Eric
ERIC
The quiet hum of the bar was a direct contrast to the nerves jumbling around in his gut. Pulling out his phone to check the time sounded like a bad idea. There weren’t many people in the bar, but he didn’t need what few there were to see him nervously checking his phone like he was afraid his date had stood him up.
He wrinkled his nose at the thought. All he’d done was invite Blaine for a few friendly drinks. It wasn’t precisely what the chief and Sean had been hinting at when they’d all but chewed him out for being an ass. He wasn’t necessarily agreeing with them, but Blaine had made a good point, they needed to work together peacefully. He wasn’t sure if inviting the man for drinks counted, but it was something.
And at least the bar was better than a club.
He looked around, taking in the atmosphere and breathing deeply. The lights were low, and the city's noise outside was drowned out by the thick wood and glass of the walls. Most people sat in pairs at the bar or in booths, speaking quietly. It was the sort of place preferred, quiet, with the low murmur of conversation mingling with the gently playing music in the background.
Frowning down at the coaster in front of him, he spun it thoughtfully. He actually didn’t know if Blaine would have preferred a noisier environment. The loudest thing in the bar was the two guys sitting in the next booth. had glanced at them as he’d sat, but they’d barely paid him any attention. They were good-looking, though he was pretty sure the dark-blond man was trouble if the smile on his face was any indication. They seemed far happier playing footsie under the table than paying attention to him.
His head jerked up at the sound of the door opening, letting the street noise in with a sharp burst. Twisting in his booth to face the door, he forgot himself, his anger and bitterness, as Blaine stopped just inside the entrance. He’d gone casual, the sleeves of his long-sleeve shirt pulled up past his elbows, the collar low and showing off his collarbone. ’s eyes drifted over the hollow of Blaine’s neck, then down over his powerful forearms. Drifting further down, he wryly thought the man’s jeans would have probably been loose and comfortable on someone else, but on Blaine, they hugged his strong thighs tightly.
Blaine’s eyes swept the bar, his serious expression lightening when he spotted in the corner booth. remembered himself just long enough not to wave at his partner, reducing it to a sharp motion to invite Blaine over. He’d taken the corner booth and had left the bench with its back to the wall open for Blaine. hadn’t missed Blaine’s choice of desk, and he’d noticed how Blaine preferred to place himself when he was in public.
“You’re late,” grunted when Blaine walked over.
Blaine’s eyes moved to the clock above the bar and chuckled softly. “Bar time. I’m early.”
grimaced, forgetting that some bars liked to set their clocks ahead. Easier to boot drunk customers out if the clock reads well past closing time. A quick look at his phone told him it wasn’t twenty past eight, but ten till.
He grunted. “It’s normally twenty minutes. Forgot about that.”
Blaine hummed as he set his arms on the table to lean forward. “Not like you to forget a detail like that.”
“I’m allowed a few,” told him.
“True.”
swallowed the hint of ease wiggling its way into his system and then the anger at the relaxation. Blaine looked good, sounded good, and his presence was enough to unwind ’s normally taut and constantly firing nerves. It had always been like that, even from the first moment they’d met under the tree.
Eight years should have been enough to rid himself of that, and before Blaine had shown up, was convinced it had died. Sitting across from him at some quiet little bar was a very good sign that it had not died, only been slumbering. had to remind himself that Blaine had been the one to leave, knowing what it would mean to . He had known, damn it.
“?” Blaine asked softly.
grunted. “Thinking, ignore me.”
“Lost in the forest of your thoughts,” Blaine supplied.
grimaced at the old private joke they’d shared. Instead of commenting, he waved down a passing server. He never understood how a bar that seemed to have so few patrons could stay open, let alone afford servers. The woman came over, taking their orders before slipping away.
Blaine leaned back, one hand resting on the table to drum his fingers lightly. “I wondered what sort of place you might pick. Looking around, I really shouldn’t have, this suits you.”
narrowed his eyes. “Meaning?”
Blaine shrugged, thanking the woman when she returned with their drinks. “You don’t like a lot of noise.”
“I don’t like people,” said, snagging his drink and sipping.
“One thing I always noticed was how you liked being around them. You just didn’t like being with them. You never went far from the lunchroom back in school, choosing a hallway outside where you could still be close. You could close the office door completely to keep people out, but you don’t. You choose a bar where there are still people, but they’re quiet and don’t mess with you.”
blinked slowly over the rim of his glass at his partner, too stunned to be angry. Despite his insistence to the contrary, he’d always known that Blaine had known him. How could he not after being so close for years? However, he’d never heard Blaine speak so openly about what he’d seen.
“Uh,” tried, realizing he had nothing to say.
Blaine either didn’t notice or ignored it, eyes looking over the bar. “That’s okay, though, it’s a good place. Quiet, almost homey. Drinks aren’t too bad, either. Feels like the kind of place you’d go with someone else or a small group of people. Somewhere to just...be.”
Now, he was waxing the existential? knew the drinks in the bar were pretty strong for their low price, but there was no way Blaine was feeling it yet. He could only stare at his partner as they silently sipped their drinks.
Blaine motioned for more drinks, smiling. “I remember being told I would miss all the noise and activity when I became a civilian. That I’d miss the structure and be like a babe in the woods, stumbling around, not sure what to do with myself.”
had heard of a similar issue from others. “And?”
