#rory feat. blair

[felteverywhere]

closed starter for @persephonyed

"are you gonna freak out if i try to kiss you?" the question rory had intended to ask came out different than what she'd been asking in her head. "i mean — i'm not like... pfft, i'm not just gonna do it. obviously i'd ask. i'm asking?"

[junker-town]

How will 2017 Pitt football follow up on beating Penn State and Clemson?

The Panthers are progressing nicely, but this season is probably a bump in the road.

In my North Carolina preview, I mentioned how Larry Fedora had the unstable program achieving at a strangely normal rate. The Tar Heels are now recruiting and playing at a top-30 level. They cannot be called underachievers.

Narduzzi has pulled off a similar feat.

It felt like I was bringing it up in the Pitt preview every year just to twist the knife: the Panthers had, over the course of two decades, experienced brutal close-game luck.

Since Johnny Majors retired and Walt Harris took over, Pitt has had a winning record in one-possession games just five times and has been at least two games under .500 in such games nine times. In this nearly two-decade sample, the Panthers are 35-53 in these contests, a 0.397 win percentage.

The Panthers have managed to attend 13 bowls and share two conference titles in these 18 years. If these demons that have taken over Heinz Field ever relinquish their powers, Pitt could easily become an annual ACC Coastal contender.

I wrote in 2015 that bringing in a guy who helped kill the “Sparty, No!” meme was a deft one.

Baggage: shed. Sort of. Narduzzi is still struggling to get his classes balanced and takes on a massive rebuild of the two-deep, but not only have his Panthers reminded everyone of the program’s upside, they’ve finally won their share of close games.

Pitt is 7-7 in one-possession finishes over the last two years. For this program, that feels like 14-0. Last year they beat two Power 5 champions — Penn State early and national champ Clemson in November — by a combined four points. They were two of the most exciting, symbolic Pitt wins of the last decade. They survived shootouts with Georgia Tech (37-34) and Syracuse (76-61) and finished 20th in S&P+, their best finish in seven years. They fielded maybe their best offense since Dan Marino was quarterback. They took on a brutal schedule, one featuring six S&P+ top-25 teams, and landed punches.

There were still regrets, though.

There was the 45-38 loss to Oklahoma State, which could have been a win with one fewer deep-ball breakdown.

There was the 37-36 loss at UNC, in which the Tar Heels scored the winning touchdown with two seconds left.

There was the 39-36 loss to Virginia Tech, which could have flipped if the Panthers had managed a minus-2 turnover margin instead of minus-3.

There was the 31-24 bowl loss to Northwestern, which could have flipped had the Panthers held NU’s Justin Jackson to 150 rushing yards or so instead of 224.

2016 was huge. But the Panthers still left wins on the board, and despite the top-20 S&P+ finish, they ended 8-5. The demons aren’t vanquished just yet, and last year’s pangs might feel a little stronger as Narduzzi attempts a third-year rebuild.

Pitt has to replace star running back James Conner, quarterback Nathan Peterman, tight end Scott Orndoff, All-American guard Dorian Johnson, all-conference tackle Adam Bisnowaty, four of five defensive linemen (including Ejuan Price and Shakir Soto), three of four linebackers, and three of five defensive backs. Plus, Canada leaves Watson with nearly impossible expectations.

The Panthers are not without star power; dynamic rusher/receiver Henderson is back, as are leading receiver Jester Weah, cornerback Avonte Maddox, and, of course, 2016 Piesman Trophy winner Brian O’Neill. And if some high-profile transfers find niches, Pitt will have more than enough talent to challenge good teams.

Still, it’s going to be nearly impossible to match last year’s upside, and Pitt’s success might end up defining how we look back at 2016. Was it the year a corner was turned, or was it a year of dramatic upside and too many missed opportunities?

From a symbolism standpoint, you could do worse than this:

Narduzzi is 16-10 after two years, ranked 20th in S&P+ in his second year. He faces a third-year setback.

Mentor Mark Dantonio at Michigan State: 16-10 in his first two years, 23rd in S&P+ in year two, and 6-7 in year three.

Beginning in year four, Dantonio went 65-16 over his next six seasons.

So there’s that.

2016 in review

2016 Pitt statistical profile.

The offense was not only good; it got better against better teams. Unfortunately, the defense was demonstrably worse.

