Arriving at Jeff’s door, Liam took a deep breath before raising a fist to knock. Stepping back, he clutched the two thermoses of tea he’d brought, rocking on his feet as he waited for his brother to answer. When the door did swing open, he allowed a soft smile to cross his features. “Jeff!” Stepping forward, he wrapped his arms around his brother. “I feel like it has been forever, too long either way.” Stepping into the room, he placed the thermoses on a nearby counter. “Tell me everything, how have you been holding up? How are you handling these changes? You’re a Switch now! Does this mean I have to call you ‘Sir’?” Liam joked.
@switchxxjeffsterling
Hunter arrived at the coffee shop promptly, skin sun skissed, hair still slightly damp and pushed back off his face. He wore a white tee that showed off the tan skin, and a pair of jeans that were equal parts comfortable yet fitted. Spotting the tall blonde, Hunter made his way over, leaning with his arms braced against the back of the chair before flashing a wide grin. “Ah, I’ll admit I had a thought while swimming my laps that perhaps you were just teasing me yet again and I’d get here and you wouldn’t be,” he said.
Live shows never took too long, just over two hours. Becky had hopped into the shower in the locker room and cleaned herself up a bit. She had been completely soaked in sweat after her match. Her match felt slightly sloppy as she had been thinking about Jeff the entire time. Wondering where they would go to enjoy some food. What would happen? All these thoughts flowing through her mind. She quickly finished up her shower and slipped on her leggings and a sweater that she had worn there. It wasn't anything fancy but it was comfortable. The rest of her clothes were on the bus in her suitcase. She sent Jeff a text asking if he was ready and waited outside of the men's locker room for him.
Who: Blaine Anderson and Jeff Sterling ( @askjssterling )
What: Jeff comes over for muffins and hair styling with Blaine
When: Sunday, February 5th
Where: The Anderson Household
Notes: None
Jeff texted Blaine that he was heading to his place as he walked out of the house, getting into his car and pulling it out of the driveway. He was more than willing to help Blaine finally get rid of the amount of hair gel he used daily, but the moment he mentioned freshly made muffins, Jeff was more than sold. He drove to the house he had been once or twice, parking it outside before walking up to the front door with the help of his crutch. He rang the doorbell, waiting for Blaine to open the door quickly before Jeff froze outside.
Blaine had to admit that the thought of doing his hair any other way than using copious amounts of raspberry scented hair gel made him extremely nervous. Nerves made him bake and this time it had been muffins. Which he'd promptly offered to Jeff in exchange for help and opinions about his hair. He had to admit, he truly valued the other's opinion and he was excited when the doorbell rang. "Jeff!" he greeted, a huge smile on his face as he pulled the door open and ushered the blond inside and out of the cold. "I just pulled the muffins out of the oven, so the chocolate chips are all melty." He almost skipped at the excitement of having a friend over- he really needed to get out more.
Jeff smiled as Blaine opened the door, getting inside before hugging Blaine quickly. "I arrived at the perfect time, then." he chuckled, taking off his jacket and hanging it up before following Blaine into the kitchen. He had spent most of his time since he came back at home, and that was slowly driving him mad. He missed Blaine, too, and he promised himself he would get back in touch with all of his friends from back home, so visiting him was the perfect excuse to get out of the house and keep that promise. "They smell amazing, that's for sure." he pointed out as soon as he could smell the muffins.
Blaine pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and gestured for Jeff to take a seat as he went over to the counter and pulled hot muffins from the tray. He carefully arranged them on a plate and turned around happily to set them all but in front of the other on the table. "Okay, so tell me what you think," he said, sitting down and watching Jeff expectantly. He nodded in encouragement; it was his favorite thing when people enjoyed the things he baked. Baking was so new to him, but making people happy was not a new thing, and he'd never seen anything that came out of an oven make people unhappy. His hands clasped under his chin and he nodded.
Jeff thanked Blaine with a smile as he gestured for him to sit down, pulling up a chair and sitting down with a soft sigh, stretching out his hurt leg. He wanted to believe he was getting better, but even if he could walk with just one crutch now, it didn't mean his knee stopped hurting. Today wasn't a good day, his knee hurting as soon as he woke up. Jeff turned to watch Blaine as he got everything ready "It smells great, so I doubt it would taste bad." he said honestly, smiling widely as Blaine placed a plate in front of him "Chocolate could never taste bad." he winked playfully before picking up a muffin, taking a bite with a hum, giving Blaine a thumbs up as he chewed.
Blaine knew that Jeff was right. Chocolate could never taste bad, but he still liked the validation that he got when someone enjoyed what he'd made. Satisfied, he grabbed a muffin for himself and took a bite, smiling to himself. After a moment, he raised his eyebrows. "So, YouTube tutorials are really going to help, you think?" he asked, bringing up the real reason he'd asked Jeff to come over. He reached up to feel his hair, which was currently smooth and glassy, full of gel, and very solid. He couldn't imagine letting his curls loose. It was sure to be laughable and he wasn't sure he wanted that kind of attention.
Jeff joined the chat 18 seconds ago
Jeff should be embarrassed about how quickly he devoured that muffin, but he was still young, he could do that sort of things. "Did you really just bit into yours after I was half way through mine? Were you trying to poison me, Blaine?" he laughed, shaking his head fondly before reaching for another one, this time breaking pieces off and eating like a normal person and not a starved teen boy. "Yeah, I think they will." he nodded confidently "If you still aren't comfortable with it, you just have to promise me you will use less hair gel." he compromised. He knew Blaine wouldn't be comfortable to go out with his hair completely untamed on the first try, but he could work through it. "You didn't wear this much back in our freshman year, you had some waves."
Blaine laughed a little and shook his head, still eating pieces of his own muffin. "Okay, maybe I didn't devour this one because I didn't wait for you to get here before I ate one, so I'm already one down and you're catching up," he said, keeping the air light. "Less gel means all of the curly mess that the gel is hiding will be all out there fore everyone to see. Freshman year I just hadn't learned how to control it yet. I didn't have the right gel and I didn't know that I had to style right out of the shower. I know better now, but... I guess I can try. If it looks okay..." He was obviously uneasy but not against trying something new. "What do we search for?" he asked, pulling out his phone and bringing up YouTube.
Jeff laughed, eating another bit "You're the worst. But they're so good, I can't really blame you." he winked playfully. "If you want my honest opinion, I think your hair looked great back then. Totally not a mess, it was all tidy and didn't look like a literal... helmet." he said honestly, biting his lip and hoping he wasn't too harsh. He didn't want Blaine to feel bad, and his quest of getting him to use less hair gel wasn't something he was doing to change him, but he remembered his hair from freshman year, and it looked so much more like the Blaine he knew than the way it did now. "I'm not being a dick, I promise. I just think your hair a bit looser would fit you more. You're so bubbly, it would look more like you. Can you imagine me with dull brown hair?" he pointed out, before pulling the chair closer to Blaine, so he could watch the screen "How to tame curly hair sounds like a good start?"
Blaine made a face at the word 'helmet.' Did his hair really look like that? He thought it was nice and neat like everyone else's hair was- the people who didn't have super curls anyway. Unconsciously, he touched his hair, nodding at Jeff. "I know you're not. I trust you. I'm going to try and change it up," he said, thinking about how the way he looked was suddenly coming into play with more than one person in his life. He smiled a little. "No, no I can't imagine you with dull brown hair. You wouldn't be Jeff. I guess I see your point." He cleared his throat and searched in the app for pertinent videos, and clicked the first one that had someone with short, curly hair. It should have been obvious, how to tame his own hair, but it wasn't really. The step by step that the video featured was helpful, and Blaine hoped he remembered all of it. When the video was over, he took a breath and looked at Jeff. "Okay are you ready for this?" he asked, mostly asking himself.
Jeff smiled a bit as Blaine said he was going to at least try to change it up "And if you still don't like it, I guess I'll have to admit defeat." he shrugged playfully. He didn't know what the obsession with hair gel came about with the Warblers, but he remembers all the times he went around and tried to hide the bottles from everyone. He always thought everyone looked so much older than they really were, and with most people, the hair style didn't fit their personality. "Yeah, I would be boring. Not saying you're boring, far from it, but maybe you just didn't find the perfect style yet. I used to use hairspray back at Dalton, but I dropped it as soon as I moved to California." he shrugged softly "Maybe hairspray will work with you? Who knows." Jeff watched the video along with Blaine, slowly making his way through his second muffin before it ended "Do I get to see curly Blaine in his full glory?" he asked with a wide smile. He was a little bit excited to see Blaine without any hair gel on.
