#klaine 321 prompt bang

[catb0ycore]

Klaine 3-2-1 Prompt Bang Fic: The Warbler Interview

Author: @little-escapist

Artist: @catb0ycore

Prompt provided by: @gleefuldarrencrissfan

Pairing(s): Kurt Hummel/Blaine Anderson

Rating: E

Word count:7971

Characters: Blaine Anderson, Kurt Hummel, Cooper Anderson, Sam Evans, Sebastian Smythe

 Summary: Kurt is very excited about his first assignment as a journalist: he’ll interview the new boy band sensation, the Warblers. It means he’ll get to talk to the most handsome man alive, Cooper Anderson.But once Kurt meets the band – Cooper, sarcastic Sebastian, boy-next-door Sam, and Cooper’s brother Blaine – it’s the younger Anderson that steals his heart over the course of a single night.

Genre/Tropes: Meet-cute, famous/non-famous, journalist!Kurt, musician!Blaine, boyband.

Warnings: None

Author’s Notes:  Writing this was a ride for sure. I'm not sure how that translates to the story itself. This was supposed to be posted in the first wave of the challenge, but life got in the way. Luckily the mods were nice and allowed me to switch to the second wave so I could finish writing this (and the word count was smaller as well!). This story was written during one of the most difficult times of my life, but at least I got it written and finally it's time to post.

Read on AO3

#klaine #kurt hummel #blaine anderson #glee #klaine 321 prompt bang #klaine321promptbang2022 #k321pb2022 #my art #little-escapist

[forabeatofadrum]

What Splatfest teams would Kurt and Blaine pick for the Zelda Splatfest?

#and artie and sam and mike #klaine 321 prompt bang

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

Hi Hkvoyage

The klaine 321 prompt submitted yesterday fits the reunited Klaine ask.

https://forabeatofadrum.tumblr.com/post/684129529071026176/klaine-3-2-1-prompt-bang-fic-reprise-author

Thanks for the recommendation. Everyone should check out the Tumblr master post to see the wonderful artwork by @forabeatofadrum. - HKVoyage

Reprise by @calliopemelpomene

During Kurt's senior year at NYADA, a life-changing event causes him to take a leave of absence and what was supposed to be a short stay turns into years. His life certainly isn't what he expected, but he's not exactly unhappy. His name is not lit up in lights on Broadway, but he's involved in community theater and LGBTQ groups in Columbus and has friends who love him and casual lovers.

But turning 35 has made him restless and he's longing for the life he had before. Burt talks him into taking some classes at Ohio State University to finish his degree and start focusing on himself again. What Kurt finds on the OSU campus is much more than he bargained for.

#klaine fic #klaine fanfic #klaine fanfiction #fic finder #1908jmd #reunited!klaine #college!Kurt #professor!blaine #teacher!blaine

[thnxforknowingme]

thanks to @forabeatofadrum for tagging me and inspiring me to make this very stupid graphic!

Here's a cute scene from my Klaine 321 Prompt Bang fic I'm working on:

Kurt only had one camping chair, and when Blaine gallantly offered to just stand Kurt offered, “Or you could sit in my lap.”

“I don’t think this chair was made to hold two people,” Blaine said, laughing through his words, as he settled in on Kurt’s legs.

“It’ll be fine,” Kurt insisted. He liked the weight and closeness of Blaine too much to worry about the creaking of the chair.

The flames licked up the logs, bathing them in warmth and orangey light. They roasted marshmallows and tried to think of scary campfire stories. Kurt hooked his chin over Blaine’s shoulder in order to see his marshmallow, and he loved the feel of Blaine’s shirt and skin brushing against him. The uneven lighting cast flickering shadows over them, and Kurt couldn’t help but stare at Blaine’s long eyelashes and plump lips.

I'm getting near the end of my first draft for the fic (so I'm in more angsty territory where I'm currently writing). I've been writing like mad lately trying to get through the story before I embark on a month-long trip, when I'll have less time to focus on writing.

Not gonna tag but if you see this and have the urge to share your WIP, this is your sign!

