A/N: Hello! It has been way too long and I am sorry. Please know that even if I'm not posting as regularly as I used to I am still working on all of the fics and I'll post something eventually lol I know that's still annoying. I don't plan on leaving any of the ones I've posted unfinished though. I don't think there's really anything that needs to be explained for this update. I hope you all enjoy it and reviews are always welcome!
Derek's Party
Derek's party is in full swing by the time they arrive. Blair holds on to Dan's hand and silently mocks all of the drunken idiocy as they make their way to the wet bar.
"Ok." Dan claps his hands together. "What are you drinking?"
"I think I'll have water." She brushes her hair over her shoulder.
"What?!" He looks at her with wide eyes. "It's July 4th. Celebrate your nation's independence like a proper American and get drunk!"
She purses her lips together and tries not to laugh. "Water." She maintains pointedly. She's not in the mood for alcohol at the moment. Her mind is still reeling from everything.
"Fine, fine." He holds his hands up as he looks around the bar. He hands her a bottle of water, but snatches it back before she can take it. She arches an eyebrow. "Tip first." He says playfully and leans over the bar to kiss her. She laughs and presses her lips to his. She pulls away and smiles at him as she sits on a bar stool. He turns around to search for a bottle and Blair watches him happily. She was right about his white t-shirt against his skin. He runs a hand through his hair absently and messes it up even more. He turns around and his eyes immediately land on hers. She doesn't attempt to look away or conceal what she's thinking. He arches an eyebrow and continues making his drink. She takes her bottom lip between her teeth, certain they're going to have to abandon this party sooner than soon. His eyes cut to her again and fall to her lips before they lock on her eyes again.
"I have a bottle of Jameson with your name on it." Blair and Dan both turn toward the voice interrupting their eye sex. Oh, good grief. Just what this night needed: Annemarie. Blair rolls her eyes and opens her water bottle.
"I'm good." Dan says blithely and smirks at Blair.
"Ok." Annemarie says coolly. "Well, just remember that I have what you want when you want it." Blair's mouth falls open as she turns to look at her again. That was not even subtle.
"Dan, I didn't know you wanted desperation." Blair swivels her barstool to face Annemarie and smirks at her.
He snorts and cuts his eyes to Annemarie. "I believe you've met my girlfriend?" Dan rests an elbow on the bar counter and tilts his head toward her. Blair smiles sweetly and rests her hands over her crossed knees.
Annemarie rolls her eyes. "We had a chat." She takes a sip of her drink.
"So I heard." Dan nods his head slowly and makes his way around the bar to stand by Blair. He drapes his arm over her shoulders. "If you ever have any questions about the past, Annemarie, I'd appreciate it if you came to me." She wishes he hadn't even brought this up. She sees Annemarie purse her lips and dart her eyes away. The slight satisfaction of witnessing that might be worth it. "We're going out to the beach. Have a good night." Dan moves to stand in front of Blair and help her out of her chair. He keeps his hand in hers and starts to lead her away.
"Call me when you grow out of this princess phase, Dan." Blair turns her head to glare at Annemarie.
"Let it die, Annemarie." Dan calls over his shoulder and widens his eyes in annoyance when they land on Blair's. She walks closer to him and grips his arm with her hand as she follows him through the party.
Once they push their way past everyone on the deck and are standing on the beach, Blair turns to Dan, heels in hand. "So what's the plan?"
"I don't know." He looks at her and shrugs. "People are just really trying to piss me off tonight."
She laughs and squeezes his hand. "I know the feeling." She looks back at the water. Someone sets off a firework down the beach and it startles her. "Oh." She says quietly as she looks at the colors exploding against the night sky. She smiles when Dan turns his head to look at her. He returns her smile and moves closer to her. He presses his lips to hers slowly. He breaks away and keeps his eyes on hers. He slides a hand into her hair and kisses her again. His tongue dips out against her lips and she opens her mouth as she wraps her arms around his waist. She feels something wet splash against her leg as Dan wraps an arm around her waist and presses her tight against him. She breaks away to see that he's dropped his drink.
"That was on purpose." He whispers. She smiles against his lips and lets her shoes fall from her hand so she can take his face in her hands. Another round of fireworks sounds off and she stops kissing him to look at them. He looks for a moment before he turns back to her and kisses her again.
"I suddenly feel like celebrating." She searches his eyes and he smiles warmly. She decides to let everything go until she has to deal with it. She's so in love with Dan and that's all she wants to focus on for as long as she can. She kisses him chastely and smiles up at him. "Let's stay out here with the fireworks and have champagne." She strokes her thumb over his cheek.
"Let's." He kisses her lips and then her cheek and then her jaw until his lips find their way to her neck. It surprises her and she grips his shoulders to steady herself. His mouth presses hot, wet kisses to her neck and his hands clutch at her dress to keep her as close as possible. Her head falls back to give him more access and a soft gasp escapes her when he sucks on her skin hard. He presses a softer kiss to the spot and she trails a hand to the back of his neck.