Blaine thought about how most of the Warblers were obsessed with their hair. It it wasn't hair gel, it was hair glue, hair spray, shine spray, mousse, or any other trendy hair product that they sold in stores. Maybe it was because of that that he'd fallen into the gel trap. Or may it was because it was so much easier to avoid the comments about his poofy hair than to accept that people would talk about it. "I... don't know if just hairspray will do anything. But I'll try it," he said, nervously. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, if you're ready, I'm ready. Curly Blaine in his full glory." He nodded and smiled and swallowed his nerves. "You want to come with me or should I bring stuff here," he asked, trying really hard not to glance at his friend's knee.
Jeff was also guilty of being a little bit obsessed with his hair. He liked it to be all neat, so that his hair flip would look cool, but now that he was out of Dalton, he didn't have that need anymore. Maybe it was the change from a preppy school to a place as laid back as San Diego, but Jeff didn't care about his hair as much. He let it grow out, just trying to keep it as blonde as he could. He didn't think he could ever let the brown take over. Maybe Blaine was just still used to it like this. "I don't know either, but it's a possibility." he grinned widely, nodding excitedly "I was born readt." Jeff smiled softly at Blaine's suggestion, glad he wasn't flat out pointing out his injury, but acknowledging it "I can go with you, I'm not invalid." he smiled, reaching for his crutch before standing up, leaning against it "Lead the way, Mr. Blaine." he moved his arm like a butler would do, with an exaggerated accent, trying to lift up the mood.
Blaine smiled at Jeff, realizing that he'd missed the way the other was like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day-- even if he hadn't been blond. He led the other through the house the way they'd come through to the kitchen, and then up the stairs, which had been the main reason for Blaine asking if Jeff wanted to come along or not. He hated that his friend was hurt, and especially that he wasn't sure exactly how badly. But he led him through nonetheless and arrived at a too-large bathroom that was too fancy for anyone's tastes (except Blaine's mom), with a massive whirlpool corner tub and double sinks with a huge mirror. He opened a small cabinet and pulled out a towel. "Okay, I'm going to wash this out," he said, pointing to his hair. "Promise me you won't laugh." He didn't think Jeff would laugh to be mean, but Blaine looked seriously weird with curly hair, he thought.
Jeff looked up at the stairs. On a normal day, he wouldn't look at them as if he was climbing Mount Everest, but today wasn't a good day for his knee, so he took a bit longer to get to the top. Once he reached Blaine, he gave him a smile, showing him that he was okay, before following him to the bathroom. "Oh wow, this is fancy." he pointed out dumbly as he looked around the bathroom. His parents where well off in life, but the bathrooms in his house certainly didn't look like this. He walked to the toilet, putting the lid down so he could sit down, "I like to joke around, but I wouldn't laugh at you. Promise." he crossed his heart with a smile.
Blaine felt like he was about to go over the first drop on a massive, super tall roller coaster. He liked roller coasters enough, but he didn't like having this feeling when he wasn't actually on one. He laughed nervously at Jeff's comment about his mom's decor in the bathroom. He was right, but Blaine forgot to respond out loud to the comment. Why in the world was he so nervous about washing the gel out of his hair? He nodded and pressed his lips together and got down on his knees in front of the tub, keeping the towel close and turning on the hot water. After a few seconds his hands were in his hair and the familiar raspberry scent was washing down the drain. He used a little shampoo to make sure all of it was out, and nervously rinsed the rest of the stuff from his hair before turning the water off and reluctantly pulled the towel over. He rubbed the towel over his wet hair and stood up, facing away from his friend. His heart was beating so fast; he knew that his hair was a curly mop on his head now and it took all of his bravery to turn around to face the other. There was a blush on his cheeks and he pointed to his hair. "So, this is what we have to work with."
Jeff fixed his knee brace as Blaine started to washed out the gel, sighing contently as he managed to make it feel a little bit better. When he looked up, Blaine was almost done, and the smell of raspberry finally hit him "At least it smells really good." he chuckled, watching as he dried his hair, waiting expectantly for Blaine to turn around and finally show him his hair. Jeff always thought that Blaine was over reacting before, that his hair really wasn't that curly, but even if still damp, Jeff could see how his hair formed tight curls around his head. It was much more curly than he was expecting, but it wasn't that bad, and he wasn't going to laugh, having promised him or not. "It is very curly." he pointed out with a smile "But it's not that bad, really. I'm sure we can work with it. Now come here, I'm an old injured man who can't get up." he motioned for him to come closer.
Blaine watched Jeff, trying to see if there was any maliciousness in his eyes. He knew there wouldn't be any, but he was scared, so of course he assumed the worst in everything. But Jeff didn't have anything bad to say. It was relief for Blaine, and when asked, he walked a little closer to Jeff. He was concerned about the other's knee, especially after the stairs. He tried not to frown, and instead let out a chuckle. "Jeff, you're not an old man. If you're old, then I'm old. You're definitely not old," he commented, reaching out his hand for the other to take. Jeff made him feel at ease. "Do you really think we can do something with this mess?"
Jeff knew he teased Blaine, and any of his friends that used too much hair gel, but he never did it to hurt them. He would hate knowing that his joking around actually hurt the people he cared about. He could joke now, because that's what they did, but he knew Blaine would feel worse than he already did, so he wouldn't do that. Jeff was very good at joking about serious thing, specially when it was about himself. He hated the fact that he was hurt, but it was easier if he joked about it and made others laugh, it took his head out of the dark place it normally did when he let his thoughts take the best of him. "I'm super old, I need a walking aid. I'm older than you, probably." he joked, taking Blaine's hand and hoisting himself up, nodding softly "I'm sure we can. Now, I really want to run my fingers through your hair, just once. It's so curly." he asked with a smile,
Blaine actually laughed this time, shaking his head as he helped Jeff up. "Yeah right, when is your birthday?" he asked, immediately regretting asking that, since today was his own birthday and he didn't really want to have to tell anyone about that. He hated having so much attention drawn to himself. Suddenly, he felt shyness creep over him, remembering Jeff saying that he'd run his hands through Blaine's hair, and now hearing him say that he wanted to right then made him think about the last time someone had run their hands through his hair. "Are you sure?" he asked, biting his lip and looking up more shyly than he had earlier.
Jeff fixed his hair as Blaine let go of him "November.... Okay, maybe the odds are against me." he laughed. Jeff nodded "What if you never let your hair out again and I lose the opportunity?" he sighed dramatically, before running his fingers through the curls, watching them bounce back with a smile. He was careful not to run his fingers along his scalp or anything, just through his damp curls, thoughtful about what he had confessed before. As much as he would love to tease him, he didn't want to make this awkward. "That's so cool, seriously, why do you hide it?" he asked honestly.
Blaine smiled a little. "Okay, you're older than me, you win, old man," he said, obviously joking. "Okay, okay," he said, listening to reason. It was quite possible that he'd never let anyone be in his presence with his hair not full of controlling gel ever again. He was very thankful that Jeff only fluffed at his curls instead of fully running his finger through his hair. It would have been very awkward if he'd tugged at them or something. He watched the other's face as he did it, and glanced down when it was time to reply. "I don't really want to stand out too much, I guess. And I hated when I was a kid and my parents always wanted to shave my head because curls weren't manly. So, I got to keep my hair if I made it look flatter." He hadn't confessed that to many people before, and glanced up and laughed nervously. "But mostly because I just don't know how to do my hair."
Jeff laughed, shaking his head "I actually feel horrible that I don't remember your birthday, What is it, December? For you to be younger than me." Jeff smiled as he let go of Blaine's hair, taking a step back. Now if Blaine never listened to him and would never get rid of the hair gel, at least he could say he touched the mythical curls once. Jeff frowned softly as he heard Blaine. He hated how familiar all of that sounded, but he never let what his parents said get into him, at least not enough he would start doing something just to please him. It wasn't fair Blaine only started doing that because his parents never bothered to help him with the hair they gave him. He gently squeezed Blaine's shoulders, making him look at him "Your hair is fine, okay? No matter what they say." he said firmly, getting serious all of a sudden. He defied his parents, kept doing the things that made him happy no matter what opinion they had, and Blaine should have the chance to that, too. "We're going to learn how to do it so you like it but don't have to wear so much gel all the time, okay?"