#fic writing #i have to decide on a title so i can have a tag for this fic whoops #wip wednesday #klaine fic

[forabeatofadrum]

Oooh, interesting, since it also mentions the orchestra subbing that Blaine does in Ebb & Flow, although this makes it sound like only established orchestra musicians can sub. In my little research for Ebb & Flow I didn’t find that so I was under the impression that any musician can sub. If I messed up, well, then it’s my fic and I get to decide the reality of the situation ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I wish I could make around €2000 - €3000 a week, although yeah I do know that they have to pay a lot of fees and that New York is expensive, which is why you still don’t get rich from Broadway, but alas.

Now I do wonder how much Kurt made as a wardrobe crew member.

#klaine 321 prompt bang

[forabeatofadrum]

Klaine 3-2-1 Prompt Bang Fic: Ebb & Flow

Author: @forabeatofadrum

Artist: @catb0ycore

Prompt Provided by: @quizasvivamos

Pairing(s): Kurt Hummel/Blaine Anderson

Rating: G

Word Count: 29.513 

Characters: Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson, Wes Montgomery, Thad Hardwood, David Thompson, Avalon Chanthara (OC), Cooper Anderson, Mr. Anderson

Summary: Blaine Anderson is yet another anonymous New Yorker who's trying to get a job in the entertainment industry. His days are filled with auditions, bleak subway rides, piano lessons, and complaining about his annoying next-door-neighbour. But Blaine has a secret that he cannot share with his other friends: he dreams of playing competitive Splatoon 2. He already has a hard time justifying this music degree, so he doesn't need to add an interest in eSports to that. That's why the only person who knows about this, is yet another stranger on the internet named Kurt. The two met in an LGBT Splatoon 2 Discord and became fast friends. Little do they know that they also know each other offline.

Genre/Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Hidden Identities, Mutual Pining, Video Games

Warnings: Past character death, grief (slightly)

Author’s Notes: Welcome to Ebb & Flow, my fic for @the-lima-bean‘s Klaine 3-2-1 Prompt Bang Fest, my first ever fest. It was quite an experience but in the end I am happy with how it turned out, especially with the amazing art by Judas @catb0ycore​. The moment I saw the original prompt, I was inspired to use a very niche interest of mine for a Klaine fic and here we are, so thank you Beth @quizasvivamos for the inspiration. 

If you are reading this and you’re thinking “huh, what is this Splatoon gibberish even about?” then here is a handy spoiler-free Glossary of Splatoon 2.

Enjoy.

Read on AO3 | Read on S&C | Read on Tumblr

Additional artwork under cut and in the respective chapter.

#klaine #glee #klaine 321 prompt bang #Klaine321promptbang2022 #k321pb2022 #multichaptered #2022 #holy fuck I wrote #story: ebb and flow #masterpost #sorta #i mean the only extra is the glossary

[forabeatofadrum]

Klaine 3-2-1 Prompt Bang Fic: Reprise

Author: @calliopemelpomene

Artist: @forabeatofadrum

Prompt Provided by: @redheadgleek

Pairing(s): Kurt Hummel/Blaine Anderson, Burt Hummel/Carole Hudson Hummel, Elliott Gilbert/OMC, Warbler Nick/Warbler Jeff

Rating: T

Word Count: 27,466

Characters: Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson, Burt Hummel, Carole Hudson Hummel, Elliott Gilbert, Nick Duval, Jeff Sterling, OMCs, OFCs

Summary: During Kurt's senior year at NYADA, a life-changing event causes him to take a leave of absence and what was supposed to be a short stay turns into years. His life certainly isn't what he expected, but he's not exactly unhappy. His name is not lit up in lights on Broadway, but he's involved in community theater and LGBTQ groups in Columbus and has friends who love him and casual lovers.

But turning 35 has made him restless and he's longing for the life he had before. Burt talks him into taking some classes at Ohio State University to finish his degree and start focusing on himself again. What Kurt finds on the OSU campus is much more than he bargained for.

