A/N:Thank you all so, so much for your amazing reviews and faves and follows! & Oh my goodness. This is so long. I'm sorry! There's underage drinking and some slight drug use. Those are both bad, kids! Don't do it.
It's 6:58pm.
Blair scrunches her nose as she opens the door to Dan's…..loft building. What was she thinking? She looks around for the elevator. Apparently, they don't have such basic human needs in Brooklyn. She sighs, resigned to her fate. As her foot falls gracefully onto the first step, her phone rings. It's Nate. She looks around suspiciously and hesitates. He's her boyfriend. She should answer it. Answering the call is going to affect her punctuality, something she takes very seriously. She bites her lip and hits ignore. She doesn't want to be late. He probably wants to know something trivial anyway, like what belt to wear. He told her that since she was going to a party with a friend, he and Chuck would be hitting the club. The thing of it is though, that, for once, she didn't even care enough to fight him on it. She ignores that thought.
She finally approaches Dan's door. She can hear music through the door; it makes her smile. She takes a deep breath and knocks on Dan's door.
A young, bright girl throws it open happily. "Hi!" She shouts over the music. She laughs to herself and runs to turn the music down. "Sorry about that." She raises her eyebrows, prompting Blair to speak.
Blair takes a step back. "Hi? Is this—Is this the Humphrey residence?" She pulls her head back to look at the number again. Right loft, wrong Humphrey.
"Yes! How much do we owe you?" She holds up a wallet. "Oh, did you remember the extra soy sauce? It's really not as good without it." She smiles sunnily.
"I'm sorry." Blair's eyes close and she breathes out an offended laugh. She opens her eyes and narrows them at the girl. "Do you think I'm some kind of delivery person?"
"Well—er—aren't you?" She bites her lip and her eyes dart between Blair and the hallway anxiously.
A horrified noise flies from her mouth before she can even stop it. She brings a hand to her chest and takes a deep breath. "No." She glares at her. Surely, someone is playing a joke on her. "No, I am not a delivery person. You know, I don't even know if Dan actually lives here and I don't care." She steps closer and the girl steps back nervously. "I have never been so offended. Not even when Nelly Yuki wore an actual poncho last week. This is too much." She shakes her head and looks away.
"I'm sorry." The girl steps closer and looks at Blair with a mix of curiosity, awe, and intimidation. That's much better. "Who are you?"
"Who am I? Who am I?" She glares and steps even closer to the girl, she's basically inside their home now. "I am Blair Waldorf! Who are you?!"
It's at that precise moment that Dan comes striding, striding, out of his room. Honestly, striding at a time like this? It's both infuriating and distracting her. He looks good tonight, so good. Too good. She swallows hard and puts her scowl back on. "Back down, Blair." He puts his hand on the small of her back and ushers her inside. Her mouth falls open slightly to protest, but his hand is on the small of her back, so instead it falls open to catch her breath. He smiles at the girl and moves to stand beside her. He looks at Blair. "No need to be catty, Waldorf. This is my baby sister." He smiles at the girl again and ruffles her hair. She groans and reaches her hands up to smooth it down.
"Humphrey, I don't care who she is. She thought I was a servant! And in this outfit?! It costs more than a delivery person makes in a year." She gestures down her body. "Me! Can you imagine?" She huffs and crosses her arms.
Dan's mouth purses and his eyes dance around in amusement. "Uh, no. No, I cannot." He looks at Jenny and smiles.
She shrugs guiltily. "I thought she was delivering the food. I thought she was getting paid for it. I didn't think she was doing it for free because she had to." She pleads her case and Blair's eyes grow wide. Dan sees it and starts to laugh until she redirects her glare to him. "You've never had a girl over besides Vanessa, but that's Vanessa." Blair's head snaps around to look at Dan. Vanessa? "She is not Vanessa." Jenny looks her up and down. She looks back at Dan. "What was I supposed to think?"
"Ok. Ok. It's nothing for anyone to be upset about, ladies." He tilts his head. "Jenny, this is Blair. She's—uh—my friend, for now." He cuts his eyes to Blair before he continues. She rolls her eyes. "And she would very much like it if you recognize her superior station in life and show the proper deference." He smirks and grabs Blair's hand, leading her toward his bedroom.
"Humphrey!" She calls out in annoyance and stops walking.
He stops too and turns to look at her with a knowing, amused look. "Don't even pretend that I'm wrong about any of that." She notices that he's still holding her hand and she tries to pull it away, but he tightens his grip and bites his lip as he smiles at her. His eyes hold hers.