Pitt vs. S&P+ top 50 (3-5): Avg. percentile performance: 68% (80% offense, 36% defense) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 6.6, Pitt 6.5 | Avg. score: Opp 40, Pitt 36

Pitt vs. everyone else (5-0): Avg. percentile performance: 78% (60% offense, 54% defense) | Avg. yards per play: Pitt 7.0, Opp 4.9 | Avg. score: Pitt 50, Opp 28

Against top-50 competition, the offense averaged just 0.4 yards per play fewer than it did against lesser squads, but the defense allowed 1.7 yards per play more. As a result, Pitt games were virtually guaranteed shootouts; only the first and last games of the season finished with fewer than 70 combined points. Not what one would expect from either Pitt or a Narduzzi team.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

The most encouraging thing I can say about Watson is that Canada hadn’t proved himself before coming to town either. In nine seasons as a coordinator, Canada had never fielded an Off. S&P+ top 20 offense, and his average finish was 51.9. His first Pitt offense was 46th before his second surged to fourth.

Watson’s track record hasn’t been sterling either. Including his time at Texas — even though he was technically QBs coach and associate head coach, he was at worst a co-coordinator in Charlie Strong’s strange arrangement — he has spent 15 years as an OC with an average Off. S&P+ ranking of 45.7. Since ranking in the top 10 in 2007-08 at Nebraska, that average has ballooned to 64.9. At Louisville, with Teddy Bridgewater at QB, he peaked at 47th in 2013.

Narduzzi and Watson worked together at Miami (Ohio) 25 years ago, and apparently the bond was a good one.

For his struggles as an OC, Watson is still regarded as a good quarterbacks coach. In Peterman’s absence, the Panthers turn to either USC grad transfer Max Browne or sophomore Ben DiNucci. Whereas Peterman averaged 15.4 yards per completion in last year’s explosive offense, Browne and DiNucci combined to average just 8.6. And creating explosiveness will be a key now that Conner, a wonderful grinder in the backfield, is gone.

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

Quadree Henderson

Then again, you don’t have to throw deep to Henderson for him to end up going deep. The 5’8 junior was one of the most thrilling players in the country, gaining 631 rushing yards in just 60 carries. One in five carries went for at least 20 yards, and while he lined up all over the field (he was also targeted with 42 passes), it appears he will begin as Pitt’s No. 1 receiver.

That leaves relative unknowns at running back, but there’s size and upside. Sophomore Chawntez Moss (5’11, 210) and juniors Darrin Hall (5’11, 220) and Qadree Ollison (6’2, 230) combined for 111 carries and 514 yards in 2016. That’s an average of just 4.6 yards per carry, 0.5 below Conner’s pace, but while Conner was far more explosive, this trio was actually more efficient. Plus, two incoming freshmen — Todd Sibley Jr. (5’9, 215) and A.J. Davis (6’0, 205) — are four-star prospects per the 247Sports Composite.

There’s quite a bit of potential in the backfield, and there’s even more up front. Losing Johnson and Bisnowaty hurts, but Piesman-winner O’Neill was a third-team all-conference selection, guards Alex Officer and Alex Bookser have combined for 51 career starts, and size won’t be a problem: the 10 players on the OL two-deep average 6’5, 319. Combined with the bigger backs, that’s quite a bit of meat.

Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Brian O'Neill

The receiving corps could be a thrill as long as Weah and Henderson don’t get hurt.

Weah’s return gives the Panthers one sure big-play threat. He was one of the nation’s most underrated receivers, combining a 24.2 yards-per-catch average with a 51 percent success rate. He caught fewer than three passes per game but still nearly finished with 900 receiving yards. Henderson was a nice possession option near the line of scrimmage. The tight end position, meanwhile, has quite a bit of potential as well between four-star sophomore Chris Clark, senior Devon Edwards, Rutgers transfer Matt Flanagan, and incoming four-star Charles Reeves Jr.

Size isn’t an issue here either. Weah is 6’3, backup sophomore Aaron Mathews 6’4, and Reeves is listed at a whopping 6’5, 280.

A single injury could be devastating, though. After Weah and Henderson, Mathews, sophomore Maurice Ffrench, and junior Rafael Araujo-Lopes combined for just nine catches last year.

Defense

The offense has potential, but there’s almost nowhere to go but down. That means the defense will have to pick up the slack. Easier said than done.

