Trying not to fall asleep typing this. How did it get so long? I swear, these boys run away from me.

Winter drabble in the small season series thing! Tomorrow will be spring :)

Rough Morning

Winters could be dreadful at times.

Sometimes, the sun wasn't be visible for a few days in a row, just when its warmth was needed the most. Sometimes, it'd appear just to melt away the snow and then go back into hiding.

And so, Blaine was glad to be underground on the subway, even just for a few moments. It was warmer, and it wasn't raining or snowing or hailing. Furthermore, the people surrounding him made him feel better. The constant chatter, and a smile from an occasional old lady reading the paper or a toddler clutching a lollipop.

The subway was familiar. He knew every entrance and exit, all the routes to take and the schedule by heart. It was comfortable; he felt a part of a big, living thing.

There was nowhere to sit, at this time of day, so he clung to a pole and slipped a hand into his pocket to rest over his phone-wallet-keys. Naturally, he smiled at the person that came in after him as he settled with his palm gripping a pole just a few steps from Blaine.

The man returned a polite smile, but didn't seem to be in a good mood at all. In fact, his hair was wet, his umbrella was hanging loosely from his wrist half open and squashed, and his face was twisted into a frown as soon as he unlocked his phone. He tapped his foot on the floor in small tap-tap-tap-taps that could make anyone perfectly calm become anxious.

"Rough morning?" Blaine asked as the train started moving. He leaned on the pole for support, trying not to slip on the damp floor.

"Hmm?" the man lifted his gaze from his phone, and smiled the same frozen, polite smile again. "Oh, uh, no, just the usual." He looked down again.

"Yeah? You sure look a little tense."

The man's phone made a loud noise suddenly, perhaps the first note to a song, and he groaned as he turned it to silent mode and swiped at the screen before putting the phone to his ear. "Rachel, listen- no, I don't- it hasn't been- no, because- you're not letting me- oh, come on! Whatever- whatever, Rachel. Bye." He hung up with a roll of his eyes, and then looked at Blaine again. "My roommate is nuts."

Blaine nodded sympathetically. "I can definitely relate."

The train stopped suddenly and the man went tumbling forward, crashing right into Blaine's chest. Blaine retrieved his hand from his pocket just a millisecond late to catch him, and steadied him carefully. "You okay?"

The man's face became tomato red in seconds. The umbrella hanging from his wrist left droplets of water on Blaine's pants; he could feel them soaking into the material. "I- I'm so sorry, oh my god, I'm really sorry."

Blaine gave him a smile. "It's okay, no worries."

The rest of the way was awkward silence, and turned even more awkward when Blaine had to leave- he wasn't sure what to say, for the first time in a while.

So he smiled, said, "well, that's my stop", wished the stranger a lovely day, and went about the rest of his morning with his mind replaying every second on that train endless times.

TBC tomorrow! Oooh!