She turns her head and shrugs a shoulder. "It was your mocking tone with which I took issue."
He laughs loudly. Her eyes dart to his and she frowns. "I knew it." He reaches his free hand out to brush her hair off of her shoulder. "You're adorable."
Her heart jumps and her lips twitch, wanting to smile. "You're so easy, Humphrey."
He shakes his head and looks away briefly. "I'm not." He smiles and shrugs when he looks back at her.
"Are you guys, like, dating?" Jenny asks in confusion from behind her.
"No!"
"Not yet."
Blair and Dan call out at the same time.
Blair clicks her tongue against her teeth. "Humphrey!" She successfully rips her hand out of his this time. "It's one thing to delude yourself, it is quite another to delude the child." She looks down and runs her hands down her thighs, smoothing her dress out over her tights. She smiles at him with fake pleasantness when she raises her eyes to find him staring at her, distraction evident in his eyes.
He clears his throat and runs a hand down the back of his head. It makes his t-shirt rise up slightly, exposing his hip bone and the top of his boxers. Now she's feeling distracted. "Yeah, you might want to table the delusion discussion for now." He grabs her hand again and leads her to his room. "I'd hate to have to use it against you in our long and happy future." She scoffs, but doesn't protest. He stops at his door and looks past Blair, at Jenny. "Jen, you told dad you couldn't help him tonight because you had school work. At least pretend to do something productive." He stands back and opens the door to let Blair in. She turns her head back as she walks into his room to see Jenny doing an annoyed impression of her brother. She smiles to herself. That one has potential.
It occurs to her when she hears the door close that she's standing in his bedroom. It's a little messy and there's a lot of….stuff. Books, records, movies.
He pulls out his desk chair. "You can have a seat. We've got a little time before we head to Derek's."
She stops looking around and eyes him playfully. "Was this all a clever ruse to get me alone in your room?"
He chuckles and rubs a hand over his jaw as he sits on his bed. "I don't need a ruse, Blair." The moment becomes less playful and more serious. She swallows hard and takes a seat. "I don't mind waiting either. I'm a patient person." He's looking up at her so earnestly and confidently. She can't deny how appealing that is. "Um, I'll be honest, though, I absolutely will take any and every opportunity to get to know you better. I'm not an idiot." He rests his arms on his knees and leans closer to her. He gives her a small smile.
She smiles back, feeling happy and good about herself. She spins the chair from side to side. "I bet you're a good writer." She says as she continues taking in his room, his space. It makes no sense, but she likes it. It's comfortable.
She notices that his breath hitched a little. He's looking at her like he's slightly in awe. She stops moving the chair and looks at him. "I think that might be the first genuine compliment you've given me. That means a lot coming from you." He sits up straight and rests his foot on his knee.
"Oh, I guess I'm not generous with praise." She bites her lip and shrugs, feeling badly.
"That's ok. You don't have to be." He studies her. "That's not what I meant anyway. I meant that you're smart and I can tell already that you love books. If I've done something to give someone like you the impression that I'm a good writer then that's…..that's amazing." He smiles warmly. "Thank you."
She smiles and shakes her head. "You just managed to turn a thank you into an even better compliment than the original." She flushes as his eyes move over her, taking her in.
"You look beautiful tonight, Blair." He smiles. Something about the way he says it and the way he's looking at her makes it better than when anyone else has ever said it to her. "I would've told you sooner but Jenny…." He raises his eyebrows. "Sorry about that by the way." He laughs. "She really didn't mean anything by it. She's a sweet girl."
Blair pouts her lips. "All the same I don't appreciate being mistaken for a delivery person. Of Chinese food no less." She looks at her nails. "She does have promise though. I saw her mocking you when you weren't looking." She teases and raises her eyes back to his mischievously.
He runs a hand over his eyebrow and laughs wryly. "Yeah, that doesn't surprise me. She's sweet, but she's got some attitude too. She always has. I think that's good though. I want her to be self-sufficient. If she has to learn that through me so be it."
She doesn't know him very well, but she can tell that he's selfless and generous in his love for people. She admires him for it. "You really love her, don't you?" She studies him.
He looks surprised. "Of course I love her. She's my sister. We grew up together. No one else in the world will ever know what that was like, y'know?" He furrows his brow in thought. She doesn't actually, she thinks sadly. "I mean she's my little sister, she's a brat and she's annoying sometimes right now, but she's my little sister." He smiles and it falls a little as he looks at her. "Do you have any siblings?"
"No." She can feel how tight and forced her smile is, she knows he sees it. He tilts his head and nods. "I always wish I did, but I'm sure if I had ever had one I would have hated it." She tries to smooth over the emotion.