Genre/Tropes: Reunion after breakup, au, canon-divergent, angst, drama

Warnings: None

#klaine 321 prompt bang #Klaine321promptbang2022 #k321pb2022 #story art #bro this is the first time i am doing this how do i tag this

[catb0ycore]

Klaine 3-2-1 Prompt Bang Fic: Ebb & Flow

Author: @forabeatofadrum

Artist: @catb0ycore

Prompt Provided by: @quizasvivamos

Pairing(s): Kurt Hummel/Blaine Anderson

Rating: G

Word Count: 29.513 

Characters: Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson, Wes Montgomery, Thad Hardwood, David Thompson, Avalon Chanthara (OC), Cooper Anderson, Mr. Anderson

Summary: Blaine Anderson is yet another anonymous New Yorker who's trying to get a job in the entertainment industry. His days are filled with auditions, bleak subway rides, piano lessons, and complaining about his annoying next-door-neighbour. But Blaine has a secret that he cannot share with his other friends: he dreams of playing competitive Splatoon 2. He already has a hard time justifying this music degree, so he doesn't need to add an interest in eSports to that. That's why the only person who knows about this, is yet another stranger on the internet named Kurt. The two met in an LGBT Splatoon 2 Discord and became fast friends. Little do they know that they also know each other offline.

Genre/Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Hidden Identities, Mutual Pining, Video Games

Warnings: Past character death, grief (slightly)

Read on AO3 / Read on S&C / Read on Tumblr

Additional artwork under cut and in the respective chapter

#klaine #kurt hummel #blaine anderson #glee #klaine 321 prompt bang #klaine321promptbang2022 #k321pb2022 #my art #forabeatofadrum #help girl i just noticed i left this in the drafts 😭 i'm so sorry

[forabeatofadrum]

@redheadgleek​ @georgiegems (tumblr... won’t tag?). Thank you, thank you! And thank you @georgiegems for the nice comment on AO3 about the art. @calliopemelpomene​ sent it to me!

And @martsonmars​... HORSES. HORSES. HORSES. DID I FINISH THE DRAWING? OF HORSE I DID! I’m glad with how it turned out, which is mostly thanks to @calliopemelpomene​ ​for having a great reference. I suppose I can draw horses now. I had some pains with the background (fully caused by my own lack of planning) so I do think I went from “watercolour background, gouache foreground” to “gouache background, watercolour foreground.”

Two fun facts!

1. @calliopemelpomene​ was very kind in giving me some free reign, so when I asked if she had certain outfits in mind, she said that it was cold. I then went through fashionofglee to look at some of the coats that Blaine wore in the show. As a result, the coat is based on this coat from the Summer Nights performance.

2. There is a doc with some references and when I saw that Blaine’s glasses had a light frame, I decided to use silver shimmering watercolour. You can’t really see the shimmer in the scan, which was to be expected, but the fun fact here is that the metal on Wednesday’s horse harness is the same paint, so they match in shimmer-y goodness.

#replies #martsonmars #redheadgleek #georgiegems #the scan also slightly paled/muted the colours but that i don't mind #the shimmer is a shame but again i knew this was gonna happen #cause the shimmer is best seen when you move the art around #which is why i linked a video of the paint #it's SHINY #klaine 321 prompt bang

[forabeatofadrum]

Splatoon 2 Basic Glossary

So, you just started reading Ebb & Flow and you have no idea what the fuck Splatoon 2 is? Well, you’re in luck, because here is a handy rundown of basic Splatoon 2 knowledge!

Thank you for reading Ebb & Flow! Enjoy!

What is Splatoon 2?

Splatoon 2 is the sequel to the Wii U game Splatoon. Yes, a creative title, but we can forgive Nintendo for it, since the quality of the game makes up for it. The game got released on July 21st 2017 for the Nintendo Switch family (as in Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite and Nintendo Switch OLED). It’s Nintendo’s version of a 3rd person post-apocalyptic shooter game, but without the gruesomeness of a usual post-apocalyptic shooter. After all, Nintendo needs to retain its family friendly brand!