"Get a room!" She could kill Derek.
Dan laughs against her skin and straightens up. He sighs forlornly and presses a soft kiss to her lips. She smiles happily and stumbles slightly in the sand feeling drunk on love, despite Derek's interruption. She kisses him back quickly. "Hmmm, maybe we will get a room." He bites his lip. "We'll just make our own fireworks."
Her eyes widen and she laughs loudly. "No." She shakes her head. "Nope. Not with that line."
He laughs and crosses his arms over her lower back. He presses on her lower back so her hips meet his. "No? Are you sure?" He peers down at her and grins. He moves a hand to her cheek and presses a long kiss against her lips.
"I must be absolutely, crazily in love." She smiles up at him. "I will let you make fireworks with me."
He pulls her in for a hug and laughs in her hair. He kisses her cheek. "First, we celebrate." She smiles and nods her agreement. He starts to back toward the deck, but runs back to her before he makes it very far to kiss her again. She lets him get one in before she pushes him away with a warm smile.
"Have I mentioned that I love that dress?" Dan's voice startles her out of her reverie. She turns to see that he has a bottle and a blanket in his hands and a smirk on his face. She laughs quietly and gathers her dress in her hand to keep it from revealing too much in the wind.
"I should hope so since you picked it out." She arches an eyebrow as she walks up the beach to meet him.
He chuckles as he sets the bottle down and spreads out the blanket. "Let me amend my compliment then, Waldorf." She finally meets him and stands in front of him. She looks up at him with wide, expectant eyes. He opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. She sees him flush as he looks away from her and shakes his head. "You make me speechless, you know that?" His eyes search hers.
This time she flushes and looks down for a moment. She smirks when she finally meets his gaze again. "I've yet to experience your supposed speechlessness, Humphrey."
He rolls his eyes and wraps his arms around her. "It's true." He kisses the spot between her eyebrows. "I look at you sometimes and completely lose my train of thought." He gently brushes her hair back from her face. "You're beautiful; you're so beautiful." He cups her cheek and lets his thumb glide over her skin. Her eyes close at the contact. "And this dress only highlights that." She opens her eyes to find him staring at her rather intently. "I thought you should know that I noticed that." He says shyly and nods his head.
She smiles because she has the upper hand right now and she loves that. "I knew that." She says confidently.
He laughs self-consciously and looks away. "Of course you did."
She takes the opportunity to kiss his jaw. "Mmmm, your eyes give everything away." He turns to look at her and she kisses his lips. When she pulls back, she lets her fingers trace around his eyes. "I like that about you." She pulls his head down to her lips and kisses the outside corner of his eye. He moves his head so he can kiss her.
"I'm glad you knew that and that I'm an open book to you." He says softly. "I can't believe you're with me and I want you to know that I'm never taking you for granted."
She gasps emotionally. It takes her a moment to collect herself. He's crazy; she's the one who can't believe that he's with her. He's so good and she's just not. She takes a deep breath and decides to just let the thought go. "You're still not really selling this speechless thing." They laugh and he rests his forehead against hers. "But I'm ok with that." She strokes a hand down his cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too." He whispers before he kisses her.
"Mmmm." She finishes her sip of champagne and passes the bottle back to Dan as he sits across from her on the blanket. "This is delightfully uncouth, Humphrey."
He snorts as he takes the bottle from her. "The company or drinking champagne right out of the bottle?" He stops looking at the ocean to peek at her.
"Both." She says on a happy giggle.
"Well then we both thank you, Miss Waldorf." He takes her hand and kisses it politely.
"Why you're quite welcome, Mister Humphrey." She tilts her head and flutters her lashes dramatically.
"Such a pretty lady for such a barbarian." He rests his elbow on his knee and leans his head against his hand as he stares at her.
She flushes from his gaze and looks down at the blanket beneath them. "You wouldn't think me such a lady if you knew what I was thinking about right now…." She raises her eyes back to his and he sits up with interest.
"I've never been particularly keen on ladies anyway." He smiles at her. "What are you thinking?" His tone has lost most of its teasing.
"I'll tell you later." She smiles as he rolls his eyes. "If I tell you now we'll have to go inside and I like this moment just as it is." She says softly.
He smiles and kisses her hand again. "Fair enough." They sit in silence, passing the bottle between them, until Dan laughs quietly some time later.
"What's so funny?" She squeezes his hand in hers.
"I can't believe you threatened Chuck for me." He smirks at her. "No one's ever defended my honor quite so….valiantly."
She glares at him for a moment before she rolls her eyes. "Somebody has to protect the innocent."
"Oh and that somebody is now Blair Waldorf?" He asks incredulously.
She snatches the champagne from him and takes a long sip as he laughs. "When it comes to you, yes, it is." She replies flatly. She doesn't appreciate him making light of this situation.