"Hmmm. Maybe, maybe not." He's analyzing her, she can see it. "It's ok to be vulnerable, Blair." He always knows what she's really saying or hiding. It scares her.
She sighs dramatically and rolls her eyes. "Do you want to be my boyfriend or do you want to be my therapist?" She arches her eyebrow.
He laughs. "Touche." He puts his hands up in surrender. "I just want you to know that you can be yourself with me. You're complex. I like that. You don't have to pretend or hide." He shrugs. "That's all I'm saying."
She wants to come back with a snide remark. She manages to stop herself though. She's really trying not to scare him off. She made a choice to be his friend. This is what she wanted. He just gets so close. She plays with the hem of her dress to distract herself. "Who's Vanessa, Humphrey?"
He watches her, taking his time before answering. He only answers when she looks up at him expectantly. "Uh, she's my best friend. Or, well, she was. She moved away and we kind of lost touch."
Blair studies him, sizing him up this time. "Do you love her?"
Dan smiles knowingly. "No. Not like that." He takes a deep breath. "I had an unrequited crush on her, but that's about it."
"That sounds familiar." She tilts her head to the side and smirks. He laughs and leans back on his elbows. "So she's the one that got away?"
He forms his mouth into a straight line and narrows his eyes. "No. That would imply that she's the one. She's not the one." He tells her pointedly. She darts her eyes away. "She's a girl I grew up with and had a crush on."
She leans back in his chair and crosses her arms. "And, who am I, Dan?" So much for playing nice.
He just stares at her. "I really hit a nerve, huh?" She quirks her mouth to the side and rolls her eyes. He's really too good at this. He looks away from her and thinks for a moment. "Who you are is up to you, Blair. I think, at this point, you know where I stand." She can't even look at him anymore, she feels so guilty. His phone rings and he takes it on the fire escape.
She sits up straight and looks at him when he comes back into the room. "I'm sorry, Dan."
He laughs and tosses his phone on his bed. "Wow. A compliment and an apology all in one night. I must be doing something right." He leans against his dresser and watches her. "Come here." She eyes him cautiously. "Just come here, Waldorf. I'm not going to bite; you don't deserve it tonight." He winks. She blushes and her mouth falls open in amused surprise. Dan mimics the face and she laughs. "Come on." He motions for her to come to him. She gets up and crosses the room to stand in front of him. She puts her hands behind her back and bounces on her feet playfully. He smiles and looks her in the eyes. "You're not chasing me away. You can push and I'm going to push right back." She studies his eyes. He's serious. "I think I should apologize too anyway. I knew that was a big push, but I did it anyway. I'm sorry." He steps away from the dresser, until he's in her space. Her heart is pounding. His eyes are locked on hers. She couldn't look away if she wanted to; she doesn't want to. He rubs his hands up and down her arms and her breath hitches. He stops at her shoulders and holds them. He leans forward and presses a kiss to her forehead. Her own hands reach out and rest on his elbows, gripping him. She doesn't want the contact to end. She takes a deep breath and he moves his lips to her cheek. He sighs when he looks in her eyes and steps back from her. Her hands drop to her sides, feeling restless at the loss. "Derek's home. Let's go have some fun, baby." He smiles at her. She nods and returns his smile.
They leave his room and Jenny's lying on the floor with her feet propped up on the couch. She has a magazine in her hands.
"Look at her." Dan laughs and gestures to his little sister. "Jenny, you know dad could come home at any time and find you like this. You're smarter than this." He goes to her backpack and pulls out a book. He walks over and hands it to her. "When you hear his key in the door, pick up your textbook. Amateur." Blair smiles to herself. He's such a good brother. She has no idea why, but a sense of pride rushes through her. He walks back over to Blair and shakes his head. "We're leaving. Call me if you need anything, ok? And don't answer the door for anyone."
"Byyyyyyye, lovebirds." Jenny sits up and smiles at them. Blair's heart warms at the obvious thread of affection that runs between the two of them. Dan chuckles and leads Blair outside.
"Dan?" Blair asks as he locks the door behind them.
"Hmmm?" He puts his keys in his pocket and places his hand on the small of her back to lead her down the stairs. She could get used to that.
"When does she start Constance?" She looks down as she carefully makes her way down the steps.
"Next year. Why?" He looks at her curiously as he holds the building door open for her.
"We're going to have to look out for her. She's an innocent." She tells him casually as she steps outside and waits for him to lead the way.
He smiles softly. "'We're?'"