So instead of a war-like shooting game, this game is all about ink! Squid ink, to be more specific. You play as a squid-like character (called Inklings) and you use several weapons to shoot/distribute colourful ink. You are bound to the colour of the ink. You can shoot and store your colour and also swim in it to make speed or to refill your ink tank. If you are in the enemy’s colour ink, you get hurt and if an enemy shoots you with the other colour, you get “splatted” and you need to respawn.

(Fun fact, the initial concept was tofu characters instead of sea creatures!)

Basically, there are different ways to play it. Most of them get mentioned in the fic, but you don’t actually need to know a lot about it. I do namedrop things, hence this glossary, but I don’t go super in-depth about the gameplay. (Or so I think.)

There is a single player story mode. This is a classic RPG where you traverse through levels and beat bosses. This one does not get mentioned in the fic, since it’s a solo thing.

Salmon Run. Here you pair up with 3 other people to defeat a bunch of rouge Salmon-like enemies (Salmonids) who want to steal Golden Eggs. It’s basically Splatoon 2′s version of an shoot out where you have to defeat zombies or something. This doesn’t get mentioned either, which is a shame, since this is my favourite mode.

Turf Wars. Two teams of 4 vs. 4 have to cover as much ink of a stage as possible. The team that inks the most, wins. Kurt and Blaine play this for Splatfests (we’ll get to those).

Tower Control / Clam Blitz / Rainmaker / Splat Zones. These are four game modes where two teams of 4 vs. 4 have to fight against each other in a certain mini game. Tower Control needs you to ride a tower to the enemy’s base. Clam Blitz is, I suppose, some sort of basketball. Rainmaker needs you to transport a weapon to the enemy’s base. Splat Zones need you to cover a specific zone with ink for the longest time. You can play these as Ranked Battles and League Battles. Kurt and Blaine play a lot of League Battles, since you can choose your team or duo. These game modes alternate each other. There’s always one in Ranked and one in League and it changes every 2 hours.

Octo Expansion. Another extra single player mode. Only gets mentioned once in passing.

What is Splatoon 2 even about?

I redirect you to this nice video. 

You don’t really need the storyline of the game for the fic, since that’s in the single player story mode and Kurt and Blaine don’t play that in the fic, but if you’re interested, you should give it a watch. Beware of spoilers, though!

Splatfests

A Splatfest is a special event that happened every month. Players can choose between two choices in a category (Chicken vs. Egg, Ketchup vs. Mayo, Dog vs. Cat etc.) and then those two groups battle in Turf Wars to see which side has won. A special stage is made for each Splatfest and you get extra gear. The two Off the Hook hosts (we’ll get there) represent a side. It is always seen as a big in-game party with the Off the Hook hosts giving a concert wearing specific outfits. Player characters dance around and wave banners with player-made art etc. It’s honestly pretty fun.

The Splatfests mentioned in Ebb & Flow were real, and I used them to keep track of the timeline. You can see an overview of all Splatfests here.

Weapons, gear, stages

Don’t worry about these! I name dropped them for fun. I did put some thought in what weapons they’d use for each game mode (i.e. Kurt’s Carbon Roller is definitely for Turf Wars only), but it doesn’t really impact the story. 

Each weapon has a main weapon, a sub weapon and a special weapon. The main weapon is what it says on the tin, a sub weapon is an extra thing like bombs, and a special is a big game changer that needs to be charged during the game. So when the fic mentions things like the Baller or Tenta Missles etc., those are special weapons. That’s all you gotta know, I guess.

I put zero (0) thought in what gear Kurt and Blaine wear. Gear is, in gamer language, the armour. It brings extra stats and abilities, but I stopped myself from losing myself into the world of Splatoon 2 gear, especially since I am like Kurt and I use the gear for aesthetics only. I have no clue what abilities etc. are out there. I did a bit of research for this fic, but that’s it and I didn’t really put it in the story anyway. All you need to know is that in the Splatoon series, there are a lot of in-universe brands and Kurt, as a fashion lover, likes this extra layer to gear.

