fic: Taciturn
I finally did it i.e. rewrote the story that I lost (well some of it).
ETA: Apologies everyone, I committed the cardinal sin of not putting this under lj-cut *shame face*
Taciturn
Characters: Serena, Dan, Blair and a sprinkle of Nate, Chuck, Dan/OC and Dorota.
Spoilers: Every episode in series 1 to 4, and some of Season 5 episode 4.
Rating: PG-13
Length: 1313 words (There might be a sequel but, no promises.)
Summary: This is from Serena's point of view (pov) and catalogues her observations of Dan and Blair's relationship over the course of 2 - 4 years (yep, I couldn't commit to a number!) and does not particularly follow any chronological order per se.
Notes: Please be aware that this is from Serena's pov and is bound not to be objective, as we are dealing with a potentially jealous Serena. I refuse to accept Blair is pregnant in any universe.
This is a different style of writing for me, therefore looking forward to what you your thoughts, critic and suggestions (please be gentle).
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Dan is here again.
It's still weird coming home from college and finding him here with Blair instead of (him) waiting for me.
She really should have said something when Blair asked her months ago if she had a problem with she (Blair) and Dan being friends or with them hanging out at the penthouse.
The ease of their friendship bothers her.
She doesn't understand why Blair's interactions with him involve touching, hitting or grabbing.
The casual way he slings his arm across her shoulders from time to time bugs her but, she finds Blair's indifference to it (when she is not annoyed with Dan) more puzzling.
They try to include her in whatever conversations about film, art or literature they are currently bickering about. It's not that she doesn't like art, films or books (The Beautiful and the Damned and The Count of Monte Cristo are some of her favourite books); it's just that Dan and Blair speak an alien language, she can't keep up.
She doesn't understand how they can wax lyrical over a movie for days. It's just a movie!
The name "Humphrey" echoes in the penthouse a lot these days. She wonders why Blair rarely calls him Dan.
There is also a lot of laughter and animated bickering in the house too. It's nice to see Blair happy again after the tragedy that was Louis.
There are many instances where Blair grabs Dan mid sentence and drags him off somewhere. To which Dorota (when present) mutters "Poor Mr Dan!"
Dan rarely comes up in their conversations. Even though he spends a lot of time here and Blair spends a lot of her free time sans Serena or her minions with Dan. She wonders fleetingly if she is a topic they rarely discuss.
One night Blair doesn't come home and she isn't answering her phone. Dorota doesn't seem worried. She calls Dan as a last resort. It turns out that Blair fell asleep when they were watching a movie; Dan didn't have the heart to wake Blair. She wants to remind him that it's a school night, Dan beat her to it by saying that Dorota had arranged for a town car to pick up Blair early tomorrow morning. She wonders when she started to sound like her Mom.
Sleepovers in Brooklyn become the norm after that, these times Blair remembers to tell Serena.
Dan rarely sleeps over, it's only happened once or twice, but that was due to him falling asleep while watching a movie and Blair didn't want to wake him. Actually what she said was "Urgh Humphrey is asleep, do you think a kick would wake him up?" The softness in B's eyes tells her otherwise.
It's not like she and Dan discuss Blair either, however, when she does crop into there conversations, it's Dan being snarky, sweet or ambivalent.
They do homework together now! And like clockwork bickering ensues, don't they ever stop bickering?
Sometimes she wishes she could just gag them just to stop the bickering. But then again, she has never seen Blair so alive.
In the past she could always bank on Dan being on her side when she had a fight with B, now she is not so certain. Gosh she misses the old days!
There are fights, tantrums and what not between them. She tries to stay out of it and not take sides. Though she has to say that Dan and B fight as much as she and B do.
It's thanksgiving and Dan is formally introduced to Harold. She overhears Harold ask Eleanor if Dan is B's new beau, to which Eleanor retorts “I don't know what he is, you know Blair...just play along.”
She tries not to think of them as anything other than friends. She thinks it is ridiculous, but then again she never thought they'd ever be friends. She is not jealous or anything, but they are just...so close.
Dan's dressing is a changing. It's definitely changed for the better, not that she minded what he used to wear before. Flannel is still a common feature in his wardrobe much to Blair's chagrin and vocal disgust. At least he no longer dresses like a hobo (B's words).
Sometimes seeing them together is so reminiscent of the first time she met Vanessa.
They've (Dan and Blair) been friends for nearly two hears now and She and B still rarely talk about Dan (which she finds odd, yet is thankful for). When the topic of Dan comes up, the words "Humphrey", "Brooklyn" or "Cabbage Patch" are often punctuated or followed by something insulting. Blair can be weird sometimes (especially when she likes someone).
Sometimes Dan and Blair huddle together at parties. Blair is doing most of the talking while Dan looks on intently and then says a word or two. At this point Chuck saddles up next to Blair and says something disgusting.
