#god he looks like such a baby without his crazy angular face

[vialae]

Tagged by @vestigialpersonality

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empty home you’re stuck in time. longing for the past, when things were easier, happier, better. the nostalgia eats you up inside, and it makes living in the present so much harder. why can’t now be like then? why are things so much worse, so much harder? you just want to escape to a familiar past, a place that is safe and happy. change is hard, but it’s a part of life.

[kenmaskitten10]

Dilf Deku Headcanons

Midoriya Izuku x GN!Reader

warnings: swearing, NSFW themes (nothing graphic just briefly mentioned),brief mention of bullying/scars, idk this is pretty tame nothing is really described... if u don't like dilfs then don't read this :)

a/n: okay! this is my first time writing/publishing anything on Tumblr so please go easy on me haha... I've had ridiculous Deku brain rot lately and I decided I had to jot a few thoughts down. I'm playing with the idea of turning this into a writing blog, but I am undecided! If anyone wants to thirst for one Izuku Midoriya please come talk to me please anyway without further ado here are some Dilf!Deku hcs.... I'm playing around with doing a NSFW version after this so if you would like to see that let me know!

w/c: 1,498

Okay everyone today I want to talk about Dilf!Izuku

This may be controversial but I personally believe that he has the most Dilf potential out of any of the class 1A boys and no I will not be taking criticism at this time

Sorry but even when he’s younger he has Dilf energy - he’s caring, considerate, takes your feelings into account like a dad he just wants to take care of his baby

oh fuck this man no no no

And listen, here me out on this one….. he has more dilf potential than Bakugo and allow me to tell you why

We can all agree that Bakugo has been confident his entire life, so of course he’s going to be confident when he’s older?? duh

But IZUKU is a different story altogether, he’s never felt confident in his life

His whole childhood he was looked down on for being quirkless, and bullied by someone he thought was his friend kachaan

THEN he got a quirk but oh every time he uses it it breaks all his fucking bones and leaves him with all these scars, and he appreciates them because of what they represent but also he’s young when he gets them, he’s already prone to insecurity and when he’s younger ESPECIALLY i think they just remind him of previous failures

He only started to gain a little bit of confidence in his UA days, but it takes time to rebuild yourself after you’ve been torn down for so long, so I honestly imagine he doesn’t even feel an inkling of confidence until his third year or later and even then, it’s new, it’s unfamiliar, he doesn’t totally know how to act

Because yes, by his third year, he’s starting to realize, oh wow okay, I have an incredible quirk and all these new abilities that I can control better, and wow people are paying attention for good reasons , because he’s tall and attractive, probably cuts his hair undercut Izuku supremacy and he’s made some solid friends who help boost his confidence too

But despite all this, deep down he still feels like that quirkless little kid who has to work three times as hard as anyone else and still doesn’t get the recognition he deserves

But OH BOY

DILF IZUKU??? This man is dripping with confidence

he’s older now. he’s overcome a lot. he’s gone to therapy, and worked his way through the pro hero ranks until he earned his number one spot fair and square, that’s something no one can take away from him

He’s loaded now (see below because I go on a whole tangent), he has nice tasteful style that can only come with age and experience

He knows he’s hot now, because its simply no longer something that can be denied, anyone with eyes can see how attractive he is

If he catches you staring at him, he doesn’t shy away. His cheeks might tint slightly, but he stares right back with the biggest smirk on his face. “See something you like, angel?”

Probably finds reasons to show off slightly but he’s Dilf!Izuku so it’s subtle, it’s meant just for you and god does it drive you crazy

The way he’ll reach for and grab at things when he’s around you because he knows you like his hands (he wants to hold your bags and please let him he just wants to feel needed)

They way he stands behind you while you cook, or work, or read…. He sees you sitting or standing so peacefully and he’ll come up behind you to check out what it is you’re doing. He’ll lean down slowly, quietly, stopping when his breath is on your neck and your nose is filled with his scent, and take a quick peek at whatever it is you’re working on. It takes you a moment to turn around, your heart starting to beat faster in your chest due to his looming presence behind you (I DON’T KNOW WHY THIS IS HOT TO ME IT JUST IS OKAY). When you finally turn to face him, his face breaks into a small smile of victory as his strong hand catches your jaw in a gentle grip and he places an achingly soft kiss to your lips before saying “You look so cute when you’re concentrating,”. As you’re about to go in for another, he lets you go and stands up again, his eyes twinkling. “No no, you’re working so hard baby, don’t let me distract you,” WHEN ALL HE WANTED WAS TO DISTRACT YOU and he succeeded and now you’re all hot and bothered, with no hope of resuming what you were doing

Dilf Deku is a tease I know he is but it’s okay he’ll make it up to you later ;)

He’s got shorter, slightly more cropped hair with grey mixed in with the green, his face more lean and angular… not to mention years of pro hero work have toned his body into an absolute work of art I’m gonna pass out just thinking about it

Freckles splashed across his skin like hundreds of little constellations, accented by scars and marks from old wounds (which he’s come to appreciate - they show how hard he’s worked, how much he’s sacrificed to get to where he is now) he’s muscular but I don’t think he’s quite as big as All Might (his fighting style is a lot different so of course he would build muscle in different places) so this means LEGS LEGS LEGS

LEG MUSCLES FOR DAYS

THICK FUCKING THIGHS oh my god

And holy shit his back muscles too WHEW sometimes in the morning when he gets up before you, you watch him sit on the edge of the bed and flex his shoulders and arms to stretch out in the hazy morning light and Jesus Christ

Dilf Deku is older now, he’s spent his entire life working himself too hard and he missed out on a lot of the fun, impulsive, chaotic things young people do, so I think he wants to let loose a little in his older age, have some fun for once

And what’s more perfect than sweet, youthful, tantalizing little you to indulge in ?

He’s so doting, just wants to make you feel special and cared for

And on that note, if you will indulge me for a moment

he’s fucking RICH like

He’s the number one pro hero, he has brand deals on brand deals on brand deals

And I don’t mean to slander All Might and Endeavor, but in terms of a hot, fuckable number one pro hero, Deku has them beat by a landslide so I imagine he has a wider range of brand deals too, because he can sell the sex appeal angle

I mean can you imagine him in interviews? Interacting with fans? Confident yes, but still soft spoken and kind, almost gentle but anyone can tell he’s completely in control, of himself, of the interview, of the audience, this man has the entire country world wrapped around his little finger

All this to say he’s DRIPPING WITH MONEY

he’s like the guy that overtips an OBSCENE amount like if the waiter is really nice he’ll tip like $300 dollars and won’t even blink (I know they don’t tip at restaurants in Japan but this is more for vibes yk)

sugar daddy deku isn’t a stretch it’s a REALITY

Y’all can be officially together or not, either way Deku loves to spoil his precious little y/n

All you have to do is smile sweetly and ask, and he’s absolute putty in your hands

Complies with even the most egregious of your demands, because hey, he has the money to spare, and how could he say no when you look so cute asking so politely?

GOOD TASTE too like he has a lot of money but he knows how to spend it 😏

Additionally he’s, ya know, him, so he’s insanely charitable and donates to charities, go fund me, personal Venmo accounts of fans that need it

if a fan has like a go fund me for some reason that catches his eye, he’s going to donate and he’s going to donate a lot (A LOT)

he doesn’t even do it for the press, he does it bc he’s a good person but my GOD the press eats it up and so do the fans

These hc’s are so self indulgent but all this to say

Dilf!Deku gets what he wants when he wants it and no one is standing in his way

So when he decides it’s you he wants? Well then it’s you he’s going to get!

[asset35-maya]

Nice Things

Inspired by this spectacular drawing of long-haired Nines by @marndraws

Gavin Reed never had nice things.

Every day was a fight for survival. He studied hard, worked hard and did everything he could to come out on top… but he never had nice things. If he did, they wouldn’t last.

Then the most beautiful creature to walk the planet entered his life.

A sheer scientific miracle. A combined feat of engineering and art. The most advanced android ever built… and the kindest soul the mean city of Detroit had ever seen.

Nines.

Gavin had no idea how to interact with the RK900 in the beginning. If it were any other new partner he’d have been his usual abrasive self, but there was something about the android that left him dumbstruck. No insults came to mind, so Gavin stuck to silent cooperation (and obedience, actually).

The RK900 model was designed to be aesthetically pleasing. There was no doubt about that, but it was how the android carried himself that took things to another level entirely. Poise, elegance and flair touched everything that he said and did.

It extended to the way he transformed his appearance after deviancy. Nines shed his Cyberlife uniform with the harsh turtleneck and stiff jacket in favour of softer, more delicate garments. He still stuck to dark colours, but his clothes were all loose and flowing. He dressed more like an interior decorator than a homicide detective (and it honestly served him well).

Gavin often had to tear his gaze away from the refined fabrics and unconventional styles that Nines wore. Gavin never had nice things… but he certainly had an eye for them.

And then there was Nines’ hair…

When Gavin had first seen the change from the default appearance settings, he had to leave the station, find a quiet alley and focus on bringing his breathing back to normal.

Nines… for some unknown, wild, spectacular, unprecedented, utterly amazing reason… had decided to lengthen his hair and let it hang loose around his shoulders.

The dark tresses were as expressive as the android himself. They danced when he laughed. They whipped the air when he animatedly told a story with his steel blue eyes flashing. They shone in every damn light.

Gavin couldn’t help but stare. He never had nice things… but he was drawn to them.

Not a day went by that he didn’t want to reach out and tuck the fine strands behind Nines’ ear, but he held back from giving in to such insanity.

Nines didn’t hold himself back though.

For all the times Gavin had been looking, so had he. He made his move in the middle of a very boozy Christmas party at the DPD. It didn’t take much of an effort. They left the party together on the flimsy pretext of Nines showing Gavin his Christmas lights at home… and promptly fell into bed together.

Gavin had never had nice things… but he knew exactly what he wanted, and when they were presented to him on a silver platter, he knew how to take them.

Nines’ hair was as soft as he imagined and even silkier than he dreamed. He couldn’t stop running his fingers through the lifelike synthetic fibres and Nines couldn’t seem to get enough of his touch either.

Bliss.

On the third anniversary of the Christmas party, the pair found themselves in very much the same position, only that they didn’t actually make it to the mindless office event this time. The day started and ended in bed.

Fairy lights glittered and tastefully-chosen tinsel framed the snow-laden windows of their loft apartment. The large Christmas tree emanated a warm glow that reached even the bedroom where they lay tangled in the sheets.

Nines was draped over Gavin’s chest, his fingers skimming idly across the warm skin.

“Sweetheart…”

“Nines.”

Gavin’s wary tone of voice made the android laugh. A velvet sound that the human would follow to the ends of the earth.

“What’s the thing you love most about me?”

Gavin exhaled loudly, hugging Nines closer.

“Baby, you know I ain’t good at words and shit.”

“I’m not asking you to write me a poem. Just tell me what you love most about me.”

He sighed and stared at the ceiling.

“Is this a test?”

“I don’t have to test you. I know everything there is to know about you. I can read you like a book even with my analysis software turned off.”

“Uh huh. Then why the inquisition?”

“Because validation is nice.”

Gavin snorted and carded his fingers though Nines’ gorgeous hair.

“Guess I can start by applauding your honesty.”

Nines hummed, rubbing slow circles into Gavin’s pec with his thumb. A few minutes went by and Gavin began to drift off to sleep.

“So what’s more attractive to you? My personality or my looks?”

Gavin’s eyes snapped open in alarm.

“What the ph-”

“There’s no right or wrong answer. Just tell me.”

Nines propped himself up on his elbows and peered into Gavin’s face. It was truly a magnificent sight. Two piercing blue eyes… plush lips curling into a smirk… a cyan LED… and a perfectly arched eyebrow. A pale, angular face… framed by sweeping curtains of dark, glossy hair.

Gavin gulped.

“I can’t choose. You’re the total package.”

“Cop out.”

“Pfffft. You tell me then. What do you like better? My mug or my sharp wit? Hah. Betcha can’t answer that for all the complex calculations your supercomputer brain can do.”

Nines tossed his hair over his shoulder and elevated himself further, pressing his forearms onto Gavin. His fixation with the human’s muscular chest was no secret.

“I can.”

“Huh.”

“You hardly said anything when we first met so I had nothing to go off for your personality-”

“Maybe I was mysterious and aloof and ya just couldn’t resist.”

“No, I actually thought you were kind of slow. All your medals and service awards didn’t make any sense to me.”

“Wowww.”

“So it had to be your body. Why else would anyone keep you around?��

“Is that why you stuck around too?”

“Maybe.”

“You little-”

Gavin reversed their positions on the bed, flipping Nines onto his back and curling huge biceps around his lithe body. Nines tipped his head back to allow Gavin to drag his teeth across his throat and latch onto his collarbone. Some moments passed like that until Nines regained control by hooking a leg over the human’s waist to slow him down.

“Fine. I confess. It was the leather jacket.”

“Seriously?”

Nines dug his heel into Gavin’s coccyx.

“It was everything about your appearance that you had control over… or weren’t born with at least. For instance, your face is conventionally attractive, but it’s all the lines and scars and little things that made me wonder what kind of a life you’d lived… what you might have gone through... how you came out stronger. And yes, your body is a temple, but it’s the work you put into it that I admire. You know how to take care of yourself and that’s…”

“Hot?”

“Hot.”

Nines accepted a rather sloppy kiss with grace. He rubbed his hands up and down his partner’s back.

“So. Tell me. What was it for you? What is it for you?”

Gavin’s right hand subconsciously found its way into Nines’ long hair and caressed his scalp. He sighed into the crook of Nines’ neck and took in the familiar scent that was neither entirely human nor entirely artificial. Everyone expected androids to smell like a new car but the fact was that each of them had their own unique smell. It was impossible to describe in words, but it was one of the many many things Gavin loved about Nines.

“Babe, I think you’re asking a shit ton of questions, but none of them are what you actually wanna ask.”

“Say more.”

“Gavin, do you love me because I look like a Greek god or is it because I’m smart as phck? Gavin, what did you notice first about my sexy android ass? Does the same thing get you off today, or is it something else?

I think… there’s something you already know… or something you think you know… and you’re just trying to get me to say it and dig myself into a giant hole.”

Nines didn’t respond but his LED did. Gavin chuckled and pressed his lips to the spinning yellow light.

“Called it.”

Nines rolled his eyes.

“It’s my hair, isn’t it?”

“Huh?”

“Admit it, you’re obsessed with my hair.”

“And you’re obsessed with my tits. We take turns objectifying each other. First sign of a healthy relationship.”

The android’s sharp nose scrunched up at a particular word and Gavin closed his eyes in resignation. Despite his best efforts he’d walked right into the trap.

“Dammit, babe, I didn’t mean it like that. I would never ever see you as an object-”

“My, my… we’re lying here two years to the day we became…”

“A thing.”

“Yes. And here I am reminiscing about what made you even look at me in the first place… and it turns out the credit goes more to Cyberlife than it does to me.”

Gavin groaned while his lover’s tinkling laughter rang out. He had to think fast if he had to turn the tables.

“So I’m that slow?”

Nines looked back at him, confused.

“You just dragged MY instincts. Like I’m dumb enough to fall for a program written by some geeky little code nerd. Like it was all totally predetermined and I didn’t see you tease and flirt and practically fall over yourself trying to get my attention for months. Huh?”

Gavin tightened his grip and gave his partner an affirmative shake.

“All those outfits and nail colours and pointy shoes and sparkly, shiny things. You saw me looking and you just kept stepping it up.”

He grasped Nines’ jaw and kissed him firmly.

“And your hair, baby… yeah, some genius worked on the tech at some point… but they didn’t tell you how to wear it. They didn’t tell you about the length or cut or angle. They didn’t tell you to walk around looking like a phcking prince. They didn’t tell you to roll the car windows down on the highway so your hair could fly in my face and drive me phcking crazy…”

Gavin thrust his fingers into the dark locks and pulled the android back in for a series of open-mouthed kisses and tantalising swipes of his tongue. Nines started to reciprocate physically, but Gavin swatted his hands away, not wanting to let things go further without making it clear who had gained the upper hand in their ridiculous game. He broke away panting.

“I love you. Don’t ask me why because there isn't one single reason. And I phcking love your hair. Not just ’cause it’s pretty but ’cause you’re the only motherphcker in that precinct who’d show up to the gristliest of crime scenes looking like a runway model.”

They stared at each other. Nines’ LED flickered.

“I… wow, sweetheart… okayyy… I… love you too.”

A moment of silence passed and Gavin rounded things off with his classic double wink.

“You’re welcome.”

Nines smiled, accepting defeat. He reached up and carefully rearranged his hair, letting it fan out on the pillow. Unable to keep the smile off his face, Gavin dipped his head down and returned his lips to Nines’, kissing him under the covers until his LED spun bright blue.

Gavin Reed never had nice things… until he learnt how to take good care of them.

//

Part 2: Red Dress

[toomanyrobins]

a little birdie told me

Summary: Y/N “Birdie” Parker left New York and her family three years ago in the middle of the night. Now, a call for help to her best friend brings her back into the fold of the Three Families and their “business”

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Parker!Reader

Content warning: physical abuse, miscarriage, mentions of forced marriage

Word Count: 1.3k

Notes: comment if you want to be tagged!

Series masterlist // next part

The Ivory Hotel was sacred ground in New York City after the Three Families had formed. Multiple disputes and bloodshed after the war had led to a new leaf being turned over in the city. The Stark, Barnes, and Barton families had come together and become more powerful than ever before. Now, nearly a decade after the original agreement, New York was a different city. Many government officials had tried to bring the families down, but despite that fact that their practices were mostly illegal, they worked to help the city and offered jobs to anyone who returned from the war. One such person was Sam Wilson, fiance to Rebecca Barnes, the daughter of the head of the Barnes family. They were having lunch in the solarium at the Ivory when a waiter came rushing over to the table to inform her she had a call. When she asked who it was, the young waiter shook his head, “They wouldn’t say, but it’s a woman and she said something about a tiny bird, I think.”

Becca’s heart leapt into her throat, “Do you mean little birdie?” The waiter nodded and she stood quickly. Y/N Parker rarely called her and using their code word for danger sent her heart into her throat. Sam wasn’t sure what was going on, but could see that his fiancee was shaken. He threw some money on the table and followed her to the phone. When Becca lifted the receiver to her ear, the hoarse voice that greeted her put her on edge.. ‘Birdie? What’s wrong?’ At the mention of the name, Sam’s eyes widened. He had never met the infamous Y/N Parker-Stark, ‘Birdie’ to her friends and family, but he knew that she had been important to everyone and then disappeared in the night without a word. 

‘B, I think I need help.’

She could hear the fear in Y/N’s voice and was already pulling on her jacket with Sam’s help, ‘Are you at your apartment? I can be there in two hours.’

‘Yeah, I’m…” Y/N groaned softly into receiver, “God, when did this all get so fucked?’

‘Can you tell me what’s going on?’ Becca’s heart was beating out of her chest as Sam was pulling his jacket on. 

There was a moment of silence and then she whispered, ‘I think I’m having a miscarriage.’

‘Oh…Y/N. Okay, I am on my way. You need to get to a hospital.’ The broken voice on the other end of her phone told that it wasn’t an option, ‘Alright, no hospital. Go lay down. I’m on my way.’ She hung up and hurriedly tried to explain the situation to Sam. “You can’t say anything to anyone yet. Not until I know more…please.” 

“You need to figure out what is happening and call the Boss. Okay? We are both putting our necks on the line as is.” Becca nodded and he kissed her softly, “Don’t do anything stupid, baby. I’d like to actually make it down the aisle.” The couple left the restaurant, Sam dropping her off at her parent’s home so that she could grab her car. 

Becca rushed over to Bruce’s office, calling up to Nat and telling her to come down.  Soon, the two women were on the road and Nat was learning about the situation, while Becca was breaking every posted speed limit. “So let me get this straight. You’ve secretly been in contact with Birdie since she left and haven’t told anyone? Now, she’s called you out of the blue and says she needs help,” Nat was trying to wrap her head around the entire situation and ran a hand through her hair, “Becca, that’s so much to unpack. Does anyone else know?”

She nodded, “Just Sam. We were at lunch when I got the call. She thinks she’s having a miscarriage and that’s all she will say, but my gut says there is more going on.” The two women knew the famous Barnes gut was never wrong. They drove in tense, worried silence and managed to cut the drive down to a little over an hour. 

The duo hurried up the stairs and entered the apartment. They found Y/N curled up in a ball on the couch with a blanket pulled up to her chin. She sat up when she saw them and then winced in pain. Nat quickly sat beside the girl and started fussing. Becca stood by the door, getting her first look at her best friend in over two years. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the split lip and the hand print on Y/N’s neck. Nat  hadstilled when she saw the marks and the whole room seemed to be frozen. Bex finally broke the spell and spoke, “Who did this, Birdie?”

Y/N’s eyes dropped to her hands and she shook her head, refusing to speak. She flinched when Nat brought her hand up to run a finger along the purple painting her neck. Both women were willing the anger to leave her veins, knowing that they could be emotional later. Right now, they had to get Y/N out of the apartment and to a hospital. The redhead pushed herself off the couch, “Right. I’m gonna go pack your bags. You’re not coming back here.” She directed Becca to stay with Y/N. The dark-haired woman couldn’t tear her eyes away from the younger Parker. So much had changed in the past two years. The baby fat had fallen away from her face, leaving behind angular cheekbones. Her eyes had lost their sparkle and the bags under her eyes were purple. And then, there was the bruises and cuts on her face. It was difficult to believe this was the same woman she once knew.

She brought her hands up to cup Y/N’s face, “Damn, Birdie, what have you been mixed up in?”

“It’s a long story,” Y/N whispered, trying to brush it off. She looked down at the diamond on Becca’s finger and ran a finger over it. 

She looked at her friend curiously. Becca smiled and allowed the conversation to change, “I know I said I would never get married. His name is Sam. Dad brought it to the families on my 18th and I fought against it. Turns out, I’m not as opposed to marriage when it’s him. I think you’ll like him, mostly because Sam and Bucky fight like they’re little kids. He and Steve on the other hand, get along like a house on fire.”

At the mention of Becca’s brothers, Y/N pulled away and groaned. She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands, hissing when she hit a bruise, “What do I do?”

“Well, you’ll be back with us now.” Y/N’s whole body tensed and shook her head sadly. Becca forced her friend to look her in the eyes, “Are you kidding? I miss you like crazy and I know your family would want you back. I need my maid of honor. Your dad has always had a soft spot for you and would let you come back. I’m sure of it.” 

Before they could continue, Nat came back in with two suitcases packed. They forced Y/N into the car and drove back to the city. They went to a private hospital, anger blazing through Y/N’s eyes when she saw where they had brought her. She reminded Nat and Becca of the old her for a moment. The latter turned to her, “You need to see a doctor. There’s no negotiation to be had.” She tried to fight the two women, but they were incredibly persuasive. Nat paid the doctors to keep quiet. Y/N kept a firm grip on Becca’s hand through the entire wait, the check with the doctor, only letting go to sign the discharge papers. They told her that there was some minor damage to her throat, which wasn’t a surprise considering how dark the bruises were. The bruised ribs showing the doctors exactly where she’d been hit. They tried to convince her to report, but she just shook her head. She felt relief when they told her that she had had a complete miscarriage. At that moment, Y/N Parker was free. 

[darriness]

Klaine Fic - 3 on 1

Author: darriness

Word Count: 19352

Summary: What happens when triplets each find the potential love of their lives...in the same person?