She cuts her eyes to him as she falls into step beside him. "One can never have enough minions, Humphrey." He laughs and she smiles as she stares straight ahead.
It's 8:28pm.
She watches as Dan takes a long hit of the joint. His eyes close and his head falls back as he waits to let the smoke out. When he finally exhales, his mouth opening slightly, she bites her lip from her seat beside him. She's almost finished her second glass of wine. She almost never drinks this much. It's affecting her. It's the wine. It has to be. He coughs lightly and passes it back to Derek.
"So, Blair, there's really nothing I can do to convince you to take a hit?" Derek asks casually.
She reluctantly moves her eyes from Dan to Derek. "How old are you? Should you really be encouraging minors to do illegal activities? And supplying them with alcohol?" Dan laughs proudly and looks to Derek. "Leave me alone." She tosses her hair over her shoulder and sighs.
Derek tilts his head and laughs after finally releasing the smoke from his mouth. "This one's a pistol, Dan."
"I know." Dan leans back against the couch and smiles at her.
She smiles smugly, thinking she's won the battle. Derek offers the joint back to Dan but he passes. Derek takes another hit as he studies her. She's watching Dan again. His eyes are closed and his lips are pursed. He's thinking about something. Derek interrupts her again. "I asked the wrong question before." Dan opens his eyes and looks at her. She blushes and turns to Derek. This guy is really starting to annoy her. "Is there anything Dan can do to convince you to take a hit?" She looks down and smooths out her already smooth dress. "That is a yes."
Dan sits up and takes the joint back from Derek. "No, it's not. Trust me." He smirks and looks over at her. "She doesn't do anything she doesn't want to do. And that's the way I like it." She has to fight the urge to stick her tongue out at Derek. For a guy in college, he's awfully concerned about the exploits of high schoolers.
"Ok." Derek nods and smiles at her. "I think she might want to kiss you though. A shotgun might be what she wants." Her mouth falls open and a shocked little sound comes out. Dan laughs, causing him to blow his smoke out prematurely and cough harder.
"If she wanted something she'd let me know." He stands up and hands Derek the joint again.
"I'm just sayin', man." Derek shrugs and winks at Blair. She shifts on the sofa and adjusts her headband. Dan walks back over with a bottle of vodka and gives Blair an exasperated look. He hits Derek on the back of his head on his way past him.
"Leave her alone already. Shit." Dan laughs lightly as he sits down and opens the bottle.
"Alriiiiight. Believe it or not, Blair, I'm only giving you a hard time because I like you and because Dan, obviously, likes you." He smiles knowingly before he gets up to go to his laptop and change the music. "You seem cool. I want you to have a good time tonight. That's all."
"Hey, get some shot glasses while you're up." Dan turns back to her and eyes her carefully. "She'll have a good time. Won't you, Waldorf?"
"Not if I'll be forced to socialize with lack-wits all night." She sniffs out and scoots back on the sofa. The boys both laugh loudly.
"Do you have an older sister?" Derek asks jokingly as he walks back to them. He sets three glasses out in front of Dan.
"If I did I certainly wouldn't subject her to the likes of you." She smirks at him.
"Dude, she's not a pistol. She's a freaking assault rifle. Damn." He looks her over and smiles. "She's definitely cool." Blair tries to fight a smile.
Dan laughs and claps his hands. "Alright. Speaking of weapons, shots are ready." He hands one to Blair. She shakes her head and smiles shyly. Dan's eyes go wide. "No shot? Really?" She flushes, feeling awkward. She doesn't want to feel out of control. It's a new situation and she wants to be on top of her game. She hates being out of control. He must be able to sense her discomfort. He smiles warmly. "Ok. That's ok." He rests a hand on her knee. She gasps quietly and he watches her closely, his smile falters a little. He moves his hand over her knee gently. He slides his hand up so it's resting on her thigh and he squeezes it. Her breath hitches. His eyes watch her with a mix of reverie and satisfaction before he slowly moves them to her thigh. She swallows hard. She moves her eyes to his hand as he runs his thumb back and forth over her thigh.
"That is definitely ok." Derek reaches over and takes the other two shots off of the table. Dan's eyes slide up to hers one last time before he turns them on Derek. She exhales, grateful for Derek for the first time. "More for me." He raises his eyebrows and smiles at her before he downs them. Dan laughs lightly and takes his shot. His hand stays on her thigh until they leave Derek's.
It's 10:38pm.