"I told you that I don't need you to protect me. I can handle Chuck; I'm not an idiot or a coward." He says with less humor.
"Handle him by punching him?" She arches an eyebrow. "That helps no one."
He takes a deep breath and runs his hands down his face. "Ok. We've covered this already….."
She whips her head around to look at him. "You brought it up!"
"I was teasing you." He says quietly. "I thought it was cute…and sweet that you were looking out for me." He reaches for her hand which he somehow lost hold of during the conversation. He furrows his brow and waits a long beat before he starts speaking again. "You know how you don't want me messing with Chuck because you're worried about me?" He looks at her and she purses her lips. "I feel the same way. Whatever goes on between Chuck and me is between Chuck and me. He's a psycho and I don't trust him at all around you, or anyone really, but especially you."
"Dan, he won't mess with me." She says adamantly.
"You're very observant." He says as he studies her. "Do you really expect me to believe that you haven't noticed the way he looks at you? I noticed it long before we were even friends." He shakes his head. "It's like he wants to own you or something."
She has noticed that, but Chuck looks at almost everyone like that. "That's not exclusive to me." She scoots closer to him and rests her free hand on his knee. "You make him sound like some old movie villain."
"Uh, you make him sound that way." He looks at her with wide eyes. "And I'm not sure that's an inaccurate assessment." He mutters and picks at a thread in the blanket. "You're wrong, by the way."
"Excuse me?" She asks in mock offense.
He looks back at her and tucks her hair behind her ear. "He doesn't look at everyone the way he looks at you." He lets his hand rest against her cheek for a moment. "Just be careful around him, hmmm?" He kisses her forehead. She's about to protest, but he's actually serious. She swallows her doubts and nods instead. "He has a hard head so I'd like to avoid punching him for a while." He says in a half-hearted attempt to lighten the mood.
She smiles and leans in to kiss him. "Noted." She murmurs against his lips. "How is your hand?" She looks down at it and runs her fingers over it gently.
"Fine." He says on a sigh as he lies back and takes her with him. He squeezes her tight against him and kisses the top of her head. "You know the stars don't have anything on you." She snorts against his chest and she feels his laughter roll through him before she hears it.
"You have got to work on those pick-up lines, Mister Writer." She teases as she looks out into the ocean.
"Nah, I've already caught my fish." He rubs her back and laughs as she groans playfully.
She slips her hand under his t-shirt and lets her hand smooth over his skin. "They just get worse." She squeezes his side and he laughs again.
She's lost count of how many drinks she's had. Mallory and Derek brought out….a few shots and they've shared more than a bottle of champagne. She is definitely feeling it as she leans against Dan while they sit on their blanket watching the latest round of fireworks. She hiccups. She hears him laugh lightly and she groans. "Hey, do you remember when we first met and you said you didn't drink because it was sloppy or something like that?"
She pulls her head back to look at him. "Point?" She asks in annoyance.
He shakes his head and raises his shoulders. "I'm just glad we've moved past that phase." She tries to arch an eyebrow; she's not sure if she succeeded. He smiles a bit wider. "Because this is really cute."
"Oh, great." She mumbles and moves away from him. "My boyfriend has a thing for intoxicated girls." She snaps her head back around to look at him. "Unfortunately, for him, however, I am not intoxicated."
"I disagree with all of that." He reels back on the blanket. "And I mean it's really just the one intoxicated girl." He winks at her and she rolls her eyes lazily.
She pouts her lips. "You had as much as I did. If I'm drunk then you're drunk." She reasons. "But I'm not drunk." She shrugs a shoulder and another hiccup rolls through her. She hopes he didn't notice.
"I actually didn't have as much as you did." He laughs. "I'm also bigger than you and I'm pretty sure I have a higher tolerance than you."
"Whatever." She grumbles and hiccups again. "I'm a caught fish. My days of worrying about being a lady are behind me." She tosses her hair over her shoulder.
"Fantastic." Dan says with a smirk. She glares at him until an especially colorful and loud firework goes off. She gasps and looks up at it. "You like that one?" He strokes a hand down her arm.
"I love it, Dan." She says happily and he laughs.
"I love you." He leans in and kisses her. He steals her attention from the fireworks and she leans further into him.
"Mmmm, I love you like fireworks." She says on a giggle against his lips.
He breaks away from her and laughs. "You're too much." He says as he runs his hands through her hair.
"No, you are." She tilts her head to the side and bites her lip. She lets her eyes drift to his jeans.
He flushes and his eyes widen. She smiles with satisfaction. How can someone so experienced also be such an innocent? He's fascinating. "Waldorf." He runs a hand through his hair. "I see you have not been going to the Dan Humphrey School of Pick-up Lines."
"Oh, did you like that?" She asks suggestively and strokes a hand up his thigh.
