It's seven months later, and they're watching Mon Oncle again, this time on DVD in her living room. He made enough popcorn for two, but put it in one bowl and acted as though he was going to eat it all himself so she can have the amusement of stealing her share from him. They've progressed so much in their relationship that they can sit next to each other on the couch, and they manage to go the whole night without calling each other Waldorf or Humphrey like they're names are the worst of insults. All in all, it's definitely one of the better evenings they've spent together.
When the movie ends, they're all alone – Serena went up to bed halfway through, and no one else had bothered to try to watch it at all – and Dan looks to his right to notice that Blair has drifted off to sleep. Funny as Tati can be, he probably should have noticed the quiet for the last few minutes. She might not fill every spare moment with vitriolic diatribes against him anymore, but she hasn't lost her knack for banter, either.
And he looks at her, sprawled out on the couch, and it's all he can do not to laugh. There she is, Blair Waldorf, dressed in couture and still wearing her Marc Jacobs even with her feet tucked under her at home on her own couch, and she's got bits of popcorn in one of her curls. She also snoring. Lightly, of course, so lightly that he wouldn't have heard it if he weren't sitting right next to her (and isn't he considerably closer to her than when the film started?) and her mouth is hanging open just a little.
She looked … cute. Much more surprisingly, she looked like a girl his age, instead of the terrifying queen of the Upper East Side that she'd always been to him, even when they started to oh-so-tentatively refer to each other as "friends."
Instinctively, he tucks some stray hair behind her ear, a liberty he'd never take while she was conscious, and she sighs and nudges her head into his hand, something she'd certainly never do while conscious. Something fizzes through him at the unintentional contact.
It's not the night he falls in love with her. But it is the night he realizes that he could.
AN: Yes, I've gone and written a fanfic for the first time in, what, a year? I felt randomly inspired. I can't promise that this means I'll start writing again more regularly, or even pick up my old fics, but it's a start. Sorry for the random little ficlet, but I felt very suddenly inspired to write some Dair fluff. I've always been a huge Chair shipper, but Dan and Blair are the first new Gossip Girl couple in a long time that's actually had potential and I've always wondered "what if?" Plus, they're really cute together so far. Hope this is enjoyed. Love? Hate? Review!