Author’s Note: This author's note is a little long but I ask that you read it all :) Welcome to my story for the Glee Potluck Big Bang! I've had this story finished for a couple of months so I'm over the moon I'm getting a chance to post it a little early! The original idea for this fic came from a conversation I had with @ipwarn​ when I discovered that Darren Criss, Alex Brightman, and Henry Golding share the same birthdate. But, saying that, Blaine is still Blaine in this story (he's not Darren) and for Alex and Henry I used parts of their real life inspirations' general appearance as reference but they are completely made up characters. Most notably, and the reason I wanted to say anything, I know Henry Golding is actually Malaysian but Henry in my story is half Filipino. Lastly but definitely not least I would like to thank @imrights​ for the AMAZING title art above that I am completely obsessed with. And as always I would like to thank my fantastic beta @darrenismydarcy​ - I could not do any of this without you!! I hope all of the above makes sense! Enjoy the story! I, selfishly, love it a whole lot!

AO3 Link

3 on 1

What do you get when you mix an Asian banker with an Irish elementary school teacher?

Henry, Alexander, and Blaine Anderson.

That? Is Alex Anderson’s favourite joke to tell. It’s caused his brothers to roll their eyes more times then they can count but Alex still gets a kick out of it.

Now, Henry, Alex, and Blaine aren’t JUST brothers. I mean sure, looking at them you probably wouldn’t even be able to tell they share ANY genetic makeup. They are as different as different can be.

Henry towers over his brothers at just over six feet, for one. Blaine and Alex try to pass themselves off as five nine but...they’re five eight on a good day. Alex got all his features from his Irish mother. He’s as white as can be. Literally. His brown hair and brown eyes are the only things keeping him from being part of the Arian race…

 Henry, on the other hand, is the spitting image of his Filipino father. His angular features, slightly slanted chocolate brown eyes, and deep chestnut hair are a proud marker of his Asian heritage.

And then there’s Blaine. A complete mix of them both. Growing up, he had to fight (once physically) for people to understand that he is half Asian. Unlike Alex (who to this day gets the quirked eyebrow when he tells people he’s half Filipino and will sometimes, depending on the company, not even bother to mention this fact), Blaine does have Asian traits. It’s just that he has enough caucasian traits to ‘trick’ the more ignorant population.

In the end, not only are these three completely different men brothers...they actually share the exact same birthdate. 

Growing up as a triplet was an interesting experience. One that can only truly be understood by those who, themselves, grew up as a multiple.

For example, there really isn’t a way to explain the special kind of connection that sees one triplet farting on the head of another triplet while the third triplet holds him down.

Which is how we find the Anderson triplets now.

“Oh my God, get the fuck off of me!” Henry shouts, trying to bring his hands up to block the assault.

Alex laughs from somewhere above him, letting out a sigh as he completes the job, before moving from his straddle position.

“You can let him go, Blainers.” Alex says to Blaine who had been holding Henry’s shoulders and arms down.

Blaine releases Henry who immediately shrugs him off (like he had been the one to break the hold) and sits up, “I expect this shit from him,” Henry says, pointing to Alex, “but not from you.” He concludes, pointing to Blaine.

Blaine shrugs, “He had a justifiable reason.”

Henry rolls his eyes before shifting on the couch and picking up some of the papers in front of him. He’s got work to do. He’s not even sure why he agreed to have his brothers over to his apartment on the eve of potentially the biggest meeting of his career.

“So, we need to talk about what we’re going to do for Tiny’s bachelorette.” Alex says, sitting down on the other couch and picking up his beer. HE doesn’t have a high stress meeting in the morning.

But, right. That’s why they’re here. To discuss their little sister’s upcoming nuptials.

“We’re not her bridesmaids OR her maid of honour.” Blaine reminds, “Isn’t our job to go with the guys when they take Sam out?”

Alex stares aghast when Henry shrugs and nods along with the suggestion, “Ummm no!” Alex shouts, indignantly, “This is our baby sister’s wedding. Our ONLY sister’s wedding. If it’s not her big brothers’ job to take her out and get her drunk and danced upon by random strippers then I don’t know whose job it is.”

Blaine and Henry stare at their brother in silence for a moment.

“Ummm, it’s literally anyone else’s job but ours.” Henry says.

Alex rises slightly from his seat and sits down with an emphatic exhale, “You can’t be serious!” He exclaims, “To quote a very neurotic man ‘I expect this shit from him,” He says pointing at Henry, “but not from you.’” He finishes, pointing at Blaine.

Blaine’s eyes go wide and Henry can tell that Blaine’s people pleasing nature is taking a serious hit tonight. If there’s one thing Blaine Anderson can’t stand, it’s people not liking him and being disappointed in him.

“We are her *brothers*.” Alex emphasises again, “I think she’d be really hurt if we didn’t do something for her.”

Henry sighs, “But does that ‘something’ have to include naked men?” He asks, even though he already knows he’s going to agree to whatever Alex has planned. That’s how their relationship works and always has. Alex comes up with the crazy schemes, Blaine goes along with pretty much anything to stop people from being upset with him, and Henry usually acquiesces because if not...the other two would probably end up in jail.

Alex smiles like he knows he’s close, “Come on. You don’t think Tiny would get a kick out of naked men dancing for her? And besides, Blaine and I will enjoy it just as much!” He waggles his eyebrows lewdly. Alex really is a charismatic, nice guy...once you see past the frat boy exterior.

Henry sighs again as he shuffles his papers. He could mention that while Blaine and Alex (being gay and pansexual respectively) would get a kick out of a male strip club, he (as a straight man) probably wouldn’t. But...in the end he loves his brothers and sister too much to refuse…

...especially with Blaine now fully on board and the two of them looking at Henry like he has the keys to all of their hopes and dreams.

“Oh, fine.” He grumbles, even though he smiles.

The other two cheer and Henry rolls his eyes as they begin to make plans and he goes back to his notes.

-- -- --

Blaine leans over and gives Alex a brief hug as their cab pulls up in front of Blaine’s apartment later that night, “Night Al.” He says.

Alex smiles, “Night Blainers.”

Blaine’s got one foot out of the cab when Alex calls his name. He turns and raises a questioning brow at his brother, “Don’t forget to check your Tinder.” He waggles his eyebrows much like earlier. Alex spends a lot of his time waggling his eyebrows.

Blaine chuckles and rolls his eyes, “It’s not Tinder. It’s just...a regular dating app.” 

Blaine’s not ashamed of the fact that he’s trying online dating. He’s a 26-year-old single man in New York City and at least half the world is online dating. It’s worth a try. And it’s not like he’s Alex who trips and falls (sometimes literally) over a new sexual partner almost every day or Henry who is married to his job. He’s just covering his bases.

Alex smiles, “Well, just be sure to check it. And remember, only swipe right if it looks like they have a big penis.”

Blaine rolls his eyes again before giving his brother the middle finger and getting out of the car. He stands on the curb as the cab pulls into traffic on its way to Alex’s apartment ten minutes away, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket after getting hit with the wind of a late September evening chill.

When the cab turns a corner and is no longer in sight, Blaine turns and makes his way into his apartment building. It’s not the most posh of buildings but it’s comfortable. It’s home. And Blaine is proud of the fact that he is able to afford it without having to rely on his parents’ money. They’ve offered, sure, but Blaine has never wanted to rely on his parents that much.

His building is quiet this late at night and Blaine doesn’t pass a single person on his way to the fifth floor. He lets himself into his apartment, toes off his shoes, hangs up his jacket, and throws his keys into the bowl on the front table before making his way to the couch and collapsing onto it with a sigh.

Despite his eye roll at his brother, the first thing he does upon sitting down is check his dating app, ConnectSingle. It’s definitely not Tinder, no swiping of any kind required, but Blaine enjoys the fact that both parties need to indicate interest (by clicking a happy face on their basic profile) before they can contact each other or even view their whole profile. And while he feels like it’s slightly shallow, Blaine has definitely used that function to weed out some of the less...aesthetically pleasing requests.

He’s actually only communicated with three guys so far and only met up with one in person (...it didn’t go well), but he’s optimistic he’ll find someone he can really connect with. And if not? Well, he hasn’t really lost anything in trying.

He first checks to see who has given him a smiley face today. Three men seem to enjoy the picture Henry had taken of him on the beach, sunglasses reflecting the ocean and curls loose and billowing in the wind, and he considers each of their pictures before deleting them all. He feels slightly bad but figures if you sign up to online dating not expecting to be rejected sometimes, you’re doing it wrong.

He then flips to his ‘daily matches’ - men the app thinks he might like. He hems and haws over their basic profiles and decides to smiley face two; a redhead named Andy (who appeals to the side of Blaine that enjoys larger men) and a brown haired man named Kurt (who has great hair, great eyes, and a smirk Blaine may be interested in knowing more about).

It’s not as immediately satisfying as he would like it to be, clicking the smiley face. Nothing happens other than a yellow smiley face rises slightly above his thumb and then winks out, leaving a static yellow smiley face behind, but he feels accomplished. 

He closes the app and stretches on the couch, glancing at the clock to notice it’s almost 1 am. He doesn’t have anywhere immediate to go in the morning, perks of being an on call studio musician, but figures just in case he gets a call he should go to bed.

Without thinking of ConnectSingles again, he goes about his evening routine, plugs his phone in and is asleep twenty minutes later.

-- -- --

Alex could go home. It’s where he told his brother and, more importantly, the cab driver he’d be going. But as the cab driver pulls away from the curb he gets a text from his friend, Elliott, telling him he should meet him at a bar.

Alex shrugs and tells the cab driver to change his final destination. It doesn’t take much to convince Alex to go out.

When he gets to the bar, he finds Elliott leaning against the brick front wall. He’s got a foot propped up behind him, a bare knee poking out of ripped black jeans, and a cigarette burning from his lips as he looks down at his phone.

“I must reiterate - as a performer you really shouldn’t smoke.” Alex says by way of a greeting.

Elliott looks up from his phone and smirks as he pulls the cigarette from between his lips, “Old habits die hard.” He says with a shrug before flicking the mostly unsmoked cigarette to the ground and pulling Alex into a hug, “Good to see you, man.”

“You too.” Alex says returning the hug, “Any particular reason you dragged me out of bed on this cold night to meet you at a bar at 1 am?”

Elliott rolls his eyes, “If you were in bed, I promise that was the last smoke of my life.”

Alex purses his lips to hide his smile before sighing, “Damnit, fine, I wasn’t in bed.” Elliott laughs and puts a hand on Alex’s shoulder, pulling him forward into the bar.

The noise from inside the bar gets unsurprisingly louder as they enter but luckily not so loud that it makes talking impossible. They may have to raise their voices slightly to be heard but Alex knows he won’t be leaving with burst ear drums.

“We were just having a really great night and I thought you should be a part of it.” Elliott explains.

Alex nods, enjoying that Elliott thought to include him, “We?” He asks as they make their way to the bar.

Elliott shrugs, “Just a bunch of people from the theatre.” He calls.

It’s not wall to wall packed in the bar but it’s busy enough that Alex accidentally runs into someone on their walk from the door to the bar. He ‘oofs’ at the impact and then is immediately apologetic as the person he hit turns around.

The words die on his lips when a set of cool blue eyes make eye contact with him. An eyebrow is quirked above those eyes and pink lips wrap around a straw as they regard Alex. Alex notices the slight pull in of the cheeks attached to the lips as they suck up liquid.

He’s broken from his stare when Elliott laughs, “Alex? Kurt. Kurt? Alex.”

Alex feels Elliott pat his shoulder a few times before the other man is gone, leaving Kurt and Alex still looking at each other. Alex watches as Kurt’s tongue flicks out to play with the straw still between his lips and Alex is transfixed.

“Hi.” He breathes, suddenly wishing he had worn a better outfit to Henry’s than his faded jeans and white button up shirt with tiny rubber ducks on it.

“Hi.” Kurt answers back with a smile.

-- -- --

Henry fidgets the next morning as he sits outside the office the nice receptionist directed him to. His knee bounces and he shuffles through the papers in his folder, wishing he could stop the sweat he can feel building under his suit jacket.

He’s prepared, he knows he is, but a job interview for a large production company is a lot different than working out of a one room studio with guys you went to college with.

Henry checks his watch and realizes he’s probably got another ten minutes to wait - he’s always extremely early to all things, something he wishes he could teach his brother. 

As if summoned by Henry’s thought, his phone buzzes in his pocket and a text from Alex pops up.

Alex

You got this brother! Now I’m going back to sleep.

Henry chuckles softly and doesn’t bother to respond. Alex is probably already asleep again. 

He’s still looking at his phone when a second text comes in, this time from Blaine.

Blaine

You are more than ready for this, Henry. Call me after to let me know how it goes.

Henry smiles at the texts on his screen and feel bolstered by their support. He texts Blaine back to thank him and tell him he will call him after, before pocketing his phone and going back to bouncing his knee.

“Can I...get you something to drink?” A hesitant voice asks to Henry’s left.

He jumps slightly and turns to find a well dressed man with high chestnut hair and a soft smile looking at him like you might a spooked animal.

Henry chuckles and can feel his cheeks blush slightly in embarrassment at how ridiculous he must look, “The receptionist already offered and I’m good. But thank you.”

The man nods but doesn’t immediately depart. Instead he continues to look at Henry with a calculating expression, “Job interview?” He asks, finally.

Henry bites his lip, “Is it that obvious?”

The man shrugs and gestures to the seat next to Henry. Henry also gestures to the seat with a nod and the man sits, crossing one long leg over the other, “I don’t think anyone else would notice. I just recall with ridiculous clarity my own nerves when I interviewed for a job here.”

Henry nods, “But obviously it went well for you.”

The man seems to preen, his swooped hair swaying slightly as he shakes his head and Henry finds himself smiling, “Obviously.” The man says and while it should come across as cocky, it doesn’t and Henry finds his nerves easing. The man smiles and holds out a hand, “Kurt.” He says.

Henry takes the hand and shakes it warmly, “Henry.”

Kurt smiles, “Well, Henry, what do you say I take you out for a coffee to celebrate after your interview?”

And suddenly Henry is nervous again but this time it has nothing to do with his interview.

-- -- --

Blaine stretches like a cat in a sun spot and hums as he squints at the bright sun shining through his bedroom window. He loves to wake up to the sun.

His phone buzzes on the nightstand and he rolls over to grab it. He’s got three notifications on his phone. One is a text from Alex sent at 3:43 am.

Alex

Duuuuuude you will not believe the night I’ve had!

Blaine chuckles and figures texting Alex back now would yield no fruit. It’s only 9 am, Alex would be asleep for hours yet. 

The second notification is reminding him that Henry has a job interview this morning. He silently thanks himself for setting the reminder and quickly shoots a text to his brother for support.

The last notification is from ConnectSingle. Blaine has a match! It’s not quite as exciting as it was when he first got the app but he’ll admit to a tiny thrill going through him at the prospect of mutual interest. He wonders if it’s Andy or Kurt from last night or one of the other people he’s smiley faced in the past.

He thumbs open the app and notices first that Andy’s name is no longer on his ‘pending’ list which means the other man deleted Blaine’s profile. It stings a little but then he smiles when he sees a green smiley face next to Kurt’s name and picture (indicating a reciprocated interest) and an email attachment. He presses the email and settles back against the pillow to read what his new match has to say.

Blaine,

Hi! My name’s Kurt. Though I guess you already knew that... (Blaine chuckles softly) Anyway! Thank you for ‘smiling’ at me. You have a great actual smile :) I’d be interested to learn more about you - your profile says you’re a musician? Message me back if you’re interested in chatting!

Kurt

It’s simple but it still makes Blaine kicky feet just the tiniest bit under his blankets. He bites his lip and reads the message again before opening a reply box and typing his own message back.

Kurt

Hello! It’s great to ‘meet’ you. You also have a really great smile and might I add you have stunning eyes (is ‘stunning’ too much for a first email?) I am a musician! I’m a freelance studio musician, which, believe it or not, makes me a pretty decent living. Your profile says you like cars - Driving them? Working on them? Sitting in them? (I promise not to judge if it’s the last one). Hope to hear from you soon!

Blaine :)

As always, Blaine reads his message four times before hitting send and then rereads it again for any stupid things he may have said. He’s pretty happy with what he sent though and as he heads to the shower he’s already anticipating Kurt’s response.

-- -- --

“You are a God among men!” Alex exclaims as he walks out the front entrance to his apartment building later that afternoon to find Blaine standing outside with a coffee cup extended in one hand.

Blaine chuckles as his brother takes the cup, slings an arm around his shoulder and noisily kisses his cheek, “Well, I figured you would have just gotten up.” Blaine says as the pair start to walk down the street.

Alex hums around a sip of delicious coffee before nodding, “Within the last hour.”

“I still don’t understand how you can sustain this lifestyle.” Blaine says with a shake of his head. He knows that, out of the three of them, Alex relies most heavily on their parents to make ends meet and that his job as an evening bread baker at a small bakery means he doesn’t work typical hours (though who is Blaine to talk?) but sometimes he worries that Alex isn’t taking care of himself as well as he could.

Alex fidgets with the beanie he has on over his undoubtedly messy brown hair and shrugs with an easy smile, “Hey, man, when it works, it works.”

Blaine nods to concede the point, for now, as they round the corner on the street the bakery Alex works at is on, “So, what was so unbelievable about your night last night?”

Alex perks up at the mention and seems to skip along next to Blaine, “I met someone!”

Blaine rolls his eyes affectionately, “You are always ‘meeting someone’.”

Alex nods but smacks Blaine lightly, “I know but this guy is different. He’s...amazing!”

Blaine smiles, “Well, I’m happy for you.” He says, “Are you seeing him again?”

Sometimes, Blaine gets jealous over how easily Alex meets people. Granted as a pansexual, his pool of potential partners is larger than Blaine’s, but there’s just something so magnetic about Alex and he doesn’t seem to have any insecurities holding him back.

Alex presses his lips together and nods, “Tomorrow night!”

Blaine tries not to let his shock show. For as often as Alex hooks up with people, he usually doesn’t see the same person more than once. Blaine has asked that question of Alex a lot and usually gets a shrug and a ‘probably not’. Now, Alex seems genuinely excited.

“That’s amazing. Did you sleep with him last night?” Blaine asks as they come to a stop outside Alex’s work.

“Now, Blainers, you know a man does not kiss and tell!” Alex scoffs but then smirks, “But...there was kissing.” And there is the eyebrow waggle.

Blaine laughs, “Well, you’ll have to keep me updated.” He says.

“Speaking of updated,” Alex says, “Have you heard from our enigmatic big brother today about his interview?”

Blaine furrows his brow, “Not since before it happened. I told him to call me afterwards.”

Alex pouts his lips thoughtfully, “Maybe it went so well he had to go home and masturbate to his work success.”

Blaine half laughs and half groans, “That is not a visual I needed.” Alex shrugs with a chuckle, “But I’ll message him and find out how it went. Have a good shift. I’ll see Friday at Mom and Dad’s?”

Alex nods, “Okay, let me know what he says.” Because texting Henry himself would be too much work?, “And you sure will see me Friday, baby brother!”

Blaine rolls his eyes again, “I am not the baby!”

Alex clicks his tongue and shrugs, “Last one out is always the baby.”

“I am literally one minute ‘younger’ than you.” Blaine huffs complete with sarcastic finger quotes.

“And what a glorious minute it was.” Alex says with a wistful sigh and then dodges when Blaine tries to hit him in the head. 

Alex waves without further ado and then heads into the bakery to start his shift, leaving Blaine on the sidewalk to pull out his phone. He’s about to open his text app to message Henry when a red bubbled one by the ConnectSingles app draws his attention.

He opens it with a giddy flutter of his stomach to find a new message from Kurt. He starts walking down the crowded street while he opens the email to read it (he’s lived in New York all his life, he’s an expert at phone reading and dodging people at the same time).

Blaine,

‘Freelance studio musician’ sounds fascinating. Do you know how to play a lot of instruments? As for my interest in cars, it’s all about working on them (who enjoys just sitting in cars? :P lol). My dad owns a garage in my hometown and I’ve been fixing cars since I could hold a wrench. I think he secretly wanted me to take over the business but fixing cars was always a hobby, not a vocation for me.

...Is that an overshare for a second message? I’m fairly new to this online thing. If it is, pretend I didn’t say anything.

Musicals! (I’m very good at subtly subject changes…) Are you a fan of musicals? I don’t like to assume just because a person is gay but I love musicals. They’re a big part of my life. So, I like to know right off the bat if I’m talking to a like minded person.

Talk soon?

Kurt

Blaine can feel the goofy smile on his face and isn’t sure why he feels the need to try and tamp it down. It’s New York City, there are way weirder things happening than a guy smiling down at his phone. He can’t get over how adorable Kurt seems just from two messages. He usually likes to play it slow, wait a while after receiving a message before messaging back but he opens the return message box immediately and crafts a response at the next stop light.

Kurt

I do know how to play a lot of instruments. I’m kind of a jack of all trades but master of none type? My parents put me in piano when I was kid and it’s actually the only instrument I’m classically trained in. Everything else I just picked up along the way. I think my parents secretly wanted me to be a concert pianist but classical music was always more a hobby than a true vocation for me (I don’t think you overshared but just in case you still think you did...I thought I’d ‘overshare’ back :) 

I absolutely love musicals! Don’t ask me to pick a favourite, I simply couldn’t. Do you have a favourite? Let me guess...Wicked? You strike me as someone who would really appreciate the brilliance of Idina and Kristin. But maybe I’m wrong - I’m happy either way!

Blaine :)

P.S. You said your dad has a garage in your hometown? Where’s that? I grew up in Manhattan myself.

Blaine’s almost home by the time he finishes typing and he hits send before he can second guess himself. On his way up the stairs, he dials Henry’s number only to have the phone go to voicemail. Blaine’s brow furrows as he gets to his apartment. It’s not like his brother always picks up the phone when he calls, it’s just unusual when he doesn’t.

Shrugging, Blaine texts Henry to get him to call him back when he has a moment and then he starts about making dinner. He tries very hard not to check his phone compulsively for a message from Kurt.

-- -- --

Henry is in the middle of an existential crisis. 

He hates to think of it as such. Out of his brothers he’s the level-headed one. Always has been. Blaine has an existential crisis every second week and Alex is too laid back to have anything resembling a crisis of any kind about anything ever. But Henry is always the one who thinks things through. Who sees pros and cons and the black and white of everything and comes to a logical conclusion about all things...

...this afternoon had felt anything but logical or black and white…

He’d walked out of the two hour interview with shaking hands but a smile on his face and a contract in his pocket. He was elated if not a little shaken by the whole experience. He’d almost bumped into Kurt standing just down the hall from the room the interview had taken place.

“So?” Kurt had said with a hopeful expression, “Are we coworkers? Am I taking you out for celebratory coffee?”

Henry had smiled at the man and nodded, “They offered me a job.”

Kurt’s face had lit up and while Henry’s first thought had been to wonder why this virtual stranger was so invested in whether he got a job or not, Kurt’s obvious joy made Henry’s joy that much more palpable. 

“Well, then, shall we head to the coffee shop? Drinks on me, obviously.” 

And then he winked.

It had hit Henry suddenly, and probably would have hit him sooner had he not been so worked up about his interview, that he was being hit on. It hadn’t been the first time he’d been hit on by a guy and he likes to think even if he didn’t have one gay brother and one pansexual brother that he would have been evolved enough to not be offended or hostile but usually when faced with this situation he would smile politely and say he wasn’t interested.

At that moment, however, he hadn’t wanted to say ‘no’...so he hadn’t. 

“That sounds great.” He’d smiled.