He catches her hand and smiles warningly. "You're drunk, Blair."
"I might be." She narrows her eyes. "I'm also something else, Dan." She rests her other hand against him through his jeans.
"Shit." He mutters and she can already feel him responding to her.
"I think I promised you fireworks earlier." She trails a finger along his length. "I keep my promises, Humphrey."
"Hmmm, so you do." He murmurs before he takes her face in his hands and kisses her more than a little senseless. He pulls away before she's ready and she nearly falls into his lap. He laughs as he steadies her.
She opens her eyes slowly and smiles. "Well, Happy New Year indeed." She's about to kiss him when he ruins the moment by snorting. She frowns.
"That is not the right holiday." He whispers and cups her cheeks.
"Oh." She furrows her brow and laughs as she realizes her mistake. "They're all the same at a certain point." She shrugs it off and leans into kiss him again.
He laughs against her lips. "They're really not." He murmurs as he watches her.
She sighs and kisses him gently. "Shhhh." She kisses his sweet little smile that's only for her and rests her hands on his face as she deepens the kiss.
"I think that you want me to seduce you, Humphrey." Her foot sinks in the sand more than she anticipated and she nearly falls over. She laughs as Dan pulls her upright. "You….are playing hard to get and that's ok." She takes a deep breath and brushes her hair back. "I like a challenge."
He laughs lightly. "Tell me, Waldorf, is this display part of your seduction?" He wraps his arm around her tighter as he continues to guide her inside.
Her mouth falls open and she looks up at him. "Why? Is it working?"
"Not in the way you'd hoped." He looks down at her and brushes a finger against her nose. She frowns and swats at it, but her movements are a little too slow.
She sighs loudly. "That's just your loss then." She shrugs a shoulder. She sees some guys in the corner gesturing to her and smiling at her appreciatively. "And, look at this, you have competition, Humphrey."
"What?" He jerks his head around and she points to her newly acquired fanclub. "Really? It's come to you pointing out guys leering at you at parties? You're better than that." He teases and kisses her head. "They're assholes for even thinking about it when you're this drunk and they're probably assholes in general."
"Oh." She groans in frustration. "Sometimes I hate that you're so good." He laughs as he steers her into the kitchen when she nearly keeps walking past it. "I mean you're my boyfriend and we've had sex before. A lot of sex." She pauses thoughtfully for a second in the middle of the kitchen as he moves to the refrigerator and takes out some food and water. "A lot of really good sex." She moves into his arms. "Let's have good sex right now, Humphrey."
"No, Blair." She frowns as he moves away from her to get a glass from the cabinet. "You're too drunk for my tastes." He brushes past her and stops to whisper in her ear. "I will more than make it up to you. I promise." He drops his head to kiss below her ear and she whines.
"I hate you." She stomps her foot and leans back against the counter.
"Hush. You'll be singing a different tune once you sober up. I'll make it worth your while." He smirks and lifts her onto the counter. She gasps in surprise. He leans in and kisses her. "Eat this and drink that so you can go sleep this off." He holds a piece of pizza out for her and gestures to the glass of water beside her on the counter. "I need regular bitchy Blair back instead of whiny bitchy Blair." He mimics her shocked expression before he takes a bite of the pizza.
She snatches the pizza from his hand and he chuckles. "You're not my boss." She finally mutters and shoves him away from her.
"I'm not." He smiles. "And I have absolutely no desire to be." He laughs and runs a hand down the back of his head. "I'm just trying to help you." She glares at him and starts to eat. "I love that when you try to be a brat to me it only makes me love you more. You can't win." He yawns and stretches his arms over his head. His shirt rises just enough for her to see his happy trail and to get her attention again.
Her eyes slowly move to his face and she takes in his mouth and his cheekbones and his jawline. Damn, if he isn't nearly prettier than she is. She hums thoughtfully. Her eyes move to his and she blushes when she sees that he's been watching her watching him. Oh, well. She's about five propositions past playing it cool tonight. "Mmmm, come here." She says dreamily and sets the pizza aside. She leans forward on the counter. He smirks as he makes his way back to her. He wraps an arm around her shoulders and rests a hand on her thigh. She laughs lightly and gazes up at him. "Kiss me, Humphrey." She drunkenly demands.
He smiles down at her and moves a hand to her face. He kisses her chastely. "You know you're mostly a very happy drunk, my dear." He teases quietly and works on taming her wind-blown hair.
She sighs loudly and leans her head further back. "Well, you only have yourself to blame for that." She shrugs her shoulders. "I was a perfectly miserable drunk before you came along." She concludes matter-of-factly.
He laughs and kisses her again. "I see that now that you know you're not getting your way you're no longer denying the obvious."
She laughs guiltily and shakes her head. His arm is holding her hair down so her movements are limited. "I think youuuu were denying the obvious." She wraps her legs around his waist. He furrows his brow on his way to her lips. "Mmmmm." He tries to leave her with only one kiss, but she moves her hands to his face and pulls him back to her. She laughs against his mouth as she kisses him again. He laughs too and runs a hand along her arm.