Blaine shrugged. "Dude, it's totally okay. Not important," he said, not wanting to admit that it was his birthday today. "I'm not one of those guys that is going to get really angry that someone doesn't remember something like that. You're good." He smiled lightly as Jeff got his attention with a little squeeze to his shoulders. He knew the other was right, but it was just something he'd always done. Or maybe something he'd just never learned because he'd found a solution and it no longer mattered. He reached up and felt his hair, which was starting to air dry and get poofy. "I believe you but the evidence is overwhelmingly opposite." He smiled a little. "I think I need at least some gel."
Jeff pouted "Birthdays are always important. And I like knowing my friend's birthday. If anything, just to see if our signs are compatible." he joked, hoping it would make Blaine finally tell him. He really couldn't remember his birthday, and he didn't know if it was because he forgot or because Blaine never told him. "That's because you never learned how to deal with it. But we'll find something today." he squeezed his shoulder one last time before leaning back, nodding with a small smile "Some gel. Not a full container of it every morning." he compromised with a laugh.
Blaine pressed his lips together. "I mean, I don't think they're that important," he said, debating for a second before blurting. "It's today." He quickly tried to change the topic by pulling out a huge bottle of gel and holding it up in his hand. "So, how much should I be using here? More? Less? Do you think I should get out some of my mom's shine booster stuff?" He opened a cabinet and started pulling out more bottles of different sprays and hair products. "There's mousse here too," he added, pushing them over to where Jeff could see them.
Jeff shrugged softly "It's not a big deal, but they're important. A whole day just for yourself were you can just get away with anything? Sounds pretty awesome. And there's cake. You gotta love the cake." he chuckled, before frowning deeply "You're birthday's today?" he looked at Blaine, and from the way he was reacting to that, he didn't seem like he was lying. He always acted extra serious when he was trying to pull his leg like that "Your birthday's today and you didn't say anything? Blaine! I could have taken you out to get cake, instead you're the one baking." he shook his head softly "Why didn't you tell me anything?" he asked, reaching for his crutch to walk to where Blaine placed all the products, picking up a bottle of mousse, reading the back of it, hoping that would give Blaine the time to explain why he didn't mention that it was his anniversary.
Blaine knew that he was going to get caught. He should have planned it a little better, honestly. He shrugged and pretended to look at a bottle of gel. "I didn't tell anyone about it, it's not just you. And I like baking. It's one of my favorite things to do, so it's not really that big of a deal. Kurt is taking me for dinner later." He shrugged again. "It's really not a big deal. It's just a birthday." He didn't know why he was so anti telling people about the day. When Jeff knew him, he'd definitely have been all over making sure that everyone knew it was his special day. But since breaking up with Kurt, he just wanted to stay out of the lime light. "So, I should just use a little bit of gel then?" he questioned, trying to segway back into his hair.
Jeff had no idea why Blaine didn't say anything before, but he looked uncomfortable, which was something, if he was trying to get the attention back to his hair. He wasn't going to ask, either, he was sure Blaine would eventually tell him something if he wanted to, but it didn't mean Jeff wasn't going to try to make this experience a little bit nicer "Still, it's supposed to be a special day. I would have got you something, like a bow tie, or something." he pointed out, nodding as he talked "You and Kurt... You managed to stay friends?" he asked instead, picking up the gel and giving it to Blaine "Okay, you can have your gel, but let's start with like... a quarter of what you normally wear and work it from there?" he raised a brow with a smile.
Blaine smiled at the fact that Jeff would have gotten him a present. He didn't expect gifts from anyone, and honestly just being to hang out with his old friend was more than enough of a present. "It's nice to just be able to hang out with you. And yeah, we did. I mean we weren't at first. He was in New York and I was here in Lima and I was sort of... depressed for a long time. That break up was really hard. Till I got the job with the Warblers I had no direction." He cleared his throat. "But when he came back he apologized and he's been really nice to me since then. And he asked me to go for dinner tonight. So, I said yes." He was looking forward to having dinner with Kurt, though he still wasn't sure if it was because Kurt was familiar and it was comfortable, or if he really did want to be with Kurt in every way again. He blinked out of that thought. "Only a quarter? Wow. Okay..." he said, squeezing the gel bottle, using way more than a normal person would. "Are you sure?"
Jeff smiled, pulling Blaine into a quick hug "I know I'm awesome, but not as awesome as a birthday present. I'm still going to give you one. Just not today." he promised. He was back home, and he was going to get back all those friendships he left behind when he went to California, starting with Blaine. It wasn't like they stopped being friends, but they grew apart, and that was normal, but Jeff was going to nurture his friendships better this time. "But now you have /one/ direction." he made finger guns at him with a laugh, before shaking his head at himself, "But I'm glad you two are better. Never thought you'd break up, but things happen sometimes, you can't control them." he shrugged, watching him taking too much gel into his hand. It seemed too much for Jeff, but if that's only a quarter to him, he was keeping his promise. "Yes, I'm sure. If you need a little bit more, then we'll add it."
Blaine returned Jeff's little hug with a smile. "I promise that you don't have to do that, Jeff," he said, though he didn't really mind all that much, he supposed. He nodded. "I didn't think we would either, but he just decided one day that he wasn't happy with me anymore and we broke up. I guess that's how it works. We're too young. Everyone's told me that. I guess everyone was right. But yeah, he's a good friend." Blaine bit his lip and looked at his face in the mirror, trying to tell himself that the frizz was going to look okay when he was done, and started to work the gel in. It wasn't nearly as gooey as when he normally did his hair, but the curls were at least sticking together a little. Enough that it wasn't like he had a bush on his head anymore. He looked to Jeff. "Okay, what do you think?"
Jeff shook his head "I want to give you something, even if it's just to make up for the years I didn't." he listened to Blaine, nodding softly "Yeah, relationships end, it's not the end of the world. I'm just glad you are still friends, because it would suck to lose your boyfriend and your friend all at once." Jeff watched Blaine through the mirror as he started to style his hair, nodding approvingly as they locked eyes in the mirror "I think it looks good, but how do you feel? And don't say you hate it because it's not the normal amount you put in." he warned with a smile.
Blaine could tell that Jeff wasn't lying about the way his hair looked. Now he just had to figure out if he liked it. It felt more breezy than normal. Lighter. Curlier. He did kind of like the way you could see the curls; it was like they were highlighted. His hair was still smooth and definitely not frizzy. It was different, that was for sure. As he stared in the mirror, his face was completely untelling. He smiled back a little. "Actually. I don't hate it. It's just... it feels weird," he said, reaching up and touching it. He was surprised to find that the thin edges of the curls were already drying a little, which was completely different from when he coated all of his hair in the stuff and plastered it to his head. That took at least an hour to be dry to the touch. "I look so different..."
Jeff watched Blaine expectantly, hoping that he would at least not hate the new look. It wasn't that different, really, it was clearly gelled down, but now Jeff could see waves in his hair, and even if it wasn't as curly as it would naturally be, it was still a bit looser than the full head of hair gel he normally used. Jeff smiled widely as Blaine seemed to at least enjoy it "Well, your scalp is used to be drowned in too much gel, it's just learning how to breathe again." he said playfully, nudging their shoulders "It's still you, so it's not that different. Just curlier...and lighter." he nodded in approval "I think it looks awesome."
Blaine listened for any clues of Jeff not telling the truth when he spoke, and there weren't any at all. He cracked a little smile, turning his head at all angles to try and get a really good look. "Okay, it wasn't too much gel, just a lot. I go through a whole bottle of this stuff in a week," he said, holding up the large bottle of raspberry scented hair gel to make his point. "I guess... it's been kind of a safety net, you know? But... if I want things to change, I have to start making changes, right? And you have to start somewhere." Mostly he was thinking out loud, and maybe it was the fact that his hair was weighing him down less, but he felt so much lighter than before.
Jeff wouldn't be able to lie to Blaine. Yes, maybe he would have rather convinced him to wear it natural, but he got it, Blaine was so used to his hair gel that it would be too much of a shock to just wear it naturally. But this was a nice compromise, and it fit his personality so much better, in Jeff's opinion, it almost reminded him a bit of Blaine in their freshman year at Dalton. Jeff picked up the bottle "I wouldn't need this much gel in my life time, and you go through it in a week. It's /too much/." he chuckled, placing it down on the counter "At least you'll save a lot of money." he pointed out with a playful shrug. "Exactly, that's the spirit. And if you're too focus on your safety net, you won't be able to enjoy life fully. We're adults now, safety nets aren't that safe sometimes."
