Dan and Blair Ficlets

by merrywanderer

In which I work out my "if I had my way" aggression. What if instead of apathy and misery we'd gotten...this? These are small fics I wrote in response to an ask meme on tumblr. I was asked to publish them so they could be viewed more easily. The prompts were given by tumblr users so each chapter is unrelated to the next. I've posted them as close to chronological order as I can.

1. Love (S1)

Prompt: Dan realizing he's in love with Blair, in Season 1.

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She sits in his window with her legs crossed daintily at the ankle while prattling on about the finer points of Nate's handsome features. It bothers him, though it shouldn't. He counters with a reminder of how gorgeous Serena is and wouldn't it be ironic if they left us both to be beautiful and perfect together? The words are out of his mouth before he can stop them and he immediately regrets even having the thought. Her face gets red and she hops down from the window and makes a run for the door. I didn't mean it, it just came out. He gently grabs her arm and asks her to stay. Please stay. She does, but only because we have an exam tomorrow and I need to pick your inflated intellect. He sits back down on an exhale, mindful of the relief he feels.

This is the dance, their little sport that tends to have a bit of truth behind it, at least on his part. She comes over under the guise of needing a study partner, or an essay editor, or just someone to talk to and it ends with her locking his door, nary a thought of history or mathematics crossing her mind. Tonight is no different. He watches her cross the room but when he hears the familiar click of his lock, he has a revelation. I want her more than I want anyone else. The thought startles him and it must show on his face because she's asking what's wrong and looking more vulnerable than he's ever seen her. He shakes it off, tells her everything's fine and could we maybe hold off for a bit? Her first instinct is to look down and inspect herself for imperfections, which saddens him more than he cares to admit. She seems so fragile, so small and he wants to wrap her up in his arms.Everything's fine, you're perfect, he tells her. She's confused and maybe even a little humiliated but she holds her head up, pops that chin out, and flounces back over to her perch on the windowsill and he loves her for it.

He loves her for it. The thought floors him, paralyzes him…exhilarates him. She's swinging her legs now, like a child, and attempting to mask her burning cheeks by covering them with her hair. When he stands up and approaches her, however, she meets his eyes and refuses to look away. It's a challenge, a warning, a don't you dare pity me.

She yelps in surprise when he hooks his arm around her waist and hauls her up against him. I changed my mind, he says. She tries to suppress it, but he knows her too well and he can see, no, sense the elation. She giggles a bit when he nibbles her ear and says, this doesn't mean anything, you know. I have a boyfriend.

He pulls back and smiles at her, I know, but his eyes are telling a different story.

Ah well, he supposes that will have to be sorted out another day.