"What's the obvious, Blair?" He murmurs against her lips between kisses.
"That you want me just as much as I want you." She smacks her lips against his and shoves him away playfully. "Maybe even more."
He stumbles back into the island and laughs. He runs a hand along his jaw as he eyes her. "That's true. I always want you though." Her breath hitches. He takes a few steps closer to her, but she kicks her legs out in front of her to keep him at bay. He chuckles and grabs her legs. "I'm trying to be a gentleman because you're a lady. A wasted lady, but a lady all the same." He teases as he slowly makes his way back to her, sliding his hands along her legs with each step. He stops when he gets to her knees and lowers her legs. He presses a kiss to her thigh before he looks at her again. "You are drunk, baby." He smirks at her and moves closer to her until he's between her thighs.
"Hey." She pushes him back again and he groans with mock exasperation. "If I'm a drunk, you're a drunk." She points at him to emphasize her point.
"Uh, I think one of us is a little drunker than the other." He narrows his eyes.
"Lies." She says indignantly and jerks her head to the side. Her eyes drift to her hand stretched out over the counter and she spots the water. She grabs the glass and takes a long sip. She sighs as she places it back on the counter.
"I know what holiday we're celebrating." He says quietly, playfully. "Can you say the same?"
She tilts her head up slightly and cuts her eyes to him. "Anyone could have made that mistake." She pouts her lips and straightens up.
He laughs lightly and shakes his head. "No." He tries to move close to her again, but she shoves him away again as she laughs. She's a little clumsy from the alcohol and the laughter so she starts to slide off of the counter as she pushes him. Dan moves back to her quickly and catches her waist before she slides off. "Hey, careful." He says quietly as he steadies her back on the counter. He kisses her forehead.
She looks at him with wide eyes. "Uh oh." She says dazedly.
He squeezes her waist and smiles at her. "'Uh oh.'" He laughs and shakes his head. "You're a cute drunk too, y'know."
"Don't start with me." She frowns at him. "I almost fell to my death." She gestures to the floor.
He rolls his eyes and tightens his hold on her. "Yeah, well, thankfully you had your not so drunk boyfriend here to save you." She glares at him for a long moment before she sticks her tongue out at him. "Ok. I think it's officially bedtime."
"Ugh." She tries to pull away from him, but he's got too good of a grip on her. She sighs and looks at him crossly. "I'm not a child, Humphrey. I decide when I go to bed." She gets annoyed by the amusement she sees in his eyes and tries to take his arms off of her, but it's not working. "And I decide if I want to fall on the floor." She groans when she can't prove her point with a triumphant removal of his hands. She looks at him defeatedly and exhales loudly, sending a piece of her hair into the air.
"Sorry, I adore you and your pretty little face too much to let you fall, Waldorf." He smiles at her and tries to kiss her, but she turns her face away and makes a disgruntled noise. He laughs. "Alright. Down you go." He grips her waist and lifts her off the counter. She leans back against it. He takes her hand. "Come on." He jerks his head toward the door.
She looks at him sweetly. "Will you carry me?"
He squeezes her hand and tilts his head. "I thought you weren't a child."
"Well, I'm not." She bites her lip. "It's just that my legs won't work." She lifts one of her legs a little and taps her toes against the floor.
"Right." He rolls his eyes, but moves to her and scoops her into his arms.
She squeals with delight and wraps her arms around his neck. "Hmmm, I might keep you." She kisses his cheek.
He laughs as he makes his way through what's left of the party. "I might let you keep me." He cuts his eyes to her and smiles.
She throws her head back and laughs. "You're so cute. Thinking you have a choice….." She hears him laugh again and tucks herself closer to him. She spots Annemarie making out with some guy in the corner. She arches an eyebrow and looks back at the scene as Dan turns toward the staircase. That girl is some piece of work. Throwing herself at Dan and then making out with randoms in the shadows. She really just hates her and her red hair.
Dan sets her gently on the bed when they get to their old room. She keeps her arms around his neck and tries to pull him onto the bed, but he resists. "What are you doing?" She furrows her brow.
"I'm going to get you another glass of water and find you some aspirin." He kisses her forehead. "Tomorrow's going to suck for you." He smiles down at her and shakes his head. She rolls her eyes and shoves him away. He's still laughing when he leaves the room.
"Blair?" She hears him call out in their room and gasps. She throws the bathroom door open excitedly and he jumps slightly.
"Hi, Dan!" She says brightly.
"Hi, Blair!" He mimics. She smiles with wide eyes as she makes her way to him. She takes the water and the aspirin from him. "Attempting some daring stunts from the bathroom counter too….in your underwear?" He asks with amusement as he takes her in.