Blaine didn't like that Jeff was right. Doing away with his safety net was a very scary thing for him. Even when he'd had noting else, he still had his classic look, and to change that meant that everything was different. It was almost terrifying, but he wanted this chapter of his life to end and to start the new one. "I'm trying really hard here, so you should be proud of me," he said, leaning down to wash the remaining gel from his hands. "And also... thank you," he added, drying his hands and turning around. "This was a birthday present that I wasn't expecting, and it kind of gives new meaning to birth day, being philosophically reborn and whatever." It was a typical Blaine ramble, and he was glancing at the ceiling as he thought it through while saying it. "So, thank you," he said, looking back down and smiling at his friend.
Jeff chuckled "I'm sorry, you know me. Just trying to make it less dramatic." he smiled, waving it off as Blaine thanked him "You seriously don't have to thank me. If anything, I'd be the one thanking you for actually listening to me this one time. And for the delicious muffins." he listened to him silently, letting him say everything he wanted before laughing softly "That was very deep. I'm glad you like it, it wouldn't have worked out if you weren't comfortable with it." he pulled Blaine into a tight hug "You're more than welcome, Blaine. I'm glad I ended up helping and not making it worse."
Blaine shook his head as they hugged. "You did help. You did. I promise," he said, squeezing tightly as a thank you. "I'm really glad you came back from California. I mean, not that you got hurt and had to have... everything... and the crutch thing and... yeah I mean it's just really great to have you back." He nodded as he pulled back. "You want some more muffins?" he asked. "Change makes me hungry."
Who: Blaine Anderson and Jeff Sterling ( @askjssterling )
What: Cooking dinner together
When: Saturday the 18th of February, early evening
Where: Blaine’s Apartment
Notes: Fluffy
Blaine was absolutely thrilled that Jeff was going to be here to do this Hello Fresh thing with him. He unpacked the box that had been sent to him, putting chicken and tomatoes and fresh herbs and potatoes on the counter. He turned around and leaned, looking at the recipe card. He hoped Jeff wasn't allergic to anything in the box. He probably wasn't. Jeff was pretty close to perfect. He couldn't wait to see that sunny blond hair and the bright smile he knew he would get. Okay, so maybe he had a crush. Jeff was so nice to nap with- it was all that nap's fault, the first one. But they'd also shared a kiss the last time, and hadn't stopped talking or flirting since then. Having issued each other challenges was cute too. Honestly, as much as Blaine wanted to do this cooking with Jeff thing (which he was sort of blowing off Sebastian for), he wanted the cuddling session that would come after dinner to be here sooner. And as much as he was late for things himself, he hoped that Jeff was on time today.
Jeff really liked Blaine. They had been friends since freshman year, and even if they grew apart, ever since Jeff came back they had started hanging out more often and Jeff was reminded why he always liked Blaine. They were friends, and Jeff was excited to hang out with him, and the naps were a nice extra to that, but Jeff couldn't help but kiss him last time. He was sleepy and warm, and Blaine was so close to him, his lips so inviting, that Jeff just leaned closer and pressed their lips together. He was expecting it to be a one time thing, something they could laugh about later, but ever since that afternoon they had texted and flirted a lot, and Jeff was excited for tonight. Jeff rang up to Blaine's apartment a few minutes after the scheduled time, having been stuck in traffic for a bit after already being held up as he was walking out the door by his mom, inquiring him where he was going. Still, he managed to be mostly on time.
Blaine was more than happy to tug open the door and let Jeff inside the apartment. It still smelled new, with all of the barely unpacked from the store furniture. The kitchen table hadn't even been sat at before, and the utensils they were going to use to cook were all unused as well. He thought that using them and then having dishes in the dish drainer would be a good way to break it in a little. And that thought made him think about breaking in the mattress. Which made a blush spreak across his face. He was grateful for his skin tone not really showing blushes. "Jeff! he greeted, offering the other a big smile and his outstretched arms. "Are you ready for something chicken for dinner?" he asked, forgetting what the recipe card had called their dinner this evening.
Jeff: Jeff was glad Blaine's building had an elevator, because he was sure he was going to take a while to get to his floor if he had to use the stairs. He smiled as Blaine opened the door, hugging him close with a smile "Hey, Blaine." he walked into the apartment, that still looked as brand new as it looked the last time he was there, taking off hi jacket "So, we're having chicken? Yeah, more than ready!" he nodded excitedly, walking into the kitchen and pulling a chair so he could sit down if he got tired of standing up. "I've never done this before, but from what I can see, we won't have much work." he mentioned with a smile as he looked at everything Blaine had set up.
Blaine tried not to look as happy as he felt that Jeff was finally here, but he couldn't stop himself from beaming at the other. He closed the door and followed through to the kitchen, picking up the recipe card and looking over it. "'Balsamic Chicken Rustico with Provencal Roasted Roots Veggies' is what it's called. Seems easy enough. Prep time is only thirty minutes," he said, looking up. Jeff was so attractive standing there next to the chair. It was like his hair was actual sunshine brightening up the kitchen. Blaine had to remind himself to stop, and he forced his eyes away to look at the counter full of ingredients. "So we should get to chopping and slicing then, yeah?"
Jeff leaned against the chair as he listened to Blaine with a smile, eyeing him up and down. He always thought Blaine was attractive, he would have to be blind not to see so, but after last Thursday, it was almost like he saw him differently. He almost missed what Blaine was saying, shaking himself out before humming "Okay, sounds like fun." he walked closer to Blaine, looking at the counter over his shoulder "Sure, what do you want me to do?" he poked Blaine's side before playfully stealing the card from him "Also, I never burned anything on the stove, so you know, I'm pretty good." he said playfully.
Blaine read through the instructions. This seemed pretty simple, and it was labeled 'Level 1' so it probably wasn't going to demand too much from him in terms of cooking skills- which he was sure he probably had, but hadn't used them for much more than breakfast things. He flashed a flirty glance over his shoulder at Jeff and tried to contain his smile. "Well, it says we have to cut up the potatoes and carrots in little pieces and roast them, so if you want to grab a couple of knives and cutting boards from that drawer," he pointed at the drawer closest to Jeff, "I'll preheat the oven and wash them off quick." He raised his eyebrows in a slight question, hoping that his plan was okay. "I figured we could both chop and save time. But you're doing this searing of the chicken thing, since you've never burned anything on the stove."
Jeff chuckled softly as Blaine glanced at him, and for a moment he wanted to lean in again and kiss him, but they were being serious now, they were cooking dinner, there would be enough time for that later. Jeff nodded as Blaine pointed at the right drawer, walking to it and taking everything they would need, resting his crutch against the counter so he could have both of his arms free. Standing without them was easy, he just had a hard time walking without the help. He placed everything on the counter before looking at Blaine "Maybe I shouldn't have said that, now I have all this pressure on me." he laughed, pulling all the ingredients closer to them.
Blaine smiled as he turned the oven on so that it could preheat and got out a never used baking sheet, putting it next to where they were setting up for chopping. "Okay, do you want potato or tomato duty?" he asked, separating out the two bags from everything else and rinsing off their contents. "Hey, you just claimed your expertise, don't take it back now. It's too late to back out now, Chef." He was joking of course, looking up with a huge smile on his face before taking the tomatoes and slicing them in halves. This was fun. Their playful banter was batter than the dinner they were going to cook together though, Blaine could already tell, and the chicken wasn't even in the pan yet.
Jeff hummed as he thought "I can get the potatoes," he nodded, watching Blaine rinsing them before picking them up to peel them before chopping them on his cutting board. "It's not like I cooked anything this fancy before , I might be out of my depth here." he chuckled as he pushed the chopped potatoes to the corner of the board, playfully bumping his hip against Blaine's. Cooking with people was always fun, but doing it with Blaine was a little more fun than usual. "Can we get serious for a moment?" Jeff asked, glancing at Blaine as they chopped their respective things "This is cool, right? It's not weird because we're friends?" Jeff wasn't talking about the cooking, obviously, he was talking about the kiss and the constant flirting. He just wanted to be sure Blaine was comfortable with all of that, that they were on the same page about it.
