Blaine's bedroom was similarly decorated to his Lima room; all wooden bookcases, throw pillows, and sloped ceilings. it was much bigger though, and housed a sweet gaming setup and tv that was crowded with multiple stuffed beanbags and ottermans - perfect for when the Warblers came around for game night. He turned the TV on for some much needed background noise as he began to unpack his rucksack.
He pulled out a copy of Dracula, which was given to their class for English and paused to page through it briefly, making sure his bookmark was still in place- Their teacher wasn't expecting a book report just yet, and he had to remember not to tuck Dracula into one of the shelves in the house and then be unable to recover it ever again. Blaine's father had bought him so many books, and the shelves were creaking with the weight of them already.
He had spent much of middle school holed away in his room getting through pages and pages of Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf, and Tolkien). His dad had noticed one day and come home the next night with a stack of novels and a new bookcase to put them in. His mom, of course had rolled her eyes and taken him to a stuffy cocktail-brunch and taught him how to introduce himself to old ladies who would coo at him and pinch his cheeks, and young men who would ask him about the last basketball game. It was an unorthodox approach , but it had built both his confidence and his love of none fiction. So... his time in actual middle school could go... screw itself.
Blaine glanced sadly around the room. He hadn't packed much into his rucksack since he knew had a fair amount of clothing here, Mari kept a store full of emergency toothbrushes, and toiletries and his iPad would have to suffice in lieu of his laptop. Lastly he pulled out his camera and set it on his chest of drawers to remind himself to get that film roll developed.
Rolling up his sleeves, Blaine decided to utilise his first-day-back-at-home energy to do something productive with his afternoon, and bouncing a little on his heels, he began rifling through his neglected wardrobe. Twenty minutes later he had dismissed several maroon cardigans and jeans before finally finding a striking looking cardigan. It was thin cotton, came down to his mid-thigh and was intermittently striped with dark and light grey. He held its sleeve over one arm to check the fitting. His reflection in the mirror smiled at him all dimpled on one cheek, so he took that as a good sign. Slinging it over one shoulder he went to raid his Cooper's old walk in closet to find the matching gray slacks. He skidded in his sock clad feet down the hall and pulled on a brass doorknob that was three doors down from his own.
Coopers room was the same as always, of course. The door creaked open and Blaine looked around at the walls which were plastered floor to ceiling with Broadway posters and their old playbills. A large vanity mirror took up the far side of the room, and several books and notepads were in disarray on the floor. It was currently in what Cooper liked to call "A state of organised chaos" and Blaine dared not to touch a thing as he walked nimbly towards the walk in closet. what he found in the closet was a jumble of costumes, impressive looking black tuxes, and leather jackets, and- leather pants? Blaine tripped over a pair of bikers boots and a box full of wigs in his effort to find the gray slacks, and cursing he fell on his onto the soft shagpile carpet. He kind of lay there for a bit contemplating his life, before struggling to right himself. He felt his hair curling on him and he pouted, glaring at the offending boots.
The gray pants in question were lying haphazardly half in and half out of a drawer near his right elbow. He tugged it loose, sneezing a little from all the dust. Cooper must have been back within the last few months but must have been living out of his suitcases as nothing in here looked as if it had been recently touched.
The pants needed a rinse, and a quick tumbledry, but they fit him well after he'd sewed up the hem and ironed them flat. He showered, and dressed while looking himself critically in the mirror, pulling a curl down from his coiffed locks before shaking his head and smoothing it back again. drawing in a deep breath, Blaine smartly tapped out a number on his phone.
*Beeeep*
"HEllo?"
"Hi!"
"HEloo Blaine?"
"WEs?"
"-Oh my god is that Blaine?" Jeffs voice boomed excitedly in his ear
"Jeff?! Hi!"
"Blaine how are you babes?" Wes's unctuous voice crackled through the receiver.
"Make him facetime!" Nick's voice joined the medley of warbler voices.
"Blaine imma facetime, wait right there. Don't move" Wes ordered
"I'm right here. Not going anywhere" Blaine laughed lying on his back on his bed (a bed he now noticed his mother had overfilled with throw blankets and cushions.)
His phone buzzed again.
"Blaine hi!"
A big brown pupil filled the screen of his cellphone.
A blue eye joined it.
Nick and jeff's faces, both handsome and flushed with excitement, appeared and then disappeared as Wes seemingly shoved the pair out of the vicinity of his lap. Blaine beamed at them. They looked well, and looked as if they were in the middle of rehearsing judging by the piles of sheet music around them.
Wes looked stressed but put together. There were signs of fatigue around his eyes and he was clearly still in his school attire, his tie was unkept but his navy blazor was proudly adorned with his council member badge, and a new pin Blaine recognised as the Choir Treasurer pin...
As it was Wes's senior year, Blaine guessed he must have delagated the council presidency to someone who could handle things while he concentrated on his classes. Interesting.
"How are you?" Blaine asked in earnest. He spoke to his old team often, but he'd been a town away and felt removed and that he'd missed so much of their lives.
Wes shrugged and gave a wan smile.
"My parents tend to pile on the pressure during spring break, but this year I believe is a new record even for them." He said dryly.
"Nice cardigan." Jeff interrupted. He had reappeared, top button undone and tieless, his face taking up half the screen and was looking at him consideringly.
"Are stripes a new thing?"
Blaine looked down. He supposed they were.
Jeff leaned in closer and muttered so Wes couldn't hear him.
"No school talk. Me and David told him he needs to relax today. He's wound up like a spring and he's not sleeping well. Every second he's got his nose in a book. He's going to burn out if he's not careful."
Jeff looked solemnly at Blaine.
"Yesterday I baked him cupcakes."
"god" Blaine moaned. "I miss your baking, Jeff." He really did.
Jeff coughed, grinning self consciously.
"Yes- well. The point I was trying to make was that he didn't take a bite."
Blaine raised his eyebrows. Jeff looked significantly at him.
"Yeah. Wes The guy who hoovered up 12 of the congratulatory cupcakes that Janice sent up from the-"
"Jeeefff" a zombie like hand appeared on screen to cuff Jeff around the shoulder.
"Mind giving me my cellular phone? Mind if I talk to Blaine for a change?"
Wes didn't sound well at all. His voice, although carrying the usual signs of sarcasm, was gravelly and every sentence sounded like effort.
"Hey- why don't I come over there?" Blaine chirped. The sentence was out of his mouth before he had time to think it through.
He had been meaning to go to the mall today, and maybe check out the dome-like building. But seeing his old friends seemed like a much better option... it was always the better option, really. But especially preferable when his day would otherwise comprise of window shopping alone and trespassing on a building site.
"I was about to ask." Nick suddenly piped up.
Wes actually grinned, eyes showing signs of a twinkle of enthusiasm.
"We've been working on out new set." Jeff bounced excitedly into frame.
Nick puffed his chest out proudly.
"Oh my god, pleeease come see, Blaine. Pleeeaseeeee?" Jeff batted his blue eyes and pouted.
"I dunnoooo" Blaine smiled, checking his nails teasingly.
"If you come, we'll improvise something cool for your Dalton homecoming." Nick said.
Wes looked a little harried at that statement.
Blaine laughed.
"Consider me convinced."