"Hmmm?" She looks at him in confusion as she finishes swallowing the pills. "Oh, no." She shakes her head and smiles warmly. She sets the water on the nightstand and climbs into bed. "I brushed my teeth, I took off my make-up, and I got rid of my dress." She shrugs. "I am ready for bed." She nods emphatically.
"It—uh—it looks that way." He nods easily and smiles at her.
"Hmmmm." She smiles up at him. "Now you do the same." She points toward the bathroom. He narrows his eyes and jerks his head, but he goes anyway. "Humphrey?" He stops and looks at her. "She doesn't love you like I love you."
"Who?" He furrows his brow and moves closer to her.
"Annemarie." She says easily.
"Oh." He nods his head. "That's good because I don't love her at all. Never have, never will." He winks at her and disappears into the bathroom. She sinks into the pillows and blankets. She's still awake, patiently awaiting his return when he finally does emerge from the bathroom. He laughs as he looks at her. "You are just wide awake, huh?" He tosses his shirt aside and slides his jeans off.
"I was waiting for you." She says quietly and looks at her hands. She looks up when she feels the bed dip to see he's moving over her.
He eases himself onto her and trails his fingers along the sides of her face. He sighs and presses his lips to hers. "Are you comfortable?" He asks quietly.
She shrugs. "I might be too drunk to tell." She murmurs and keeps her eyes on his. She has no idea what she's looking for as she focuses her gaze on him; she can't keep her eyes off of him though.
He smiles softly. "You never sleep in your underwear." He sits up and sighs. "Let's get you changed." He climbs off the bed and goes to her overnight bag. He finds her nightie and studies it before he cuts his eyes to hers. "I see it was always your intention to seduce me tonight." He smirks and starts to move back to her.
She scoffs, but it doesn't land quite right. "As if I have to try." The words lack the confidence they should have. He sits beside her carefully, like any sudden movements might cause some kind of disaster. She hates that.
He narrows his eyes as he grabs her hands and helps her sit up. "You ok, Blair?" He asks quietly.
"Yes." She mumbles and rolls her eyes. "Will you—take this off?" She slides her bra straps down her arms. He reaches around her to unhook her bra and she seizes the opportunity to kiss him. He leans into it as he finishes taking her bra off. She watches as he pulls back and takes her in. She thinks he might actually be nervous. She opens her mouth to comment, but the words never come out because he's leaning in and kissing her before she can speak. She moans as his free hand slides into her hair and tugs her closer to him.
He breaks away slowly and rests his forehead against hers. She sighs and slides her hands over his shoulders. "You're so beautiful." He murmurs before his lips seek hers again.
"Mmm, you're not so bad yourself, Humphrey." She whispers between kisses.
He laughs against her lips before he gives her one more kiss. "Ok. Arms up." He prompts before he slides her nightgown over her. She smiles and goes back in for more kisses which he accepts for only a moment before he rises from the bed again. She groans and flops back against her pillows as he takes a sip of water. He furrows his brow. "You are all over the place tonight." He observes as he sets the glass back on the bedside table. "You sure you're ok?"
Her mouth drops open slightly and she shakes her head. "I'm drunk. What exactly are you expecting from me?"
He snorts and crawls over her again. "That's very logical for someone so drunk." He leans down and kisses her. He watches her for a long moment. "I don't love anyone like I love you." He kisses her again before he stretches out beside her and rests his head on his hand as he watches her.
She suddenly sits upright and looks down at him. His eyes are wide and he's trying not to laugh. "I don't either." She says seriously. "You know that, right?"
He nods his head and reaches his free hand up to coax her back down. She shivers as his hand smooths over her shoulder and down her back. "I know." She gives in slowly and lies on her side, facing him. He sighs and kisses the side of her head. "Relax, hmmm?" He strokes her hair gently. "No one's going anywhere."
He lowers himself so he's lying beside her. She watches him closely before she smiles at him and tucks herself against him. He wraps his arms around her and kisses her hair. She sighs happily and starts to drift off. "I just don't want to be a miserable drunk again, Humphrey." She murmurs. She hears him chuckling and feels his arms tighten around her.
"I'll never let that happen, Waldorf." He says it playfully and ruffles her hair, but she wasn't playing. Her happiness has become so tied to him and she doesn't want to go back to her life before him. It makes her nervous and she'd dwell on that, but she's too drunk for that tonight. Instead she tightens her hold on him and finally lets sleep take her away.
She jerks awake and sits up breathlessly. "Oh my God." She places a hand on her forehead as she tries to collect herself. She feels a hand against her back and jumps.
"Hey, are you ok?" She turns to see Dan is sitting up beside her. He sounds like he's still half asleep.
"I'm fine." She pushes her hair from her face. "I just….I need a minute." She gets out of the bed. "Weird dream."
"Too much to drink." He mutters as he lies back down. She rolls her eyes and goes to the bathroom.