Blaine shook his head, "Nah, easy directions make for easy cooking, it's going to be great," he said, positive that this was going to turn out amazing. He glanced over, a little worried at the prospect of getting serious. He was suddenly a little nervous at what the outcome of this night would be. Was Jeff having second thoughts? He swallowed and bit his bottom lip. "I think... if it would have been two or three years ago, it might have been weird," he said, thoughtfully. "But you went to California, and I went to New York, and those things aren't working right now, and we both ended up back here... I think that the distance and time away makes it easy to connect how we might not have connected before." He glanced up and the back down, slicing another tomato to occupy himself, or maybe to seem less nervous. "I like you. But, if you didn't want to venture there, I'd understand." His inner monologue chanted 'Please say that isn't true, please say that isn't true,' over and over in his head.
Jeff smiled "Well, I'll do my best to keep my burnt food count as zero." he chuckled. He listened to Jeff, hoping he wasn't making it weird when it didn't need to be. Jeff just liked knowing what was going on, it led to less misunderstandings "Well, you only had eyes for Kurt back then, it wasn't like it would be an actual thing." he said with a soft smile, hoping it would make the mood lighter, nodding softly as he talked about how connecting now after all these years was different. "I didn't say that." he made sure to leave that clear. He placed the knife down so he could turn to Blaine "I like you, too. And I've been thinking a lot about that kiss these last couple of days, and how I really wouldn't mind doing it again. Just wanted to make sure it was okay, that we would still be friends no matter what." he shrugged softly.
Blaine felt a wave of what he could only have described as relief washing over him when Jeff told him that he was something he liked doing, and it was something that he wanted to do again. He'd been nervous because of his prior crush on Sam had ended in a lot of nothing. Though, he supposed that was different. This was a returned mutual thing now. Being talked about. "Jeff, I could never not be your friend." He put his own knife down and turned to face the other. "I'm not going to not want to be your friend. Even if we decide we don't want to kiss each other again or take naps together, which I honestly don't see that happening any time soon," he paused, and really tentatively reached out to take Jeff's hand. "I really do like you. I'd have liked you back in school too. You've always been really great. So, if you want to, I do too." He looked up with honest eyes and offered a tiny smile.
Jeff liked communication. Maybe it was because he was chatty, but he liked to know where he stood with people, specially in relationships. He didn't need a heartfelt conversation, just the confirmation that what they were doing was okay. Specially with Blaine, he was his friend before everything and he didn't want any bad blood between them because of bad communication. "Good, because it would really suck." he gave him a soft smile, looking down at Blaine's hand as he took his, turning it so he could lace their fingers together "Well, that moment is gone, but I like you now. I want to." he nodded softly before pulling Blaine closer by his hand, tilting his head down to press their lips together gently.
Blaine couldn't help but smile at the fact that Jeff wasn't afraid to say that he liked him. And that he wanted to see where this would go. He didn't hesitate or resist as he was pulled closer, leaning up so that their lips could meet in such a soft kiss. Blaine felt like he was floating, standing there in his kitchen, so close to Jeff, who made him feel so good. He wasn't completely sure what this meant, title wise, but he was absolutely thrilled that it was happening. His train of thought was interrupted by the oven's timer beeping to let them know that it was preheated, and Blaine let their little kiss turn into a smile on his end. He looked up. "I think the oven is calling you," he said, not moving away from where they stood.
Jeff didn't see the point in lying. He liked Blaine, even if he didn't see it coming, and he wanted to see where this could go. It didn't have to be anything serious right now, it was something new, he didn't want to dive in blindly. For now, just knowing he could do this, kiss him without worrying about the consequences was enough for him. Blaine's lips were warm and soft, and Jeff wouldn't mind staying like that for a bit longer, but the timer going off pulled him out of it. He leaned back and pouted dramatically, looking at the oven "Well, at least it was now, imagine if I was distracted and let the chicken burn." he turned to him with a wink, pecking his lips quickly before gathering everything he needed to put in the oven.
Blaine was in full on like with Jeff. He laughed ever so lightly at the little pout that the other made, and then a little more when he poked fun with the chicken burning. "You'd never let that happen. You can kiss and cook chicken at the same time, I'll bet. Like some kind of kissing chicken wizard," he said, smiling and letting all of his walls fall completely down. He felt safe. "Oh, we're supposed to toss those and the carrots with the herbs and some olive oil," he thought out loud. "I'll grab a bowl," he added, letting his hand glide across Jeff's back as he moved past him to get to the cabinet with the mixing bowls and handing him one. "I'll do that if you want to start on the chicken?" This. This was what he wanted. It was cute and kind of domestic and he was getting kisses out of it too.
Jeff smiled as he moved away from Blaine "I wouldn't know, never cooked and kissed someone at the same time, but there's always a first time for everything." he chuckled, the air much lighter now that things were cleared between them. Jeff leaned against the counter for support, watching Blaine get the bowl with a smile "Do I do the chicken on a frying pan? You could get it while I everything in the bowl, since I can't walk without taking a year to get to the cabinets." he smiled, taking the bowl and placing it on the counter. He'll have to admit, cooking with friends was really fun, but this evening took the gold.
Blaine pulled a frying pan from the cabinet and turned around, making a face at Jeff. "Yes you do the chicken in a frying pan, and you're just being lazy, acting like you have some kind of knee injury or something. It's all an excuse to not have to do a lot, isn't it," he said, smirking. "Don't try to get out of cooking this chicken." He pointed his finger and tried to hold in a smirk by pointing his finger a little further. He took the bowl and put the chopped up potatoes and carrots in it with some of the herbs and some olive oil, grabbing a spoon from the crock on the counter and tossing the vegetables and spreading them on the baking tray so that he could put them in the oven. "You're on, Chef. Chicken time."
Jeff laugh softly, running a hand through his hair "We could do it in the oven, I don't know how this fancy cooking goes." he couldn't help but let his smile fall a bit at the mention of his knee "Yeah, I'm obviously faking it, the scars on my knee that no one ever sees are to make me seem more badass than I am." He was trying his best to not let it affect him, but sometimes he couldn't help it. He knew Blaine was just joking, that he meant no harm, but he couldn't help but wish he was right. Still, Blaine him chuckle with the dramatic finger pointing. "Alright, I'm going to cook the best chicken you have ever had." he grabbed the frying pan and placed it on the stove, before picking up the chicken and seasoning it with the rest of the herbs and some olive oil, waiting for Blaine to do his part. "Chef Jeff. Sounds great." he smiled, getting some butter on the pan before turning on the stove. He picked up his crutch so he could stand in front of the stove, before picking up the chicken and putting it on the warmed up frying pan.
Blaine was paying attention to the vegetables going into the hot oven when Jeff's smile fell. "I think you're badass though," he said, setting the timer for thirteen minutes so that it would go off when it was time to stir them. He straightened up. "Put you in a leather jacket and just give everyone a steely cold look. I'd never mess with you." It was mostly a flirt; he'd surely still flirt with Jeff all dressed up like that. He thought that the look would be good on him, actually. "Unless you asked," he added, moving back around to his other side again, picking up his knife and grabbing the little onion they'd been sent. He started shopping it carefully. "Chef Jeff, when you're done with that chicken, there's a glass dish next to you and you're supposed to put it in there and then I think the tomatoes and onion go into the chicken pan, so don't put it in the sink when I'm not looking. Oh and I'm going to require a kiss. Stat."
Jeff smiled softly, watching as Blaine got everything in the oven, looking up to meet his eyes when he got up "I don't think I could pull off the mysterious, cold look. I can pull off a leather jacket, though. And I'd definitely want you to mess with me." he chuckled at the idea of acting all tough in a leather jacket. He might pull the vision, maybe just not the look. He kept an eye on the chicken, but he tried to keep his attention on Blaine, smiling as he kept giving him orders. Glass dish, keep the pan out of the sink, got it." he chuckled, taking a step closer to him before placing his hand on Blaine's cheek, turning his head to him so he could give him a light, playful kiss. "There." he grinned as he leaned back.
Blaine shook his head. "You could pull off that sexy bad boy look though. Maybe not cold. You're too much like sunshine," he commented, leaning back on the counter and looking over at the other. He hadn't expected a kiss right then, but he was so glad that he got one, even if it made him weak in the knees. How was Jeff doing that? "Thank you, I was running low on fuel there for a minute," he replied, smiling. "I also want to note what a fantastic job you're doing cooking that chicken. I knew it. I called it. You are definitely a kissing chicken wizard."
