GFF Prompt: "If we're going to do this, we're going to need—" "A plan?" "No! Codenames! Cool ones!"
GFF Words: Plan, Codenames, Dorks
A/N: This story is dedicated to georgiegems. A few times in Outlined on My Finger, Printed in My Heart, I referenced a fanfiction Blaine was reading. That fanfiction just so happens to be written by my good friend, gleefulpoppet (who wrote the "introduction" in this story—you'll understand when you get to it). Georgie commented on Chapter 26, "They have obviously talked through [and] about their sexual fantasies, needs and boundaries and it enhanced their experience, made it enjoyable and safe for both of them. That is Poppet standards of communication right there!" Well, my friend, here is a story for you! This story is set after Chapter 30 and before Chapter 31.
Blaine was a bouncing ball of energy the day that it finally came out in print. He had been looking forward to it since the author had released that she'd be writing it, and that day had finally come.
"Kurt, we have to be first in line to get it."
"We can do that," Kurt said. He loved his soulmate's enthusiasm. He also knew that this book would help them in so many ways. Kurt had read some of the stories the author had written, and even those had given him some ideas on ways to alter his thinking and behavior with Blaine.
After they got their book and took it home, they sat down on the couch and snuggled up before Blaine bounced up and jumped to his feet.
"If we're going to do this, we need—" Blaine started, and then Kurt interrupted him.
"A plan?"
"No! Codenames! Cool ones!"
"Why in the world do we need codenames for reading through this book?" Kurt asked, amused with his soulmate's antics.
"Think about it, Kurt," Blaine excitedly began to explain. "If we're out and we have a problem, we can just say the codename, and the other person will know exactly what they are talking about and not have to explain it to anyone else."
"Wouldn't that cause whoever we're around to do just that? Ask us what we're talking about?" Kurt asked.
"Hmmm," Blaine thought. "I see your point. Maybe they can just be fruits or vegetables? People talk about food all the time."
"So, I blurt out pineapple for no reason, and nobody looks at me weird?"
"NOPE!" Blaine said like he's had the best idea in the world.
"Okay," Kurt agreed. He really loved Blaine and his crazy ideas and wanted to see where he took this.
Blaine grabbed a notebook to keep their codenames in while Kurt grabbed their copy of Poppet's Standards of Communication.
"I'm so glad she took what she wrote in her fanfictions and published communication advice for couples," Blaine said. "Everything she writes is brilliant, and her way of having her characters communicate is like none I've ever read."
"I'm glad, too," Kurt said. "I think simply reading her stories has helped me to communicate more openly than I might have otherwise. Well, her and being raised by my parents."
"I think we both had pretty fantastic parents."
"We sure did. Okay. Are you ready to dive into this?"
"Let's do it!"
Blaine opened the book and turned to the first chapter. He was excited to see the "real" side of Poppet and was giddy to read her opening words.
"A year ago, I was sitting at my desk, staring at the screen of my computer as my mind tried to create a pie chart of all the emotions I was feeling. Was it 35 percent frustrated, 30 percent sad, 5 percent angry, 20 percent grief and 10 percent perplexed? It could have been any combination, but the fact was that I had read yet another case study where a beautiful relationship could have been so much more, and the two could have saved themselves from so much heartache if they had learned how to, or even attempted to, communicate with each other.
It made me wonder if people have simply not been taught these skills, or if we, as a society, are actually forgetting how to communicate and be vulnerable with each other. In a world where interactions with extended family and friends are usually a series of one-click likes on a social media site, it's easy to guess the answer.
With this book, I want to share my deep, heartfelt thoughts about why communication is so important and ways you can improve your skills. In its simplest form, communication is the transferring of information from one place to another. We can communicate verbally with our words and tone, body language, written words, art, music, and more. It's something that can be learned and taught and, most importantly, improved upon in small increments.
It's my hope that with practice, you'll be astounded at how much easier the world is to navigate with these skills and how much richer your relationships with other people can be.
~Gleeful Poppet"
"She's right," Kurt said.
"Of course, she's right. She's a fucking genius!" Blaine exclaimed, more excited than he was after reading the introduction.
"Our parents, both of them, have modeled this for us. I know they have. And now? Now, we get to see another perspective on the things we already know."
"I love that we're doing this together."
They read on, and the first codename they decided to come up with was about finances. According to Poppet, they needed to feel secure and on the same page about finances.
"I know a lot of divorces are for financial reasons, so maybe she's on to something with this one. Okay… Codenames. Hmmm," Kurt said.
"We need to make it something people don't usually associate with money, but something we'll know…"
Blaine pulled out his phone and looked up alternate words for money. While he was scrolling, he found the perfect codename.
"What about 'cabbage?'" Blaine asked.
"Cabbage?"
"Yeah. It's a slang term for money. And, if we needed to use our codename, we could, and people wouldn't know what it was we were talking about."
"One of us could just ask if we're having cabbage for supper or if we needed to pick any up from the store. Then, we could find a way to excuse ourselves so we could have a private conversation," Kurt suggested.
