Best Behavior

[Anonymous]

Normally, Christian loved parties. He was a party person really, like to think of himself as a life of the party. But this party wasn't one of the fun, drunken ones where he could take barely legal girls home. This was one of the ones that forced him into a suit, which wasn't so bad, he looked killer in the suit, limited his alcohol intake and made him listen to boring speeches.

About some brave soldiers that had done something bravely heroic. He really wasn't paying much attention to it. The food would hopefully be good, but, really it never was. It wasn't bad, but it always seemed to end up this sad attempt at being gourmet and just isn't.

And he was stuck with Blaine. Christian had never spent much time with the blond, he was a weird one, from what he had heard. Reminded him of Gabe a little actually, the little he had spoken to him.

"Fuck. Do they ever stop with the speeches? They are not refilling my wine glass enough to listen to this shit."

[Tally]

Blaine's main complaint, aside from having to be here in the first place, was that they wouldn't let him wear one of his hats.  Their formal uniform had a hat with it but it was so blah.  Blaine could have designed a better one.  So he's opted to not wear one at all.

It wasn't even that he couldn't wear a hat here, it was more that there were photographers around and these pictures would end up in the magazines and he didn't want them saying he was being disrespectful by wearing a hat.  It was also the reason he was seated poised and and displaying polite interest when what he really wanted to do was slouch over on the table and watch the clock.  This was soooooo boring.

"They just don't really like you."  Blaine caught the eye their server, tilted his head down and gave her his best come hither look, strawberry-blonde curls falling over one eye.  She made her way over, but he sat back and let Christian do his own talking.  Hey, he'd gotten her over here hadn't he?  He didn't need any more wine.

[Anonymous]

"Ouch. I'm hurt." Christian made a slight pouting face at Blaine's comment. Though the blond was cute enough to get the server over pretty quick. Blow to the ego, that. He ordered his wine from the girl, giving her a bright smile, she wasn't bad looking, though a little skinny for his tastes.

Once she had left, he leaned a little closer to Blaine, watching him now instead of the dull speech, "I don't see why she wouldn't. I'm pretty damn sexy in this uniform."

[Tally]

Blaine caught sight of the the photographers from PILOT pointing the lens their way and he gave them a wink and tossed his hair for them.  The trashier gossip mags were around here somewhere too, so you had to be careful.  They would find the one second your face looked weird or contorted and paste it all over the Network with some scandalous caption.

"We're all wearing the same uniform."  He sighed and craned his head up to scan the room.  "Why couldn't they sit me next to Alaric?"

Not to say anything bad about Christian, but he'd sooner sit with a friend than with Pilot he barely knew and had never even had to work with before.

[Anonymous]

"And yet, I look better in it. It's a curse, being this good looking." Man, Blaine was so damn girly. Christian was a little impressed at how much he was eating it up. Christian never really gave much thought to it. The photos happened as they happened and who cared anyway?

"Because you did something very naughty have have to be punished." Christian knew Alaric somewhat, as he was Gabe's best friend. Though he always found him annoying and dweeby. Kinnda like Gabe. He reached over, sliding a hand along Blaine's leg, "Besides, I can be way more fun than he is."

[Tally]

Was that Gabe over there with Alaric?  Lame, why did they get to sit with each other but Blaine couldn't sit with any of his friends.  He was writing a stern letter to the event organizer.

He'd been ignoring Christian's complaining for the half hour they'd been stuck together, but a hand on his leg?  Yeah, that was harder to ignore.  Blaine slid smoothly out form under Christian's touch and scooted his chair a little further away.

"Great! You can be my substitute Alaric."  Blaine pulled out a tiny folded triangle of paper from his pocket and place it in front of Christian.  He made a goal our of his hands.  "You gotta flick it and make it through. No telekinesis!"

[Anonymous]

Yup. The rumors seemed true. Blaine was a total prude. Gabe and his little friends were like the sad little abstinent patrol. Sitting around and not getting laid. It was pathetic really. Though it made it fun to mess with them. He wondered if Blaine would freak out as wonderfully as Gabe did.

So far, no. But the scooting away was cute. It pleased Christian, made him want to keep making him uncomfortable just to watch him squirm. He studied the paper, though he had played this a lot when in class, "What do I get when I win?"

[Tally]

"If you win," Blaine corrected, "you receive a small allocation of my respect and good will."  He beamed at Christian.  "But I'm really good. You won't win.  And remember, no telekinesis.  This is a game of honor."

Sitting with Christian wasn't so bad now. He had no shortage of games to keep them occupied.  If this one didn't work out or Christian just sucked too hard at it to be any fun they could play twenty questions! Or I Spy.

[Anonymous]

"Who says I have honor? Or that I want your respect or good will?" Christian raised an eyebrow, "You're a frigid little girly boy. No, I think I'll need a much better reward than that. Make me an interesting offer."

Though, it would be better than the boredom and trying to get drunk off the wine. Wine always gave him a headache.