Blair does most of the talking (yelling) at Chuck then grabs Dan and stomps away. Chuck always looks perplexed afterwards; she finds that her heart mirrors his expression.
Nate is indifferent to the whole thing.
Dan starts to date a girl called “Lola Lovely”, rhwy met at NYU. Blair doesn't approve and is vocal about it to Dan and me. Labels like "veganista" and "porn star name" are often thrown about.
Blair no longer goes to Brooklyn.
This stops when Dan and Lola break up. Dan says Lola is a snob and intolerant to the UES. She remembers him saying "She said I was too UES for her, I live in Brooklyn for goodness sakes!" Blair responds with something insulting.
Serena bumps into Lola a year later at a “The Mummers” concert in Brooklyn. They chat candidly about old times and what they are both doing now.
The conversation mysteriously moves to the topic of Dan and Blair.
"Funny I never had a problem with you, even though you and Dan dated and you were his first love. It was Blair that I had a problem with."
She was about to launch into a spiel on how Blair is complicated but Lola beat her to it.
"It's the way she carries on, like...like Dan belongs to her."
She opened her mouth to defend Blair but, again Lola beat her to it.
"And he lets her."
Like a ticking bomb it detonates something within her.
"I …I have to go" is her reply as she rushes out of the concert. She calls her date from outside, making excuses about a family emergency while hailing a cab.
She takes the cab to her Mom's place, she can't face Blair tonight. On getting there, she sees Dan, Eric and Rufus sitting on the floor playing monopoly while her mom looks on at them fondly holding a glass of merlot.
She can't face Dan tonight either. She jumps quickly into the elevator before they spot her.
Misery loves company. In Chuck style this involves alcohol, drugs and people getting naked. She doesn't remember much except she embraces the euphoria, she just wants to forget.
She wakes up the next day to the sound of Nate yelling “Serena, Chuck, what the hell?”
Her head is pounding and her throat feels rough. The debris from last night is strewn everywhere. The whole place is a mess.
She looks down and notices that only a white bed-sheet covers her nakedness.
The irony of the white sheet and her current predicament is mocking.
Nate is standing over them waiting for an answer.
Chuck answers for both of them, “We are free agents Nathaniel, don't be such a party pooper!”
Nate looks at them in disgust and stomps out. She puts her hands over her face and closes her eyes.
She doesn't think their friendship will survive this.
ETA: Apologies everyone, I committed the cardinal sin of not putting this under lj-cut *shame face*
Taciturn
Characters: Serena, Dan, Blair and a sprinkle of Nate, Chuck, Dan/OC and Dorota.
Spoilers: Every episode in series 1 to 4, and some of Season 5 episode 4.
Rating: PG-13
Length: 1313 words (There might be a sequel but, no promises.)
Summary: This is from Serena's point of view (pov) and catalogues her observations of Dan and Blair's relationship over the course of 2 - 4 years (yep, I couldn't commit to a number!) and does not particularly follow any chronological order per se.
Notes: Please be aware that this is from Serena's pov and is bound not to be objective, as we are dealing with a potentially jealous Serena. I refuse to accept Blair is pregnant in any universe.
This is a different style of writing for me, therefore looking forward to what you your thoughts, critic and suggestions (please be gentle).
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Dan is here again.
It's still weird coming home from college and finding him here with Blair instead of (him) waiting for me.
She really should have said something when Blair asked her months ago if she had a problem with she (Blair) and Dan being friends or with them hanging out at the penthouse.
The ease of their friendship bothers her.
She doesn't understand why Blair's interactions with him involve touching, hitting or grabbing.
The casual way he slings his arm across her shoulders from time to time bugs her but, she finds Blair's indifference to it (when she is not annoyed with Dan) more puzzling.
They try to include her in whatever conversations about film, art or literature they are currently bickering about. It's not that she doesn't like art, films or books (The Beautiful and the Damned and The Count of Monte Cristo are some of her favourite books); it's just that Dan and Blair speak an alien language, she can't keep up.
She doesn't understand how they can wax lyrical over a movie for days. It's just a movie!
The name "Humphrey" echoes in the penthouse a lot these days. She wonders why Blair rarely calls him Dan.
There is also a lot of laughter and animated bickering in the house too. It's nice to see Blair happy again after the tragedy that was Louis.
There are many instances where Blair grabs Dan mid sentence and drags him off somewhere. To which Dorota (when present) mutters "Poor Mr Dan!"
Dan rarely comes up in their conversations. Even though he spends a lot of time here and Blair spends a lot of her free time sans Serena or her minions with Dan. She wonders fleetingly if she is a topic they rarely discuss.