"I love it!" Blaine wrote down their codename next to money in his notebook, and they continued reading.
Next, they read about how important it is for both their physical and emotional needs to be met, that intimacy was more than just sex.
"I think this is one we're already fairly proficient in, though it never hurts to have a codename for it in case one of us misses something," Kurt said after they'd read the section on intimacy.
"I agree. We're both human, and it's bound to happen that one of us misses a signal or needs something different than what the other one is giving."
"Is there anything in your fanfics that they sometimes use as a codename for sex? I know intimacy and sex aren't the same, but sometimes, in my fics, they use the word 'science' to talk about it."
"They use that in mine, too. So, let's just use 'science.' I like that."
After Blaine got done writing down their codename, he put the notebook and pen down and turned toward Kurt. "I… Thank you for doing this with me. I know it might seem silly, and maybe it is. Regardless, it's important to me and… Just... Thank you."
"Blaine, there is no need to thank me. This is about our lives and our love, and if our infinity marks under our rings mean anything like your great-grandmother suggested, we're going to communicate in an infinite number of lives to come, right? That's the way I am interpreting our marks at least. And if we can do just this one thing correctly, then darling, we're going to be okay in each and every single one of those lifetimes we might get to live."
"I love you."
"I love you, too. Now, what's the next thing we need to communicate about according to the very wise Poppet?"
Next, the boys read about life pursuits and goals. Poppet postulated questions such as, "Are you feeling growth in your life? Are you happy? What does the future look like?" and so on.
"This almost feels to me like a school planner of sorts. I don't necessarily want to use the word 'planner' for our codename, though," Kurt said.
"What about 'manager,' then? This is asking us to communicate about how we're going to manage our lives and make sure we both know what each other's goals and aspirations are. Not only that, how can we help each other to achieve those goals, both as individuals and as a couple."
"Manager," Kurt repeated. "I like it."
Blaine wrote the word down next to goals and then kissed Kurt thoroughly for the next several minutes.
"Do we need to take a break?" Kurt panted.
"If we do, we'll have to finish the codenames tomorrow."
Kurt contemplated it. Really, he did. In the end, though, they decided working on their communication was worth it, and their sexual urges could wait. They continued reading and learned something they'd also already figured out, especially with their unique bond: they needed to make time for each other, regardless of what else was going on in their lives. Time with each other and keeping their promises was crucial, not only to their relationship but also to their soulmate bond.
"What if we used the codename 'square?' Like Times Square?" Kurt suggested.
"You're brilliant!"
"Duh," Kurt laughed as Blaine wrote it down in the notebook, and they moved on.
The next topic was one that was a little bit abstract for them right then in some ways. It talked about family and how, both with their own family and their extended family, everything needed to be balanced. Their extended family wasn't necessarily a problem because they lived farther away and had set times scheduled to Zoom and talk with them. And while they didn't have a family of their own, per se, they did have friends and roommates and brothers that lived in the city who were their made family at the time.
"Do you want to talk about a family of our own right now? Or is that something we think we should leave for another time?" Blaine asked.
"I think we can leave it. Everything else with our relationship and bond has been compatible, and neither one of us are ready for kids right now, right?"
"No way. I'd have to share you with more people than I have to right now. No fucking way."
"Ditto. So, our own future family is on hold. I do like what Poppet said about finding the balance, though. And I really think it's something we've done pretty well, especially when we explained to everyone that our bond is unique and we need to spend more time with each other than other soulmates do."
"After Santana, Dani, and Cooper all gave us so much shit about all the sex we needed to have, I think they could see that we were more stable, more tethered, when we did spend that extra time together."
"I agree. So, codename?"
"What if we used 'libra?'"
"The zodiac sign?" Kurt clarified.
"Yeah. It's the scales and all about finding balance."
"I really love that, Blaine."
Blaine wrote down the codename, and then they decided they'd read one more section today and finish the rest tomorrow. This one was about spirituality and didn't necessarily mean believing in a god. It meant, "What gets you through the day? What do you need to feel spiritually sound?"
"I love that she included this, and it doesn't mean religious spirituality, you know?" Kurt said.
"I do know. I'm glad she did, too. And I think—at least in my mind—what fits best with this is 'mirror.' I think about what I see when I look in the mirror and ask myself if it's reflecting what I feel on the inside, what my beliefs are. Does that make sense?"
"It does, and I love 'mirror' as a codename. It's perfect!"
Blaine wrote down the codename and then put both the notebook and Poppet's book on the coffee table before he climbed on Kurt's lap and ground down on him.
"All of this communication talk has made me horny."
Kurt bucked his hips up and met Blaine's, grinding down, both letting out a loud moan of pleasure. They grinded for several minutes before Kurt stopped them.
"I feel like she's watching us," he said and looked toward the book.
"Bedroom or hide the book?" Blaine asked.
"Definitely bedroom. There's a chair and some handcuffs in there that are begging to be used while I give you a lapdance."
"Ohdeargodpleaseyes," Blaine said and jumped off of Kurt's lap, dragging him into the bedroom where he was tortured with an erotic lap dance that had a very happy ending.