"Well, yeah, but that's exactly why you have to watch it." Dan raises his hands as he makes a point to a curvy blonde. Blair's half listening, half looking around the room suspiciously. This doesn't seem too crazy, no crazier than Upper East Side parties, anyway. The main difference is that some of these people are clearly college aged and some seem like juniors and seniors in high school. That seems like it could get messy. Oh well, it's not her problem. There is quite a lot of riff-raff around here though. Including this curvy blonde. She looks like she just stumbled out of Woodstock. Blair scrunches up her face as she takes her in. The girl sees her and eyes her amusedly before excusing herself. Dan turns to look at her and does a double take.
He laughs sympathetically and moves so he's facing her. "Blair, are you even having fun?" She shrugs and pouts. "Do you want to leave? I'm not like tied to this party or anything."
She continues her survey of the room. "No. I don't know." She can't even think. This is not her crowd. She turns back to him. "I thought you said you liked her parties." Whomever her is. So many people—girls—have stopped to talk to Dan that she honestly doesn't know who anyone is. She'd like to blame it on not caring, but it really has more to do with the sheer volume of his disciples. He should really just set up a receiving line.
"I do, but—It's ok. We can leave." He says it like he feels bad for her, like he has some secret that affects her, but that he isn't telling her. He's looking at her like he's trying to convince her to leave.
"Wait a minute." She steps closer to him and narrows her eyes. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"
"No." He sighs deeply and finishes off his drink. "I like you, but you are clearly uncomfortable here."
She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. "You think I can't make it in Brooklyn, Humphrey?"
"Look at you!" He gestures up and down her body with his hand and eyes. He laughs. "You're more tense and wound up than usual."
"I am not!" She cries out.
He looks at her exasperatedly and wraps his hand around one of her wrists and lifts her hand. His eyes move to her balled up fist. "You are!" She rips her wrist out of his grasp and flexes her hands. He looks at her in amusement. "You haven't talked to one person except for me and Derek. And you haven't exactly been conversationalist of the year with us either. You're not drinking or smoking. That's cool, you don't have to, I don't care, but it doesn't seem like you're having a good time without those things. So….I don't know. I just—I don't know. I assumed that you don't want to be here, which is cool too." He sighs and sticks his hands in his pockets. A new thought seems to occur to him. "Not to mention, you're like glaring at people for no reason."
She looks at him in surprise. "I always glare at people for no reason. That's what I do."
"No, I know, but I don't know." He purses his lips as he searches for the right words. "It's like a defense mechanism you have, to assert your dominance when you're feeling exposed or vulnerable. I thought that if you were here with me and engaged it might be different. I mean you asked to come here." She huffs and looks around the room. He reaches for her hand and she moves it back quickly. "Look, I just want to get you back to your natural habitat where you can flourish again." He smiles softly at her. That does it. Who does he think he is? Knowing her well and stuff. Getting her and being caring. She storms toward the kitchen.
It's shockingly empty considering it's where all of the alcohol is. She sees a girl with long red hair doing a line on the island. That explains it. Who needs alcohol when there's coke?
"Waldorf, what are you doing?" Dan walks into the kitchen behind her.
"Being cool." She glares at him as she opens a bottle of….she doesn't even know or care. It's the closest. She pours it in a cup and tosses it back. She coughs and pours more in the cup, filling it up this time. It burns and goes straight to her head. She shakes her head to steady herself.
"Jesus, Blair. Slow down." Dan steps closer to her and reaches for the cup. She steps out of his reach and tries to finish it off quickly. It's too strong though and she has to take another break. "Stop it." He takes the cup out of her hand and sets it on the counter. "Shit. That's 80 proof whiskey, Waldorf, and you're drinking it like it's champagne." He shakes his head and grabs another cup and fills it with water. "Here. Drink this." They're having a stand-off. The burn is not going away so she relents and snatches the water from him and gulps it down. She coughs and grips the counter with one hand. She shuts her eyes tight and presses her fingers to her lips. He places his hand under her chin and gently tilts her head back. "Look at me." She opens her eyes slowly and glares. He snorts. "There it is." He moves his hand from under her chin to slide along her cheekbone as he studies her. "I said to be cool, not give yourself alcohol poisoning." He teases quietly.
Her eyes fly to his. "I—I don't know how yet." She says meekly.
He seems taken aback by the confession. "What?"
"I don't know how. I'm always in my head. And I have to control everything. I can't just be. I can't be cool." She shuts her eyes and shakes her head.
"Baby." He steps closer and trails his fingers lightly over her cheeks. She opens her eyes and he's looking at her so sweetly. "You're the coolest person I know. You just don't know it yet." She gasps out a laugh. He smiles and leans forward like he's going to kiss her. Her heart starts to flutter and whir. He shakes his head and steps away. He looks down. "Sorry. I didn't mean to…I've had a few." He lets out a long breath as he looks at her.