One night Blair doesn't come home and she isn't answering her phone. Dorota doesn't seem worried. She calls Dan as a last resort. It turns out that Blair fell asleep when they were watching a movie; Dan didn't have the heart to wake Blair. She wants to remind him that it's a school night, Dan beat her to it by saying that Dorota had arranged for a town car to pick up Blair early tomorrow morning. She wonders when she started to sound like her Mom.
Sleepovers in Brooklyn become the norm after that, these times Blair remembers to tell Serena.
Dan rarely sleeps over, it's only happened once or twice, but that was due to him falling asleep while watching a movie and Blair didn't want to wake him. Actually what she said was "Urgh Humphrey is asleep, do you think a kick would wake him up?" The softness in B's eyes tells her otherwise.
It's not like she and Dan discuss Blair either, however, when she does crop into there conversations, it's Dan being snarky, sweet or ambivalent.
They do homework together now! And like clockwork bickering ensues, don't they ever stop bickering?
Sometimes she wishes she could just gag them just to stop the bickering. But then again, she has never seen Blair so alive.
In the past she could always bank on Dan being on her side when she had a fight with B, now she is not so certain. Gosh she misses the old days!
There are fights, tantrums and what not between them. She tries to stay out of it and not take sides. Though she has to say that Dan and B fight as much as she and B do.
It's thanksgiving and Dan is formally introduced to Harold. She overhears Harold ask Eleanor if Dan is B's new beau, to which Eleanor retorts “I don't know what he is, you know Blair...just play along.”
She tries not to think of them as anything other than friends. She thinks it is ridiculous, but then again she never thought they'd ever be friends. She is not jealous or anything, but they are just...so close.
Dan's dressing is a changing. It's definitely changed for the better, not that she minded what he used to wear before. Flannel is still a common feature in his wardrobe much to Blair's chagrin and vocal disgust. At least he no longer dresses like a hobo (B's words).
Sometimes seeing them together is so reminiscent of the first time she met Vanessa.
They've (Dan and Blair) been friends for nearly two hears now and She and B still rarely talk about Dan (which she finds odd, yet is thankful for). When the topic of Dan comes up, the words "Humphrey", "Brooklyn" or "Cabbage Patch" are often punctuated or followed by something insulting. Blair can be weird sometimes (especially when she likes someone).
Sometimes Dan and Blair huddle together at parties. Blair is doing most of the talking while Dan looks on intently and then says a word or two. At this point Chuck saddles up next to Blair and says something disgusting.
Blair does most of the talking (yelling) at Chuck then grabs Dan and stomps away. Chuck always looks perplexed afterwards; she finds that her heart mirrors his expression.
Nate is indifferent to the whole thing.
Dan starts to date a girl called “Lola Lovely”, rhwy met at NYU. Blair doesn't approve and is vocal about it to Dan and me. Labels like "veganista" and "porn star name" are often thrown about.
Blair no longer goes to Brooklyn.
This stops when Dan and Lola break up. Dan says Lola is a snob and intolerant to the UES. She remembers him saying "She said I was too UES for her, I live in Brooklyn for goodness sakes!" Blair responds with something insulting.
Serena bumps into Lola a year later at a “The Mummers” concert in Brooklyn. They chat candidly about old times and what they are both doing now.
The conversation mysteriously moves to the topic of Dan and Blair.
"Funny I never had a problem with you, even though you and Dan dated and you were his first love. It was Blair that I had a problem with."
She was about to launch into a spiel on how Blair is complicated but Lola beat her to it.
"It's the way she carries on, like...like Dan belongs to her."
She opened her mouth to defend Blair but, again Lola beat her to it.
"And he lets her."
Like a ticking bomb it detonates something within her.
"I …I have to go" is her reply as she rushes out of the concert. She calls her date from outside, making excuses about a family emergency while hailing a cab.
She takes the cab to her Mom's place, she can't face Blair tonight. On getting there, she sees Dan, Eric and Rufus sitting on the floor playing monopoly while her mom looks on at them fondly holding a glass of merlot.
She can't face Dan tonight either. She jumps quickly into the elevator before they spot her.
Misery loves company. In Chuck style this involves alcohol, drugs and people getting naked. She doesn't remember much except she embraces the euphoria, she just wants to forget.
She wakes up the next day to the sound of Nate yelling “Serena, Chuck, what the hell?”
Her head is pounding and her throat feels rough. The debris from last night is strewn everywhere. The whole place is a mess.
She looks down and notices that only a white bed-sheet covers her nakedness.
The irony of the white sheet and her current predicament is mocking.
Nate is standing over them waiting for an answer.
Chuck answers for both of them, “We are free agents Nathaniel, don't be such a party pooper!”
Nate looks at them in disgust and stomps out. She puts her hands over her face and closes her eyes.
She doesn't think their friendship will survive this.