Jeff shrugged lightly "Just the visual, I guess. I don't think I could be cold. Or mysterious." Jeff grinned as he leaned back, watching Blaine's face after the kiss "Good, didn't want you fainting on me. Though if you did, I'd have to kiss you anyway." he winked playfully before going back to the chicken again, turning it so it could get golden all around. "So, I'm a wizard that kisses chickens? Are you a chicken?" he gasped dramatically, turning to looks at Blaine.
Blaine nodded and looked down at the chicken in the pan. "So, if I fainted, I could count on you to revive me with a kiss then? Snow White and Prince Charming style, like on Once Upon a Time?" he asked, a smile on his face. Maybe mentioning his favorite tv show was a mistake- they hadn't talked about that yet. He cleared his throat and did his best chicken clucking impression before glancing around with a little smile. "Where did that come from? Huh, I guess maybe I am a chicken. Kiss me again," he said, leaning up and stealing a peck from Jeff.
Jeff chuckled softly "You wouldn't have to worry about that, I wouldn't have let you to sleep for a thousand years." he raised a brow, looking up at Blaine "I don't know? I never saw that show, actually. Is it any good?" he lowered the setting on the stove so the chicken wouldn't burn, just keeping it warm until the veggies and the potatoes were done. He let out a loud laugh as Blaine clucked like a chicken, shaking his head fondly "Oh my god, that was perfect, I'm actually starting to believe you're a chicken." he smiled against Blaine's lips as he kissed him quickly. "Because if you are, this is probably only legal in the deep south states or something." he joked.
Blaine breathed an animated and exaggerated sigh of relief. "Oh good. I would be so mad at you if you just let me sleep that long. My hair would get insane, that would be so not cool," he said, his voice giving a false warning. He stopped the timer on the oven before it beeped and pulled the tray out, using the spoon to toss the potatoes and carrots around, before tucking them back inside the hot oven. He set the timer and turned around. "Maybe Tennessee or Kentucky or something. But I won't let our illegal romance be known. I mean, I can't. I'm a chicken." He clucked again and smiled, pulling the tomatoes and onions over to the frying pan. "Please, take my brethren from the pan so that I can use it for these, oh great kissing chicken wizard..." he said, with a smile. It was fun to be silly like this. Especially with Jeff.
Jeff smiled at him "Your hair would amazing. Just a huge mane of curls." he teased playfully "And I see you're still not using as much gel. Looks good." Jeff laughed, getting the chicken into the glass dish so there was space for the rest on the pan. It was fun to joke around with Blaine without having to worry if he would think he was too immature. Maybe that's why they reconnected like this, they got each other, in a way. "So that means you're going to perform a cannibalistic act after we cook this? I'm pretty sure that's illegal everywhere."
Blaine smirked. "Okay, but I'm not interested in being Mufasa with a wild and crazy curly mane." He reached up and touched his hair. "Yeah, turns out I like it like this. I don't think I could go completely without it yet, but I'm definitely happy with it, and thankful for your moral support." He smiled and picked up the cutting board and slid the onions and tomatoes into the pan adding a little olive oil afterward because he forgot to beforehand. He looked over at the perfect chicken and made the mental note that Jeff was really good at cooking, and to remind him again. "Nah, I'll stop being a chicken so that I can eat your masterpiece. I've never seen a more beautifully cooked piece of meat."
Jeff shook his head with a smile "That's a fabulous mane, it's not that bad. " he smiled widely "I'm glad you like it, I think it fits you much better than the gel helmet you had going on. I still plan on getting you to let it all go. You can't have hair gel on if you're planning on going to the beach when you visit me back in San Diego." he leaned back to let Blaine cook the tomatoes and the onions, but still kept close to him. He smiled sheepishly "It's nothing major, I just hope it tastes good."
Blaine pressed his lips together. He did like his hair fully gelled still, but he also liked it slightly less gelled. "It's not a gel helmet. That's mean. Besides, almost all of the Warblers are wearing gel now. It's a trend," he said, almost defensively but lightening a bit when he was reminded that he was going to visit Jeff in Dan Diego. "Okay, at the beach I'd go without it, but everyone does that. I don't think anyone would recognize me if I went without it here." He stirred the vegetables in the frying pan, glancing over to Jeff. "It's going to taste good, especially because we are doing it together." He smiled over at the other and reached for the balsamic vinegar and honey that they'd been sent, pouring them into the pan, letting them cook for a minute before adding them to the glass dish with the chicken. "Okay, this just has to bake for like seven minutes and then we get to eat!"
Jeff raised a brow playfully as Blaine said it wasn't a gel helmet "Is it mean if I say you were still able to rock it? Because you did, but I think the curls suit you." he sighed dramatically "Which is problematic. Nick started to wear it and I had to hide the bottles all the time so he would take that idea off his head." he shook his head fondly at the memory. "I wouldn't know, they are crazy people for everything." he chuckled, before watching Blaine cook with a smile. "You're a pretty good cook, too. It looks amazing and I am actually more hungry than I thought I was."
Blaine glanced to the side thoughtfully. "I guess it wouldn't be that mean if you said that I rocked it. I might even believe you a little. But hiding Nick's gel was terrible. The guys now would probably have meltdowns, as weird as that sounds.," he said, shaking his head at the thought of Skylar having to go a day without gel. He was honestly worse than Blaine when it came to his hair. "It only looks like I'm a good cook. I have this super power that makes me look like I know what I'm doing, but I actually don't. Unless we're talking about muffins." He slid the dish into the oven on the other rack, closed the door and turned to look at Jeff. "Now, we wait."
Jeff nodded "Well, I am just stating the truth." he shrugged with a soft smile "It wasn't mean, it was me looking out for my best friend. It could turn into a serious addiction. The new Warblers just don't know the wonderful world of free hair. They look up to us and the hair gel a bit too much." Jeff chuckled as he walked to the chair, sitting down with a small huff, straightening out his leg "Oh god, the muffins. those will be the death of me. They're so good. If everything else fails, you can always open up a bakery." he looked up at him as he got everything in the oven "Where do we set the table?"
Blaine raised his eyebrows. "It's not an addiction, Jeff. It's just a hairstyle. It's not going to hurt anyone. It's a good look on anyone. I'll bet we could make your hair look amazing too with a little gel," he said, picking on Jeff a little as the other sat down at the kitchen table. He pulled a couple of plates down and set them on the table, along with two forks and two knives and two napkins. "Right where you are is good. I'm not opening a bakery though, my parents would disown me," he commented, thinking about the repercussions of him baking professionally might be. His parents hated that he was good at it.
Jeff made a face as Blaine said he would look good with hair gel "Yeah... No, that's not a thing that would look good." he laughed softly, shaking his head fondly. If there's a look that he wouldn't be able to pull off with be gelling back his hair. He fixed the plates and the silverware as Blaine placed them on the table, the least he could do since he couldn't actually go get them. "Have they had any of them? I'm sure they'd reconsider if they tasted them." he said, resting his elbow on the table and leaning his head against his hand.
Blaine smirked a little and went to stand next to Jeff, reaching out to touch the blond hair they were talking about. "You could totally slick it back," he said, using his hands to try and prove his point. The other's hair was soft and he smiled a little. "I've always had a thing for Draco Malfoy. We could totally go as Draco and Harry for Halloween. I'd even let you mess up my hair." He liked playing with Jeff's hair, and didn't hold back at all. "I think I'd make a good Harry, my hair gets so messy when it's without gel." He was interrupted by the oven timer beeping and fixed Jeff's hair so that it wasn't terribly messy before turning to grab a towel to get the pans out of the oven. He carefully placed a piece of chicken onto each of their plates and adding potatoes and carrots and tomatoes and finally sitting down. He smiled a little as if to say, 'Look what we did.'
Jeff tilted his head against Blaine's hand, humming contently, chuckling at the mention of Draco "Draco only got hot after ditching the hair gel in the third movie. And who doesn't have a thing for Draco?" he laughed "That would be so cool, we would rock those costumes! That needs to be a thing. I can totally see the Harry in you." he glanced at the oven as it beeped once again, smiling up at Blaine as he fixed his hair, going in with his own fingers as Blaine went to get the food. He pulled half of his hair up with the help of a tie, humming contently as he saw their hard work finally on the plate "I said watching the Warblers felt like a mom watching her kids in soccer, but I was wrong, this is what being a mom feels like." he joked.