She smiles softly and shakes her head. "It's ok." He tilts his head and eyes her. He sucks in a breath and starts to move toward her again.
"Hey, Dan! I didn't even notice you were in here!" The red head suddenly comes to life behind him. Of course. Dan smiles at Blair briefly, apologetically before moving to stand beside her so he can see the girl too. "Oh my gosh. Do you guys want some of this?" She gestures to the bag she has sitting on the island.
"No!" Dan's eyes go wide and he puts his arm in front of Blair. As if she's about to go run and snort cocaine before he can stop her. "No. No, thank you, Mallory." He smiles at the girl and turns to face Blair again. She smirks up at him. "What? Just—look—you're not doing that." He wraps his hand around her arm and turns her to guide her out of the kitchen.
The alcohol is starting to swim through her and she's feeling lighter already. "Aw, are you being protective of me, Humphrey?" She teases and leans into him as they move.
He cuts his eyes toward her and smirks. "Are you surprised?"
She laughs and shakes her head happily. "Nope. You can relax, Humphrey. I have no intentions of doing cocaine." She spots an unopened jello shot on a table they're passing by and picks it up. A song comes on that she recognizes. She turns to Dan excitedly. "Where's the dance floor? Let's dance!"
"Wow. That stuff works fast." He laughs. "You know this song?" He asks curiously, impressed.
"Yes! Of course I know this song." She sighs dramatically. "I have excellent taste in everything, remember?" She opens the shot and Dan reaches for it.
"Hey, where—" He looks around in confusion. "Where did you even get that from?"
She shakes her head and swats his hand away. "There's no pleasing you. I'm either not drunk enough and you're trying to get rid of me or I'm too drunk and you're hovering. You need to make up your mind." She smiles at him before she runs her tongue along the inside of the container to loosen the shot.
"I wasn't…I…" She looks at Dan wickedly as he loses his train of thought. She brings the container to her mouth and sucks the shot out.
"Mmmm." She licks her lips and runs a finger along her mouth.
His eyes slowly move from her lips to her eyes. "Ok. Yeah. No more of those." She laughs and leans up to kiss him on the cheek. She keeps her lips pressed to his cheek longer than she intended to and her hand slides into his hair, messing it up. She steps back and smiles at him. He returns the smile and clears his throat after a moment. "I—uh—I wasn't trying to get rid of you or trying to suggest that you needed to get drunk. You don't need to do anything for me or anyone else. I didn't think you were having fun. There's a difference." He brushes her hair off of her shoulder. "And I'm not hovering. I'm trying to look out for you. You really need to slow down or just stop." He takes her hand and starts moving again. "I think you should be good now." He looks over at her quickly before looking ahead again.
She tugs on his arm and looks up at him with wide eyes. "Can we daaaance now?"
He laughs and looks over at her again. "Ok, ok."
It's 12:18am.
She went to the bathroom for two minutes.
Two minutes and some hussy is all over Dan. He's leaned against the wall and she's in front of him, leaning toward him. His hands are shoved in his pockets and he looks disinterested. She's tipsy, but she knows disinterest when she sees it. It doesn't matter. That is wrong. Hell. No.
"Hiiiiii, baby." Blair calls out sweetly and goes to stand beside him. He moves away from the wall and stands up a little straighter when he sees her, an amused smile forming on his lips. She tilts her head to the side and smiles up at him. His eyes go wide and he laughs. She runs a hand down his arm until her hand finds his. She turns to see the girl tripping over herself as she stands in place and glaring at Blair. "Oh. I did not even see you there." Blair fake smiles and shakes her head. "You are just so adorably inconsequential, aren't you?" Blair shrugs her shoulders and tightens her hold on Dan's hand. The girl's mouth falls open and she's about to respond, but Dan beats her to it.
"Ok, let's spare this one, hmmm?" He looks down at Blair before turning back to the girl. "It was nice to see you again, Jessica. Have fun tonight." He leads Blair away, but she turns back to glare at the girl. They end up in a room that seems to be pot central. There's smoke everywhere and, of course, Derek is sprawled out on a sofa with people all around him and a girl in his lap.
She takes her hand out of Dan's and leans against the wall. He turns around in surprise to look at her. He raises his eyebrows to get her to speak. "Why did you want to spare her? I could have had fun with her. Do you like her? Is she more fun than me?"