A Narduzzi defense is nothing if not aggressive. He is willing to give up big plays in the name of making some. He wants to force college players to make plays college players typically can’t, and that’s great as long as he has the personnel. But his first two Pitt defenses ranked just 50th and 62nd in Def. S&P+. Last year’s Panthers made plays up front but gave up too many big plays; meanwhile, the pass defense was strangely conservative (and still gave up too many big plays).

Pitt allowed 213 gains of 10-plus yards (120th in FBS) and 24 of 40-plus (121st). And that was with Price and Soto up front. That duo combined for 33 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks, and of the nine players to record at least 4.5 TFLs last season, six are gone.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Rori Blair

The end position still has plenty of potential. Rori Blair and Allen Edwards combined for seven TFLs as complementary pieces, and four-star Tennessee transfer Dewayne Hendrix had a good enough spring to be listed as a starter. But there’s a massive void at DT, where the three leading tacklers are gone.

Shane Roy and Amir Watts combined for 6 tackles, and that’s the extent of your experience in the middle. Big things are expected of four-star redshirt freshman Keyshon Camp, but he’s still a redshirt freshman. There’s still plenty of size here, thanks to players like junior Mike Herndon (6’4, 315) and incoming freshman Jalen Twyman (6’2, 315), but there are no proven pieces.

There aren’t many at linebacker either; junior Oluwaseun Idowu is the only of last year’s top four tacklers to return, though senior Quintin Wirginis and sophomore Saleem Brightwell showed some potential in backup roles.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Avonte Maddox

Last year, opponents had to be wary of the run defense and took to the air. They ran just 49 percent of the time on standard downs (123rd in FBS) and 24 percent on passing downs (126th), a sign that there wasn’t much fear of the secondary. Maddox took advantage of the extra attention, combining for 8.5 TFLs and 11 passes defensed, but opponents still completed 64 percent of their passes with a 143.6 passer rating. Pitt basically turned every quarterback into Washington State’s Luke Falk (145.6).

Opposite Maddox will be some combination of sophomores Dane Jackson, Damar Hamllin, and Malik Henderson, junior Phillipie Motley, and redshirt freshman Therran Coleman. Blue-chip freshman Paris Ford could help, but he needs to secure his eligibility first.

Safety was less of an issue last year, but it remains unsure. Free safety Jordan Whitehead returns, and junior Dennis Briggs had 2.5 TFLs and a breakup and might be a play-maker. But once again, if someone gets hurt, there’s almost nothing proven after them.

Special Teams

Chris Blewitt made the biggest field goal of his life against Clemson but still left something to be desired from a consistency standpoint. Pitt ranked just 85th in field goal efficiency, and while punter Ryan Winslow’s leg was strong (42.6 average), the Panthers ranked just 103rd in punt efficiency because of an eight-yard return average.

When you grade poorly in those, you’re going to grade poorly in Special Teams S&P+. Pitt ranked 81st, losing about 0.4 points per game, despite Henderson’s superhuman averages (30.5 yards per kick return, 15.8 yards per punt return, four combined touchdowns). Winslow is back, but Blewitt is replaceable, and Pitt isn’t likely to fall further here.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep Youngstown State NR 25.0 93% 9-Sep at Penn State 8 -16.0 18% 16-Sep Oklahoma State 22 -2.4 44% 23-Sep at Georgia Tech 31 -3.3 42% 30-Sep Rice 120 24.6 92% 7-Oct at Syracuse 60 2.3 55% 14-Oct N.C. State 27 0.9 52% 21-Oct at Duke 65 2.9 57% 28-Oct Virginia 70 10.7 73% 9-Nov North Carolina 38 3.8 59% 18-Nov at Virginia Tech 25 -5.7 37% 24-Nov Miami 18 -3.2 43%

Projected S&P+ Rk 33 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 13 / 78 Projected wins 6.7 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 7.8 (35) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 33 / 41 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* 1 / -0.4 2016 TO Luck/Game +0.5 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 44% (44%, 44%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 8.2 (-0.2)

Ten years ago, Pitt pulled one of its biggest upsets ever, when a team that had lost seven of its last nine games went to Morgantown and took down No. 2 West Virginia, 13-9.

It was the biggest possible rivalry move — we can’t make anything of our season, but we’re going to destroy yours — and it was a springboard. Pitt went 19-7 over the next two seasons, their best two-year win total since 1981-82.