Blaine frowned in a joking way. "Don't kid yourself. Draco only had to get rid of the get because early 2000s hair styles needed to make an appearance to make it fresh. I wholeheartedly believe that he used gel in the books," he said, laughing a little. He wasn't sure he could have had a conversation like this with anyone else. At least having been able to play with Jeff's hair. "Crap. Jeff. I think I'm a mom. I watch those Warblers and feel like that all the time and now I'm apparently able to make really awesome dinners- with help of course. Jeff. I think we're moms..."
Jeff shook his head with a grin "Definitely not. He had such an awesome blond hair, he would never gel it back and hide it. Lucius would never allow his son to do that to that Malfoy hair." It was easy to joke around with Blaine about things like this, just saying silly stuff and talking about Harry Potter without having to worry about what other people think. Jeff liked to surround himself with people who would get him and the way he acted, but there were always a few that didn't find him that funny. Blaine clearly wasn't one of those people, and he was glad. Jeff picked up his fork and knife, laughing with Blaine "Skylar already said I was the Warbler mom, that's my tittle now, you can't take it away." he cut a piece of the chicken "I think we can only be actual mother if this tastes good, though." he winked playfully before taking a bite.
Blaine chuckled. "Are you kidding?! Lucius would be insistent that Draco use the gel. How else would he get that menacing look that all the Malfoys were pretty much required to have until the end of the last book? Though I guess Draco was slightly different than his parents. This is a debatable topic," he said, raising his eyebrows as he got comfortable in his chair and cut a piece of chicken. "Are you telling me that I'm a dad instead? I've always wanted to be a dad, but I didn't think it would be to teenage boys right away," he said, wondering how the Warbles felt about him if they felt that Jeff was a mom to them. He took a bite of the chicken they'd made together, closing his eyes for a second before looking at Jeff like he'd just announced it was second Christmas. "Oh my god," he said, his speech muffled. "You really are a chicken wizard."
Jeff laughed "Totally not how it went. Draco would never had done that to his hair. I'm sure it was perfect and silky smooth all the time, but no hair gel. I'm the blond one, I know how these things go." he shrugged playfully. "I think you're the older brother. At least that's what I think Skylar meant, because I couldn't be the brother because that role was already taken. Which is fitting, I am just there to cheer them on during competition days." he poked a potato with his fork as Blaine tasted the chicken, grinning widely at hi reaction "I told you I was good at not letting things burn on the pan." he laughed, finally tasting the potato, humming contently "Whoever made this box knew what they were doing.
Blaine smiled playfully. "Okay, I'm going to trust you on this one, but you need to trust me when it comes to the curly hair then," he said, nodding matter-of-factly. He thought about what being an older brother meant to him. His own older brother was sort of MIA all the time. Still called him 'Squirt' and 'Blainey' like he was still five years old. He supposed he didn't mind Blainey, but Squirt was embarrassing. He hated being a little brother, and he hoped that that wasn't what Skylar had meant when he'd said it. "You're right, these people are amazing. I'd hire them to be my personal chefs. As long as they wanted to accept payment in the form of the meal they make for us. I'm going to need a nap for sure." He nodded and tried to resist shoveling potatoes and carrots into his mouth.
Jeff nodded "As you should. Me and the Malfoys are in sync with the hair routines. Okay, I trust you about your hair, but just because I don't know how to deal with it. Because I promise it wasn't so bad when you showed it to me." he laughed, shaking his head fondly. He was sure the New Warblers loved Blaine. Even if he wasn't a proper coach, like maybe other choirs have, he was there to give them tips and support them, while having a close relationship with them. And he could see Blaine being a little bit over them sometimes, just like any older brother would. Like Jeff does. He loves his brothers, and as much as he jokes they're pains in the ass, he still worries about them and hope they're doing the right thing with their lives. "You could pay them with muffins. I think that's a fair trade." he smiled as he ate, getting a bit of everything, the carrots, the tomatoes, the chicken. It was a pretty good dinner, he had to admit. It almost tasted like someone who knew what they were doing put it together "Is it still considered a nap if it's after dinner? That's almost like sleeping."
Blaine reached up and touched his hair lightly as they talked about his hair. He swore that Jeff would just great with gel, even if he thought he wouldn't. He looked at the other, still chewing his food. "Are you suggesting," he said, pausing to swallow, "that I pay you with muffins? I mean, because I was going to give them to you anyway. Only one a day of course." He smiled and squeezed his eyes shut and scrunched up his nose, making a classically cute face at the other. "I guess it depends on how late you stay up. Does that mean no nap today then?" he asked, giving Jeff a little but of a puppy eye look before he remembered that they'd talked about that, which made him amp it up a little.
Jeff could never see himself as someone who wore his hair slicked back. Even pulling his hair up as it started getting too long to manage took him a while to get used to. He shook his head as looked at his plate, gathering some vegetables before poking them with his fork "I meant you could pay your private chefs with that. I know you're already giving my daily quota." he smiled as he took another forkful of veggies. He whined as Blaine looked at him with his puppy eyes "That's not fair, how can I say no to that?" he sighed dramatically "I really can't stay until late, and I'm sure if I fall asleep it's going to be a an night things. How about this? No nap, but we can cuddle and watch some TV? And then not watch it at all?" he suggested, raising a brow at the end.
Blaine smirked. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, his voice sarcastic. "Here I was thinking that it was you that managed to make this dinner so amazing. I was about to hire you on the spot. I guess I'll keep looking." He laughed a little and took another bite. He puppy eye tactic seemed to be working. Now there was no way that Jeff wasn't going to stay. He pouted at Jeff saying that he couldn't stay late, but had to try to restrain his excitement of getting to cuddle and watch some tv and then what sounded like a suggested makeout session. Which Blaine was completely for. "Well," he rused, "I guess that would be okay... We have some challenges to attempt too, if I recall correctly." Okay, so he was looking forward to making out a little bit more than necessary.
Jeff laughed "Just because I haven't burn food yet, doesn't mean I'm private chef material yet. If I look like so, it's because we both followed this recipe to the t. But you can call me the chicken wizard." If there was one thing he hated about being back home, is having his mother always asking him where he was going, if she caught him getting out of the house. And he didn't want to have the conversation they would surely have if he ended up falling asleep at Blaine's and only showing up in the morning. Things were better, but not that much better. He grinned at Blaine before throwing a playful wink in his direction "You recall correctly. Should I be offended you didn't recall it immediately?" he joked with a soft smile on his lips.
Blaine raised his eyebrows. "I thought you said you'd never burned anything in a pan before? Are you telling me you've burned things other ways? After I've convinced myself that you'd be the best private chef? I'm so disappointed now," he joked, shaking his head. He liked this. He liked Jeff. Honestly, the thought of Jeff spending the night was something he'd already thought about, but was pulling to the front of his mind now. They'd slept next to each other with their naps, but the nap never felt like long enough. He had to try to rein himself in before he got overly clingy and ruined it. And if that meant Jeff wasn't staying the night, then he would accept that. "Maybe I did and I just wanted to make sure we didn't throw good food away first," he said nonchalantly, biting into the last of his chicken.
Jeff pretended to be thinking about it hard before looking at Blaine "I'm pan, I burn calories, does that coun't?" he laughed at his own joke, shaking his head. It was actually a good one, he was proud of himself for that one. "I guess if you paid well and the job was secure, I could be your private chef. I'd find a way to put out nice meals so you'd be well fed and happy." Jeff always liked Blaine. He had always been a fun guy, ever since their freshman year, and he had been excited to get back in touch with him. He wasn't expecting it to be like this, but he wasn't going to complain when he was having so much fun. If they were back in California, Jeff wouldn't mind sleeping over, he didn't have to give his parents any satisfaction about what he was doing, and it would be much easier than just peel himself away from Blaine when it was time to go home, which he was sure was going to be hard. "Well, I don't know about you, but I have to have my meals before any making out happens. It's like a rule. And how could I ever want to say no to this meal? It's delicious and it was a lot of fun to make." Jeff put his silverware down as he finished his food.
Blaine laughed at Jeff's clever wordplay; that was his favorite kind of joke, when he caught them. "I'm definitely going to pay well. I pay in food and kisses, and I think that's better than money sometimes," he said, setting his fork down and pushing back from the table a little. He picked up Jeff's plate and silverware and took them to the sink with his own, turning around quickly and leaving the dirty dishes for later. He'd clean the whole house later if it meant that he could spend more time with Jeff now. "So... are you feeling alright? I know you said your neck hurt. I was going to put my medicinal hat and see what I could do for you. Now that you're fed and everything. If you were interested." He leaned against the counter maybe a little suggestively, a little bit of a sparkle in his eyes.