[Tally]

Where did that come from?  Things had been going so pleasantly and all of a sudden he wanted to act like an ass?  Blaine cupped a hand around his mouth and stage whispered at Christian.  "Psst. You're being a terrible Alaric.  Be more chipper and in general less you-like."

He cleared his throat and reformed the goal post.  "How 'bout this?  Your reward is that I don't turn around and ignore your merry ass for the rest of the evening."  He raised a brow right back at Christian.  "Though if you prefer that, I can accommodate.  I have anagrams on my phone."

[Anonymous]

"Why would I want to be Alaric? He's a loser. She's a loser? It's a loser? Whatever. Loser is the point here." Christian snorted, "That's a crap reward. Better than nothing I guess."

He settled the paper on the table, took aim and flicked it dead center between Blaine's fingers.

[Tally]

Blaine rolled his eyes and snatched up his little paper triangle.  Back into the pocket it went.  "So you have no honor and you insult my friend.  Why am I even talking to you?"

Damned if he could think of a reason. What the hell was Christian's problem anyway?  He was the one who was sooooo bored, and what did Blaine get for trying to help him out?  Pissy comments about himself and his friends.  Blaine liked to people watch so he sat back and tuned in to the hundred little dramas playing out around them.  Christian could go rot.

[Anonymous]

It wasn't really Blaine's fault. He just happened to be one of Gabriel's friends. And that small part of Christian that had never fully grown up hated all of Gabe's friends. Resented them that his cousin hadn't wanted to hang out with young Christian, but then went and made friends with....losers.

"My my. Prickly aren't we. And it's not really insulting when it's true, is it? You have your little loser patrol and Alaric's an it."

[Tally]

Yes.  Yes he was prickly when people insulted his friends.  Too bad for Christian, eh?  Whenever some jerkoff started randomly insulting you for no reason, it was usually to get a rise out of you.  He was sitting next to the equivalent of an online troll.  It was sad, and a little weird too.  Who responded to pleasant conversation like this?

They were in the process of introducing each of the soldiers in the squadron.  Every time they said a name, everyone applauded.  Blaine joined in for appearance's sake, though he hadn't been paying attention when they went over exactly why they we honoring these soldiers.

[Anonymous]

Christian followed along with the clapping as the soldiers were introduced. Might as well make sure he was putting on the right little show for all the papers. Clap and smile and not really listen. This was nicer than the ones honoring fallen soldiers. Those were just depressing.

He drained his glass of wine again, still bored. The guy on his other side was way to into the conversation with the female Pilot next to him. And Blaine was ignoring him. Something that irritated him, but he wasn't totally sure how he wanted to handle that one.

[Tally]

Once they'd gone through all the names and handed out all the medals, they took a break from talking and handed out the entrees.  About time!  Some real food made this a whole lot better.  The music started up again too, a string quartet off to the left of the dais.

The rest of the dinner went by pretty fast.  They didn't spend too long on the departing speeches.  As everyone was leaving, Blaine got hung up talking to journalists and socialites.  He couldn't help himself when he was getting media attention, and ended up staying long after most everyone else had left.  There were only a few people still in the dining hall when he finally got away and started the trek back to his apartment.  It was all the way on the other side of the Citadel and about ninety stories up.

About one third of the way there, he paused in a deserted hallway to lean back against the wall and rip open the top few buttons of his uniform.  Much better, that.  It had been buttoned all the way up to his throat all day.

[Anonymous]

Christian had actually left a bit earlier, then realized he had left his hat behind. Stupid uniform was a pain to replace and expensive when docked. So he had to head back to grab it. It was where he had left it, sitting on the table in front of his seat.

The way back was rather boring, until he turned the corner and got an eyeful of Blaine ripping open his shirt. Christian raise one blond eyebrow, "Well, that's an attractive site."

[Tally]

Blaine nearly jumped. He'd been lost in his own little world, trying to decide whether he wanted to go out or turn in for the evening. Times like these, he wished he had a better sensory range. If his telekinesis were worth shit he could have sensed Christian coming.

"Thought you took off," he said, thinking back. Yeah, Christian had gotten out of there at the first opportunity. Could be he was just near Christian's room or something?

[Anonymous]

"I had." Christian grinned, lounging slightly, swinging the hat on his finger, "I forgot my hat. What were you doing back there? All alone."

Moving closer, Christian made sure he was close enough to have passed most people's personal space bubble, "Some bad man might find you rippin' your clothes off and get ideas."

[Tally]

Blaine leaned in slightly, bringing them even closer.  He held the distance for a few seconds, sniffing, then leaned back again.  "You had the fish, didn't you? Breath's a little funky, mate."

He shuffled away a bit and got Christian out of his personal space bubble.  He found a little tin of gum in a pocket and shook one out into Christian's palm.  "You are so lucky you ran into me and not someone who would judge you for having smelly breath.  Don't worry, I won't tell anyone how disgustingly you embarrassed yourself."