It’s hard to imagine that happening again following last year’s PSU and Clemson wins. The Panthers just have too much to replace. And that’s fine — sometimes it takes a while to get your classes balanced, and Narduzzi’s mentor experienced a third-year blip before he got rolling at Michigan State.

But as with UNC, newfound normalcy will be tested by a 2017 blip. If Pitt manages a top-40 performance and wins seven or eight games, that could set up a nice run in 2018 and beyond. This team doesn’t have many seniors, after all.

In the increasingly talented ACC, a top-40 performance could take on a lot of looks in the win column. S&P+ projects Pitt 33rd, which means three likely wins (Youngstown State, Rice, Virginia), one likely loss (at Penn State), and a whopping eight relative tossups with win probability between 37 and 59 percent. Pitt has played 14 one-possession games in two years; unless the Panthers fall further than expected, that average probably won’t go down.

That means 4-8 and 10-2 are technically on the table, depending on the bounces that eluded the Panthers for so many years.

Team preview stats

All power conference preview data to date.

[thursdaygrl]

rory squeezed blair's pinkie as a confirmation, shooting her a grin as she nodded. "i'd fight like five of 'em for ya. no, ten. possible curses and all." she tended to dance on the line of believing in that kind of stuff anyway and she was pretty sure the majority of the tiktok psychics she was thinking of were white women co-opting religions for their own gain anyway. the drive thru line was thankfully slow, meaning she had more time to hold blair's hand and talk about her darling, weird little cat. "i just shave her butt so little poops don't get stuck." she laughed, her thumb rubbing over the back of the other girl's hand as she looked over at her. "yeah, big and yellow. and when she gets worked up they look like boba. total freak of a cat, it's amazing." rory was so busy staring at blair she almost didn't realise they needed to move up to the drive thru speaker, so she scrambled, letting go of her hand to grab the wheel. "shit. oops." as they approached, she realised she had no idea what she wanted, so she picked a meal at random and a shake, glancing at blair for her order next.

nothing in the world made her chest explode with what felt like literal sunshine than the sound of rory’s laughter, and it was the most mesmerizing sound in the entire world. blair might be a little biased but she’d stand firm by this opinion as she watched the driver gripping the wheel with glee. “oh yeah? you’ll be my own, personal knight in shining armour?” the girl dramatically batted her eyelashes as they locked pinkies, “my hero.” the way she was behaving was so unlike herself when she’d flirted with anyone else, and it made the girl want to kick her feet in the air and giggle. she was purely giddy and flashes of kissing rory kept popping into her head. it wasn’t until she felt their hand slipping into her own that blair’s thoughts all ceased to exist and the only thing that mattered were the sparks where rory’s skin met her own, and blair held on tightly. “sanitary shave? i’m tempted to google it, but i think i might end up on a side of the internet i do not want to be,” she kicked her shoes off and pulled her feet up beneath her, turning more towards her date. “does she have big eyes? she sounds like she has big, creepy eyes. in a cute way.”

[thursdaygrl]

the look that crept onto rory's face as blair launched into a mini-rant on national icon tonya harding was something between awe and adoration, though maybe that was a touch too intense. she blew the answer of every other person she'd ever asked out of the water. "not like i'm trying to sound insane but i think you might be my soulmate. we should find a psychic, or at least troll tiktok for a tarot card reader, see if we can get whatever the future holds expedited by just deciding to get married now." rory was always a little goofy when she tried to flirt with someone she really and truly liked, but as soon as those words left her, her eyes widened and she shrugged. "just sayin'." she was grinning, almost missing her other question before shrugging. "i think maximalism is fun but still slightly stressful. plus what if i change my mind?" and that could be likely, for rory. rounding the car, she slipped into the driver's seat, starting it up with confidence as she spoke again. "i actually asked about tonya harding cause that's my cat's name. she's kind of a bitch but like, she's cool. are you a cat person?"

“yeah, really,” blair nudged the other, her blush intensifying as she felt even more enamored by her counterpart. it also benefited her to encourage that damn smile to appear further. that smile that would surely get her in trouble someday, as if she weren’t already headed tumbling down that path. laughing deeply, blair felt like she could gloss over anal and get into the real serious stuff. “first of all, tonya harding is a national icon, and i think her idiot, abusive boyfriend destroyed her career with his stupid, stupid actions. she deserves more than america gave her! sure, nancy kerrigan, i feel for you — but i always seem to root for an underdog, and it breaks my heart knowing everything was ripped from her.” smiling shyly, she tacked on a quick “i used to really be into women’s figure skating. can’t skate to save my own life, but i loved watching it.” hopping into the vehicle, blair couldn’t help but take in every personal detail rory had added, trying to get to know her a little more between questions. “i should’ve expected a mr. schue hater to be so chivalrous. why’d you decide not to cover the car?”

