A/N: So a lot of people asked for a DB NYU fic and while I'm still dreaming of writing a friends with benefits story about NYU, I haven't gotten around to it yet. This is sort of an NYU fic aside from the fact that Blair gets to fulfill her dream of going to Yale. Chuck does not exist in this story (YAY) and I'm pretty sure Serena will only be mentioned a few times. Dan and Blair don't know each other.

"You don't think it's weird that we've been roommates for three years and I've never met your fiance?" Dan picks up an oddly shaped vase, reminds him of a bong Nate used to own, and sets it on the kitchen window sill. The bluish green glass reflects the sunlight and sends a set of rays against the wall.

Nate laughs, examining the wine glasses carefully. "I told you, she was at Yale and we only saw each other on holidays with family. I think her exact words were 'I don't have time to meet your pretentious friends, Nate.'" His inflection is feminine, mocking.

"I'm not pretentious," Dan says defensively and Nate just shakes his head, laughing to himself. They arrange the pillows on the couch and Dan realizes just how particular Nate's fiance's taste is. She seems to be someone who thrives on control, a trait he personally finds quite off-putting in women.

"Hey," Nate approaches him, nudging his side gently. "Thanks for being so cool with Blair staying here for a couple months. As soon as our new apartment is renovated we'll be out of here."

Although he would never admit it, Dan wasn't ready to see Nate move out. They had lived together for over three years now and he had forgotten what it was like to not have his best friend right down the hallway from him. Nate's not the type of guy Dan thought he'd ever connect with, but after they met playing intramural lacrosse freshman year, they were inseparable. When Nate asked his girlfriend of five years to marry him in the fall, Dan couldn't help the pang of disappointment that shot through him when he realized they wouldn't be living together anymore. This was followed by a feeling of relief when Nate asked if he and Blair could finish out the lease until their apartment was renovated fully.

"I'm gonna pick up some champagne so we can celebrate our new roommate. Can you let Blair in if she buzzes?"

Dan nods, opening up a box of china and unpacking it carefully. Why Blair thought it'd be a good idea to let two college guys use fine china was beyond him. Fifteen minutes go by and Nate still isn't back, so when the buzzer goes off, Dan opens the main door and turns the dead bolt.

She is as WASPy as they come. She wears a short navy skirt and an ivory chiffon blouse, her tights are black and lace patterned, with nude heels on her feet. An apple red headband pushes back her long brown waves and matches her shiny red lips. She's not who he would picture for Nate, but coming from a political family, it makes sense. She looks like she stepped out of a J. Crew catalog, so right for Nate and so wrong for him at the same time.

"You must be Blair," Dan offers her a hand, "I'm Dan. Dan Humphrey."

She takes his hand distractedly, glancing at her phone. "Blair," She looks up at him, "Can you help me with my bags? I would've asked the doorman, but…"

"We don't have one," he says, and Blair nods. Dan carries up suitcase after suitcase and he had no idea it was possible for one woman to own so many clothes, not to mention all the shit that's hanging up in the backseat. He's more than grateful when he gets back up to the apartment and Nate's there with beers and take out. Nate presses a gentle kiss to Blair's cheek and cracks open a couple bottles.

"How was Paris?"

Blair takes a sip of wine, smiling dreamily. "Amazing, as always."

"You were in Paris for the holidays?" Dan asks, glancing up from his plate of food.

She nods, "I'm fortunate enough to have a father who lives in the most beautiful city in the world."

Dan snorts a laugh and sips his beer, "Clearly you've never been to Prague."

"Have you?" Her head tilts slightly and Nate's words play through Dan's head repeatedly, 'I don't have time to meet your pretentious friends.'

"I've seen pictures," he says quietly.

Blair shakes her head, amused.

Another glass of wine and the headband comes off, Blair runs a few fingers through her long waves. Dan thinks she has nice hair, and he wonders if it's weird to think that about his best friend's fiance. It's okay think her hair is nice, because it really is nice. She must get told she has nice hair a lot.

Sometimes Dan rambles inside his own head.

They decide to watch a movie, Blair's choice. She bends over to flip through their collection and Dan has to avert his eyes elsewhere, because some things are just not okay to think about his best friend's fiance.

"The only movie down there that belongs to me is the copy of Breakfast at Tiffany's that you gave me when we were twelve," Nate tells her and Blair laughs, picking up Bringing Up Baby, one of Dan's personal favorites.

"I won't make you watch Tiffany's again," she says, popping the DVD in.

Dan makes his way to the couch and plops down, "Thank you for that, especially because anyone who read the book knows that Audrey was a poor casting choice."

Blair turns to face him and her skirt swings slightly against her thighs, "Excuse me?"

"I'm just saying she doesn't fit the character," he shrugs, innocently enough, and focuses on the screen.

"You would know," she says sarcastically.

Dan opens his mouth to speak, to say that actually he would know, because he wrote a thirty-eight page paper on Capote's writing less than a year ago, but Nate sits down next to him and he swallows his argument.

As the movie starts, Blair curls into Nate's side and sighs contentedly. So this is how things will be now, in their apartment. Gone are the days of playing NBA '08 on Xbox, or watching crappy sitcoms before they go to bed. Now Nate has Blair and that realization makes Dan take a long gulp from his beer.

When the movie ends Blair yawns and says good night to the boys, making her way down the hallway to their bedroom. Once the door is shut and Dan is fairly certain she's asleep, he sets his beer down and turns to face Nate.

"So that's Blair," he says.

Nate nods, smiling. "That's Blair."

"She's not what I was expecting."

"What were you expecting?" Nate asks.

"I don't know, man. She just doesn't seem like your type."

Nate laughs quietly and gets up to grab another beer. "I have a type?"

"Well you really liked my friend Vanessa," he reasons, and Nate just shrugs in response, "Or there was that one girl we met, really bohemian looking with a weakness for double cheeseburgers."

"Jess?" Nate furrows his brow, "I guess she was cool, but at the end of the day Blair's the one I'm gonna marry."

Dan sighs deeply, not entirely sure why he cares so much about who Nate ends up with. He just doesn't feel right about it being Blair.

"Can you actually see yourself growing old with her? What do you guys even have to talk about besides money?" The words fall out of his mouth and Dan freezes.

Nate stands quickly, shutting his eyes as if to erase the words from his mind. "Dude, not cool. I know it's sort of weird having my girlfriend- fiance living with us now, but that's the way it's gonna be."

"Nate, listen I didn't mean to-"

"Stop," Nate cuts him off promptly, "I'm just going to pretend you didn't say anything and we'll forget about it."

But even when Nate goes to bed, Dan can't just forget about it. Something about Blair just irks him and he can't see Nate being happy for the rest of his life if he spends it with her.