Their coffee date had been amazing. Henry had spent the first hour after getting home trying to tell himself it hadn’t been a date but has come to the acceptance part of his crisis. It had been a date. A date with a man. A date with a man he’d actually enjoyed.

Kurt had bought the drinks and then the pair had sat across from each other at the small coffee shop talking about the job Henry had just gotten and what Kurt did for the company (he runs costume design for the theatrical branch of the production company). They talked about musicals (Henry had actually mentally thanked Blaine for forcing him to watch so many over the years), and they talked about football (only briefly after Henry realized it wasn’t up Kurt’s alley).

When Kurt had said he needed to get home, Henry had actually felt bereft. He knew even in that moment he needed to go home and freak out about what exactly was happening but he also didn’t want whatever was happening to end. 

They had exchanged phone numbers and Kurt had told him he’d see him the next day at work. And then he winked again. Henry can still feel the blush from that wink almost two hours later.

When his phone buzzed with a phone call from Blaine an hour and a half into his crisis, he’d let it go to voicemail. He wasn’t in a place to talk to his brother. He wasn’t even sure what he would say. ‘Hey, Blaine! Yeah, I got a job and a boyfriend today!’

That thought had caused a spiral that Henry has been in for the last half hour. He does NOT have a boyfriend and one coffee date does not an anything make let alone a boyfriend but the fact that he had the thought means he’s thinking about Kurt in that way. He’s thinking about a man in a romantic way. This is not something he’s ever experienced before.

And suddenly, Blaine seems like the perfect person to talk to about this.

He gropes from his prone position on his couch for the phone he’d tossed onto the coffee table when it had rung with Blaine’s call. He dials his brother’s number and puts a hand over his eyes while he waits for the call to connect.

“Hey!” Blaine answers, happily, “How’d it go?”

Henry knows Blaine is asking about the interview but again his thoughts go to Kurt. He shakes his head to rid himself of the impulsive thought and answers Blaine’s question, “I got it.” He says.

Blaine whoops on the other end of the line, “I knew you would! That is amazing!”

Henry smiles, “Thanks.”

Suddenly, Blaine’s celebration dies off, “Why do you not sound over the moon about this? Is this because of Vance? He was the one who told you to go for this!” Vance is one of Henry’s best friends, one of the men he works with (or he figures it’s now ‘worked’ with). Vance had indeed pushed Henry to interview for the larger company.

“No, no. It’s not about Vance.” Henry answers.

“Then what is it?” Blaine asks and the earnestness in Blaine’s voice opens a flood gate.

“I met someone today.” Henry confesses.

“Oh!” He can tell Blaine is suprised. Henry doesn’t date. Hasn’t had a girlfriend since his junior year of high school. He’ll unpack what exactly that says about him later… “And that’s upsetting?” Blaine asks.

Henry grimaces, “Not in and of itself, I guess.” He starts, “It’s just...it’s a guy?” He says it like a question and then feels slightly queasy afterwards.

The line is silent for a long time, longer than Henry can stand without starting to feel even sicker, before Blaine lets out a breath, “That’s...awesome.”

Henry scrunches his eyes closed, “I don’t know what I’m feeling.”

He can almost picture Blaine nodding on the other end of the line, “And nor do you have to.” Blaine reassures, “Just answer me one thing: did you have fun with him?”

“Yes.” Henry answers.

“Then focus on that.” Blaine says and Henry can hear the smile in his voice, “Leave the other stuff to the side for now. I know you, and I know you want to figure everything out and this puts a little bit of a kink into the careful order of your life but if it makes you happy then that’s all that matters.”

Henry lets out of a breath he hadn’t been aware he’d been holding. Blaine’s words unravel a knot he’s felt in his chest all afternoon and while he knows he’s not done freaking out about this, he’s willing to allow the happiness to overpower it. Blaine had been the right one to call.

“And Henry, if you have any...questions or you just need to talk things out, you know I’m only a phone call away, right?” Henry nods into the phone, getting a little choked up at the offer.

“Yeah. Thanks.” He breathes out.

“Anytime.” Blaine says, “Now, do you want to tell me more about your job or your date?”

Henry bites his lip as he smiles, “Both?”

“I’m all ears.” Blaine says.

-- -- --

The next night, Alex leaves work to once again find a man on the sidewalk waiting for him but instead of his brother, this time it’s Kurt. He smiles at the man and waves as he approaches.

Kurt waves back before putting his hand back into the pocket of his jacket where it had emerged from, “Hey. It’s good to see you again.” He says.

Alex smiles, “Same to you.”

They stare at each other for a few beats before Kurt tilts his head over his shoulder, “I was wondering if you wanted to grab a bite to eat?”

Alex chuckles, “Uh, that sounds nice but I have to admit, working at a bakery means I rarely leave a shift hungry. Samples and all that.”

Kurt chuckles as well and then shrugs, “Then what did you have in mind?”

Alex has a few things in mind and when he smiles at Kurt, who smiles back, he figures Kurt is thinking the same thing.

“I have some snacks at my apartment?” Alex offers with a grin.

He can see Kurt’s cheeks pink slightly as the other man ducks his head in an adorably, flirtatious way, “Lead the way.”

-- -- --

Blaine scrolls through his messages from Kurt over the past four days on the train to his parents’ place. He’s got more messages in their thread than he does in all his other threads combined. He actually hasn’t messaged anyone else since he and Kurt started talking but even if he had, he is sure the frequency with which they chat would have surpassed any other conversation Blaine would be having.

The pair have covered so many topics in their messages that Blaine wonders if there is anything left to share. He hasn’t shared this much about himself so fast to another person ever, let alone a person he’s never met in person. Usually by the time he knows this much about a person they’ve been dating for a few months. He and Kurt have been messaging for four days…

He’s just finished drafting an email suggesting that he and Kurt meet up when he gets to his stop. He hits send and then pockets his phone before exiting the train and taking the stairs to the surface. The air is colder than he expected and he hunkers down in his coat for the five minute walk to his parents’ brownstone. His childhood home.

He’s turning onto their street when he sees Henry coming from the other direction. He throws a hand up in a wave that his brother returns and they make their way toward each other. They haven’t really talked since their phone call but Blaine knows Henry usually needs to work things out in his own head first. He’ll come to Blaine when and if he needs to.

“Hey.” Blaine says when they meet up outside the house, embracing his brother in a hug that has him standing on his tiptoes.

“Hey.” Henry answers before they pull away from each other.

“Everything...okay?” Blaine asks, not wanting to push.

Henry smiles, “Getting there, yeah.” He says.

Blaine smiles and nods, appeased for now, and the pair make their way up the stairs to the front door. It opens before they get there to reveal a tiny ball of energy on the other side.

“My boys!” Amelia Anderson shouts for the whole street to hear and then launches herself into first Blaine’s arms and then Henry’s.

Both men laugh as they absorb their sister’s hug. Amelia is four years younger than her brothers and at twenty-two years old is only five foot three inches tall, prompting her brothers to nickname her…

“Hey Tiny!” Blaine smiles.

Amelia smiles back before gesturing for the men to come inside, “Come, come. Dinner’s almost ready and Al’s already here talking to Dad about some new spice for bread?” She shrugs as Henry and Blaine take off their coats and shoes.

“Is that my other two boys?” The trio hear called from, undoubtedly, the kitchen before Fiona Anderson emerges.

“Mama!” Henry says, pulling their mother to him.

“Oh, it just fills my heart to the brim when all my babies are home.” Fiona gushes as she turns to pull Blaine into a hug and then Amelia even though Amelia lives in the house and has probably been there all day. Their mother is never short on hugs.

“It’s good to be home.” Blaine smiles.

Fiona reaches out and strokes his olive-toned cheek with her pale hand, “Go say hello to your father before dinner.” She says before shooing them in the direction of the living room.

When they enter, Blaine sees Alex showing their father, Daniel Anderson, something on his phone. Daniel looks up when they enter and smiles large, patting Alex’s arm in apparent apology before getting up to hug his other sons. 

“My boys.” Daniel says reverently, cupping both Henry and Blaine’s cheeks in his hands and looking between them.

Blaine loves his parents, even if they act like they haven’t seen their children in months when it’s really been only a week. The Anderson’s grew up with family dinners every Sunday and the tradition continued even with the three boys moving out on their own. 

“Tell me what’s new.” Daniel asks, sitting back down as Blaine and Henry sit next to Alex on the couch after saying hello and Amelia settles on the ground by the coffee table.

The five chat about work and other sundry topics until their mother calls them for dinner. They settle into their usual spots.

“No Sam tonight?” Blaine asks, noticing the spot next to Amelia, usually reserved for her fiance, is empty.

“He’s at work.” Amelia offers, “Though he has made me promise to bring him leftovers.” She says and Fiona laughs.

“I’ll wrap some up after dinner if your brothers don’t eat it all.” She says with an affectionate glance at the three men sitting along one side of the table.

Dinner conversation is more the same as their conversation in the den until Amelia gets a sneaky look on her face, “So...anybody dating anyone new?”

Blaine swallows and feels the weight of his phone in his jeans pocket more acutely. He’s not nervous to tell his family about Kurt, he just doesn’t know how to tell them and his family can be...a lot sometimes when it comes to relationships. Or anything really.

He glances at his brothers, who are looking back at him and then at each other. Blaine wonders if he’s the only one who knows they actually all have something to tell.

In the end, they all shrug.

“Nothing to report.” Alex answers, seemingly for all of them.

Mercifully, talk turns away from their dating lives and to Amelia’s upcoming wedding. Blaine’s actually surprised it has taken them this long into the evening to start talking about it (it sometimes feels like it’s all they talk about) and Blaine enjoys the excited squeal Amelia gives when Alex mentions their plan to take her out.

His phone buzzes in his pocket and he jolts slightly at the table. His fingers itch to pull his phone out but the rule has always been no phones at the table. He’ll have to wait until he’s on his way home. The waiting is torture even though he loves hanging out with his family.

When they finally wrap up the evening with several rounds of hugs, Blaine and Alex make their way to the subway together (after seeing Henry off in the other direction to a different train).

Blaine’s got his phone out as soon as he’s sitting in the, thankfully, sparsely populated car.

“Any plans for the night?” Alex asks as he lounges next to Blaine, munching on left over rolls from dinner.

Blaine doesn’t answer right away - instead reading the last message from Kurt.

Blaine

I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels like I know so much about you before we’ve even met. I’d love to meet up in person. I know you said you’ll be at your parents house tonight but...any chance I can interest you in a nightcap? We could meet at Coffee Project whenever you're done at your parents? Text me if you’re interested :)

Kurt

212-967-1253

Blaine has no idea where Coffee Project is but he’s already looking up directions when Alex hits him.

“Uh, what?” He asks, looking up in a daze.

Alex quirks an eyebrow at him, “I asked if you had plans for tonight.”

Blaine smiles, “I do now.”

-- -- --

Blaine opens the door to Coffee Project a half hour later and even though it’s late, a few heads turn at the sound of the bell over the door. Blaine’s hoping one of the heads is Kurt’s and he has a fleeting moment to hope Kurt actually looks like his profile picture when his worries are assuaged by a swivelling head at a table near the back.

Kurt looks exactly like his profile picture except he’s even better looking in person. The way his eyes light up when he sees Blaine at the door is something you can’t really capture in a picture.

“Hey!” Kurt enthuses when Blaine gets close. He’s up out of his seat and pulling Blaine into his arms before Blaine can say anything.

It should feel strange to hug someone he’s never met but it doesn’t. He’s met Kurt in every way except the physical (not that he hasn’t thought about the physical...but he digresses), so it feels natural to hug him close.

“Hi.” Blaine whispers as they part and sit on either side of the table.

“I ordered you a medium drip with some cinnamon. I hope that’s okay? You mentioned it was your drink of choice.” Kurt seems a little nervous but he’s smiling excitedly and even if Kurt was just nervous, Blaine’s excited enough for the both of them.

“No, that’s perfect.” He says, lifting his cup in a cheers motion before taking a sip.

Kurt shifts in his seat, “So, I know this is technically our first date but every topic of conversation I could think of while I waited for you we’ve already covered in our emails. This doesn’t feel like a first date.”

Blaine shakes his head, “It really doesn’t.”

Kurt nods, “How was your parents’ house?” 

“It was wonderful as usual.” Blaine smiles and Kurt smiles back.

They make small talk for a while, complete with goofy grins at each other, before Blaine scratches his chin and looks out the front window, “What is it?” Kurt asks.

Blaine coughs and loses his nerve at the last moment to ask Kurt back to his place. He may feel like he’s known this man for a lot longer than four days virtually and about an hour in person, but the reality is they don’t know each other at all. And Blaine’s romantic nature is screaming at him to take this slow because this could be the real deal. He doesn’t want his baser instincts to scare Kurt off.

He shakes his head with a smile, “Nothing. Do you want to go for a walk?”

It’s probably a little too cold for a walk outside but Manhattan seems to glow around them as they walk slowly through the still populated street. It’s one of Blaine’s favourite things about New York - it truly never sleeps.

“So you said your brother is taking over the garage from your dad when he retires?” Blaine says as they follow a path through a small park.

Kurt nods, “Yeah. I sometimes wonder if my dad is secretly disappointed I never wanted to take it over.”

Blaine shrugs, “Are you the oldest?”

Kurt pouts slightly before ‘ah’ing and then chuckling, “Did I not mention Finn is my step-brother? Not my biological brother?”

“You did not.” Blaine answers and the pair laugh.

Kurt stops at a rusty swing set in the park and sits down on one, curling one arm around the chain. Blaine sits next to him and mirrors his position. The metal is freezing under his palm but he leaves his hand where it is and rocks his feet in the sand to swing himself back and forth slightly.

“My dad remarried when I was fifteen.” Kurt shares, “To the mother of a boy at my school. Same grade as me. It was...interesting.”

“Were you two friends in school?” Blaine asks.

Kurt chuckles slightly, but Blaine’s not sure why the question was funny, “Not really.” Kurt answers, “At all. We didn’t run in the same circles. His circle was more interested in making my circle’s life hell. Me specifically.”

Blaine feels instantly angry at people he’s never met. He pictures a younger Kurt getting bullied and wants to punch someone. He tries to tell himself his anger comes only from his own similar school experience.

“He was never really someone who bullied me. He just...didn’t do anything about it either. But then things started to change. It took a while - even after our parents married - but now I sometimes forget to tell people he’s my stepbrother.” Kurt shrugs, “He’s just been my brother for a lot of years now.”

Blaine smiles at the soft smile on Kurt’s face before the other man’s face is scrunching up, “I’m once again oversharing too soon, aren’t I?” He asks, “I’m, honestly, not usually like this.”

Blaine shifts so he’s more fully facing Kurt on the swing, “Hey, no. It’s totally fine. I…” He hesitates, “I want to know everything about you.”

Kurt’s eyes light up and he gives a little inhale through a slightly open mouth. Blaine can’t be one hundred percent sure, because the lighting isn’t amazing, but he thinks he sees Kurt’s cheeks pinken.

Blaine shrugs, “And if it helps you any, I once walked in on my parents having sex when I was fifteen and they sat me down the next day and gave me a very indepth, and scarring, sex talk.”

His anecdote has the desired effect and Kurt laughs heartily. Blaine smiles at the lyrical sound.

Kurt puts a hand up to his mouth as his laugh turns into a chuckle, “Are you serious? Or did you just make that up to make me feel better about oversharing?”

Blaine winces slightly which just makes Kurt laugh more, “Unfortunately, I am completely serious. I couldn’t think of anything remotely sexual for months after.”

This admission only makes Kurt laugh again.

-- -- --

A half hour, and one slide down the red metal slide at the park for each of them later, Kurt and Blaine walk toward Kurt’s apartment. Blaine actually feels himself slowing his pace. Despite the late hour, he doesn’t want this night to end.

“I had a really good time tonight.” He says.

Kurt smiles, “So did I.”

They come to a stop outside Kurt’s building and they hesitate, facing each other with shy smiles and hands stuffed in their coat pockets for warmth.

“I’d really like to see you again.” Blaine says.

Kurt bites his lip slightly and, even though it’s a cliche, Blaine’s eyes dip down at the movement before flicking back up.

“I’d really like to see you again as well.” Kurt whispers and then Blaine can take it no longer. He’s been waiting all night.

Without preamble, he pulls one hand from his pocket and rests it on Kurt’s elbow before ducking in and up and pressing his lips to Kurt’s. Kurt breathes in quickly before he’s kissing back. It’s short but amazing and they pull back with equally breathless expressions.

“Good night, Kurt. I’ll text you.” Blaine whispers, still leaning into Kurt’s space.

Kurt blinks at him before smiling, “Night Blaine. And not if I text you first.”

And then with a wink, Kurt pulls away and walks toward his building. He turns at the door to wave at Blaine over his shoulder with another smile, and Blaine waves back before Kurt enters the building and out of his sight.

Blaine has to quell the impulse to jump and click his heels together in joy before making his way down the street to hail a cab home.

-- -- --

Two days later, Henry sits at a counter by himself. There are people around but none of them give much notice to the nervous man at the counter whose knee is bouncing so frantically that Henry is sure he’s going to injure himself. 

He keeps glancing around, eyes darting around the room like at any moment someone is going to come and arrest him just for sitting. Well, if he’s being honest it’s not the sitting he thinks he’s going to be arrested for.

He shakes his head at the thought. He’s not going to get arrested for any of this. Ugh, he should have called Blaine again before this.

“Hey!” He hears from behind him and spins to see Kurt standing there. He’s unwinding a scarf from his neck and he looks...beautiful. It’s the only way Henry can describe him.

“Hi.” Henry says around a suddenly dry mouth.

Kurt smiles and looks around as he takes his jacket off, “So...bowling.” He says and his smile turns slightly confused.

Henry coughs, “Uh yeah. Is that okay? I...it felt like a good idea.”

Kurt smiles, “I haven’t been bowling in years, and I’ll admit I’m not at all good, but I’m willing to give it a shot...” He pauses and looks down the counter toward where a man is handing out bowling shoes, “as long as I can get shoes that go with my outfit.”

Henry laughs, nervously, before his eyes are once again darting around. He had almost convinced himself that his wandering eyes before had been in search of Kurt but now that Kurt is here…

His eyes land back on Kurt who is looking at him with a serious face. Henry shifts under the gaze and tries to laugh again but it comes out as more of a groan to his ears.

Kurt licks his lips (and Henry jolts when he realizes how easily his eyes followed the motion) before the other man is nodding, “Hey, I’m kind of hungry. Do you mind if we grab something to eat before bowling? I saw a little cafe down the street.”

Henry feels his chest expand and suddenly getting out of the crowded bowling alley seems like the best idea ever. He nods and grabs his coat while Kurt puts his own back on. They walk in companionable silence to the cafe at the end of the street and it is mercifully empty except for a kind looking waiter around their age and what sounds like a cook in the back room kitchen.

“Hi!” The waiter smiles, “Have a seat wherever and I’ll be right with you.”

Kurt gestures to the back of the cafe and the pair sit opposite each other in a booth. By the time they take off their jackets and lay them down beside them the waiter is at their table with menus.

“Can I start you with a drink?” He asks.

“I’ll just have a coffee.” Kurt smiles.

“Same.” Henry says when the waiter looks at him. The waiter nods and then leaves them alone.

The pair is quiet once they are alone and Henry can feel Kurt’s gaze on him. Henry is more comfortable in the cafe but he’s still not COMFORTABLE.

“Can I ask you something?” Kurt asks softly. Henry nods but Kurt waits while the waiter puts down their drinks, says he’ll be back later to take their orders, and leaves before continuing, “Are you married?”

Henry chokes on the sip of coffee he is drinking and he sputters and coughs. Kurt waits with a slightly quirked eyebrow and smirk while Henry calms and then laughs, “No. No, I’m not married.”

Kurt smiles fully, “Okay. That’s good. For my purposes anyway.” He says, “Can I ask you something else?” Henry indicates for him to go ahead, “Is this the first time you’ve gone out with a guy?”

Henry lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he’s been holding and can feel himself start to shake a little. Kurt folds his hands in front him lightly and just gives him a soft, open smile and slowly Henry calms enough to nod.

Kurt nods, “Well, don’t I feel special?” He says, swiping a hand over the chestnut swoop of hair on top of his head. The question makes Henry laugh which he assumes was the point and Kurt breaks character to chuckle with him.

“I’m sorry. I’m kind of a mess.” Henry says after a moment.

Kurt smiles, somewhat sadly, and shakes his head, “You’re not a mess. At all. And besides, you should have seen me at fifteen.” Kurt’s eyes widen briefly as if he’s remembering something terrible.

“Something tells me you were never a mess.” Henry says.

Kurt shrugs, “Well, okay, maybe you aren’t wrong.”

The pair chuckles and then smile at each other for a moment before Henry clears his throat, “I don’t really know what I’m doing but I...like spending time with you.”

Kurt nods, “Then that is what we shall do. Spend time together.” He makes a show of picking up the menu and opening it with a flourish before smiling over at Henry, “I like spending time with you too.”

Henry smiles and breathes easier than he has all day.

-- -- --

Over the next few weeks, final preparations for Amelia’s wedding are in full swing and the Anderson triplets are put to work doing everything from helping to make party favours (to which Alex had said: ‘We’re rich - can’t someone else make these?’), to helping create a playlist for the reception (‘Blaine, you need to help. Sam only wants country!’), to going to final tux fittings, among other things. They also spend a good portion of time planning their night out with Amelia. Alex is in charge of most of the planning for that but Blaine and Henry check in to make sure everything is under control and nothing planned is illegal.

They also spend more time with Kurt. Alex finds for the first time in his twenty-six years, he’s excited about the prospect of seeing where things go with only one guy. Henry is beginning to understand, and freak out less about, his feelings surrounding Kurt and he’s been dipping his toes into the experience (including but not limited to his first kiss with a man - a fact he only freaked out internally, and to Blaine, about a little bit). Blaine gets a breathless feeling whenever he thinks about Kurt, which is often, and he literally has to turn his phone off sometimes to keep from texting the other man continuously.

Somehow, even weeks later, none of them are aware that they are actually dating the same person...but they are all getting closer to asking Kurt to be their date for Amelia’s wedding.

“Hey Tiny?” Blaine asks one night as he and his sister sit in their parents’ living room tying bows onto plastic bags holding green and peach mints.

“Hmmm?” Amelia hums as she focuses on her current bow.

“Is it cool if I invite someone to your wedding?” Blaine asks.

Amelia looks up and lowers her hands, complete with bag and untied bow, to the table with a soft thud. Blaine had realized when he had thought of asking Kurt to the wedding, that because he’d never gotten an actual invitation (‘Your invitation is implied and your acceptance is non-negotiable’ Amelia had told the three of them) he wasn’t sure if he had been granted a plus one. Now, with Amelia looking at him with a shocked expression, he suddenly feels like a plus one had not been something she had intended to extend to him.

But then Amelia had slumped and hit him in the arm lightly, “Of course you can have a plus one!” She says and Blaine smiles before Amelia shrugs, “I had assumed you and Alex would bring someone and then felt bad for not assuming Henry would, so I just planned for three extra people just in case.”

Blaine chuckles, “Well I haven’t asked him yet but...thanks.”

Amelia smiles, “No thanks necessary, Blaine. But there is a condition to having a plus one.” Blaine’s eyebrows lift at his sister’s serious expression as she points at him, “You have to tell me about this amazing man who makes you smile like that.”

-- -- --

Blaine opens the door to his apartment later that week to find Kurt smiling at him from the other side. He smiles back and gestures for Kurt to enter. He watches as Kurt takes in the low lighting and candles on the table set for two in Blaine’s small kitchen.