His eyes go wide. "What?" He steps closer to her. "I spared her because there was no point and she's no match for you. You would have eviscerated her."
"That was the point." She glares at him. He rolls his eyes and looks away from her. "You didn't answer the other two questions."
"I don't need to. They're a little insulting, frankly." He crosses his arms. He's never gotten this annoyed with her. She kind of likes it. She clumsily pushes herself off of the wall and moves toward Derek. "Blair…." Dan calls out and follows her over.
"Hey! Waldorf and Dan!" Derek calls out when he sees them approaching. "What's up, guys?" He takes a long hit off of a bowl. He smiles and nods at Blair. "Someone's having fun." He laughs and holds the bowl out to her. She hesitates and considers taking it. Her eyes cut to Dan and she shakes her head. "Do you want Dan to shotgun you?" Derek smirks at her. She sucks in a breath and bites her lip. She turns to Dan.
He looks at her with wide eyes and backs away. "No. You're drunk. Getting drunker all the time and you didn't want to do this earlier. No." He shakes his head.
"I disagree with that." Derek chimes in before he takes another hit.
"Derek." Dan looks at him pointedly.
"Lighten up, man. She obviously likes you and is too uptight to do anything about it when she's sober. Just go with it." Derek leans back against the sofa again. She blushes and darts her eyes away from Dan, pretends she can't hear them.
"Don't explain her to me. I know what I'm doing." Dan tells him and snatches the bowl and lighter out of his hands. "I'm not taking advantage of her." He takes a quick hit before passing it back to him. "And she's not uptight."
"Dan. It's a freaking shotgun." A few of the people get up to leave and Blair takes the opportunity to collapse onto the sofa next to Derek.
She looks between the two of them. "Dan, I'm not that drunk. And I did want you to earlier. This is me letting you know." She smiles up at him. "Not because I, ew, like you though." She adds quickly.
He laughs and rolls his eyes. "Keep tellin' yourself that, Waldorf." He sits beside her and eyes her. "Are you sure?"
Her eyes dart to his mouth. "Yes." She can't kiss him; she has a boyfriend. She can let a friend shotgun her though. That's totally ok. She smiles confidently. "You said yourself that I don't do anything I don't want to do. You don't even have to do it." She's taking a risk, but she thinks it'll work.
He eyes her suspiciously. "Who else would do it?"
"I'm sure Derek would." She smiles sweetly before turning to look at Derek.
Derek seems to wake up. "Yeah, yeah." He sits up slowly and the girl in his lap adjusts. "I will always help a beautiful lady." He smiles between her and Dan.
She turns to Dan and raises her eyebrow. "She's 16, asshole." He narrows his eyes at him.
"Whoa. Hey. I didn't mean it like that." Derek calls out behind her. "I'm too pretty for jail."
"Yeah, right." Dan looks at him skeptically. He sighs loudly. "Ok, fine." He reaches around her and extends his hand beside Derek.
"Nice." She hears Derek say behind her. She smirks to herself; she's good.
"Do you know how to do this?" Dan looks up at her as he packs the bowl.
"No. I've seen people do it before, but I've never done it." She goes to smooth her hair and realizes her headband is askew. She frowns and straightens it out.
He cuts his eyes to her and keeps them on her. "Are you doing this to prove a point? To me or to yourself?" He asks her quietly.
She clicks her tongue against her teeth. "No. I'm young. I want to be young." She feels something desperate pass through her. It's the truth. She also wants to feel his mouth against hers. He doesn't need to know that though. No one needs to know that.
His lips curl up slightly and he nods. "Ok, so, I'm going to take a hit and then I'll blow the smoke into your mouth. Just hold it in for as long as you can, ok?" He raises his eyebrows. She bites her lip and nods. "Ok. Last chance….." He smiles at her.
"Daaaaan!" She calls out and pushes him back slightly. He laughs and brings the bowl to his lips. Her heart starts to beat a little faster in anticipation. He takes a long hit and gestures for her to come closer to him. She slides over and he rises up slightly so he's above her. His hand slides under her chin and tilts her head back. Her mouth opens and he presses his against hers, blowing the smoke into her mouth. Her eyes shut and she just wants to kiss him. He backs away before she really even has time to appreciate what was happening. Her mouth is still open and she starts coughing lightly. Derek laughs and Dan looks at her with wide eyes.
"Blair!" Dan starts to laugh. "You're supposed to close your mouth and inhale! That's the whole point."
"Oh." She smiles guiltily. "Will you do it again?" She scoots even closer to him and rests a hand on his leg. His eyes dance over hers and he smiles.