Jeff smiled as Blaine got it "That's definitely better than money, at least for me. Specially if they both come from you." he winked, pushing his place towards Blaine as he got up to clear the table. He gave him a soft 'Thanks" as he picked up his plate, glad to see Blaine was making no move to actually washing them. He'd help him if he needed, he helped get all those dishes dirty, but right now that was the last thing he wanted to do with Blaine. He grinned widely as he eyed Blaine's posture "Yeah, it still hurts," he played it along, resting a hand on his own neck, rolling it from side to side "And since dinner is over, you should check out what you could do make it better."
Blaine didn't mind in the slightest, cleaning up their dishes. He was happy enough that Jeff was here in the first place, and that they were clear now that there was something happening between the two of them. He smirked a little, nodding a bit. "Why don't you come into my office," he said, holding a laugh back at how suggestive it sounded. "Just so you can be a little more comfortable." He led the other to the living room and gestured for him to sit down on the couch as he tamped down his imagination from taking this further than it needed to go right then. Maybe later, but not right then. "Show me where," he said, stepping closer. If he was right, this was about to be the most exciting night he'd had in a long while, and it was going to fantastic.
Jeff laughed as he got up from the chair, reaching for his crutch before following Blaine into the living room "Right behind you, Doctor Anderson." he joked along, glad that if anything, he knew he could joke around like this with Blaine without it being weird "I really hope you can do something to help, but I guess if today isn't enough, I'll come by often." he sat down on the couch, placing his crutch by his feet before leaning back comfortably against the couch. "Well, my neck is pretty bad, but the worst has to be my lips." he grinned as he reached for his hand, pulling him down on the couch. Even a blind person could see that Jeff was more than excited for where the night was heading.
Who: Blaine Anderson and Jeff Sterling( @askjssterling )
What: Adorable nap time
When: 2/12/17 Afternoon
Where: Blaine’s House
Jeff drove to Blaine's house after he was done with physical therapy, definitely in need of a nap. He always got sleepy during the part where they put warm towels on his knee and massaged it for a bit. He was feeling much better than the last time he was here, but he could never say no to a nap. He parked his car on the drive way and made his way to the front door, ringing in. He really hoped Blaine hadn't fallen asleep while he drove there.
Blaine was purposely not in his bedroom as he waited for Jeff, because he knew that he would definitely fall asleep before the other got there if he did. The doorbell rang and he smiled, quickly answering it with a smile and inviting his friend inside. "Okay, so my room is a little messy from packing clothing, but I made sure that the bed was not because, who really wants to be invited over for a nap and then not be able to use the most comfortable bed in the world, right?" He motioned for the blond to follow him up the stairs, taking his time knowing about Jeff's knee.
Jeff smiled as Blaine hoped the door "I thought you were asleep already." he joked, quickly getting in to shield himself from the cold. "It's okay, you're moving, if things were tidy it would have been weirder." he smiled as he followed him, noticing he was walking slower so Jeff could keep up. When they got upstairs, Jeff took off his jacket and placed it on a chair, before sitting on the bed so he could shed the crutch, letting it lie on the floor. He bounced at the edge of the bed "Yup, nap worthy." he smiled up at him.
Blaine smiled wide and toed off his shoes as he closed the door to his bedroom and turned around to see Jeff sitting down. "Okay this is going to be like laying on a cloud, I'm warning you," he said, sitting down on the bed and leaning back on one of the pillows. He was excited about this. And also really tired. "I'm just going to ask now if I can cuddle with you before it gets really awkward because it happens anyway while I'm asleep."
Jeff reached to undo the laces on his shoes, placing them near his crutches "I am super tired, physical therapy always drains the life out of me." he chated as he finally leaned back and rested his head against the pillows, humming contently "It's pretty comfy, you need to get one like this for your new place." he said before yawning, looking at Blaine as he laid down next to him "Sure, I don't mind, just be really careful with my knee." he nodded with a smile "How do you want to do this?" he scooted closer.
Blaine nodded. He imagined that it did make Jeff tired the way he had to go to to therapy for his knee, like really so. He was more than happy to help make it feel better too. "I promise I won't hurt your knee. This nap is too important," he said, turning on his side and looking at the other. Did he want to ask if they could go full out and cuddle to sleep or not? "Would it be weird to just start out cuddling? You'll stay really warm." Maybe that was enticing. Blaine sort of wanted it; it had been so long since he'd been able to fall asleep with someone else.
Jeff didn't expect therapy would make him this tired, but he was used to the laziness that hit right after he put back his knee brace and drove back home. He was used to this afternoon naps. "Okay, but if you do hurt me, I want an extra muffin." he warned with a playful smile. Jeff shrugged "Not really, I love cuddling and being warm. And I haven't cuddled anyone in a while, so I'm down for some cuddles" . Jeff was always a very physical person, he always cuddled with his friends, but ever since the injury, it wasn't as easy to get people to agree to cuddle him without worrying about hurting him. He opened his arms invintingly "C'mon scoot over, I make a great pillow, so I have been told." he smiled. Jeff didn't know if he had cuddled anyone after things ended with Kurt, but even if he did, he still probably needed to be held more than Jeff, so he didn't mind being the one holding him. It was going to be like cuddling a giant teddy bear and Jeff wasn't going to complain.
Blaine smiled and scooted in closer and let himself settle against Jeff's chest. "Good, because I really need a good pillow," he said, trying so hard not to just let himself melt into the other. It felt like it was so long since he'd been able to lay with someone like this. Even if he wasn't in a relationship with Jeff or anything just friends, it was really nice to have those arms around him. It reminded him of everything good, and he closed his eyes. "Okay, you are definitely comfortable," he said, kind of nuzzling a little into him and letting his breathing even out. "It's good. This is good," he muttered.
Jeff wrapped his arms around Blaine as he rested against him, settling comfortably against the bed, all set to just close his eyes and fall asleep. He yawned tiredly, leaning his head against Blaine's "Also, I'm glad you're still wearing less hair gel, looks good." he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. Jeff doesn't know how there's people out there that don't cuddle with their friends. He knew some might think this is too intimate, and maybe it was, but Blaine was his friend, and that was okay with him, it wasn't that big of a deal, it was actually really nice to just fall asleep next to someone every now and then. He chuckled softly "Well, I'm glad you think so, you're cuddly, too." Jeff already had his eyes closed, he just cuddled slightly closer to Blaine "I'm sorry if I snore." he warned with a small, tired smile.
Blaine thought that this was nice. He'd never really cuddled anyone except for Kurt, and he was glad that this was happening now. Jeff was comfortable and most of all, with the other's arms around him, Blaine felt safe. Cuddling with friends was totally okay- he'd heard that it was, so obviously it was definitely a thing. He smiled when Jeff said he was cuddly and let himself start to drift off. "Totally okay, I sleep like a rock," he said, his voice getting quieter as he settled down and headed into dreamland. Maybe it was just a nap, but also maybe he could see himself liking this happening more often. Jeff was always attractive, and he was definitely nice to him. They got along and it made Blaine feel wanted. And if this nap went well, then maybe there would be an opportunity for something more.
Jeff was an affectionate person, and he cuddled with his friends probably more than he should, but he doesn't really care, as long as the other person is okay with it. It has a been a while since he had done it, but it really feels nice to cuddle with Blaine, to just focus on the warm weight against him and relax. "That's good..." he said with a yawn before burying his face in Blaine's hair, humming softly as he drifted to sleep. Jeff wouldn't say no to repeating these naps, Blaine's comfortable and he likes hanging out with him, specially ever since he came back home.
Sebastian packed Cody's diaper bag and got his little man dressed then went and buckled Cody in his carseat. Hunter had went back to work finally, Sebastian chuckled to himself at that he lpved his husband but Hunter was no used to having to take it easy and he was going crazy and was starting to drive Sebastian a little crazy too. They had decided to go to Paris and Sebastian had called and made the arrangement they were leavig a a couple weeks. While Hunter was at work today Sebastian decided that it was more than time for him to go see his bestie. Sebastian got in after kissing Cody's head and drove over to the Duvals. Once he parked he got Cody and his diaper bag and walked up to the door knocking with his free hand that wasn't holding Cody.