“Wow! Colour me impressed.” Kurt says as he takes his jacket off.

Blaine chuckles softly and shrugs as he takes the proffered jacket and hangs it in the front closet, “I just wanted something a little...special.”

Kurt gives him a tiny, shy smile and Blaine smiles back before gesturing to the table, “Dinner’s ready so please, have a seat.”

Kurt smiles, “Mind if I wash up first? Subway germs.” He says, spreading his fingers in front of himself in a slight jazz hands motion.

Blaine chuckles, “Dastard subway germs.” He winks before gesturing down the hall, “Bathroom’s the second door on your right.” 

Once Kurt has returned and is seated at the table, Blaine grabs the bottle of wine from the counter. He pours some into Kurt’s glass and his own while Kurt takes his napkin and lays it over his lap.

“Are you...planning to purpose tonight?” Kurt jokes when Blaine sits down after serving them each a bowl of pasta.

Blaine chuckles and shakes his head as he looks down at his lap, “It hadn’t crossed my mind, no.” He says looking back up at Kurt to find the other man smirking at him.

“Darn.” Kurt winks before lifting his glass and offering Blaine a toast, “To fancy non-proposal dinners.”

Blaine laughs again and clinks his glass with Kurt’s. They both take a sip, looking at each other over the rims of their glasses, before picking up their forks and beginning to eat.

Kurt moans at his first bite, “This is amazing!” He enthuses.

Blaine coughs at his body’s reaction to the moan before nodding, “Thanks. Old family recipe.”

“Well, if it wouldn’t make this whole situation completely inappropriate, I’d say I’d want to be your new brother just to get this recipe.” Kurt laughs.

Dinner passes with easy, flirtatious conversation and before long the pair is on the couch with their wine. They both have a leg pulled up and are sitting sideways, knees touching, and their bodies get closer and closer as they talk, and before long, they’re kissing.

They’ve shared quite a few kisses by this point but they never fail to take Blaine’s breath away. He curls in closer to Kurt and rests a hand on his thigh as they continue to kiss.

He pulls away after a moment and leans his head against the back of the couch. Kurt does the same and they stare at each other with soft smiles, “I wanted to ask you to be my date to my sister’s wedding.” Blaine whispers into the space between them.

Kurt’s eyes light up, “I love weddings!” He says.

Blaine squeezes Kurt’s thigh, still under his hand, lightly, “So does that mean yes?” He asks.

Kurt nods, “I’d love to.”

Blaine smiles before chuckling, “I guess I should tell you when it is in case you have a prior engagement.”

Kurt scrunches his nose adorably, “Yeah, that might be a good idea.”

Blaine can’t resist leaning in to kiss Kurt’s lips at the expression and they kiss for another few moments before Blaine pulls away once more, “December 2nd.” He says.

“I’m there.” Kurt replies before lightly fisting his hand in Blaine’s shirt and pulling him forward.

-- -- --

Unlike Blaine, Alex had always assumed a plus one was just a given for him. He was sure he could find someone to go with to the wedding, and whether he went home with that someone, or someone from the wedding, well...he would just be keeping his options open. That, however, was before Kurt.

Kurt, who made Alex’s heart beat faster every time he thought of him. Kurt, who made Alex laugh and actually laughed at Alex’s jokes in return. Kurt, who was breathtakingly beautiful and enchanting in a way no other person had ever really been for Alex. Kurt, who made Alex understand what it meant to want monogamy for himself and not just as an idea that seemed to work for people like his parents and sister.

Kurt, who is biting his lip when Alex pulls open the door to his apartment and Alex wants to bite that lip himself. Until now there hasn’t been a lot of biting of any kind. Despite Alex’s usual MO, he and Kurt have done nothing more than share kisses, and Alex finds himself wanting more but being okay with waiting.

He must be growing up…

“Hey.” He smiles as he gestures for Kurt to come in.

“Hi.” Kurt whispers and Alex realizes that he’d been so focused on Kurt’s bit lip that he failed to notice how nervous Kurt is acting.

“Everything okay?” Alex asks as he sits on the couch and watches Kurt sit across from him and fidget with the end of his scarf that he hasn’t taken off.

Kurt takes a deep breath and looks up at Alex with a sad smile and Alex’s stomach drops in preparation for what he can sense coming.

“You’re ending this, aren’t you?” Alex asks before Kurt can say anything.

Kurt bites his lip again and turns to look at the coffee table in front of Alex’s couch. Silence stretches between them but Alex doesn’t know how to fill it. He’s never been in this situation before, and the longer Kurt remains silent, the more real the moment becomes. He’s being broken up with. And even though they were not serious (hadn’t even talked about exclusivity at ALL) it hurts in a way he’s never really had to deal with before.

“I’m so sorry.” Kurt finally says on an exhale.

Alex presses his lips together and nods, more to himself than to Kurt.

“It’s just...you weren’t the only guy I’ve been seeing,” Alex’s heart hurts a little at this admission even though he had just moments before contemplated their lack of exclusivity, “and things with the other guy have become more serious for me and I needed to make a decision.”

Alex nods again. He’s doing a lot of nodding.

Kurt looks back over at him with a sad smile, “I really like you, but...it just didn’t feel fair to keep going with this,” He gestures back and forth between them, “when I couldn’t give it 100%.”

Alex lets out a breath and chuckles, which causes Kurt’s eyes to widen slightly, “It’s fine.” Alex says flippantly, even though he feels anything but flippant. He waves a hand nonchalantly in front of himself, “We weren’t exclusive. We never talked about it. I do appreciate you letting me know, though.”

He kind of wants Kurt to leave. He’s not devastated? But he’s hurting more than he wants to in front of the man currently breaking things off with him. He almost laughs again when he remembers he had intended to invite Kurt to Amelia’s wedding tonight. How dumb would he have felt had he done that before Kurt broke things off?

“I really do like you.” Kurt says again.

Alex smiles, “I like you, too.” He says softly before coughing awkwardly, “But hey, good luck with the other guy. He’s...very lucky.”

Having never been in this position before, Alex isn’t sure how to act. He’s not sure that’s the right thing to say and Kurt’s awkward smile leads him to believe it probably wasn’t exactly the right thing, but Kurt does nod and then gets up.

“Thanks.” He says.

Alex walks him to the door and holds it open for him to leave - the shortest ‘date’ of Alex’s life.

Kurt smiles with a wave before starting to walk down the hallway, “Oh!” Alex exclaims and Kurt turns around in surprise. Alex leans out his door slightly and smiles, “And if things don’t work out with your other guy...give me a call?”

Kurt’s eyes widen slightly, again, and his awkward smile returns before he nods and waves again before making his way down the hall and to the elevators.

Alex sighs when he’s out of sight and leans his head against the door. Clearly not the right thing to say. Getting broken up with sucks. He doesn’t recommend it. He needs a drink.

He pulls his phone out of his pocket and texts his brothers.

-- -- --

“Al…” Blaine says, coming up behind his brother who is sitting at the bar in Black Iron Burger the next day.

Alex turns with a sad smile and Blaine pats him on the back with a sad smile of his own before pulling him into a hug.

“I’m sorry, man.” Blaine sympathizes as he takes a seat next to Alex. He notices, briefly, that Henry hasn’t arrived yet before focusing back on Alex who shrugs and wraps a hand around the half drunk beer in front of him.

“Yeah, it sucks. I mean, it wasn’t like we were serious or exclusive, but I kinda thought it could get there.” Alex says before shrugging again and bringing his beer to his lips.

Blaine pouts his lips. He can tell that this guy was different for Alex. His brother has never called him to mourn the loss of a partner (aside from the one time he’d slept with a D-list celebrity and claimed he’d been ‘in love’ after one night but that they would never see each other again. ‘It’s like Romeo and Juilet!’ he’d, overdramatically, lamented). Blaine is the brother that gets attached. Alex isn’t. So to see him slumped slightly in defeat makes Blaine’s heart clench.

“He didn’t deserve you.” He says, laying a hand on Alex’s shoulder.

Alex smiles and chuckles lightly, “Yeah, maybe.” He says.

The conversation pauses so Blaine can order a drink and then the pair is quiet while they watch the football game playing over their heads. Blaine figures he’ll take his cue from Alex. He’s here for him after all.

Henry joins them a few minutes later looking more put together than he normally does for a get together with his brothers. Blaine notes, as he watches Alex and Henry hug, that while Henry is usually better dressed than Alex, he doesn’t put as much time into his look as Blaine does. Tonight, he looks polished and Blaine even notices cufflinks on the dress shirt he’s wearing. Even the fact that he’s wearing a dress shirt to meet with his brothers is slightly out of character for him.

Blaine shakes himself out of his thoughts as Henry turns to hug him and then orders a beer for himself.

“So what do you need from us tonight?” Henry says as he sits on Alex’s other side, “Do you want us to sit quietly and watch the game with you, demonize the horrible man who broke your heart, give you shoulders to cry on? Just let us know.”

Alex laughs softly and shakes his head, “I just wanted to see you guys and have a beer...or five. We can just chat.”

Henry nods as his beer is set in front of him. He lifts it slightly and tilts it toward the other two, “We can do that. Right, Blaine?”

Blaine nods and mirrors the gesture, “We can.”

The three clink their glasses together and each take a sip of their drinks before, simultaneously, replacing them on the bar top.

“Speaking of ‘chatting’,” Alex starts, “What’s got you dressed up so fancy? I know it can’t be me. My pain is not a formal occasion.”

Henry chuckles, nervously, as he adjusts his collar, “Uh, I actually have a date later.”

Blaine shoots Alex a nervous look at the admission, afraid of how his brother will react. But when Henry also shoots Alex a concerned look, the man in the middle chuckles, “Guys, I’m fine! I’m not going to break. We weren’t serious. I’m just slightly bummed and wanted to see you guys. I’m Alex. I don’t do ‘feelings’.”

Blaine knows he’s covering a little but trusts his brother to let them know how he’s feeling so he nods and turns back to Henry, “So, how are things going with your guy?”

He notices Henry blush slightly and smiles at the boyish way Henry shifts his eyes as he smiles, “Really well.” He admits and Alex whoops while Blaine smiles bigger, “I was actually thinking of inviting him to Tiny’s wedding. Do you think that would be...cool?”

“You should.” Blaine answers immediately, “No one will care he’s a guy, Henry.” He says, understanding why Henry is nervous, “They may be a bit surprised at first but they’ll just be happy for you.”

Henry nods and takes a deep breath, “You’re right.”

Alex lets out a breath, “So, Henry’s going to have a date to a family wedding. That hasn’t happened...ever.” He chuckles when Henry smacks him on the back of the head before continuing, “And we all know I’ll rally and invite some hot piece with me.” Henry and Blaine give the same ‘Of course’ hand gesture, “So, now we just have to find someone for baby brother.”

Blaine rolls his eyes at the moniker but then smiles, “I actually already have a date myself.”

Alex’s eyes widen and Henry lets out a low whistle, “The same guy you’ve been seeing?” Alex asks and Blaine nods with an even bigger smile, “Well, that’s great.” He says, offering his glass for another toast, “To each of us finding someone we want to hump.”

Henry and Blaine roll their eyes with their glasses held up but participate in the toast anyway.

“Oh! And to it being only two days until we take Tiny out!” Alex adds.

Blaine and Henry, more enthusiastically, cheers to that.

-- -- --

Henry feels his heart leap when he sees Kurt walking toward him. He had left Blaine and Alex at the bar a half hour ago after two hours of chatting and goofing around to meet Kurt for their date.

His teeth start to chatter and not because of the cold weather. He’s nervous. Alex was right. He’s never asked anyone to any of their family weddings. He hopes Kurt says yes!

Kurt’s face breaks into a smile when their eyes meet and Henry all but bounces on his toes when the other man gets closer.

“Hey!” He enthuses, swooping in to give Kurt a quick kiss on the cheek. The desire to do so is still so new for Henry. It both excites him and terrifies him a little. He hasn’t really gotten the hang of casual intimacy with Kurt. Any physical interaction is usually initiated by Kurt. But Henry’s trying. He wants to try.

“Hey you.” Kurt says with a sigh, a white cloud of air following his words due to the cold weather.

“You look great.” Henry smiles.

Kurt smiles back, “So do you. Shall we walk?” He asks, gesturing down the street.

Henry loves that their dates are simple. They’ve been to the coffee shop a few more times and spent an afternoon in Central Park by the pond. Today their plan is to wander around the city and see if anything strikes their fancy. It may be a bit cold to do so? But Henry loves how uncomplicated and safe it feels. A lot less stressful than bowling - Henry is still berating himself for suggesting that  to begin with.

The pair start their way down the street, walking close enough that their hands bump every once in a while but never really hold. Henry would like to hold Kurt’s hand, his fingers are flexing like a teenager on his first date, but he thinks he’ll wait and see if Kurt grabs first.

“How was drinks with your brothers?” Kurt asks.

Henry smiles, “It was nice. Alex just got his heart broken a little so we were cheering him up.”

Henry notices Kurt pauses at this, to the point where Henry walks a few steps ahead of him before he notices the lack of Kurt beside him. Henry turns back with a questioning eyebrow raised to find Kurt staring at him with slightly wide eyes. A second later, however, before Henry can ask, Kurt shakes his head with a chuckle and moves to walk next to the other man again.

“Sorry, I just thought...nevermind. It’s not important.” Kurt says with another shake of his head.

Henry nods in acceptance as they round a corner, “So, are you excited about your presentation on Monday?” It’s not what he wants to ask. He wants to ask Kurt to the wedding, but he figures he’ll work himself up to that.

Kurt sighs next to him and it sounds a little regretful to Henry. Which is strange considering the nature of his question. He’d thought Kurt would be excited about the presentation.

“Look, Henry, can we sit for a bit? I wanted to...talk to you about something.” Kurt says around a grimace and Henry doesn’t like the words or the expression but he nods and allows Kurt to lead him into a small, quiet coffee shop on the corner.

They each order a coffee, even though Henry suddenly has a lump in his throat and doesn’t think he’ll be able to drink it, and he shifts continually as Kurt unwinds his scarfs from his neck.

“What’s up?” Henry asks when he can’t take the quiet any longer. Trying for nonchalance and probably failing epically. 

Kurt swallows and rests his hands first on the wooden table top, then in his lap, and then finally decides to reach forward and grab Henry’s hands across the table. Henry looks down at their hands and while he realizes this is what he wanted to happen not even ten minutes ago, the current mood isn’t what he had expected or wanted.

“I don’t really know how to tell you this.” Kurt begins and Henry blinks at him, waiting for what he knows is coming but hoping that’s not the case, “I...need to end things.” And there it is. Henry feels his stomach sink to his feet and his instant reaction is to pull his hands from Kurt’s. Kurt won’t let him go though and Henry doesn’t try too hard, “It’s nothing you did. You are amazing.” Kurt continues and Henry goes back to blinking at him, his mind already whirling as he tries to focus on what Kurt is saying.

“What happened?” He asks around dry lips.

Kurt gives him a sad smile and Henry wants to say it’s pitying and hate Kurt for it but...he can’t, “I haven’t just been seeing you and things with the other guy have gotten more serious. I didn’t think it would be fair to either of you to pretend that wasn’t the case.”

Henry intellectually knows that at twenty-six, people date multiple people until things become exclusive but...Henry doesn’t really date. He was exclusive with Kurt from the beginning. It hurts, however irrationally, that Kurt didn’t feel the same way.

“I’m so sorry, Henry.” Kurt continues, squeezing his hand.

Henry shakes himself out of his own head and looks at Kurt, who is continuing to smile sadly at him.

“Would you like me to go?” Kurt asks.

Henry swallows. Does he? He thinks he does. He nods before he can think too hard and Kurt squeezes his hand one more time before pulling away and grabbing his scarf.

He stands to wind it around his neck and then reaches into his pocket to put money down on the table for his undrank (and actually still undelivered) coffee.

“You really are amazing, Henry.” Kurt whispers.

Henry nods, tries to smile, and then Kurt is gone.

Henry lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He tries to tell himself that people break things off all the time. Hell, he’d just come from an Alex cheer up session for the exact same reason. He tries to tell himself that he and Kurt weren’t serious, regardless of Henry’s personal feelings on exclusivity.

He’ll be fine. It’s not like the very first guy to ever catch Henry’s attention, to make him question everything he thought about himself, just ended things right when Henry was thinking of taking things to the next level.

Henry lets out another heavy breath. Fuck.

-- -- --

“Okay, while I love that you guys took me out? I have to say this is kind of depressing.” Amelia says, carefully, two days later.

She’s seated on the arm of a couch in the VIP section of a swanky club, dressed to the nines in a purple sequined dressed and hair and makeup on point, and while she’s valiantly trying to maintain a buzz...she feels its a bit of a travesty that she has to TRY so hard. She should be drunk out of her MIND right now or at least on her way to it.

She’s not sure if the club is all the night holds, but the way things are going she’s not sure she wants to find out what else there might be.

The only other person actually trying to have fun is Blaine. He’s also dressed to the nines, his bowtie the perfect accessory and has been tweaked by admiring girls AND guys all night. The constant blush on his cheeks at the action is both adorable and endearing. Blaine is currently off buying them more drinks, however, leaving Amelia with Alex and Henry.

It’s the other two members of their party that are being giant party poopers. Alex and Henry are at least dressed nicely for the event but considering this is pretty much all Alex has talked about for months...their mood is definitely off.

“Sorry Tiny.” Henry sighs from where he sits on the couch next to where she is perched.

Amelia sighs, “I don’t want you to be sorry. I want you to be happy!” She says, “Is whatever has the two of you down something you can maybe put aside for the night? Or is it something we can talk about, quickly, so we can move on? Because I’m pretty sure this night is costing you all a lot of money and...it’s my last night out with my boys before my wedding.” She doesn’t want to pout but...she’s the baby, and the only girl, and is used to using her pout to get what she wants.

Alex sighs, “I was ready to have a great night but then Henry had to go and get dumped, too, and...it reminded me how much that sucked.”

Henry lifts his hands, exasperatedly, as if to say it wasn’t his fault he got dumped a day after Alex did, “It’s not my fault I got dumped a day after you did!” He huffs and Amelia almost, almost giggles at her ability to read her big brothers.

Instead of giggling though, she sighs, “Look, guys, getting dumped sucks but get drunk and get on someone else! It’s not like you’d been dating these people for a year or more. You didn’t even tell your family you were dating them!”

Henry and Alex both stare at her after her exclamation and she would feel bad if she didn’t feel she was right. Henry’s mood makes the most sense. He doesn’t date and any seeming failure would be a blow to his dating confidence. 

She’s most confused by Alex. Alex goes through men and women like they’re underwear sometimes. She’s confused why he would be so hung up on a guy he clearly didn’t feel serious enough about to introduce to his family.

“We’re sorry, Tiny.” Henry says.

Alex nods, “Yeah. We’ll try harder. This is your night.”

Amelia nods, glad to have them thinking the way she does, as Blaine comes back to the group.

“I’m pretty sure I counted four different people winking at me and/or touching my butt on the way to and from the bar.” Blaine says, setting their drinks down on the table in front of the couch.

Alex laughs as he reaches for his drink, cheersing slightly in thanks, “Well, you are looking very dapper this evening. But better watch it - your man might get jealous.”

Blaine chuckles, himself, as he takes a seat in a chair perpendicular to the couch the other three are sitting on, “Yeah, maybe I should have brought Kurt as protection.”

Amelia is looking at Blaine but becomes aware very quickly of how still the couch to her right has gotten. She turns to find Alex and Henry looking at Blaine but not in the casual way one might when another person is talking. They’re staring at him like he’s just said the most shocking thing they’ve ever heard.

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” Alex asks.

Blaine seems to catch on to their sudden mood and furrows his eyebrows and shifts as he answers, “That I should have gotten Kurt to come for protection. It was just a joke.”

“Kurt.” Henry says, flatly.

“Yeah. My….boyfriend?” Blaine says the last part questioningly. Amelia isn’t sure if it’s because he’s still confused by their brothers’ reactions, or because he’s not sure if the title is accurate for his relationship.

Either way, the clarification doesn’t seem to help Alex and Henry who continue to look at Blaine like he’s just stolen the last cookie (a criminal offense punishable by beatings from each other when they were kids).

Blaine chuckles nervously under the scrutiny, “What’s going on?”

Henry and Alex look at each other and then back at Blaine, and then back at each other. Amelia’s head is starting to hurt from confusion, but it looks like she’s not the only one who’s confused.

“What’s Kurt’s last name?” Henry asks.

“Hummel.” Blaine provides and again the space is silent which is hard to do considering the music pumping not far away.

“Oh god.” Henry moans, putting his head into his hands. Alex sits, frozen, staring at Blaine. Blaine, for his part, is looking back and forth between his brothers, and Amelia, with a look of distress on his face, unaware of the issue.

And then suddenly, Amelia gets it.

“Were you all dating the same guy?!” She exclaims.

Blaine’s head whips in her direction as Henry moans again.

“No, no, no.” Blaine says with a nervous chuckle as he looks at his brothers to agree.

Instead of confirmation however, Henry is still face planting into his hands and Alex looks murderous.

“No?” Blaine, feebly, tries again.

“I lost my chance to be with Kurt because of YOU?!” Alex yells and Blaine jumps back in his chair slightly at the loud exclamation.

Amelia gets up and puts her hands up in a calming gesture, “Now, just wait a minute. Let’s just...talk about this.”

“Did you know?” Alex accuses as he stares at Blaine.

“Of course not!” Blaine exclaims.

Alex scoffs like he doesn’t really believe his brother and fidgets on the couch. Henry hasn’t moved.

“I cannot believe this.” Alex huffs. He looks around the room before shaking his head and huffing again, “You know what? I can’t be here right now. I’m sorry, Tiny, but...I gotta go.”

Before Amelia can say anything, Alex is up out of his seat and out of the room. Blaine and Amelia watch him go, both looking distressed and confused.

“Henry?” Blaine asks after a moment, small and sounding very much like the ‘little brother’ Alex and Henry like to say he is.

Henry shakes his head before looking up, “I gotta...I’m sorry but I gotta...think about this.” He says and then he’s gone the same way Alex left.

Blaine and Amelia once again watch him leave and then turn and look at each other. Blaine looks close to tears and Amelia feels a tightness in her chest. She’s not sure how to fix what just happened, or even fully understand why it happened. She just knows that a night meant to celebrate very quickly turned into the very opposite of that, and she now has three brothers hurting.

She does the only thing she can think to do at the moment and moves to squish herself next to Blaine, pulling him to her and cuddling him close as they listen to the distant thump of music from the club on the other side of the wall.

-- -- --

Blaine feels like shit. It’s been three days since the disaster that was Amelia’s party and neither of his brothers are answering his calls. He can’t remember the last time he didn’t talk to his brothers for longer than a day, their almost constant back and forth something he took for granted until it suddenly wasn’t there.

He’s tried to text both of them multiple times but has not received a response from either. 

He misses his brothers, but he’s also a little mad because he’s not sure their silent treatment/absence is justified. It’s not Blaine’s fault he met a guy. It’s not Blaine’s fault he and said guy grew close. And it’s not his fault that guy just so happened to also be dating his other two triplet brothers and decided to break it off with them.

None of this is his fault...but then why does he feel so guilty for seeking comfort in Kurt?

“I don’t know what to do.” He sighs, resting his chin on his folded arms which are resting on top of his kitchen island where he is sitting.

Kurt sighs from his spot next to him and leans over to kiss his shoulder before leaning his cheek on the same shoulder and smoothing a hand up Blaine’s back.

“I’m sorry.” He whispers.