[thursdaygrl]

rory's laughter started small, but then she was cackling, tightening her hold on the wheel as she struggled to breathe, unsure if blair had any idea that she was not only so obsessed with her, but she also thought she was one the funniest people she'd spoken to in a long damn time. "if the tiktok scammer psychics find you, i'll save you, b. promise." she held out her pinky, wanting to lock it in, but also itching to have some sort of contact between their skin. the car made her far too far away, though she liked talking to her and laughing with her. she turned into the parking lot of the fast food restaurant she'd picked. a generic place, just a backdrop for spending time with blair and how lucky that made rory feel. noticing her hand on the centre console as she pulled into the drive thru line, her hand found hers casually, a small smile on her lips. "i mean, i think she's cute. others have called her presence unsettling... i have to sanitary shave her so sometimes she maybe looks a little weird." she explained, shrugging.

the romcom-driven part of her had blair’s stomach fluttering nervously, letting it fully sink in that she kissed a girl tonight, and now that girl was wining and dining her with fast food and the best conversation she’d had in awhile. it was almost surreal, and she was tempted to reach over and touch rory just to make sure this wasn’t all a figment of her imagination. or maybe she just wanted to hold her hand. “oh, yes — obviously.” she giggled a little, adoring the confidence rory seemed to have in them. “i’ve never reported someone’s account, it’s always scared me. what if they find out i did it? what if tiktok tells them and they come and burn my house down or threaten my loved ones?” it was a little out of left field, but it was the perfect insight to how blair ticked. and the girl decidedly let her hand rest on the middle console in a much too obvious way, leaving it up to rory if she wanted to make a counter move or not. “you think tanya would like me? rory, that’s literally the greatest compliment i could ever get. hopefully, someday, i get the chance to test your theory and tell tanya how much i love her. i bet she’s so cute too, huh?”

[thursdaygrl]

rory was going to live off the giddiness that giving blair butterflies gave her for a thousand years, she was sure of it. it was the kind of ego boost she almost didn't know what to do with, it just left her grinning foolishly, staring at her with big, adoring eyes. "okay. yeah! fast food and the parking lot and we can play non-straight boy twenty questions, cause like... i honestly just really want to get to know you and maybe kiss you some more, if you're cool with kissing me after i've eaten greasy fries." unhooking her keys from her belt loop, she shook them in her hand. "let's go, before i say something weird and you change your mind!" she joked, before leading the way to her car which was, admittedly, a lot nicer than most people expected. it was also littered with ironic, stupid bumper stickers.

maybe she’d screwed up already, seeing the way rory’s face faltered momentarily, but it didn’t keep her from wanting to hang out, so blair chalked it up as a win. “absolutely sure,” the naive girl grinned a little too widely, “i mean, kissing you, or even the thought of it was, like, way crazier of a butterfly feeling than i’ve ever felt before. can’t be more sure than that, right?” blair caught herself playing with her hair again, and immediately tugged her hands to her sides. “oh — if the food is that good, then we have to get it. a cup of blended dairy products itself just might not be the best for this, uhm, not-date pre-date limited time trial thing. an upset tummy seems to really kill the mood. not that there’s any mood! i just,” the girl sighed, blushing profusely as she tried to recover. “fast food and the parking lot sounds great, rory.”

[thursdaygrl]

rory had taken girls she didn't like half as much as blair on bowling alley dates and to movies in the park, she'd mastered lowkey and romantic for whatever purpose it had to serve, even if that was just getting into someone's pants but with blair... with blair she wanted it to just be them, to be in an enclosed space and talk with her, hear all her little jokes, catch all her smiles. it was kind of pathetic, really, how much they hung on her every word even as they drove, shaking their head insistently. "what? no. if they say we're not meant to be they're obviously a hack, fraud and a scammer and we'll report their account. duh." their brows furrowed, a scoff leaving their lips as if that was obvious. rory believed in that notion anyway: making your own destiny. it wasn't gonna be a long drive, which she was thankful for as she beamed, hearing that he loved cats. she laughed, shooting a pout her way. "you weren't allowed to have a cat? that's so fucked up." she said, sympathetically. "i don't think they'd hate you. cats are sweeter than people think... bet ol' tonya will rub up against you the second you meet her. just don't pet her for too long, she gets randomly swipe happy." she liked this, thinking about bringing her around her place to meet her cat, more time with her in general.

