didn’t want to cause a rift in the Warblers by having two people they looked up to go to war. Now? Blaine looked forward to seeing the layers beneath Hunter’s facade as the other boy revealed them one at a time.
That’s why when he heard Hunter’s voice crack like thunder through the room–Blaine jumped off the brown leather couch he was relaxing on. Owlish hazel eyes stared baffled as Hunter stalked towards him ranting like a madman. “W-What,” his voice was a cracked and soft whisper. A stark contrast to Hunters yelling and it did nothing to cut into his tirade so he could get a word in. Blaine’s face twisted into a pained, utterly lost expression as he felt his stomach bottom out and his chest tighten. Hunter was too close for comfort but he wasn’t going to back away either. The wanna-be threatening tower over him only made his feet grow heavier against the hardwood floor until an unexpected shove knocked him back a step or two. And that did it. Patience brought on by having no idea where this was coming from other than Hunter obviously losing his mind snapped like a twig after Blaine recovered from the shove and both hands instinctively wrapped around Hunter’s wrists. His confusion was gone and a mask of keen observation narrowed his eyes as his features flattened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about but I will tell you one thing and I’ll only tell you this once. Don’t ever shove me again. Now. Calm down and tell me where the heck this is coming from because..I am very confused here.” And hurt. And angry. And a whole lot of other things he was doing his best to hold in after being called weak on top of the shove. Was that how Hunter really saw him?
pianokeysandbowties 