“I don’t know what to say or do to make any of this better with them.” Blaine continues.

Kurt hums and Blaine appreciates that while Kurt may not know what to say, he’ll listen.

When Blaine had first told Kurt that he had been inadvertently dating Blaine’s triplet brothers, Kurt had thought he was joking. No way did the universe work that way. But after Blaine showed Kurt a picture of himself with Alex and Henry, Kurt had been dumbfounded. He’d sputtered some words that didn’t make a lot of sense and looked like his mind was reeling with a million different emotions and thoughts all at once. In the end, he seemed to finally land on pity and sympathy for Blaine, and while Blaine doesn’t usually like to be pitied...in this situation, he’ll take all the pity and cuddles he can get.

The pair is quiet for a few moments, both in their own heads, before Kurt lets out a breath, “I still can’t believe I was dating three brothers.” Evidently Kurt’s not completely done being dumbfounded, “No, wait.” He says, straightening up, “Triplets. Triplet brothers. Close triplet brothers. Triplet brothers who are close.” He moves away from Blaine to circle to the other side of the island and Blaine immediately misses his closeness.

Kurt paces from one end of the island to the other and brings a hand to his forehead, “And I’ve now hurt all three of them.” He seems to be talking more to himself than to Blaine, “All three are hurting because of me. How did I get myself into this mess?”

Blaine watches him pace for another moment before sighing. His sigh seems to snap Kurt out of his own head and he leans across the island to rest his hands on Blaine’s folded arms, “Oh my God, I’m sorry. You don’t need me having a mental freak out. This is about you.”

Blaine sighs again, “You’re allowed to be confused too, Kurt. I don’t think there is a rule book on how to handle this situation.”

Kurt pouts his lips, “Yeah, but I’m not the one who isn’t talking to his brothers. I’m the one who caused it all.”

Blaine unwinds his arms and grabs Kurt’s hands properly, “It’s not like you planned this. It’s not like you went out in search of triplet brothers, who look nothing alike I might add, to mess with. You dated, you got close to someone, and did the right thing by breaking it off with the others you didn’t feel as close to.”

Kurt nods and squeezes Blaine’s hands, “I think some of that advice could be turned around and given to you.”

Blaine bites his lips together and nods. He can’t be blamed for getting close to someone. He can’t be blamed for not knowing his brothers just so happened to be dating that same someone.

“Should I feel guilty for being happy about how it turned out?” He asks.

Kurt sighs and shrugs slightly, “Only if I should, too.”

Blaine shakes his head. This whole situation was out of their control and he can’t deny how happy he is to be with Kurt. He’ll figure out a way to make things right with his brothers. Everything will turn out okay.

“I like you a lot.” Blaine says, apropos of nothing.

Kurt smiles at him from across the island before circling it again and coming to hug Blaine. Blaine settles his knees on either side of the taller man and leans his head against Kurt’s chest as he wraps his arms around his waist.

“I like you a lot, too.” Kurt whispers into Blaine’s hair.

Blaine enjoys the hug for a minute before pulling back and looking up at Kurt, “Should you still come to the wedding?”

Kurt bites his bottom lip and tilts his head, “Do you want me to still come to the wedding?”

Blaine squeezes the arms still around Kurt’s waist slightly, “Of course I do, but that’s not really the point right now. Would it just cause more issues?”

Kurt shifts his arms so his hands are resting on Blaine’s shoulders and he looks him in the eye, “I would love to come to the wedding with you. I would love to meet your family or, you know, the rest of your family?” He scrunches one eye shut and the question actually makes them both laugh softly before Kurt settles into a soft smile, “But I do not want to do anything else that will cause you, or your brothers, any more hurt.” Blaine starts to speak but Kurt shushes him lightly, “Yes, I know the first hurts were inadvertent, but they still happened.” Blaine sighs and nods, “I will go along with whatever you want. If you want me at the wedding, I’m there. If you’d rather me stay at home, I can do that too. But your decision will not change how I feel about you.”

Blaine stares up into Kurt’s eyes and his feelings for him deepen even further at Kurt’s words. Beyond the external drama, Blaine is a little shocked at how quickly his feelings for Kurt have developed over the course of their short relationship. He’s feeling things he thinks he probably shouldn’t yet, and while he’s not ready to announce them to Kurt...they’re enough to make his decision an easy one.

“I want you there.” He whispers into the space between them, looking back and forth between Kurt’s eyes because they are that close.

Kurt smiles and leans in to press a slow kiss to Blaine’s lips. Blaine sighs and leans into it, pressing his hands more firmly into Kurt’s back to draw the other man closer still.

The kiss is deep from the start and the only sound in the room is their breathing and the wet sound of their lips and tongues coming together. There is something deeply intimate about their position to Blaine and he can feel himself responding and his heart rate pick up.

Kurt’s hands settle on either side of Blaine’s neck and he tilts Blaine’s head ever so slightly and, oh, that angle is so much better.

They make out for another minute or two before Blaine pulls back sharply, a thought suddenly occurring to him.

“Did you…” He pauses, unsure he wants to ask the question. Kurt, who is slightly out of breath with his cheeks flushed standing between Blaine’s legs, looks at him in confusion. Blaine decides he needs to know, “Did you...sleep with either of my brothers?”

He knows he’s broken the mood they were just in, especially when Kurt’s confusion turns to laughter, but he knows he couldn’t continue until he knew.

Kurt leans his forehead against Blaine’s shoulder and laughs heartily into it. Blaine soon joins him and the pair laugh in each other’s arms.

Kurt lets out a breath and hums to calm himself before pulling back and shaking his head, “No. No, I did not.”

Blaine brings a hand up to his forehead and wipes it dramatically, “Phew. I just had this mental image of you comparing our dicks and just...no.” He says and it causes them both to chuckle. Blaine scrunches one eye shut and looks up at Kurt, “Sorry for...ruining the mood.”

Kurt hums again, looks up at the ceiling as if considering, and then shrugs, “It’s okay. Probably wouldn’t be the best idea to sleep together right now. Maybe we should...wait.”

Blaine intellectually knows Kurt is right, but it’s hard to tell his body and heart that.

“We’ll have time.” Kurt whispers, leaning to press a soft kiss to Blaine’s lips.

Blaine closes his eyes and groans softly as Kurt pulls away, “We will.” He agrees.

-- -- --

“Hey. Hey Blaine.” Alex slurs a day later into his phone. He’s wobbling outside of a bar in the West Village and he thought calling Blaine would be the BEST thing to do at this particular moment, “Hey Blaine. Oh wait, I already said that. But hi. I’m mad at you. I think. Shouldn’t I be?” He scrunches up his nose and makes eye contact with another man on the sidewalk who looks at him with a quirked eyebrow and keeps going, “Yeah, I think I’m mad. You stole Kurt. You stole Kurt and his..and his penis!” He exclaims. Two young girls, in the process of passing Alex on the street, jump at the volume and then giggle as they speed walk away, “I had plans for that penis. Big plans because well...I’m sure it would have been big if you know what I mean.

“But you took him and I’m mad.” Alex sighs and then sits on the sidewalk, “And a little sad. I’m...I’m...I’m smad.” He pouts his bottom lip out and adopts a glare before giggling at his attempt to look sad and mad at the same time, “I don’t want to be smad. But I really wanted that penis. And the man it was attached to. But now you have the penis. And I just...I’m smad.”

-- -- --

Kurt’s not entirely sure why he’s here. Technically, he understands the logistics of being here, Blaine’s little sister’s rehearsal dinner, but he isn’t entirely sure he made the right decision agreeing to come.

Blaine had asked him to come. Or rather, Blaine’s sister, Amelia, had asked Blaine to ask him to come. Her thinking was that her family could meet Kurt in a less formal setting first, as opposed to having their first meeting be at her wedding (Blaine had said her exact words were ‘If you cause unnecessary drama at my wedding, I will burn all your bow ties’).

So here Kurt stands, in an admittedly fabulous outfit, next to Blaine outside the restaurant the rehearsal dinner is being held at. They are both fidgeting and side-eyeing each other. 

The next time they catch each other's eyes, they both chuckle at the same time.

“Thank you for coming.” Blaine says.

Kurt shrugs, “From the sounds of things I didn’t REALLY have a choice. I haven’t even met Amelia yet and she seems like a force to be reckoned with.”

Blaine nods, “She can be.” He says on a sigh before looking back at the restaurant, “Ready?”

Kurt’s not sure he is, but he nods anyway, and the pair make their way toward the front door.

The hostess leads them to the private room the rehearsal dinner is being held in and Kurt is instantly hit with the sheer amount of people inside the relatively small room. Kurt’s not an introvert, by any means, but faced with a room of people he doesn’t know...including the family of his new boyfriend...he finds himself swallowing, thickly.

And then he remembers that everyone in this room isn’t a stranger and his eyes widen when the first people he lays eyes on are Henry and Alex. They’re hard to miss, right inside the door and talking to a short woman who, based on her physical features, can’t be anyone but their sister, Amelia.

The opening of the door draws their attention and the five of them (Alex, Henry, Amelia, Blaine, and Kurt) freeze. Kurt had kind of hoped to avoid any awkward interactions, but clearly luck isn’t on his side tonight.

“Hey!” Amelia says after a moment, breaking the silence and moving towards the pair, “You must be Kurt!” She’s hugging him before Kurt can even take his eyes off of Alex and Henry, and he hugs her back while still looking at them. Henry looks nervous and Alex’s eyes have narrowed slightly. Kurt coughs and looks away and down at the spitfire of a woman still hugging him

“Yeah. Hi. You must be Amelia. Nice to meet you and congratulations.” He says with a nervous blush rising on his cheeks.

Amelia steps back and hugs Blaine to her, who looks faintly ill as he looks beyond at his brothers.

“Thanks!” She enthuses, “Though I’m kind of glad the wedding is tomorrow. Whoever said planning a wedding was fun obviously hasn’t planned one before.”

She rolls her eyes and laughs, and while Kurt has been planning his wedding since he was six and can’t wait to put the plan into action, he laughs with her because he doesn’t want to be rude.

And then suddenly it’s like Amelia either can’t ignore the tension between the four men in the room, or she just realizes it, and looks between all four of them with a look of apprehension. When no one else speaks or even looks at one another, she sighs and puts her hands on her hips.

“This is ridiculous. Hug. Each. Other!” She orders with a glare at each of her brothers.

Blaine, Alex, and Henry all seem to collectively pout, but none move to follow the order of their little sister. Kurt’s pretty sure the order didn’t extend to him but...it’s so awkward he’s actually considering just going for it and hugging someone.

Amelia rolls her eyes before grabbing Blaine’s elbow, “All right. We are going to talk this out like the adults we all pretend to be. That way you can go back to normal and not ruin my wedding.”

She gestures for Alex and Henry to follow her and it appears this order they will follow. Kurt is simultaneously glad to no longer have to deal with this awkwardness, but also a little terrified that Blaine is about to leave him in a room full of strangers.

The siblings are almost out of the room when Amelia stops and turns back to Kurt with a raised eyebrow, “Are you coming?”

Kurt’s eyes widen in surprise and terror. His presence is required?

Amelia gives him a pointed stare before leading her brothers from the room. Kurt hesitates, momentarily, before deciding staying with Blaine is probably the best course of action (and not angering Amelia any further) and following them out to a quiet section of the restaurant.

For the second time this evening, Kurt wonders how he ended up here.

“All right.” Amelia starts as she looks at her brothers in front of her. The four men are standing in a loose square, with Kurt awkwardly standing to Blaine’s right, “You all need to get over this. I should not be feeling anxious over YOUR love lives and especially not the day before the most important day of MY life.”

Alex crosses his arms over his chest and pouts, “This is all Blaine’s fault.”

Amelia throws her hands up in the air in exasperation but it’s Blaine who answers, “Are you seven?” He asks, incredulously, and the question just makes Alex’s arms cross tighter, “Because that’s how you’re acting. This is like the time mom and dad bought us scooters for our birthday and you got pissed that I got the red one because you wanted the red one.”

Kurt furrows his brow, “Are you likening me to a scooter?”

His question goes unanswered as Alex huffs indignantly, “I really liked him!” He defends.

Blaine rolls his eyes, “Yeah, I got that much from the message you sent me. You know, at first I felt sort of bad for what happened, that maybe it WAS my fault. But it’s not really. I just met a guy and fell in…” He hesitates and Kurt turns to him wide eyed. Blaine swallows thickly and doesn’t meet Kurt’s eye before continuing, “I really didn’t need you talking about how much you want my boyfriend’s dick. Now I’M mad.”

Kurt’s wide eyes widen further before moving to look at the ground. He feels his cheeks heat up in an embarrassed flush. He’s not really shy when it comes to sex related topics like he was in high school, but something about this situation just makes it all the more strange.

The space they’re in goes quiet and Kurt isn’t sure if anyone is going to break the silence. He doesn’t really want the last thing said in this trainwreck of a conversation to be about his penis.

He coughs and all heads swivel toward him. He blinks at each face before landing on Blaine’s and biting his lip, “I...think I’m going to go.” He says, and it’s not until it’s out of his mouth that he realizes he had wanted to say those words.

Blaine’s eyes widen and he steps closer, grabbing Kurt’s hand, “Please don’t.” He whispers.

Kurt looks quickly at the other faces in the space before focussing back on Blaine. He really doesn’t want to say this with Blaine’s brothers and sister in the room, but again his mouth acts before his brain can catch up, “I don’t want to come between you and your family.” He whispers, pleading with his eyes for Blaine to understand.

Blaine shakes his head, “You aren’t.”

Kurt smiles sadly, “I am. I just...can’t be the reason why three brothers are fighting.” He looks around the room again, the other three faces looking on curiously, before turning back to Blaine who looks pained, “I’m sorry.” He whispers and then pulls his hand out of Blaine’s, “I’m...sorry.” He says a little louder to Alex, Henry, and Amelia, before he turns and walks out of the restaurant.

The fact that his heart hurts when he hits the parking lot doesn’t go unnoticed.

-- -- --

Amelia’s wedding is a beautiful, elegant affair the next day. The flowers arrive on time, no one trips down the aisle, Amelia and Sam both tear up during their vows, and if anyone notices the slightly subdued nature of the three men of honour...they don’t comment.

Blaine thinks he and his brothers do a pretty good job at keeping it together during the ceremony and pictures. They act like nothing's wrong and even their parents don’t seem to pick up on the fact that there is a giant elephant in the room.

During the reception, the three of them deliver their joint speech flawlessly (complete with jokes, heartfelt memories, and perfectly timed segways) and Blaine gives a sigh of relief when Amelia beams at them from her seat beside her new husband.

It’s not until the dancing begins that Blaine really lets his mask drop. He finds a seat at an empty table and nurses a glass of wine. He rests his forearms on his legs and lets the glass dangle between his knees.

Kurt was supposed to be here. Blaine was supposed to be introducing his new boyfriend to his family, cuddling up on the dance floor during sappy wedding slow songs, and maybe getting a little drunk and handsy. Instead, he’s spent the day pretending he isn’t hurting.

He sighs as the song changes (it’s a pretty damn good playlist if he says so himself) before he sees black out of the corner of his eye. He closes his eyes, ready to put on a brave face for whatever family member has decided to descend upon him, only to look up to find Henry standing in front of him.

“May I?” His brother asks, gesturing to the seat next to Blaine. Blaine nods and straightens slightly, something in the back of his mind finding it wrong that Henry feels he needs to ask permission to sit next to his brother.

Henry sits next to him with a sigh and looks out over the dance floor. Blaine realizes in that moment that Henry has been pretty quiet since they found out about their shared dating experience. He hasn’t said much on the issue or expressed his feelings in any way. Blaine really hopes he’s not about to get into a shouting match at their sister’s wedding.

“I freaked out.” Henry says. Blaine turns to look at him but Henry is still looking out at the dance floor, “Kurt was the first guy to ever make me feel something like that, and then suddenly he was calling things off to be with you, and I had this giant crisis. Had everything I felt been a lie? An experiment? For nothing?” He shakes his head before sighing again and looking at Blaine, “But my feelings have nothing to do with you and Kurt. None of this is your fault, Blaine. And I’m sorry if I made you think it was.”

Blaine sucks in a deep breath through his nose and holds it for a second before letting it out. He had been expecting tension, not an apology. He also can’t believe he didn’t think to check in on his brother. Of course he’d be analyzing what it all meant.

“I’m sorry I didn’t think to ask how you were feeling about all of...that.” Blaine says.

Henry shrugs before smiling, “It’s okay. It’s not like me overthinking and freaking out is a NEW experience.”

Blaine chuckles softly, “Still. I should have asked. Are you...okay with everything?”

Henry nods looking out over the dance floor again, “I think I am. Or at least...I’m getting there. Maybe Kurt will be the only guy to do anything for me and maybe not. I’m willing to keep my options open.”

Blaine smiles and nods, “Good.” He says.

“I’m growing as a person.” Henry says, dryly, and they chuckle lightly. Henry turns back to Blaine and lays a hand on Blaine’s knee, “How about you? Have you heard from Kurt?”

The question makes Blaine’s chest hurt a little before he shakes his head, “Not since he left yesterday.”

Henry nods, “He’ll come around.” He says, encouragingly.

Blaine bites his lip to keep from either rambling or crying. He doesn’t want to do either. He’s not even sure how he truly feels or what he would even say...though he guesses when you ramble it’s less important what it is you actually say.

He ends up just shrugging and the pair go back to watching the happy people on the dance floor.

“Amelia is beautiful today.” Blaine muses.

“She really is.” 

Blaine jumps slightly because it’s not Henry who responds. Both men turn in the seats to see Alex standing behind them. He’s got his hands in his pockets and his head tipped down, looking at them through his lashes.

“Hey, can I...talk to you?” He asks Blaine.

Blaine looks at Henry, who shrugs, before Blaine nods and gets up. He passes his glass to Henry and then follows Alex out of the ballroom into the main lobby. He’s not sure if he and Alex are about to fight again, and he’s not entirely sure if he WANTS to fight again, but all speculation flies from his brain when he sees Kurt standing by chairs in the lobby.

Blaine stops walking and stares open mouthed. He looks back and forth between Alex, who has also stopped halfway between Kurt and Blaine, and Kurt who is standing with his hands in his pockets and biting his lip.

“What…?” Blaine starts.

Alex sighs, “I called Kurt. Explained to him that I’m kind of an ass sometimes. But hey, it’s part of my charm.” He says with a wide, cheeky smile, before sobering again, “None of this was either of your faults. None of this was any of our faults. But what is MY fault was how I reacted to it.” He turns more fully to Blaine, “I’m sorry. I’m no longer mad, I’m no longer sad, and none of that should have been directed at you.”

Blaine nods with a slow smile. He doesn’t really know what else to do right now other than to hug his brother. He’s opened his arms and begun to move toward him when Alex puts his hand up to stop him.

“Just wait, I’m not done. We can hug it out in a minute.” He says.

Blaine’s brow furrows in confusion but he does stop and watches as Alex turns toward Kurt, “I wanted to say sorry to you too, Kurt. I should never have treated you that way...even over a voicemail to my brother.”

Kurt’s eyes are wide as if he wasn’t expecting an apology before he nods.

Alex nods too and then turns to Blaine, “All right. You can hug me now.” He says, opening his own arms.

Blaine chuckles before closing the distance and wrapping his arms around his brother, “I’m sorry for all of this.”

Alex pulls back, “You have nothing to apologize for. You met a boy and you fell in…” He pauses with a knowing smirk and Blaine blushes and diverts his eyes for a second, “I was the only one who had to apologize. And I did.” He smiles, “I must be growing as a person.”

Blaine smiles at the statement Henry said to him minutes before, though as opposed to sarcastic, Alex seems proud.

“You are.” Blaine agrees.

Alex tilts his head in Kurt’s direction, “Go get your man. I’m going to go see if Sam’s friend Mike is single and open to the attention of men.” He waggles his eyebrows and Blaine laughs. Still the same old Alex.

Alex pats Blaine on the arm and then he’s gone, back into the ballroom. When the door closes behind him, Kurt and Blaine are left in silence.

Blaine walks slowly toward him, “Hi.” He whispers when he’s close.

Kurt bites his lip again and smiles, “Hi.”

“So...” Blaine looks around as if he’s searching for something, “You...aren’t coming between me and my brothers anymore. Not that you actually were, but now you DEFINITELY aren’t.”

“It would appear that I’m not.” Kurt agrees with a nod.

“So…” Blaine says again, “does that mean anything for...us?”

Kurt shrugs and looks around the lobby for a moment. Blaine’s stomach drops at the shrug, but when Kurt turns to him with a smirk, Blaine’s stomach fills with hopeful butterflies.

“Come here.” Kurt says, grabbing Blaine by the tie and pulling him forward into a kiss.

Blaine melts into it and he’ll blame the stress and uncertainty on the needy moan he lets out.

They’re just getting into a groove, and Blaine may or may not be thinking about a place in this building they could go to truly be alone, when a ‘whoop’ sounds from behind them.

They both jump and pull apart, looking at each other with wide eyes before turning simultaneously toward the ballroom to find Henry, Alex, and Amelia leaning out of the door with wide smiles on their faces.

“Yay Blainers!” Amelia claps and Blaine and Kurt chuckle at her enthusiasm. 

Henry puts a hand on his sister’s shoulder, perhaps in an effort to calm her, and Blaine feels his heart fill with happiness as his three siblings beam at him from the doorway.

Henry pulls slightly on Amelia’s shoulder and the pair turn to go back into the ballroom. Alex remains in the doorway, and while he looks to where his sister and brother just disappeared, he turns back to Blaine and he once again waggles his eyebrows with a wink. A moment later, Henry returns and pulls Alex back to the ballroom. 

Blaine can hear Alex complaining about missing the good part before he turns back to a smiling Kurt with a smile of his own. He takes a deep breath and reaches out to grab Kurt’s hand, “Do you...want to come meet the rest of my family?”

Kurt squeezes his hand and jiggles it lightly, “I would love to.”

Blaine didn’t think his smile could get any bigger, and yet he feels his cheek muscles stretch even further, before he tugs on Kurt’s hand and leads him to the ballroom.

The End

[lemonsandstrawberries]

An after Christmas Snack

fandom: Stony (Steve x Tony), MCU

summary: Christmas season had ended, but Steve is still finding some things to remind him of the past celebration and, oh boy, he intends to celebrate. 

length: 1 449

a/n: HEY, LOOK AT THAT, FIRST FIC IN 2020! And I think it is a very me kind of fic, buuut I am not gonna tell you what I mean exactly, I am sure you can figure it out while reading *wink wink*. you will get one hint though, this fic is inspired by this lovely post.  also, I still have a Christmas tree at my house so this fic is totally valid ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . as always, feedback, reblogs and likes are appreciated and needed!

——————–

An after Christmas Snack

"Tony, I brought you a snack - what the - ?!"

Steve stopped, catching a shining object with the corner of his eyes and staring at it. Silver branches, blue and red ornaments. A Christmas tree. A Captain America themed Christmas tree Tony had proudly decorated and put on display in his workshop and he and Steve had a good laugh about it, while Steve had been secretly flattered.

Back in December. It was the end of January.

"Huh?" Tony turned around from his workbench, stopping the spinning hologram of his suits. Always upgrading, adding something to make his armor better and more efficient. "Oh, hi, baby. Is that for me?" Tony smiled, eyes lingering on a cheese grilled sandwich Steve was holding on a plate.

"Uh, yeah, but - why you didn't put the Christmas tree away yet?" Steve asked while Tony walked to him, taking the steaming hot sandwich in his hand and then tossing it to his other hand, just to blow on his fingers as the hot bread stung his fingertips. There was a reason people used plates.