She shuts the door quietly and leans back against it. Shit. That was not a weird dream; that was a horrible dream. She thinks. She only remembers the feeling. She felt like she was empty and always would be. It was chilling. She rests a hand on her chest to try to steady her breathing and goes to the sink. She looks awful; clammy and pale. Her hands shake as she turns on the water and splashes it on her face. It's cool and soothing. She grabs the towel and dabs the water off of her face. She thinks her dream involved Chuck and Nate and Annemarie….and Serena. And Dan. Of course. She shakes her head and looks at herself in the mirror again. "Get it together, Waldorf." She tells herself sternly. She jumps and gasps when there's a knock on the door.
"May I come in?" Dan's scratchy, sleepy voice is more soothing than the water. She throws the door open and wraps her arms around him. "Whoa, hey." He nearly falls backwards, but he wraps his arms around her too and squeezes her tight. "Are you ok?" He strokes a hand down her back.
"I've had better nights." She says softly and tightens her hold on him.
He pulls back and takes her head in his hands. "What happened, baby?" He asks gently.
She darts her eyes away. "I told you." She steps out of his arms and goes back into the bedroom. "It was a dream." She gets in the bed.
"It must have been some dream." He gets in right next to her so that she has to scoot over. "You're pale and you were shaking." He kisses her shoulder and waits for her to respond.
"I know." She bites the side of her thumb nail. "I don't really remember the details." She shakes her head. "It was the feeling more than anything I guess. I was so sad and alone." She looks out the window and sees the night is slowly turning into day. He rests his forehead against her shoulder as he listens. "All of my—my friends were there and you weren't. Or you were, but things were different. I don't know. I didn't like it whatever was going on." She purses her lips. She never wants to actually feel that way. It was awful. He raises his head and kisses her hair.
"I'm sorry." He wraps his arms around her and leans against the headboard. "I think we'll cut you off a little sooner next time." She groans and takes his arms off of her.
She slides over and lays on her back. "Hilarious." She mutters as she pulls the sheets up and stares at the ceiling.
"Sorry again." He says on a sigh and lies down next to her. He takes a loose hold of her hand. "It was just a dream. This is real." He squeezes her hand. "Nothing's changing between us." She squeezes his hand back.
"Mmmhmm." She nods to herself. She needs a distraction; happier thoughts. "Twenty questions?" She turns her head and looks him over. He had started to doze again, but he wakes up and nods his head.
"Yeah, sure." He stifles a yawn. "Let's see…..Oh." He snaps his fingers. "What's your middle name?"
"Oh, you're going easy on me." She smiles. "Cornelia."
"Blair Cornelia Waldorf. Wow." He laughs lightly. "That's downright regal."
"Hmmm, I know." She says proudly. "Have you ever left the country?"
"Nope. England's at the top of my list though." He yawns again and stretches out. She feels him look over at her. "Were you really a miserable drunk before me?" He asks with a gentle amount of teasing.
Her eyes widen and she looks at him. "What?" When did she say that? Did she say that?
"Uh, earlier tonight you said you were a miserable drunk. Twice actually." He makes a thoughtful sound. "You don't remember?"
"No." She says quietly. Damn alcohol. "Do I have to—"
"Answer it." He kisses the back of her hand.
She blows air out of her mouth and looks at the ceiling again. "Yes, well no." She waits a moment. "I didn't really drink, especially without Serena, but, yeah, I guess I was kind of miserable period." She doesn't like to think about her life before he came striding over to her at that party. "I didn't realize the extent of it though." She adds mostly to herself.
"Oh." She can hear the surprise and sadness in his voice. "I wasn't miserable, but I think I was pretty bored and lonely." He offers tentatively. "I mean I have my friends and my family, but it's different now. It's just better." He says easily, casually as he adjusts next to her in the bed.
She sets her mouth in a straight line to keep from crying out of happiness or fear or sadness, she doesn't even know. "Do you promise that no one will ever come between us?" She finally asks quietly. It's only the lingering bit of darkness that's letting her ask this question.
"Blair…." He says softly, sadly and she notices his quick movement to look at her. "I promise. The only person who could ever make me stay away from you is you."
"Ok." She takes a deep breath.
"Are you really that concerned about Annemarie?" He asks gently. "I just—I don't know what else I can do or say to make you understand that I genuinely don't care about her at all like that." She plays with her hands and nods her head. "Answer the question." He says after she's silent for a few moments.