no one had ever looked at her that way before. certainly, they’d appeared wide eyed and frightened, usually when she had become a little too overwhelming, but never with the softness and hints of joy that rory’s held right then. it made her stomach turn. “they can do that on tiktok now? well, what are we waiting for? we’ve gotta find out our destiny before it’s too late!” the girl giggled, though the mention of marriage sent a jolt through her body. not good, not bad, but it kept blair a little more alert than she had been. which was a very positive reaction when it came to blair bennett. sliding into the vehicle and letting herself get cozy in the passenger seat, blair’s focus went back to her ‘date.’ “what if the cards tell us we aren’t meant to be? are you doing to kick me out? because it’s pretty nice in here…” and she was a little nervous that rory would have an instinctual reaction and tell her to buzz off before either of them became more invested. “wait, seriously? i love cats! and she sounds like the name suits her quite perfectly. i think i’m a cat person, i do, but my mom never let me have a pet growing up, so maybe? they might hate me, i think that matters more.”

[felteverywhere]

that statement certainly prompted some concerned and rapid blinking from rory, who hesitated to speak as blair corrected herself. unlabelled was fine and it was a good sign that she was admitting to flirting with her, that she knew it wasn't some platonic, playful nothing. "good. okay. yeah. as long as you're sure." rory wasn't always good at hesitating and not throwing herself in headfirst, but she was giving it her best right now, which was why she'd kind of asked her out in the most awkward fashion ever. her eyes widened at the mention of her being lactose intolerant, bashful as if somehow she should have known before she said it. "oh, shit, okay yeah. no dairy, which knocks out some of my top non-date food spots... is frozen yoghurt okay for lactose intolerant people? or is that like, no, nevermind. what if i just got you some fast food and we sit in a parking lot? promise it's more romantic than you're thinking."

"i mean, i didn't say i was gay or anything," blair began to absentmindedly explain before her brain kicked in and she realized what she was saying. "not that i'm not, or that i'm straight, i just— oh my god, i can't talk. wow. what i mean is that i don't really know what i am. it's been on my mind a lot lately though. and i do know that i absolutely was flirting with you." it made her lighter to admit that, the sheer terror she was feeling moments prior lifting instantly. "no milkshake, i'm super lactose intolerant." the admittal made her blush immediately, regretting her affinity to blurting things out more than ever right now. "but i would love to have a non-traditional, pre-date trial with you somewhere, for sure. whatever that entails. where do i sign up?"

[felteverywhere]

part of rory wanted to run far, far away from the sting of rejection that came with realising that blair hadn't meant to flirt with her. still, she couldn't seem to pull away from the conversation. stupidly, she still wanted to talk to her, hanging off of her every word and snorting at her question. "what — this?" she scoffed, laughing goofily. "i mean, like, i'm not crazy. most of the time i'm getting really clear vibes, so it's not that random. i don't know. i like making sure. one time i tried to kiss someone and it wasn't... so, yeah. sometimes."

blair's mind was sorting through every nook and cranny for any possible explanation as to why she was feeling this way. like, why was this insanely attractive girl with those beautiful eyes, who seemingly wanted to kiss her, making her heart race and her palms so sweaty? she'd never felt this way before, not about anyone but jeremiah from youth group — and even he didn't make her this uneasy. "so you do this a lot?" her eyes widened as she looked up at rory. "the whole, like, asking a random girl if you could kiss her thing?"

[felteverywhere]

intentions to casually and carefully gauge blair's interest went up in flames before rory's very eyes, her heart fluttering awkwardly in her chest as her mouth open and shut, seeing the misstep she'd taken. "oh my god! sorry — were we not? i thought we were... flirting? fuck." panic ensued and rory did what she could to ramble her way through it. "i mean, uh, the second question feels like a pretty obvious answer? i'm sorry. you're just... i read things wrong."

“if you try to wha— excuse me?” blair’s eyes widened and she could feel an intense heat flash across her cheeks. not that she was disinterested, but god, this was way out of her league. “where did that — what made you think about that? and why do you want to kiss me? me?!”