"Duhno," Tony shrugged, biting into the sandwich, cheese strands stretching from his mouth. "Tho shoon."

"Too soon?" Steve laughed, watching his boyfriend getting his mouth dirty with ketchup. Tony shrugged again, grinning adorably. There was something really sweet about Tony's love for Christmas trees. Each December every corner of the Tower had a Christmas tree, no matter if it was a conference room, one of the gyms or private floors of the Avengers team. While on the main floors, they tried to limit the number of Christmas trees and keep them in the main rooms, Tony didn't have the same composure on his and Steve's floor. They had a full-size Christmas tree in the living room, bedroom, Tony's study, smaller one in the kitchen standing on the window sill, and even in the bathroom - the smallest one of them all, decorated with figures made out of soap. It was a very unusual place to put a Christmas tree in, but soon became Steve's favorite one and it was a pleasure to catch one of the apple-cinnamon scented soaps and use for his showers or baths shared with Tony. Gradually, Christmas trees were slowly disappearing from the Tower after 6th January, safely stored for another year, but somehow Tony managed to keep the one in his workshop.

"Do you plan to keep it till Valentine's Day?" Steve teased.

"Easter if it goes well," Tony answered and Steve wasn't sure if it was a joke or not, but he just shook his head fondly. There was a crash coming somewhere from the workshop and Tony whipped around with an irritated look on his face. "Dummy! I told you to watch out!"

Steve blinked, noticing another thing when Tony turned around and away from him. Something that he didn't notice earlier, hidden under layers of shirts and suit jackets or baggy Christmas sweaters, but becoming perfectly noticeable when Tony wore his undersuit compression shirt.

Seemed that Christmas trees were not the only thing that was left after the Christmas season. Steve remembered the moments that led to this one very vividly - the way Tony enthusiastically piled more mashed potatoes and roast beef on his plate, second helpings of sticky toffee pudding cake, and that their evening kisses tasted of hot chocolate and sugar cookies. Denying anyone food wasn't in Steve's nature and he had happily cooked with the rest of the team and they all spend many good days, eating and laughing and relaxing, and it was a pleasure to watch them all and especially Tony, his Tony who loved food, but had days when he was neglecting eating in favor of working. Steve had been just happy to see his boyfriend slow down and enjoy the season.

Steve couldn't turn his gaze away. He always had some sort of weakness for Tony's softer shape, not as angular and sharp as his own body, but rounder and more delicate with a round, bubble butt, curved hips and a belly that formed a soft slope and wasn't rock hard and didn't have to be. The compression shirt fitted snugly around Tony's shape, pronouncing the belly that became a bit rounder in the past weeks and little more sticking out and that coupled with the way how low Tony liked to wear his pants and how it left his whole tummy on display was making Steve's breath quicker. Yet, the worst (or best) was to come. When Tony turned away completely from him, scolding Dummy about something Steve didn't register, he saw Tony's silhouette and while the sight of his boyfriend's ass was gorgeous, as always, something new appeared. Little rolls above the belt on both sides of Tony's waist. Love handles.

That made Steve's mouth water. He wanted to haul Tony over his shoulder and carry him out to kiss and touch and admire.

And what exactly was stopping him?

Despite, Tony still going off on the increasingly sorry looking Dummy, Steve sneaked to his boyfriend and wrapped arms around him, pressing Tony's back into him.

"Stop being so tough on Dummy," Steve whispered into his boyfriend's ear, and Tony huffed, still irritated.

"Dummy, clean it!" Tony ended his rant, pointing his finger in the direction where his creation made a mess. They both observed as Dummy used his claw to grab a broom and swiped the floor from broken bits of something and Tony couldn't stay mad for long seeing his special bot's honest effort. "Good boy, Dummy," he praised and the bot perked up and resumed cleaning, looking a lot less sorry.

Steve ran his nose over Tony's ear delicately and inhaled. God, Tony didn't only look delicious but smelled delicious too.

"Whatcha doing?" Tony asked in a singing voice, twitching his head away from the tingling feeling on his ear. Encouraged by the playful tone, Steve brushed his fingers along Tony's sides, gently and light, testing the new curves.

"Steheve," Tony giggled, still open and enjoying the closeness, just twisting his hips a bit, causing the nicest friction between their bodies. Steve made some approving sound in his throat, liking what he was feeling, just a soft and warm and wonderful body. The material of the compression shirt was very thin and clung to Tony's torso like a second skin, and was smooth and allowed his fingers to glide down easily and feel every curve. Speaking of curves -

"HEY!" Tony jumped, a startled laugh escaping his throat when not knowing when the sweet contouring of his sides changed into firm burying of fingertips, right into his belly, just in the very center. "Dohahan't," Tony laughed, batting on the hands that tried to come back, this time deliberately teasing and tickling around his belly button. The shirt hugged his rounder tummy snugly and there was a small dent in the material, just where his belly button was, something Steve had noticed right away, making it a very easy target. "No no nohoho, come ohohn," Tony continued to laugh, successfully knocking Steve's stubborn hands away and managing to turn around. Still wrapped in an embrace of strong arms, Tony looked at his boyfriend with a playful smile, hoping that, despite the short distraction, it all was going in the direction he thought. It felt very nice, when Steve's hands firmly slid down his back, smoothly gliding on the slippery material, stopping above his butt, thumbs resting on the small pockets.

"You can go lower if you like," Tony encouraged in a low murmur.

Steve smiled hungrily, wondering if his hands were big enough to still cup each cheek. Tony's breath stopped when it turned out that yep, they still were. Nice and firm and round globes, sitting perfectly on each palm, carrying a nice weight. There was no other feeling like digging his fingers into the glorious thing that Tony's ass was, and Tony shivered, pressing closer into him. Steve made some very needy whimper that escaped without his consent, when Tony's softer belly pressed into his hard one, the contrast driving him crazy.

Tony was warm and eager and Steve wanted to make his boyfriend melt like he had melt butter for Christmas cookies Tony had so enthusiastically devoured.

The very dark, promising look in Steve's eyes was a good enough reason for Tony to put his all projects on hold.

"Dummy! You're on workshop duty!" Tony called, pushing his hips into Steve's and hooking one leg around his soldier's thigh. With a more predatory smile, Steve slid his arms below Tony's butt and carried him out of the workshop, having his own snack to enjoy.

[rogerinathehystericalqueen]

Hey! I saw you’re taking requests so I’m jumping in. Can you write a Bri x reader where they meet at a party/night club of some sort and there’s like crazy tension and things get a bit steamy 😏😏😏

A/n: I know you said “a bit steamy” but I went full on filthy oops

Also I lost like half of this and had to rewrite it so that made me sad and this was delayed a bit so sorry.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

You sighed before taking another sip of your drink. Well what a perfectly boring night.

“What’s a pretty little thing like you doing here all alone on a Friday night?” The voice startled you a bit. When you turned around, you were met by a tall, skinny figure with perfectly angular features and what seemed like a halo of dark curls surrounding his face. You realized you were probably staring, so you quickly shook your head and answered his question.

“Wasn’t planning on being alone. I got stood up.”

His face fell slightly.

“What an arse, he probably doesn’t deserve you anyway.” His glistening hazel eyes bore into yours. “Mind if I sit here?”

You nodded. Normally you would feel a bit skeptical about some random guy at a bar, but something about him made you feel... at ease? And he intrigued you. You would be lying if you said he wasn’t gorgeous. Everything about him made you instantly enjoy being around him. Even his voice was so calm and soothing- you could listen to him talk for ages.

He sat in the seat next to you and held out his hand.

“I’m Brian, by the way.”

You shook his hand. “Nice to meet you Brian. I’m y/n.”

“Y/n.” He paused, as if to think. “Beautiful.”

Once the two of you got started, you couldn’t stop talking. You talked about anything you could think of, and suddenly, it was like you’d known each other your whole lives. The only thing that stopped you is that you both lost track of time and the bartender had to ask you to leave because it was time for the bar to close. Once you both stepped outside, realization dawned on you that you would have to walk all the way home in your drunken state. You groaned at the thought.

“Something wring love” Brian asked.

“Just not looking forward to walking home like this is all.”

“Um, if you’d like, you could come to my place? It’s pretty close.”

“You sure that’s alright?”

“Of course, c’mon lets go.” He grabbed your hand and entangled your fingers and you began walking to Brian’s apartment.

Once you arrived at his house, he immediately went to put the kettle on for some tea.

“I can give you one of my shirts to sleep love. That outfit you have on doesn’t look the most comfortable.”

“That’d be great, thank you.” Just then he walked out of the kitchen and towards the sofa you were sitting on, two mugs of tea in hand.

You gratefully took a mug of tea, eager to have some and try to calm down. Once you had both finished, he showed you to the bathroom and gave you a toothbrush, along with the clothes he promised earlier.

“You can take my bed, it’s just the next room. I’ll take the sofa.”

“Are you sure Bri? I don’t need to.”

“Don’t be silly of course you do. Make yourself at home.” He smiles before walking back towards the couch.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

You turned over for probably the hundredth time tonight. Judging by the rustling sounds coming from down the hall, you guessed Brian couldn’t sleep either, but you were too shy to get up and go to him.

Screw it.

You got up and padded down the hall towards the sofa and your suspicions were confirmed. Brian was there, sitting up, very much awake.

“Couldn’t sleep either love?”

“Yup.”

You stood their in awkward silence for a moment before speaking.

“I, uh, was wondering-if you don’t mind of course, do you um, wanna join me?”

Even in the dark you could make out the smirk that had formed on Brian’s face.

“‘Course love.”

Once you were back to Brian’s bedroom, you snuggled up close to him in the bed, already feeling calmer.

“Bri?”

“Yeah sweets?”

“Is it ok if I kiss-” you were cut off by Brian’s lips meeting yours. His lips were soft, but he was missing you with such intensity it made your heart race and your breath leave you. He flipped you so he was on top of you, practically devouring you. Soft moans were slipping past your lips more and more frequently. You brought your hand up to his face, softly dragging it down the rest of his body, eventually resting on the very prominent bulge between his legs, only covered by his boxers, eliciting a deep groan out of him.

“Need you Bri.” He began to trail his lips down to your neck, finding a sweet spot in no time and biting down hard enough that you knew there would be a mark there. One of his hands crept under the hem of your- well, his shirt, trailing over the skin underneath.

“Get this off love.”

You rushed to pull off the shirt, getting quite impatient. You were left completely naked underneath him, save for your sinfully thin panties which you could hardly call an item of clothing.

Brian’s looked you up and down, jaw hanging open slightly.

“Fuck, look so perfect baby.”

You hooked your fingers around the waistband and pulled them down your legs, throwing them somewhere in the room- you didn’t really care.

Your breathing quickened when Brian brought a finger down between your legs, dragging it up your slit collecting your wetness on his finger.

“Mm so wet for me.” He brought the finger up to his mouth, sucking your juices off it

“I think your wearing too many clothes Bri.”

“Eager aren’t we hm?” He chuckled.

“Just want you so bad Bri, please.”

“C’mon now don’t be impatient.” He pulled his shirt over his head and quickly slipping out of his boxers.

You brought your hand up to his hard cock, stroking it slowly.

“Fuck.” He mumbled. “Don’t tease.”

He began kissing you again, trailing his lips down to one of your breasts, teeth lightly tugging on your nipple before moving to give the other one the same attention. While he was doing this, he brought a finger up to your dripping pussy, dragging it up your slit, collecting your wetness on his finger, causing you to whine.

“So wet for me.”

“Please Bri.”

He ignored your please and went back to kissing down every inch of your body, slowly creeping closer and closer to where you needed him. He got Lowe and lower until his mouth was hovering in front of your pussy.

Without warning, he suddenly liskfee a flat stripe up your slit before wrapping his lips around your clit and sucking in a way that caused you to scream out a string of curses intermingled with his name.

The moment he brought his fingers up to your hole and pushed into you, well that was when you knew you were done for.

“SHIT. Oh fuck, Bri, right there, don’t stop oh my god. You’re so fucking good at that. ‘M gonna cum, please Bri, fuck.”

“Cum.” He said against you- no it was more like an order. Just as he said that, he curled his fingers directly up into your g-spot and you saw white. Your orgasm washed through you, screams falling from your parted lips. His fingers slowed and his mouth collected everything you gave him as you came down. You were breathing heavily when he brought his face back up to look at you.

“Shit.” You mumbled seeing his lower face covered in your juices. Brian, once again, had that god damn smirk on his face. Before you could contemplate what was happening, he flipped you over so your face was in the pillows and your ass was stuck up in the air. He brought his lips to your ear and whispered in quite possibly the sexiest voice you have ever heard.

“Think you’ve got one more in you hm?”

“Oh my god yes please fuck me Bri. Need you so bad, please.”

“Condom?”

“No, ‘m on the pill. Want you to cum in me please Bri.”

“Jesus Christ woman. You’ll be the death of me.” He playfully slapped your ass. You moaned at that.

He quirked an eyebrow. “You like that baby?”

Your cheeks heated up and you were thankful you were face down so Brian couldn’t see the blush that was undoubtedly on your face.

“Yeah.” You said quietly. “Please fuck me Bri.” You raised your ass higher in the air, proving to him even more how desperate you were. He delivered another light slap to your ass as he lined himself up, running his cock through your folds before gently pushing the tip into you, slowly inching his way into your cunt. When he was about halfway down, you began to feel a familiar burning stretch, coaxing a whimper from you.

“You alright sweets?”

“Yeah, just fuck, you’re so big Bri.”

He instantly felt bad, as much as he was enjoying this, he didn’t want to hurt you.

“‘M sorry love, want me to pull out?”

“Pull our and I’ll slap you. Keep going please.”

“As you wish.” He chuckled. He let out a guttural groan when he bottomed out.

“Fuck baby, so tight and wet around me, ‘m not gonna last long.”

“Me neither oh god please move Bri.”

He slowly pulled back until he had almost completely slipped out of you, then suddenly rammed himself back inside you, repeating this motion and building a strong pace that left endless moans falling from both of your mouths.

“Fuck Bri you’re so deep, god.”

Brian had settled on lifting one of your legs over his shoulder, causing him to hit that spot deep inside you that literally made you see stars. The only sound in the room, other than both of your moans, was the obscene wet noises of your skin slapping together.

“Shit, y/n, feel so good, ‘m gonna cum.” He brought a hand down to rub frantic circles on your clit, providing the last bit you needed to send you tumbling over the edge.

“Br- Brian, fuck fuck fuck ‘m coming, fuck right there.” A last strangled cry of his name left your lips before you fell limp. Brian was now desperately thrusting into you, chasing his own release.

“Y/n, shit, I’m, oh god, fuck yes.” He pushed so deep into you and then stilled, his hot load shooting into you and dripping down your thighs as he pulled out of you, just barely moving from on top of you before collapsing on the bed right next to you.

“Well I definitely don’t think I’ll have any trouble sleeping now.”

[noeliareads]

Roses are overrated x Mark Lee

Roses are overrated (Tia and Mark Lee)

Requested by @sweetie-yoongi7

Genre: Fluff

****

“Hey Tia wanna go to the movies tonight?”

“Sorry Johnny but I have to work at the store tonight. We have a wedding tomorrow.” She said as she gathered her notebooks. She offered Johnny a sad smile and left. She had to hurry, otherwise her mother wouldn’t be very pleased if she were late. 

Tia worked at her family business every weekend and sometimes on a weekday if they had a lot to do. Tomorrow, Saturday they had a wedding and they had to do around 10 center pieces, arrangements for the church, the food table, the cake table and a whole lot of other tables. I mean, there were a lot of flowers involved. She arrived at the store, said a quick hello and changed into an old t shirt that she keeps in the office. 

“Hey mom, I’m here.” 

“Oh thank God! Tia I need you to cover the front for me because Sandy left. She had an emergency. Use the main table and please try not to make a mess. I’ll send you the images so you can start making them.” 

“Kay mom.” Your mom gave you a kiss on the forehead and retired to the back. But, you actually forgot one thing. “MOM,” you hollered. “What flowers and what color?” Your mom gave you the answer and you grimaced. You hated those, especially the color. But what can you do? The client gets what they want. You cleared your work space, got the flowers, the greens, your scissors, thorn cutter, many many vases and pots and began to work, 

***

“Son, did you get the flowers I told you?” Mark slowly turned to look at his father and smiled sheepishly. His father rolled his eyes and told him to go to the Riviera Flower shop, the best one in town. It was only 4:30 so it was probably still open. Mark grabbed his wallet and ran out the door. It was his mother's birthday and he had forgotten to buy the flowers after school. He biked to the store, being that the fastest way to get there. Tiny bells chimed as he opened the door. He was invaded by the smell of flowers and the buzz of classical music playing. Some people say they can’t smell flowers but this was a place where there were flowers everywhere. His eyes settled on a girl behind a large table cutting the thorns out of blue roses. He cleared his throat and the girl looked up. What he saw was a girl, a beautiful girl with bronze skin, wide chocolate colored eyes and long straight hair tied up in a ponytail. A few baby hairs were around her face but it was understandable because she was so concentrated in working. ‘She’s beautiful’ He thought. 

Tia felt someone watching her, she didn't hear the chiming bells as the person opened the door but she did feel the stare.

“Can I help you?” She asked as she looked up. It was a boy. A dark haired, tall, lean boy with sharp angular features. Cute.

“Oh! Uh yeah. Um, I need some flowers.” The girl lifted an eyebrow with the ghost of a smile on her lips. Mark laughed nervously. Of course he needed flowers he was in a flower shop. “Yeah, like it’s my mom's birthday and I just wanted like, I dunno like some roses or something.” The girl scoffed. 

“Roses are so overrated.” She blurted out. Mark couldn’t help but stare at her. ‘Why?’ He asked. Tia blushed. ‘Me and my big mouth.’ 

“Everyone thinks of roses when they think about flowers. If it’s not red roses. It’s white ones or pink ones. I mean, there are hundreds of types of flowers out there! ” Mark watched as she ripped out the thorns of a dozen roses with a special instrument, she didn’t even look at what she was doing. It came natural to her. She learned flower names and meaning since she was little. She loved helping around the shop whenever she could. 

“Ok then.” He said. “How about some white tulips.” He smiled inwardly. People usually buy purple, red or yellow tulips. 

“Are you crazy?” She exclaimed. “White tulips mean heaven and eternity. Heaven and eternity = death. Dying, bye bye world!” He shifted nervously on his feet. She was intimidating. 

“Ok then. What do YOU recommend?” She put the rose and the thorn cutter on the table and walked around to the large fridges where they kept their flowers. 

“Mom’s birthday you say?” He nodded. She grabbed a large piece of Kraft paper that was beside her and began to grab some flowers. “Bluebells mean gratitude.” She began, turning around to look at him with a meaningful expression. “Carnations mean love and admiration. Sunflowers mean loyalty and baby’s breath mean everlasting love.” Mark wasn’t paying much attention to what she was saying. He was paying attention to how she delicately grabbed the flowers and arranged them effortlessly, grabbing some greens to add volume and color. Deep into his thoughts, he didn’t notice how she was staring at him with the flowers in her hands. 

He was handsome she thought, very handsome. It was cute when he said ‘like’ 100 times in one sentence. But of course, your sarcasm and sometimes nerdy personality shines through most of the times. 

“Here are the flowers by the way.” You said. Mark snapped out of his daze and thanked you for them. 

“How much are they?” He asked, while he fished for his wallet. 

She waved it off. “Nah, it’s on me.”

“Yooo! No, I can’t.” She smiled. 

“I’m serious. It’s ok. My parents own the store and the coffee shop across the street, so I work for them.”

“Are-are you sure?” 

“Positive!” She beamed at him. And extended her hand. “I’m Tia by the way.”

“Mark.” 

After their exchange, Mark went back home. He couldn’t stop thinking about Tia. He didn’t even acknowledge the praise he received from his parents in choosing flowers. It was her voice, the way she phrased things. The way she didn’t think he was weird for saying ‘like’ so many times. He already got enough from his friends. But it was her, her working hands, the bright colors of the flowers contrasting with the color of her skin. Her, he had to see her again. 

Mark went almost everyday to the flower shop and the coffee shop in hopes of finding her. After about a week and a half he did. He found her in the coffee shop. 

“Mark! Hi!” She exclaimed as she saw him. ‘Oh crap. Was I too obvious?’ She thought. Tia also thought of him constantly. Almost a week after their first encounter, she was working in the back room of the flower shop doing inventory when she saw some bluebells and smiled. It reminded her of their interaction. ‘Ok, Tia. Get yourself together! He’s just a guy.’ 

After some quick conversation she told him to take a seat and that she’ll be out soon. “Can I get you anything?” She asked. 

“Nah, I’m good.” Still she made him a cup of coffee alongside hers and a piece of chocolate cake. They talked for around 2 hours. There were some moments of awkward silence but they were replaced with random topics and his hilarious laugh. His laugh was contagious. Even clapping while doing so. She couldn’t stop laughing and smiling with him. “Oh crap.” They both thought. “I’m in deep.” 

“So, what does baby’s breath mean again?” He asked. They were talking about the meaning of flowers and how she grep up to know about them. She crossed her legs and said without hesitation. “Everlasting love.” 

“Yeah but, is there like a cool story behind it?” 

“Story?”

“Yeah yeah. Like a legend. I dunno, like a hero saves a princess and like they have a kid and like the baby had magic powers and with their breath the baby like made...the flowers?” Tia laughed out loud. 

“OH MY GOSH!” She kept on laughing making Mark’s ears turn red with embarrassment. “Dude, that’s a great story but no. It also means purity and innocence. We use baby’s breath with everything basically. But in terms of like a story?” She paused. “Mhmm. I do know that in some places it’s common to give some of them to new mothers. But other than that it resembles the innocence and delicateness of a baby.” 

“Nice nice.” He kept on quizzing her about flowers, at least the ones he knew the names of. 

“I could...” She hesitated. “I mean, you can come by the store sometime if you wanna know more...”

“YES!” He cleared his throat. “I mean yeah, that’s cool.”

Tia and Mark met every Saturday and Sunday that she worked in the shop. She showed him what she knew about flowers and plants.  She taught him how to make basic arrangements and how to dye flowers. ‘We don’t buy pre dyed flowers.’ She says. ‘Not the same quality.’ Tia’s mom welcomes the helping hand and teased Tia at home about him. After Mark got a hang of the flower stuff he grew to work in unison with Tia. He knew what she was going so he did the other in order to help her out. Shoulders bumped and hands brushed. There were blushing cheeks, reddening ears and giggles (mainly from Mark) every weekend. 

After a few months and coordinated with Tia’s mom, Mark booked the store for the night. He didn’t need flowers because the store was full of them. But he wanted to make sure Tia knew how he felt about her. That night, he asked Tia to be his girlfriend, offering her a bouquet of red chrysanthemums, blue irises and of course, baby’s breath. He knew she loved bright colored flowers and he loved seeing her in those colors as well. 

“Tia, I uh, I just want you to know that I really really, like really like you.” He started. “These past few months I got to know flow--- I mean you. I got to know you.” 

Tia giggled, still surprised that he organized this. And with her mother’s help! “And flowers.” She added. 

“Yeah you and flowers.” He took a deep breath and let it out fast. “Ok, you know what?” He said exasperated. “I really am not good at this. I wanted to say that you are as beautiful and delicate as a flower, you also always smell like flowers.” He stated. “Like, always!” He earned another laugh from Tia. She was really enjoying this. “Tia, my point is. Do you want to be my flower? I mean, my girlfriend?” 