"It's not just Annemarie. She's a blip and I know that. I do. It's—It's everything." She feels her bottom lip tremble and she takes a second to collect herself. "I'm happy. I didn't think I'd ever feel like this and now that I do…..this isn't how my life goes." He rolls over and she can feel his eyes on her. He carefully reaches out his hand that isn't holding hers to rest on her stomach. "I'm lucky in a lot of ways. I'll probably never have to worry about money in any way and I'm smart and I'm pretty and I have impeccable taste, but love and happiness have always been a little tricky for me." She shrugs sadly and her lips pout. "And now with everything going on, I'm just worried." She cuts her eyes to him for a moment and cuts them away just as quickly. "I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize." He says softly and slides closer to her until his body is touching hers. "It breaks my heart to hear you say that you're basically waiting for the other shoe to drop, mostly because I don't know how to make something like that better." She doesn't either. She frowns and turns her head to focus on the wall. "Look at me." She turns her head slowly. "I love you so much. I don't think you understand that we're on equal footing here. It might actually be a little skewed in your favor." He laughs lightly and brings her hand to his lips. "If I lost you, I'd be devastated and knowing how much it would hurt you too…." She hears him take a steadying breath. "I won't let that happen, ok?" He waits for her to nod her understanding. "I promise that no matter what Chuck or anyone else throws at us, I'm coming to you and I'm talking to you. I'm not just going to randomly give up on you or on us; I'd fight. I promise." He squeezes her hand in his. "Will you promise to do the same?" She's so in love with him that she thinks she'd do anything for him. "Hey, promise me." He lightly shakes their hands to get her attention.
"I promise, Dan." She says softly and smiles at him. Maybe it is that easy.
"It's your turn." He nudges her leg with his foot.
She rolls onto her side to face him and runs a hand over his chest to his shoulder. "Will you make fireworks with me?" She tries to say it seriously, but her smile refuses to be contained.
"You are such a brat." He laughs lightly and moves a hand to her waist. He sighs and rubs his hand up and down her waistline to her hip and back again. The mood shifts when her nightgown slides up and his fingers touch her skin. They lean in to connect at the same time. "I do owe you." He murmurs teasingly as he moves over her and eases her onto her back.
"I think that goes both ways." She smiles softly and trails her fingers down the side of his face before she leans up to kiss him. He sighs into her mouth and she knows already that this time is going to be different from the other times they've come together like this. His eyes connect with hers in the breaking of the day and she knows he feels it too. He kisses her cheek tenderly then her neck and over her heart. He slides her breasts out of her nightgown and she gasps and arches against the touch of his hand and the warmth of his mouth. He pauses to take off his boxers and throw them aside. "Dan…." She moans as his hands slide the silk material all the way down her body until it's just her skin against his. He stretches out over her and kisses her lips. She feels him pressing against her and she feels that much more ready for him. She rests a hand against the back of his neck and pours herself into their kiss. She wants him to feel everything she feels. He moans into her mouth and his hips move against hers. He breaks away from her and kisses his way back down her body. She has to bite her lip to keep from calling out when his tongue darts between her legs. "I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready…." She whispers restlessly and to no one in particular because his focus seems to be directed entirely elsewhere. She wants him though; she wants him inside of her.
"Hold on." He says quietly against her. He grips her hip and continues to explore her with his mouth. She arches and grips his hair suddenly and unexpectedly. It doesn't last long and she wants more, but it was good. He stays between her legs as she comes down and then moves slowly to kiss her lips. She moans against his mouth and lifts her body to meet his. He breaks away and focuses on connecting them. She can't stop touching him; she feels like she's going to crawl out of her skin she needs him so much. He eases into her and her head pushes back into the pillow. She lets go of the breath she's been holding the whole night, her whole life maybe. He thrusts gently and fills her. He moans and drops his head into her neck. His breathing is rough and deep. "I love you." He barely whispers against her skin. She thinks he's as overcome as she is.
She strokes a hand through his hair and down his back. "It's ok." She says softly and moves her head to kiss his hair. "I love you too. I'll always love you." It doesn't even occur to her that she might be a little young to be making such proclamations because every inch of her knows it's true. He raises his head to look at her again. He kisses her lips and sets a strong, patient pace that she matches.
"Mmmm." He groans into her mouth and breaks away from her lips. He studies her eyes and she lets him. "Always." He murmurs and kisses her again. He quickens their rhythm and eases a hand to her folds to help her over. It works and they come together. He lowers his weight onto her and rests his head next to hers on the pillow.
"Dan." She says breathlessly when she can finally manage a sound a few minutes later. He lifts his head slowly and locks his eyes on hers. "That was—" She realizes she doesn't even have a word for it. It was everything.
He swallows hard. "I know, I know." He whispers and nods his head as he stares at her. He kisses her cheeks, her forehead, her lips. "I know." He kisses her one last time before he lies next to her and pulls her into his arms.
A/N 2: Blair's world is going to be caving in quite a bit in the coming chapters. I wanted to give everyone a heads up to avoid another Oh situation lol The angst is coming, but it will of course be different angst in a few ways. I don't want to give away anything but I think this will be a little easier to take because it's more external. I hope it goes a little more smoothly anyway. That's the goal. See you soon! For those who read my other fics, I think John Wayne will be the next update, btw!