Blaine shrugged. “It was weird at first. You get so used to knowing when you’ll be up, what you’ll be doing, and reporting every little thing you do. Sure, it’s the military, and everything likes to go tits up or break down, but that’s expected too. But coming back, being a civilian? It was only weird for the first couple of months. Then I got used to it. Then I got to like it.”
nodded, not sure if he understood. He couldn’t tell if Blaine had liked the regimented life and had just grown to like civilian life or if he’d missed civilian life without realizing it. Blaine had always been good at adjusting to whatever was thrown his way, adaptable to ’s stubbornness.
“Okay,” said slowly. “Then...why here? Port Dale. Being a cop, all of it.”
“Well, I’d been sitting around doing nothing with myself for months. That was the weirdest part, just drifting. I didn’t have a purpose anymore, anything to...distract me. You spend most of your adult life with a sense of duty, knowing you’ll have something to do. Have it taken away, and you start to lose your mind.”
“Right, doesn’t really answer my question.”
“Because I liked Port Dale the few times I’d come up here from Carson. Because I still wanted to be part of something bigger than myself. Plus, it wasn’t like I could keep staying on my parent’s couch.”
cocked his head, hearing a faint sour note in Blaine’s voice. “Blake?”
Blaine shrugged. “He’s got a life of his own. He didn’t need me lingering around his house. I needed to get my own life, so I found one.”
took another drink. “It doesn’t hurt that you’re used to being shot at. Comes in handy occasionally on this job.”
’s mind was all too happy to supply him with the images of a still-wet Blaine, covered only by what he would have sworn was the smallest towel possible. The man’s torso seemed like it had gone on forever, with just a soft patch of pale blond hair. had been livid to see the marks across Blaine’s skin, reminders of just how stupid the man had been to throw himself in the face of danger as he had for eight years. Worse, his initial reaction to the scars hadn’t been anger at all.
“True,” Blaine said, cutting through ’s thoughts before his pants could grow tighter.
cleared his throat. “So, how much have you gotten out since you moved here?”
“Ehhh, not a whole lot. I’ve wandered around my neighborhood but haven’t done much more than that.”
“That’s a shame, there’s some good places around here you might like,” told him.
“Oh? Like what?”
“Well, that depends. Do you want to see tourist traps or the real shit?”
“What could count as a tourist trap around here? It’s a city.”
snorted. “Well, the place is full of ‘I heart Port Dale’ shit in plenty. Go to the boardwalk, and you’ll find loads of them. Or you can go to the heart of the city and find the overpriced clubs. That counts.”
“And the real stuff?”
“Dig hard enough, and you can find some good shit. The little Asian-themed market by the factories has the greatest seafood you’ve ever tasted. And sure, we’ve got big theatres here, putting on the popular shit, but you’d be stupid if you didn’t catch a midnight showing of ‘Taming of the Shrew’ down at Le Hops.”
Blaine snorted. “There’s a theatre called Le Hops?”
“Nope, it’s a dive bar that the drunk and broke theatre students always go to. Pretty sure those assholes are the only reason that piece of shit is still open.”
“How amazing that you can somehow manage to praise and insult in the same breath.”
“It’s a gift.”
hoped his relief at the change in topic didn’t show. It was easier to talk about the tourist traps and lesser-known places with Blaine than about the past. In fact, the more talked, describing a park with monthly art fairs or the annual salt block sculpture contest the city held, the easier it was.
It had always been easy to talk to Blaine; it was one of the first things that drew to him. Some part of him had suspected it would be the case again if he allowed that door to open. Despite the years of distance and everything Blaine had probably seen and done, there was still an undeniable air of calm about him. It drew in, allowing him to chat and even softly laugh a few times.
Blaine stared down at his latest drink, tapping the rim. “When did Sean start living here?”
blinked at the sudden swerve in topics. “Uh, a couple of years back.”
“That before or after you moved here?”
“After. I’ve been here for six years. First was spent at the academy, then the next five at our precinct.”
“And you spent those five years with your last partner?”
’s good mood began to crumble, gripping his glass tightly. “Yes. Why are you asking?”
Blaine looked up, eyes widening. “What? Why wouldn’t I? I want to know about you.”
’s jaw tightened. “You mean what you missed.”
“I...you could put it that way, yeah.”
“Because you were gone.”
Blaine sighed heavily. “...please.”
Well, his good mood was officially dead and buried. scowled at his partner, wishing the man had just stayed on the far safer topic. Now, he was half-drunk and being dragged right back to the eight years he’d spent without Blaine.
Blaine groaned. “And there’s that look again.”
“What look?” asked hotly.
“The one you get where you shut right down and snarl at anyone who tries to talk to you.”
“Oh, fuck you.”
“Case and point.”
drained the rest of his drink with hurried gulps. “Look, Blaine. I know you’re trying to make nice and be buddy-buddy, but our conversation before was as far as we were going to get.”
A strange light entered Blaine’s eyes. “That so?”
“Oh, don’t you dare pull that wise old man shit on me. I told you from the start we were...what we are now. You’re the one who made the choice.”
“Am I?”
Alright, he was officially done. If Blaine wanted to play it that way, wasn’t going to play at all. He stood up, slapping money on the table and sliding out of the booth.
“Go to hell, Blaine. Your choices were made long ago, and now you want to go back and pretend like it never happened? No, fuck you, and fuck this ‘I’m super calm and above it all’ bullshit too. I never should have told Morgan we could stay partners. I’m through with this shit. Enjoy your fucking night,” ground out, hands balling at his side.
He almost expected a hand to close around his wrist as he whirled around, refusing to look at the foreign expression on Blaine’s face. He had been an idiot even to offer the other man this much of an olive branch. He should have known it would go too far. He and Blaine could never be anything.
Not again, he told himself as he stomped toward the door.