Tia was actually waiting for him to say those words a while ago. She nodded and headed over to hug him, his tall frame towering over her. And just like flowers, their romance bloomed. 

[sehun-smut-blog]

Study Buddy [Part Two] - Sehun [M]

Part One [M-ish] | Part Two [M]

Our tongues slid across each others as my hands fisted in his hair. All the while his tongue moved languidly against mine and his hand wandered around my sides, I couldn't help but think how crazy this was. Oh Sehun, master of seduction, arrogant asshole extraordinaire, enticing me in my own kitchen.

He pulled apart and I somehow found the decency not to whine at the loss of his perfect lips. "Do you want me to keep going?" he asked.

The walk back to our residence was more like a run.

Desperation weighed in every step, our fingers laced together tightly as we each look turns pulling the other back home. We had to take turns, because every so often, one of us would get distracted with each other. Such as now.

"Sehun," I growled lowly, trying to detach his lips from my jaw. "We're almost back, can you wait a few minutes?"

He leaned back from me reluctantly, grip on my fingers tightening. "Honestly? Not sure if I can make it back." he positively purred into my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

Not able to stop myself, a giggle escaped me. I spun around, reaching up to kiss him quickly, frantically. "No, just wait until we're home." I said, letting my free hand trace across his chest. It was so broad, almost never ending. It was like a cross-country trek to reach his shoulder, which I rested my hand on, looking up at him with a small smile.

He returned my grin, head ducking down so his lips could continue their assault on my throat. I bit my lip, holding back the groan that Sehun was trying to elicit from me. I dropped his hand from where our fingers were laced, instead draping my arms around his hips softly. They began tracing invisible patterns there, making him growl playfully.

In this moment, I could stay forever.

"Home... and then what?" Sehun asked, voice husky, making my hands stop in their tracks.

Honestly, I hadn't thought the far. The thought of what he was implying sent electricity through my body, jolting through my limbs and into my fingertips. I'd only had sex a few times before, random hookups that never seemed to lead anywhere. Getting with someone I was as close to as I was with Sehun? The thought alone both thrilled and terrified me.

Not giving him a solid answer, as I didn't yet know the answer myself, I just shot him a little smirk, blushing. "Come on, let's just go." I said, giving him a light tug.

He laughed quietly. "God, you're a crazy girl, jagi."

I just rolled my eyes back at him, patting his hip a couple times for good measure. "Yep, don't you ever forget it."

Sparing me a side glance and a little grin, Sehun gave my neck one last open-mouth kiss. Quickly, now getting impatient, he sped up, tugging me along behind him. My hair whipped around my face as my feet struggled to keep up with his long strides. The only sound in the night air was the cool breeze, and our feet pounding against the pavement.

Between our speed and Sehun's newfound self-control to not stop and touch, we managed to make it back to the building relatively fast. Quietly, as to not disturb any of the other students, I pushed open the glass door leading inside. Warm air spilled across our bodies, making my cheeks flush.

Not wasting a moment, Sehun continued speed-walking to the elevator, pushing the button quickly. He rubbed his hands together, warming them, while we waited for the creaky old bastard to reach the ground floor.

As the elevator took it's time, the nerves in my stomach grew. What was Sehun expecting? What did I want? The longer I thought about it, the more at ease I became with the idea of Sehun and I getting together. Did the idea of it also make we want to piss my pants? Absolutely. This complete God of a man standing before me, all angular features and long legs, wanting me? It was ludicrous to even consider, let alone see being acted out before my very eyes.

The elevator's small bing pulled me from my thoughts, tugging me back to reality. Having time to collect my thoughts certainly helped, and I narrowed my gaze.

Now or never Chae.

Confidently, nonchalantly, Sehun and I strode into the elevator together, making sure not to make contact and alert the woman at the front desk of our current state of affairs.

As soon as the doors closed, however, it was a different story.

Sehun's hands attacked my waist, spinning me around and bringing me to his chest with a squeal. He wasted no time, lips going to my jaw, assaulting it with his tongue.

"Oh, Sehun." I moaned breathily, head falling backwards. My knees were jelly, I was unsure how I was even standing. I traced my arms around his waist, until they reached his back. Slowly but surely, I dragged my nails down his spine, sure to leave a mark the next day.

"Jagi." Sehun said, breaking off from my neck. His hair was fraying out from his cap, disheveled. The pink blush on his cheeks was brighter than ever, lips stained scarlet. "I'm going to be doing the marking, baby." He smirked, pulling me impossibly closer to him.

The idea made my stomach do flips, but I maintained my calm façade. "Is that a threat or a promise, Sehun-ah?" I asked, eyes studying his, smile flickering across my lips.

He just grinned in response, ducking his head down quickly. His lips met mine, a potion of arousal and passion, igniting my very being. Enthusiastically, I kissed him back with vigour, keeping my lips tightly shut against his prying tongue.

Before either of us had even realized, the elevator stopped with a shrill ding, making us jump back from each other. Just as the doors slowly slid open, I spun back around to face them, and also face the girl who was currently standing outside them.

Her bright brown eyes met mine quickly, before flitting to Sehuns as well. With our disheveled appearance and lips stained bright patches of pink, she would simply be naive to not understand the... situation we had been in just moments before.

If she noticed, she didn't let on. Instead, she just stepped into the elevator, pressed the button for the floor she needed, and kept her eyes trained solely on the door.

I was tense already, so it certainly didn't help when I felt Sehun's hands ghosting over my hips. No wanting to make a noise, instead I simply tapped my foot, to tell him to, you know, fuck off, there's someone else in here.

If he understood, he certainly didn't act on it. Instead, his hands slowly started playing with the hem of my shirt, fondling the soft cotton between his fingers. Without warning, his hand worked it's way under my top, feeling the heat from my skin on his freezing fingertips. I wasn't even breathing, eyes firmly trained on the girl before me, chewing my lip.

God, how was Sehun so fucking stupid?

Taking his time, his large hands started travelling upwards, landing on the small of my back. He was so close, I could feel his breath fanning across my shoulders, harsh and heavy. Not faltering for even a second, his hand worked it's way to the waistband of my leggings, and quickly, before I could find a way to stop him, he slipped a few fingers underneath the tight material.

Goosebumps erupted across my skin, which he could certainly feel under his touch. My jaw fell slack, feeling his fingertips trace patterns into my flesh, slowly travelling closer and closer to my ass. Eyes fluttering shut, I let myself sigh breathily, all the sexual tension that had been building up the entire evening spilling out. I could almost feel his smirk radiating off of him, watching me come undone so quickly, and without being able to stop him or vocalize my feelings.

Ding.

My eyes flashed open yet again. We were on our floor.

Without sparing a glance at Sehun, I confidently strode out of the elevator, flashing the girl in front of me a quick smile on my way out.

If she noticed how flustered I was, she didn't act like it. Instead, she gave me my small smile back, accompanied by a quick wave.

Sehun just strode out past her, indifferent to the girl, or the fact that she stared at his body lustfully on his way out. Her eyes raked his body, from his broad shoulders to narrow hips, certainly taking her time.

Suddenly, I wasn't so fond of this girl anymore.

Deciding that the niceness was enough, I shot her a harsh glance, my fingers and toes curling. I could almost feel my blood boiling at her ballsy actions. Either she didn't understand that Sehun and I were obviously involved, in some twisted way, or she just didn't care. Either way, I wasn't fond of her anymore.

The doors slid shut after Sehun, hiding the stupid girl from my view. And thank god for it.

Sehun scoffed lowly, eyeing my hands, now clenched into soft fists at my side. "Ah, jealous, jagi?" he snickered, trying to brush past me towards my room, but I wasn't having any of it. Instead, I grabbed his forearm and dragged him back in front of me, this time taking control.

My hands flew around his neck as I kissed him passionately. Hands slowly wound into his hair, knocking his cap askew, but I didn't care. I was too focused on making him just as frustrated as I was, only moments ago.

Dropping my lips to his throat, I began biting and nibbling his skin, making him groan. His hands travelled down my back, landing on my ass, kneading it softly as I continued marking his skin. In the moment, I didn't care about the repercussions of my actions; I just needed him to know that, even if just for tonight, he was mine.

"Chae, oh my God." He grumbled lowly, hands returning to my hips. Softly, he pulled me off of him, which I let him reluctantly. My hands slipped off his neck, resting on his chest softly. I could feel the thrumming of his heart, his heavy breathing.

"What?" I asked, beginning to gnaw on my bottom lip nervously. Had I done something wrong?

Just shooting me a soft smile, Sehun's eyes studied my face. His gaze trailed from my eyes, to my flushed cheeks, and finally landing on my lips, which I was chewing on nervously.

Seeing this, he groaned quietly, head rolling backwards in frustration. "Your room, jagi. Quickly, please?"

A smile erupted on my face, releasing my lip from it's grasp in my teeth. Letting out a breathless laugh, I slid my hand down his arm and grabbed his wrist. "Whatever you say, Sehun-ah."

"Don't call me that, jagi." Sehun grumbled, but I could see the smile playing on his lips as we sauntered down the hallway.

"And I told you not to call me jagi." I said with a shrug and grin. "Guess we're both out of luck."

Rummaging in my coat pocket for my key, I felt his body pressing against mine, sending my head reeling. Breathless, I grabbed my keycard, jamming it into the door and shoving the door open with desperation.

'Thank god I cleaned my room,' I thought to myself, appreciating how everything was neat and orderly, eyeing sheets on my bed tucked in nicely in the bedroom. I would have admired the room longer, if it wasn't for Sehun's lips capturing the back of my neck. His hands grabbed my hips, slowly pushing me further inside my room.

Stopping for only a moment, he spun around, and I heard the latch on my room slowly click.

Not wasting any time, he grabbed my waist again, turning me to face him. Moving his hands to cup my face, he kissed me, differently this time. The other kisses had been sloppy, lustful. This one however, I could only describe as hungry.

Our tongues slid across each others as my hands fisted in his hair. All the while his tongue moved languidly against mine and his hand wandered around my sides, I couldn't help but think how crazy this was. Oh Sehun, master of seduction, arrogant asshole extraordinaire, enticing me in my own kitchen.

He pulled apart and I somehow found the decency not to whine at the loss of his perfect lips. "Do you want me to keep going?" he asked.

I could feel his warm breath against the shell of my ear. I would have said something sassy, give him some of his classic attitude, if it wasn't for the shiver that ran down my spine at the sound of his voice. It was so husky and intoxicating, if the devil on my shoulder had a voice, it'd most certainly be his.

"Yes." I hushed, feeling the excitement growing in my stomach.

He placed a kiss on my neck quickly. "Good," he said, before nipping the smooth skin with his teeth. There was no doubt there would be a mark the next day.

His hand was now under my shirt and on my bare stomach. His hands were still cold from being outside, and with every movement they made, new goosebumps flourished on my skin. Agonizingly slow, they worked their way up my body, until they were gently cupping the outside of my bra.

God, I was going to explode.

"Is this okay?" Sehun asked huskily, his hand coming to a stop. It was so large, I felt dwarfed in comparison.

"God, Sehun, yes." I said, not wanting him to stop.

Hearing my enthusiasm, he happily continued exploring my body. Both of his hands moved, travelling up my back in unison, scathing my skin with his nails every inch of the way. I arched my back, trying to escape his scratches, but that only propelled my body further into his.

Judging my his tightening grip, I'm sure he didn't mind.

Eventually, he made it to the elastic of my bra, which he undid with one swift motion. He was clearly experienced, which made my stomach turn.

That clasp was the metaphorical threshold of the teasing we were able to handle. As soon as it sprang apart, Sehun let out a low growl, hands travelling down my body to my thighs.

"Jump, jagi."

He lifted me up with ease, grunting as my weight settled on his hips. My legs were locked around his waist as he moved towards the doorway of the bedroom. His lips never exited mine as we worked our way inside, hearts thrumming in unison. As he hit the edge of the bed, he let me go, making me fall into the white plush duvet. Hovering over me, hands at either side of my body, Sehun's wide frame loomed over me, his smirk visible even in the low light.

Slowly but surely, he kissed down the length of my body, each one making my body trill with excitement. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, further intensifying my thrill.

Sehun leaned back, licking his lips nervously. His eyes drank in my figure, panting and disheveled underneath him on the bed. His breath matched mine, ragged and uneven. We were both completely wrecked.

His hand grabbed the end of my shirt once again, tugging it tightly. "Off."

Not wasting a second, I tugged off my shirt, exposing my already unclasped bra. Sehun's smirk grew as I did this, following the motions with his heavy gaze. As soon as the shirt was off, his hands were fondling the straps of my bra, admiring them.

"Very pretty, jagi." He hummed, tugging it lightly. Pulling it taut quickly, he released it, making it snap against my skin.

I grit my teeth against the pain. "Ah, Sehun!"

His hands grabbed at my straps again, pulling them even tighter. I flinched, already ready to slap him if nessecary. "Oh Chae, baby, I love when you say my name like that." He groaned, head dropping to my throat again, letting his body rest on one arm.

Quickly, he slid the straps off my shoulders, gently tugging the fabric away from my body. As the cool air creeped onto my skin, my nipples grew stiff.

I felt one my breasts being engulfed by his large hand. A whine escaped my lips as he rolled my pert nipple between his fingers. He liked that, I could tell from the way he chuckled against my neck.

As Sehun abandoned my breast, his lips left my neck and returned to my mouth. I could only melt into the kiss, as his hand found itself at the edge of my leggings. His fingers danced around the skin there, teasing me, like he knew all I wanted was to have them against my flesh.

And he was right, but I'd never admit it.

In a smooth motion, his hand delved under the waistband of my pants, earning him a gasp. His digits quickly found purchase between my legs and over the panties I was wearing.

"God, you're wet already." he muttered against my lips as his fingers, which had now grown warmer, slid up and down my center. A flurry of heat blossomed on my face and I involuntarily sucked in a sharp breath. His words had set something off inside of me, and I was embarrassed to admit that whatever it was, I liked it.

"Oh Sehun." I moaned, rocking against his hand, showing him that I needed more.

Taking heed of my signal, he swept my soaked panties to the side and then I felt his fingers against my folds. I mewled, cursing myself for doing so, but judging by the growing member in his pants, he didn't mind. I let out light moans as I felt his fingers moving along my clit, which throbbed helplessly under his ministrations.

"Does that feel good?" he asked with the ghost of a smirk over his features. "Do you like having my fingers on your pussy?"

"Mhm," I nodded, and bit down at the impending whimper that I was certain would spill out if I didn't.

I could feel myself getting close, fuck, he really knew how to work with his fingers, I thought. My toes were curled against the duvet, ready to -

Suddenly, Sehun pulled away before I could stop him.

"Sehun!" I whined, rolling my hips against the empty air. "Why the fuck would you-"

"Shh, jagi." he hummed, shooting me a smirk. Clambering down from where he was propped between my legs, he scooted off the bed until he was kneeling between my thighs.

"What are you doing?" I asked, shifting onto my elbows. My mind was hazy, and I struggled to focus on anything besides the burning desire between my legs.

"Just be quiet, Chae." He hummed quietly, his eyes drifting from my face, to my chest, before landing on my leggings.

Slowly, his fingers looped around the waistband of my leggings and panties. In one swift motion, he yanked both down my thighs, making me gasp. The cool air on my exposed centre sent shockwaves through my body, making me tense up. Finishing slipping my pants off of my feet, Sehun eyed my middle hungrily.

His lips were at my thighs, selfishly biting at the skin as I watched from above. His hair was flopped over my navel, and I grabbed on for dear life while he worshipped the flesh of my upper leg. My stomach was churning in fiery anticipation as his mouth moved closer to my pussy. I could feel his hot breath dancing above my skin. There, right there.

"Hurry up," I pleaded, tugging at his hair quickly.

He flicked his gaze up. "Impatient, aren't we?"

I had a fiery retort at the ready, but he closed his mouth around my centre, sucking gently at the flesh. He pulled my body closer by the hips, and my breathing hitched. His tongue ran along the valleys of my slit, lighting up the nerves on its never ending journey. Now, he focused on my clit, his mouth sinfully alternating with sucking and making circles around the bud. I couldn't help but let out a guttural moan at his actions, thighs tightening around his neck. My head was tossed backwards, a ball of fire growing in my stomach as his actions pushed me closer and closer to the edge. "Yes, Sehun, just like that." I moaned, hands releasing his hair and simply stroking his scalp in appreciation.

He groaned against my pussy, sucking harder than before. I couldn't bare to watch him, I could tell his eyes were on me, writhing beneath his tongue. It'd be too much for one woman to handle. So, I resorted to fisting at his hair and the duvet, and biting my lip to stop my groans.

My back arched as I felt the wave of my first orgasm wrecking havoc through my body. His mouth stayed latched on my pussy as I rode out the last of the waves. After what seemed like hours, my body plopped back onto the bed and he pulled away, pushing his hair out of his face as he stood up.

"Good?" he asked, smiling down at me. He was in the process of pulling off his sinfully tight grey shirt, and I just sat back to marvel his dancer body.

I nodded in a hazy daze, eyes and vision swimming before me. However, I couldn't give him the full satisfaction of knowing his effect on my body. So instead, I retorted "Good enough, I suppose."

He scoffed, pulling his joggers down in one fluid motion. I could already see the distinct impression he was leaving on his briefs, large and intimidating. "You make it sounds as though you have suggestions for improvement." He scoffed, shooting me a little glance out of the side of his eye.

I flushed slightly to myself as Sehun fiddled in the pocket of his joggers, grabbing his wallet.

"You keep condoms in your wallet?" I said, quirking my eyebrows at him. "You really are a teenage boy."

"Full of criticism tonight, jagi." Sehun said with a smirk, rolling the condom over his length. Quickly, he crawled back onto the bed beside me. "But not for much longer."

"Is that a threat or a promise, Sehun-ah?" I asked, my excitement growing at the size of his member. I couldn't take my eyes away.

"A promise, Chae." Sehun said with a small grin. "So, what are your suggestions for improvement?"

"Hmm?" I asked, my eyes wandering down his body greedily. He was all muscle, taut and hard.

His face dropped to mine, hair falling into his eyes. "What can I do better, Chae? You're eager to criticize; help me improve."

"Sehun, you know I was-"

"Should I, maybe, do more of..." He said lowly, growling into my ear. Slowly, his hands traced my stomach, tightening on my hip. "This?" He said, placing a smattering of kisses on my collarbone. My eyes fluttered shut, sighing breathily as his tongue licked over the smattering of marks he had left there.

"Sehun, please..." I trailed off, my hands carving their own path into his skin. I was tired of the teasing, anticipating him was proving to be too much. I was overworked, and overstimulated.

Grabbing his cock, I pushed Sehun onto his back. "Suggestion; don't be such a fucking tease." I growled, climbing onto his lap, thighs at either side of his. I latched on his neck, enticed by the sheer sheen of it. He had done it to me, and now I wanted to leave my mark on him. I suckled at the skin harshly, teeth grazing against it as my mouth moved up towards his jaw and to his lips. I could feel his cock brushing at my inner thigh.

"Okay, you're right." Sehun growled back, hands tracing over my ass. They kneaded it softly for a moment, before travelling in different directions. One of his hands held me firm against him, pressing my body to his by the base of my back. The other directed the head of his cock to my entrance.

Now or never Chae.

Quickly, I pushed my hips down, taking in what I could of him. He was much bigger than any other guy I had been with, making me groan in discomfort as he stretched my walls. My breasts were flushed against his chest, and somewhere in the back of my mind I wandered if he could hear how hard my heart was beating.

"Okay?" Sehun asked, through gritted teeth. It was only then that I realized that, to combat the pain, I had been flexing myself around his cock, buried inside me to the hilt.

"Okay." I confirmed, prompting him to move.

He buried his face in the crook of my neck, momentarily catching his breath before he begun to move. His soft groans tickled my ear as he increased the tempo of his thrusts, every second or so, he would groan softly, the small noises inciting a trail of goosebumps on my skin.

"Ah, Sehun, faster." I moaned, my core tightening around him. I needed more friction, more passion, more.

"Demanding, jagi." He said, his aura oozing pompous passion.

My hands clung to his sweaty shoulders, as his thrusts slowed down. He leaned back, eyeing my panting form, and bit his lip. "I've let you have your fun, mind if I take control now?" Sehun growled, breath spilling across my shoulder. Stopping the thrusting of his hips completely, he gave me a devilish smirk.

"Oh, yeah? And what will you do?" I challenged, eyes also glowing.

In retaliation, Sehun pulled himself from me in one fluid motion. I whimpered at the loss of contact, the loss of fullness. Quickly, Sehun grabbed my hips and flipped me over to my hands and knees, eliciting a squeal. I felt his hands slowly ghosting over my form.

"Now, what I'm going to do is fuck you from behind."

I licked my lips in anticipation. He'd punctuated the word 'fuck' with a rough grab of my ass, making my core flare up.

He moved closer and my heart raced in excitement and anticipation when I felt his hardness against my thigh. The tip of his cock was at my center, I would've moved back onto it but his hand was hard against my body, forcing me down and stilling my struggle.

Holding me firmly, he plunged inside with one swift movement. He'd buried his length deep inside, and my backside was now flush against his pelvis.

"Fuck..." I groaned at the feeling of him being pushed against my walls again, his girth stretching me to limits I never knew possible.

His free hand was quickly at my mouth, covering it. He leant closer and pulled up till I met somewhat in the middle, and his mouth was right against my ear.

"Shh ... we wouldn't want someone waking up, now do we?" he purred.

I nodded feveriously as I thought of the idea of my neighbours hearing us through these paper thin walls.

I thanked God that his hand was still clamped over my lips when he pulled out and pushed back in with a not-so-soft thrust. I couldn't do anything but moan into his hand as he repeated his motions.

Clearly he wasn't the only one affected, I could tell from the soft mutters of curse words that flew from his mouth. Upon hearing him, I yearned for nothing more to be able to see his face. Would his eyes be screwed shut, or maybe his lips would be bitten red under his teeth. Whatever the case was, the images I'd formed had me bucking against him as furious heat settled in the pit of my stomach.

He picked up the pace and I could only respond by clenching my walls tight against his length. My eyes were looking with blurred edges towards my headboard, watching it knock on the wall repeatedly in time with his thrusts.

He now moved his hand from my mouth, and the only thing I could do to suppress the slew of mewls that wished to be let out was to set my lips into a tight and unwavering line. Much to his pleasure, it didn't really do much and my muffled groans bounced through the bedroom.

His hands were now under me and on my clit, rubbing the nub in tandem with each thrust. My muscles grew tense, eyes screwed shut as I felt myself becoming undone. I rode out the after-waves of my orgasm in time with his frantic and arousal driven thrusts. He was close too, I could feel it and hear it. So I clenched tight around him, squeezing him until he came with a choked gasp.

Spent, I collapsed onto the bed, panting heavily. Sweaty and slick, I was exhausted from the intense session Sehun has just wrecked on my body.

He was feeling it too, I could tell. Muscles tired and spent, he plopped down onto me, momentarily burying me with his body, before he rolled onto the empty space on the bed. My eyes were closed, but I could hear his actions beside me. Quickly, he pulled off the soiled condom, knotted it and threw it into the trash beside my dresser. He stood, making me stir, but soon enough I felt the cool draping of a blanket onto my backside. The mattress dipped again, telling me he had returned beside me. His heavy panting also conveyed just how spent he was.

Slowly, I turned to him on my side and glanced at him. Jaw slack, eyes screwed shut, he just tried to catch his breath slowly. Smiling softly, I brushed a strand of his hair from his forehead. His eyes remained closed, but he leaned into my touch.