[thursdaygrl]

no, nope, she was going to live on that compliment alone. rory blinked rapidly, surprise spreading across her features at blair's words. "really?" she tucked it into the back of her mind like she would a pocket, under a folder titled 'best things anyone's ever said to me'. it was so pitiful, how much it meant to have the other girl like her. she snorted, a skip in her step as they walked. "i mean i guess i could still ask if you'd ever do anal, but like, it's not my main concern. my first question is usually 'how do you feel about disgraced figure skater tonya harding?'" she grinned. french fry kisses. god, she was a goner. as they stopped behind her car, rory almost didn't realise what she was asking until she realised her bumper stickers weren't exactly normal to everyone. "oh, the mr. schuester is a war criminal one, for sure. i was a gleek." she said. "i had a phase, i almost considered covering the car in them." rory slipped towards the passenger side door, opening it up for blair. "after you."

“you might have the cutest smile ever.” blair didn’t really intend to say it out loud, but the way she was beaming back at the other, with a glazed over affection, she attempted to own it. “wait, so you mean twenty questions isn’t all ‘boxers or briefs’ and ‘would you ever do anal’ and all of that?” she was truly appalled as she followed rory’s lead. “i didn’t know there was a version where you actually got to know someone — that is so much better than what the boys wanna do! and lucky for you, fries are one of my favourite flavours. it’ll be a honour to get french fry kisses from you, rory,” blair blushed at the thought still, eyes widening when they got to rory’s vehicle, gesturing at the stickers. “what’s your favourite one?”

[felteverywhere]

"i think it was flirting too. i was starting to worry i had a faulty gaydar or something, was kinda getting embarrassing for a sec there..." rory was grinning bashfully, watching blair twirl her hair with her fingers like a giddy schoolgirl. she did that. well, she supposed the other girl had initiated the kiss, but she'd been the one to ask. she figured she could take some of the credit. rory squeezed her hand gently, head tipping to the side as she took in her admission. "more than okay." she reassured. "do you... uh," rory clicked her tongue against her teeth, turning her head to look around. "do you wanna go somewhere more fun? or i could just buy you a milkshake or something?" it wasn't like she wanted to get blair into her car for creepy reasons, she just liked the idea of being alone with her and talking to her more. "like not a date or anything. maybe like a pre-date? a limited trial, try before you buy kinda thing? wait. okay, no, that sounds weird..."

[ @felteverywhere ] blair would bet her heart had never raced this fast before in her life, so anxiously on edge as she wondered what was going through rory's mind. she wanted more than anything to burst out and ask what the other thought, how she felt, if she liked it or not — but she just took a step back and beamed up at them in anticipation instead. and god, was she proud she had the patience, because the results were worth the wait. "yes! i mean, i think it was flirting," the girl toyed with the ends of her hair as she swayed back and forth. "i've never really flirted with a girl before. like, not on purpose at least." in any other case, she would have been mortified, but seeing rory smiling back at her gave blair all the confidence in the world. so she took her hand and took a risk. "was it, uh, okay?"

[felteverywhere]

for a moment rory was blinking, bewildered from the joke... before she realised that blair was joking. she exhaled more so than chuckled, once again preforming the nervous tic of playing with her messy hair. why was she being so insistent with her question? it felt very much like someone indirectly asking if she ever 'got some' and she wasn't sure about that. "you want me to like. quantify it?" it was a big word for someone who felt like everything that came out of her mouth talking to the other in that moment was verbal diarrhea. "i don't know. why do you care?" her eyes widened. "i don't sexually harass people, i swear. you're like the... sixth person!" in a long time, really.

[ @felteverywhere ] "you seem a little crazy to me," blair interjected, only half joking. but still she stood there, feet planted firmly before rory as she swayed back and forth nervously, with no plans to run. there was something so captivating about her, and if she hadn't been so darn polite and had just kissed her... would she? "it's super nice that you get consent, but like, that didn't really answer anything. do you do this a lot?" or was she special? "i don't mean it in a judgmental way, i promise, i just— want to know for my own personal reasons."

[felteverywhere]

one moment rory was trying to make sure blair didn't think she was a total creep, the next she was coming at her so suddenly that the press of the other's lips against her own stole the breath from her. she blinked rapidly, needing a moment to process it. she'd just come to accept that whatever it was that made her say the most stupid shit to blair in the hopes of making her smile was going to have to remain unrequited and now blair was kissing her? she blinked, a goofy smile worming its way onto her face as she chuckled softly. "not hundreds. so not hundreds." rory shook her head. "are you kidding? you can do that whenever you want. i mean, kiss my face off. totally..." she paused, eyes narrowing as she stepped forward, hand reaching out tentatively for hers. "to clarify, that was flirting, then?"