"Oh boy." Derek mumbles out behind her and she blushes. "Assault rifle." He sings out playfully. She smirks.
Dan just shakes his head and brings the bowl back to his lips. He motions for her to lean in and he takes her head in his hands. She opens her mouth and he watches her for a second before he presses his lips against hers again and blows. Her heart pounds and she grips his leg tight. There's something about it. His mouth pressed to hers, breathing into her as she takes it from him. She feels a shiver. She somehow manages to close her mouth and inhale this time though.
"Ok, ok. You can let it go now." Dan tells her. She opens her mouth and coughs. "You ok?" He strokes the side of her face. She nods and coughs a little more. "That was much better, Waldorf." He eyes her knowingly. She bites her lip and smiles.
It's 2:48am.
They end up in Derek's guest room. She's too everything to go back home alone and Dan is worried they're too drunk and loud for a two person sneak in at his house.
They're flat on their backs, fully clothed, looking up at the ceiling, playing twenty questions.
"It's your turn." Blair calls out into the darkness.
"I know. I was thinking." He says quietly. "Favorite childhood memory?"
"Hmmm, baking pies with my dad on Thanksgiving." She says happily. She thinks about it for a moment. "We didn't do that this year and I missed it so much. More than I even realized." She sighs and she feels the bed shift beside her. She turns her head to see he's staring at her.
"Why didn't you get to do it this year?" He asks softly, like he knows it hurts.
She laughs wryly. "Uh, my dad left me and my mom to move to Paris with his lover. Who is a man." She looks away. "Makes for awkward family holidays." He runs a hand down her arm lightly.
"I'm sorry." He moves closer to her. "That must be difficult."
She shrugs and avoids his gaze. "It is what it is."
"You're always so tough and guarded." She turns her head quickly to look at him. "I just—" He takes a long pause, forming his thoughts, clearly afraid to set her off again. "I wonder who you relax around, who you get to be yourself around."
"Humphrey, you don't have to worry about me. I'm a big girl." Her voice shakes and she looks at the ceiling again.
"It's not about worrying; it's about caring." He tells her gently. "You don't have to be that way with me. You can let me in." His hand stills its movements and wraps around her arm gently. "I won't hurt you." God help her, she believes him. She rolls onto her side and faces him. It's not very bright in the room, only the street lights illuminate it in the early, early morning hours, but she can see the warm, soft look in his eyes and on his face.
She exhales slowly, trying to keep it together, and nods. "Ok." He rises up on his elbow and leans over her to press a long kiss to her cheek. His free hand rests against the back of her head. He hovers over her for a moment and strokes her hair, studying her. It makes her nervous in a good way. She peeks up at him. "You go again. Last round. I'm getting sleepy."
He lays beside her again, still watching her. "What's your favorite Beatles song?" He adjusts and moves a little closer to her. It makes her heart skip a beat.
"Hmmm. Who are The Beatles?" She looks at him in mock confusion.
"Don't break my heart now, Waldorf. I'm in this too deep." He teases and slides his leg between her ankles. It makes her laugh come out breathy and short.
She clears her throat to refocus her thoughts. "I'll go with 'Something,' but I reserve the right to change my mind at any time." She tells him playfully. He nods thoughtfully. "What's yours?"
He smiles at her and takes his bottom lip between his teeth. "Always? 'Helter Skelter.' Tonight? 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand.'"
She snorts. She actually snorts. "You are so saccharine." She brings a hand to her face and he laughs. "How do you even function in society?"
"Saccharine works if it's genuine." He tells her quietly, almost shyly and it nearly melts her heart. She wants to laugh again, but she can't. She can only stare at him. "Goodnight, Blair." He leans forward and kisses her forehead gently. He runs a hand over the top of her hair and groans when he hits her headband. He takes it off and tosses it across the room. "That thing has been driving me crazy all night."
She laughs quietly. "Mmmhmm. Me too. What an offensive accessory." She playfully tries to match his annoyance.
"I'm serious. It must be uncomfortable." He says absently as his eyes close.
"It can be." She says quietly and scoots closer to him. "Goodnight, Dan." He moans in response, already drifting off. Before she can overthink it, she reaches her hand over and takes his in hers. His eyes fly open and he smiles warmly at her. She tries to catch her breath and she closes her eyes. He squeezes her hand and she feels him adjust next to her, somehow managing to slide even closer to her. It might be the first time she's fallen asleep with a smile playing on her lips, but she knows, somehow, it won't be the last.
A/N2: I know there's not a lot of party stuff here, but I have other party scenes to come so I had to spread moments out across the various parties. :)