Usually he was a man, stone cold and unmovable. In this instance, his true youth came out, shining through him like a beacon. It was genuinely adorable, seeing him so exhausted, contented, satisfied.

"No more criticism. Just sleep for now, okay Sehun-ah?" I said, smirking.

"Okay, jagi. Also, don't call me that." he grumbled, opening his eyes. He avoided my stare, instead opting to grab the corner of the blanket he had laid on me only moments ago, and pull it over himself to protect his modesty.

Rolling my eyes, I rested my hand on his broad chest, head beside him on the pillow. And that's how we fell into slumber.

Just Sehun, I and our heavy breathing.

[deathghost8]

You may think it rather nervy of me to devote this whole seminar to talking about nothing. But it's about space. -- And, by the way, also we experience everything not only in the dimension of space but also in the dimension of time. Now the fascination about space and time is that while they are basic to all possible experiences that we have, you just can’t put your finger on them. Space seems to be completely immaterial. And when St Augustine was asked “What his time?”, he said “I know what it is, but when you ask me I don’t.” So these two basic dimensions of our physical world are uncommonly elusive. We could perhaps say that they are pure abstractions. There is no such thing as space and there is no such thing as time. They are merely our way of measuring and thinking about the behavior of the physical universe as a pattern, a system of patterns, energy patterns. And if you measure the movement of these patterns, the line along which you measure motion is called the timeline. If you measure their positions, the line along which you measure their positions you would call the spaceline. And these two lines would be as abstract as the equator in relation to longitude zero. These things don’t exist on the physical face of the of the world. They are imaginary lines and are only to be found on maps. Could you also say that the same thing was true of time and space? We think for example that there are three coordinates of space and one of time. The three coordinates of space being length, breadth and depth. And through that runs one of time. But come to think of it it’s rather artificial. It is making us think of space as having a sort of grain to it. As if it were a crystalline substance and however transparent the crystal it does have a grain. And space has the grain of up, across and through. Those are the three ways in which we think of space. And we can’t think of any more, not with our senses. we can mathematically conceive spaces with infinitely many dimensions. That is to say you can write it down as if it were so but you can’t conceive it in your imagination. You can draw, it’s great fun to draw, a four dimensional cube having four spatial dimensions. That’s called a tesseract. And tesseract is a good word to apply to a person who is ultimately a square. A four dimensional square. But the tesseract, you see, the minute you draw it, that obviously you can’t have more than the three right angular dimensions of space or the coordinate in any kind of solid figure that you know. And so you can think about it in terms of mathematics, but you can’t conceive more than these three coordinates sensuously. And so it’s basic common sense to us that space has this structure. But of course the question is: “Is this a structure of space or is it a structure of the human nervous system, the human brain and human thought, which is projected onto the external world as a tool for measuring it?” This is one way of approaching the problem. But there’s another way altogether. Which is to consider space as anything but nothing. If space is basic to all that we experience, as time is. You might say then that space is as near as we can imagine to being the ground of the world, or what some people have called God. The texts of the Hindus, Buddhists and Taoists are full of ways in which the symbol of space is used to mean the ultimate reality. Space is used in India in basic Indian philosophy. In Vedanta it is called akasha. And akasha is for them the fundamental element. There are five elements. Earth, water, air and fire and Akash. And so space contains all the other elements. In Buddhist philosophy, where the ultimate reality is called Shunyata, are the void. The Chinese will translate the Sanskrit with their characters it means sky or space. And the Taoists would say, quoting Lao Tze: The usefulness of the window is not so much in the frame as in the empty space through which something can be seen.  ------ It is very difficult indeed to have private thoughts. Because when the very materials with which you think are public property, it shows what a vast influence the public has on you, in you the deepest recesses of your mind. It’s therefore very difficult also to think freely, independently, because we are pushed around with the symbolic systems of words or of numbers in which we think. But since, you see, the functioning of the mind in the process of thinking depends upon an outside community, you begin to see that your mind is a network. A network of relationships. You think only in the context of an environment of people and of natural processes. So that you could say that your mind is at the very least a most complex network of present and past relationships, stretching out to the very limits of the universe. And this, as I’ve often said, explains such truth as there may be in astrology. That, when you want to draw a map of a person’s soul, you draw a map of the universe as it was when he was born. We say that is your chart. That expresses you in a special way. Now, the astrologers’ maps are very crude. They’re based on a rather primitive view of the universe. But the truth of it is there, you see, that who you really are, your soul, your mind is the total universe as focused upon you. And this connects with what in Mahayana Buddhism is called the doctrine of mutual interpenetration. Namely that every thing-event in the world, anything, in other words, supposing the whole world is a moving pattern. And then you want to identify the wiggles in the pattern. It’s very difficult to determine how much of a wiggle makes one wiggle. But by a sort of calculus in which we chew the thing up we say: “All this wiggly world consists of so many wiggles and each individual wiggle is a thing event.” What is called in Japanese, Ji, means a thing-event. And so the idea of the doctrine of mutual interpenetration is that every thing-event in the universe implies all the others. It goes with it. Doesn’t matter how long it lasts or how short it lasts. The fact that it is, or the fact that it was, implies the existence of everything else. To put it in another way, the fact that there is a moth lying around me, it’s very small and it will soon run into a candle and extinguish itself. That little incident would not be possible at all except in the context of all these galaxies. Because their existence goes-with the possibility of there being such a minute little life flattering around. What is not so easy to see, is the picture in the opposite direction. That in the same measure all these galaxies depend upon and go-with this little moth. As the poet Suso, Henry Suso, once said. No it wasn’t Suso. Someone like him, lived about the same time. I’ll think of it the minute. Anyways. That I know that without me God could not live for one moment. And this is the other aspect of it. And this is the difficult one to understand and we shall be able to approach this in the course of the seminar. In fact if you realize that, then you’ve really got it, you’ve got the point of your own existence. But to get the reverse picture, you have first of all to get, clearly, its opposite one, namely that the existence of any one minute little thing is intimately related to everything. And then what happens when you clearly understand that and you’ve really got that, your mind does a flip. Bliblip, like that. You know, it’s like when you squeeze the air into a sausage balloon and you get all the squeezed up, you think, into one end of the balloon and suddenly it goes Bliblip and it comes out the other entries. Well, it’s sort of like that. And you have to be very careful at that point not to go crazy. Because, you see, when you find out that all this universe depends on you, some people get frightened, others get cocky and from both things disasters can follow. You have to discover that and then be natural. Act as if nothing happened. ------ What we like to distinguish is special cleverness, people who can do strange tricks. Like great feats of thinking and talking and intellectual and cerebral performance. But we mustn’t forget that there are also people who do absolutely astonishing things without thinking at all. There are jugglers. There are very beautiful people. That’s a pretty astonishing when you pick out someone and say: Gee, isn’t she a goddess.” And that’s done without thinking and it embarrasses many women to be told that they’re beautiful. Because they want to be admired for their intellectual achievement rather than for the bodies which their parents provided for them. And so we are a little bit on the defensive about the things that we achieve without our egos being in charge. But we do the most beautiful things that we do, really, by that means. Because all that thought and intellectuality can do is it can embellish your natural talents. A lot of people who are incredibly good at thinking never do anything creative because they have no talent available. They may have it but they don’t know it, they don’t trust it, they don’t know how to make use of it. And therefore that intellect works to little purpose. Because the function of the intellect is to be the servant of the organic intelligence. You see? Only what we’re doing, is we’re trying to make the intellect the master. The intellect is a wonderful servant just so long as it knows its place. But once it becomes saying to nature: “Look. You submit. I know how you ought to be run. Now I’m going to take charge.” That is the moment of hybris where Adam eats the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, that is to say of technical knowledge, and tries to be God to the world. And God says: “OK baby. You try.” Everything became work. ------ All I was showing in this sort of digression was that our mind, our self, is not inside our heads. But extends. And so, you see, you have, as the great vehicle of this extension of the universe, you have space. And you see immediately that you cannot pin space down. You cannot really conceive space at all. Look at the wonder a child has when it ask questions and begins “What’s up there? What’s beyond? What’s after that? what’s after that?” The child is absolutely fascinated by thinking about that. Do you know all children of fascinated with infinity? Don’t you remember seeing, say, a child’s book. And on the cover of this book is a little girl sitting, reading the same book with the same little girl on the cover and so naturally there is another little girl on the cover of the book she’s looking at in the picture. And so the child begins to wonder: “How small can it get? How far can it go?” Or they get in the opposing mirrors and look and say “That’s wonderful, why can’t you line them up so that it doesn’t just disappear around the corner always? Couldn’t you get in straight on this?? Seems so difficult. “Mummy, what did God do before he started the World?” Think back. “What would it be like to be in heaven and live forever and ever and ever and ever?”, and immediately this somehow stretches the skull and children love doing this because children are always trying out experiments on themselves. You know, they prod themselves, they pull themselves, they love to spin in circles and make themselves feel dizzy, because that’s a great thing, you know, that feeling. They’re always fascinated with the limits of experience. So what’s out beyond that? Because now when a sophisticated astronomer tries to tell you that space is finite, we’re still, we resent this. And say “All right space is finite but what’s outside it?” “Well,” the astronomer says, “you see you can only talk about an outside inside space. Outside space there is no outside.” You see, the mind won’t take it. The sense, you see, infinity. So. This space fascinates us. Going on forever. Expanding. It seems to be actually going on forever, you see, if the universe is a huge explosion. But you can see, can’t you, I think this: Space, although you cannot pin it down, and has the quality of infinity. There’s no way of talking about space, because it has no color. It has no weight. You can’t cut it. You can’t possibly chop it into pieces. And yet at the same time you cannot differentiate it from solids. We come to another important point here, you see? That solid and space are in a secret conspiracy with each other. Actually there’s very little solid in the world. Most of what appears to be solid appears so by virtue of the speed at which it’s jiggling. It’s like an electric fan, which, when put in rotation, the blades appear to form a solid disk and this chair is solid for rather the same reasons. You can’t put your finger through it, it’s moving too fast. But actually, whatever it is that is dancing in space, is increasingly difficult to define. The more you think about energy, you see. and you can make a calculus of energy like you make a calculus of wiggles in the world, and you can say there are various waves, or wavicles, or particle of energy, which we give all sorts of different names to. But the more we pursue it, the more it all seems to disappear. Like space, the more you try to think what it is, the more difficult it is. So in the same way the more you try to say “Now come on. Let’s sit down. What is this here?” It’s alright if you stop at a certain point. Then you say “Well now we know, that’s practical. Let’s not ask anymore questions.” Think. If you keep on asking questions everything falls apart. You notice this in the scholarly world. Scholars spend far more time debunking than they do creating. -- Because that is the work of the analytical intellect you see. When you finally try to be God, that’s to say, define it exactly. Now just where is it and let’s get perfectly clear, so that “plop”, it’s fixed, see? It all becomes slippery. Because in order to handle the world, you see, you have to touch it rather gently. You mustn’t try to pin things down. As they say in Zen, you do not try to drive a nail into the sky. Because that’s the beauty of space, you see, there’s nothing in it to hang on. It hasn’t a hook to put your hat on somewhere in space. And yet it hasn’t got a floor to fall onto. See, if space had a concrete floor on the bottom, it’d be pretty dangerous stuff but it doesn’t. There’s nowhere in space to collide with space. You can run into somebody or something else, yes. But not with space. Figure, then, on this. Work on this hypothesis, you see, it’s only a hypothesis at the moment, nothing more. That space is you. Because you are equally inaccessible to inspection. When you look to find out who you are, somebody like a Zen master will interrupt you and say “Excuse me, but who is it that wants to know? And who is it that’s looking?” Find out that. So, you know, you’re soon chasing your own tail like a little dog. And you never catch up with it. All this, you see. So space is like you. Only we turned in the ordinary way to think of ourselves when we make the gesture like this. I’m here. We go this way. I can feel this. I’m inside it, it’s me. But always when you get a certain feeling about things, examine the opposite possibility. That you are this. Now we’re going to look in due course at the neurology of this. But you do see that what you see outside you. And feel outside you. Is the way you feel inside just skin. Since all the optical images, shapes and colors and everything are neurological states in the brain. So what appears to you as outside is the most intimate feeling you have of the inside of your head.  ------ Did you realize how fascinating that is? That if you were God, would it be fascinating to see myriads, to know yourself in terms of myriads of reproductions of yourself all different. And really different. Like other peoples need to be different from you. And they’ve got a secret in them, you don’t know what they’re going to do next, you see? So they are ALIVE. If I push you and you just go “blargh”, I say “It’s only plastic.” If you jump a little, I say “Ah, that’s someone else! I don’t know what she’s going to do next!’ That’s what I’m looking for that’s what we’re all looking for in personal relationships. And that’s, you see, you can imagine. If you simplified. Here is a kind of ball of light, which is the Divine Being. But it’s fascinating, you see, it’s fascinated with itself. And so, in order to find out its own possibilities, “Bliblip”, it puts another one out there and they bounce together, and “Flop”, there comes another, you see? And they go all over the place and so you get this idea of ever so many echoes of one sound and they’re all chattering back but they’re not just plain uniform, you see. As soon you introduce into this the element of differentiation, so that each one looks as different as possible from the other. But it’s all one. Because there can’t be the sense of I am I, without the sense of“ Oh, there is someone else.” Something else, there is other. I And other imply each other as much as solid implies space. Well, we we will have an intermission.

Alan Watts, Power of Space -- These are long form excerpts, so where I have chosen some skip you see ----- dividers. I selected the entire part 1 as a special zen paradox compilation with tao of philosophy 8 - the limits of language. So actually it is simply to talk about everything in order to devote a whole seminar to talking about nothing. And that comes down to "how to make the question?" and another particular question - "is this a good game / good rule?" The flip going back and forth between "the definition of this single self is only made up by the total elements it is adjacent with, the total background - its a flip of energy exchanging, the Ji. All the connecting points channel the vibration, the whole energy of the void. This is current, channeling along. The mystical trait of one, to see itself the way that others see it. all of the total ways. The one to see through the many into the one. that's the Ji, flip of zen paradox. Nothing. Happening. Act like nothing happened. It did.

[emperorhwangs]

if you have to ship the minbooties with wanna one members (aside from minhyun) who would you ship with who and why?

AHHHHH I LOVE THESE THINGS HOHOHO *INTENSE KNUCKLE CRACKING*

this came out way too long so sorry your thumb is probably gonna be jacked as fuck

@hwangminyeo : I would probably ship Abby with Bae Jinyoung if it weren’t illegal ahahhahah because I see Abby as the glue who is capable of bringing everyone together. She was the one who reached out to me to invite me into the minbooties gc and I’m honestly so thankful because I’ve gotten to know 5 absolutely beautiful and entertaining mintrash that are able to make you feel so warm inside through just a few words over LINE that it’s unbelievable, and I’m so so thankful. She’s the type of person who is gentle, friendly, and patient enough to coax literally anyone out of their shell, and she always makes people feel included. She’s always feeding us well with Minhyun content bc she knows the Minbooties get hungry at all times of the day, so she’s really caring and sweet. I think that she’s exactly the type of person who would be able to coax Baejin out of the walls he puts up and then he’d feel so free and relaxed with her. He’s so different from his seemingly cold “deepdark” exterior and we all know he’s a sweetheart that I think would just coincide with Abby’s super relaxed and giving personality and they’d be so compatible and be able to have great times together. But if we’re going to stay with legal relationships, then I’d definitely ship Abby with Daniel. Abby takes on a lot by constantly feeding us and being selfless that she doesn’t take enough time for herself, so someone as loving/caring/lighthearted as Daniel would go perfectly with her to ease some of that stress. Daniel would undoubtedly put her needs before all else and probably has endless patience and would always be laughing at everything she does but also be super attractive at the same time like wtf. Not to mention he can be so damn RUDE and I bet abby has a secret kink for that hhoohohoho. Abby has amazing visuals that really compliment Daniel’s. While most of the Minbooties have either soft visuals or colder, elegant visuals, Abby’s visuals definitely give off a more “sexy” vibe? Sorry ABBY LOLOL PLS DONT CRINGE but Daniel is the same; he can look like a peach bunny and then BOOM he’s stroking his thigh and you’re pregnant. 

@hyuncakes/ @cafewoozi : I would ship Bonnie with Jihoon (you guys are probably so wtf while reading this but hear me out). When you search the word “pure” in the dictionary, Bonnie’s picture shows up. She is incredibly perceptive and picks up on the little things you say while texting her and she always replies with such sweet, wholehearted things. I literally cannot properly describe how nice Bonnie is; she’s the type of person that seems like she would give the best hugs in the entire world. She’ll reply to messages that you’ve sent a long time ago because she’s the type of person who will always make sure you are feeling loved and validated (which everyone always wants and I appreciate you so much for it). She’s really rational, mature, and down-to-earth and basically the type of person that you’d always want to be around with because just talking to her will brighten your day. If Bonnie were a feeling, she’d be the feeling of that warm pocket of sunlight that comes through the window and hits a certain part of the room and its the perfect light to nap under because its the perfect warmth and comfort omf does this even make any sense because ?? But she doesn’t seem to see what a catch she is and Park Jihoon seems like the type of person that would be sooooooo sweet and attentive and almost overly caring for his s/o, and he would give all the love and attention Bonnie deserves. Bonnie is, imo, the mom friend who stays reasonable and can be a really calming person if you start to rage too much; just her presence is very calming? If that makes any sense lololol. She’s definitely a secret nasty as well, though, and we’ve all seen that Jihoon can be RUDE AS HELL when he wants to, and I think he could adequately quench the thiRST if ;)))))))) ykwim :))))))))))) Jihoon and Bonnie would be a really dynamic couple full of cutesy dates and lots of skinship and you’d see them on the streets together with Bonnie wearing Jihoons’ sweatshirt or smth and you’d just get that feeling of “i WANT THAT” 

@minhwangs ok sarah is so DAMN thiRSTY lol but me as well i am 2nd sinner and she’s lowkey crazy too so I think I would ship her with Ong. She’s got a really bright, active personality and overall is someone that I think is really fun to be around. Not to mention, I think she would look really nice with Ong as their visual are similar to me in a way. Sarah is actually my ideal visual (lol that sounds so creepy whOOP) but I really really think that girls that have a defined, angular, and sharp facial structure are soosososso beautiful like I reALLy REALLY like Sarah’s facial structure SO MUCH it’s UNHEALTHY. Her bone structure is the LITERAL VISUAL DEFINITION OF IDEAL FACIAL STRUCTURE imo and Ong also has prominent, defined facial features. Their babies would be literal visual gods straight out the womb. I think a relationship between Ong and Sarah would be lighthearted and carefree as both of them strike me as fun-loving people.  They would have a lot of great, memorable times and double as best friends, not just a couple. Ong also definitely softens for girls and I don’t have any doubt that he’ll be very cutesy with his s/o, even if he’s annoying the other 70% of the time. He’d take really good care of Sarah and put her needs first whenever it truly mattered. Because both of them are such bright and energetic people, I think they’d be able to lift eachother’s spirits in dark times. Sarah tends to give a lot; I think she’s pretty selfless from what I can tell in the messaging patterns? She responds to every message and she’s also so considerate (i was spamming a gc with her about smtm and she didn’t want to trash everyone else’s feed so she suggested a pm, which I didn’t even consider). But she also forgets to take care of herself sometimes (go to sleep, sarah!) and I know Ong would make sure to care for her. As carefree and jovial  as he may seem, Ong is highly intelligent. He’d be able to properly care for her in his own weird Ong way, maybe even without her realizing he’s always looking out for her. He’d probably guise it in a joke but he’d be really just making sure that she was in the absolute best condition possible. He’d probably playfully protest at everything that Sarah suggests but he’d undoubtedly go along with everything she suggests, just to make her happy. 

@2hyeons I would ship Ying with Minyeoooo~~~ Firstly on a purely superficial level, both of them have similar visuals in that they are coldly attractive, like ice. It’s a weird way to describe her, but Ying’s appearance is very elegant and sophisticated; she gives off a particular aura that Minhyun’s resting visual also gives. She’s the quietest in the group chat but she always says the absolute sweetest things and you can feel her warmth, friendliness, and kindness through her messages. Her actual personality is a contrast against her ice queen visuals because she’s so warm-hearted, which I find to be extremely similar to Minhyun. When I first saw Minhyun on pd101 (the scene where he forgot the lyrics during his reevaluations) my exact thoughts were “wow, he’s gorgeous but probably a dick” (which was SO OFF). I also think that Ying has her SHIT TOGETHER, like she has her priorities in order and is very intelligent and probably works really hard, just like Minhyun. Nu’est members chose Minhyun as their smartest member. His work ethic is incredible. He isn’t naturally a dancer (if you couldn’t tel from the iconic minbooty dance), but he slaves away so he can pull off his parts flawlessly. In the older Nu’est videos, you can pick up on his quick-witted personality that I think would balance really really well with Ying. He’s softened as he’s matured and I think he would be sosososso compatible with Ying in that he would find her intelligence endlessly attractive, as well as her dedication and work ethic. Ying is also an explosion of personality when she tumbles in; she always offers us adamant support against hateful anons and also is the same level of absolute t r a s h for the minbooty like you will 100000% catch her bein thirsty as HELL. She’d be able to make Minhyun laugh a lot with her radiant personality and humor. He’s extremely caring and selfless, so he’d watch over Ying well. Ying doesn’t acknowledge that she’s an actual empress, and Minhyun would make sure to let her know every single day. I think Ying would appreaciate Minhyun’s love for skinship and his affection (look at how he treats Ren+Seonho+Baejin) and they’d have the absolute CUTEST couple moments.

@luminous-point OK so STORYTIME: when I first entered the minbooties gc and had no idea who anyone was or what they looked like, I assumed that Reni had used a female idol that I didn’t know as her profile pic. I legitimately 1000% thought that she was an idol based off of her picture and I slowly slowly came to the realization that the picture wasn’t of an idol and was actually indeed RENI herself. I was in absolute shock and for the first week or two that I was in the gc, every time I opened it and saw her little icon I would just think “she is seriously so pretty” and be genuinely in awe. Ok anyways. I would ship Reni with Ha Sungwoon~ I noticed Sungwoon right away the very first episode of PD101 when they did that little segment on the strong visuals of the season and they showed a literal .5 second clip of his face but i was absolutely HOOKED on him since then. He was my absolute favorite visual in the first episode, and then his evaluation performance absolutely blew me away. Talent and visual = Reni. Both Reni and Sungwoon have very strong visuals that I absolutely am in love with, and both are extremely hardworking and talented. Reni is seriously sosososososso important to the minbooties and I appreciate her so much, though I’ve never told her. She’s dually very mature/level-headed yet also etremely playful/fun/bright. She slaves away subbing Nu’est content to give happiness to the fandom and pours so much and time and effort into it just for other people’s enjoyment. Whenever she encounters an issue, she approaches it in a very calm, collected manner that I really respect, and I think that Sungwoon would find it incredibly attractive. Sungwoon is extremely hardworking and imo, underrated. His performance in “Downpour” was most memorable to me, and he was also the very first person to nail the entire “Never” choreography when everyone else could barely get through the first portion and they still voted him off the team smH so both of them don’t get their hardwork acknowledged nearly enough. Reni is also WILD AF (don’t deny it) and I think Sungwoon is definitely the type that’d like that have a really really good time so they’d have really amazing, unbeatably fun dates. Sungwoon is also the type to dote on and be really really loving towards his s/o, which I think would be great for Reni. Reni is super super big sister vibes~ I wanted to EAT my own arm because of college apps and she offered to help and take time out of her own day to read over my essays and gave such amazing advice, so I want someone who I know would treat their s/o like a literally precious jewel for Reni.