[ @felteverywhere ] it killed her inside when rory’s hand ran through her seemingly perfectly tousled hair, it was such an effortlessly attractive motion that sent her stomach spinning and urged her towards them even more. and when the only confirmation blair needed to have a single, minute moment of confidence happened, it truly felt as if something took over her body and sent her forward, closing the distance between them. and then it happened. it was short and sweet, a quick elementary school-type peck, but it left blair’s head in a tizzy and she felt lightheaded from the rush. “i just— i didn’t want to just be one of the hundreds of girls you try to kiss a day,” she admitted as a blush crept over her face. “sorry i didn’t ask if that was okay, i just figured it was because of, y’know, the fact that you already expressed interest earlier.”

[felteverywhere]

no? no. fuck. rory blinked, opening and shutting her mouth like a fish and fully aware of how stupid she looked for it. blair hadn't been flirting? she was finding it hard to follow the conversation and it was half her own fault, but she followed the thread as best she could. one of her hands ran through her shaggy hair, a nervous tick as she nodded. "oh, i mean, it's all good. girl and girl flirting is super nuanced or whatever the fuck. so, it's okay. i accidentally think someone's flirting with me like six times a day." rory brushed it off, confident in her interpretation that blair had accidentally smiled at her like maybe the sun shined out of her ass. "my bad."

her body and her mind were going in two separate directions as blair felt her insides reevaluating themselves. had she been flirting with rory? it was an obvious yes, the pull of their chemistry almost too strong to deny, almost. but when asked to admit it out loud, she was seemingly out of air. all hope for just falling into a hot girl's arms and no questions being asked fading away. "no, oh my god, i just meant— i'm not really sure how this works." she feigned a weak chuckle, though the smile smile she offered rory was real. "i guess i don't really know what flirting is with, y'know," blair awkwardly gestured between them, "what i'm trying to say is i'm lost."

[thursdaygrl]

rory's eyes widened in mock shock and offence. "what?" lips parted, her hand going to her chest as blair corrected herself. "right... right, okay. it just sounded like you were saying i look like a weakling, which is ridiculous. obviously." she squinted, giving her an almost warning look before she turned her gaze away to grin, fighting off the giggles despite how impossible it felt. it wasn't like she'd actually hurt her feelings by any means, though. especially not when she was squeezing her hand and being so damn cute. more laughter spilled from her lips. "wait, no? why would she only have a hairy butt? that would be so counterintuitive." she was still grinning though, glad that she was so exciting to meet tonya. that was a big deal, with anyone she wanted to be kissing. if they weren't a cat person, it was usually an indication it wasn't going to go very far. "you can meet her any time, though." she assured, distracted then by the whole ordering their food thing that they both seemed less than interested in. rory snorted, uttering a 'yes, that's perfect, thanks' when the lady went back over their order. then she was driving to the next window, paying quickly before they made it to the third one. as they were handed their shakes, she extended the strawberry one to blair. "are you sure you want this? kinda feels like handing you a loaded weapon." she teased.

“you could take on ten at a time? holy cow, rory, you really are stronger than you look!” her eyes immediately flashed widely, slight fear reflecting in them as she hurriedly followed the statement up. “which you’re clearly so, so strong already, that’s hardly a difference at all, because you’re super strong.” it was obviously an attempt at covering up what blair was worried would be an insult, so she just grinned, cheeks red as she gave rory’s hand a little squeeze. maybe her date would understand what she was attempting to convey via physical touch instead. “is she bald everywhere except for her butt? i’ve gotta meet this fascinating cat, rory, i can’t wait. she sounds like the most intriguing animal i’ve ever heard of. and i’m dying to see those big, creepy eyes!” again, not to just invite herself over. but blair had a funny feeling that rory might not be entirely opposed to the idea as the butterflies in her stomach roared. giggling at the sudden realization that they needed to order, blair simply nodded, saying she’d have “the same” as she didn’t want to be complicated, and it honestly sounded good. “make sure mine’s a strawberry shake though, please.” if she was going to have dairy, she at least would insist on her favourite flavour.