Stages are where the games take place. I often picked the stages that were actually happening at the time of writing. All you need to know is that stages change periodically, which is why Kurt and Blaine sometimes wait for a certain stage. Current stages with its accompanying game mode always get announced when you start the game, which leads to...

Off the Hook

An unskippable intro! It happens every time you start the game. It’s a TV show format and the two hosts Pearl and Marina announce the stages, whether Grizzco is open for Salmon Run, and extra news like patches or upcoming Splatfests. Kurt loves reading the news every time (as do I). Blaine wishes he could do without. Boo, Blaine, boo!

Competitive Splatoon 2

It is quite funny that so much about this fic is about Competitive Splatoon 2, since it is actually quite difficult to learn about it if you’re not part of this world. And I am not part of this world. Kurt’s probably a better player than I am. 

Basically, like other Nintendo games, it is possible to play Splatoon 2 as an eSport. You create a team and start to train. Like I said, I don’t know enough on how you can get to a competition, but there are big and small tournaments, with the biggest one being hosted by Nintendo itself: the World Championship. There, teams from Asia, Europe, North-America and Oceania are fighting for the title of World Champion.

If you are reading this right at the beginning of Ebb & Flow, then here is a small spoiler for you. I know I said it was going to be spoiler-free, but alas, have this. Blaine has tickets for the World Championship of 2018. This too was a real event. The semi-finale and finale are on YouTube. The finale is here:

You can watch this if you want to know what a game looks like. When you do, skip to 29:09 to see one of the best plays ever!!! I did actually write some plays from competitions into the fic.

The music

Yeah, so, the music of this game is amazing on its own and one of the reasons it works so well is because there is an in-universe explanation for why the music is like this. There are multiple styles, because there are multiple in-universe bands. Ink Theory does experimental jazz, Diss-Pair loves adding EDM and metal elements to their songs, Chirpy Chips live up to their name with chiptune music, Bottom Feeders mix pop rock with sea shanties, ω-3 does whatever the fuck they’re doing, and so on, and so on.

And yes, I will point this out in the actual fic, because I don’t even know much about music, but Blaine does, and I assume he has an absolute field day with all this information.

Anyway, my favourite band is Wet Floor. Stan Wet Floor.

Oh and remember Off the Hook? They are also a girl group. One of their songs, Ebb and Flow, is the inspiration behind the title.

I listened a lot to the soundtrack while writing it. It’s really upbeat and if there’s some singing, it’s in a made-up squid language. Nintendo is aware of the music’s popularity. As a result it even hosts hologram concerts for Off the Hook and the Squid Sisters (the hosts from the first Splatoon game).

This particular concert even has K.K. Slider from Animal Crossing as an opening act!

Why Splatoon 2?

Why indeed. All I can say is that I love this game a lot and I saw reasons for Kurt and Blaine to like it. It’s a fun game and I think a lot of people will enjoy it. The music and gear felt like an added bonus. And to be honest, should there be a reason? I just thought to myself “what if Kurt and Blaine meet through Splatoon 2?” and here we are.

I didn’t pick the first Splatoon since I never played it, and Splatoon 3 only got announced last year and it’ll be released in September 2022. Oh, and like I mentioned, all the events mentioned are real, so Splatoon 2 also made the most sense for a fic set in 2018. Splatoon 2 got updated a lot in its 5 year lifespan, so I did have to let go of some game things that weren’t out yet in the time the fic takes place (one day, Kurt will get a Kensa Splatterscope), but again, you don’t need to know that for the fic.

So why Splatoon 2?

Why not.

I hope you enjoy!

#story extras #klaine 321 prompt bang #Klaine321promptbang2022 #k321pb2022 #story: ebb and flow #INKOMING!

[forabeatofadrum]

Kurt: sweetheart, how about an S-ranked Clam Blitz Rank Battle on Starfish Mainstage or Manta Maria?

Blaine: sorry love, but there’s a randomised Salmon Run on Ruins of Ark Polaris for a three-slot head gear and I’m about to reach a new level of Profreshional at Grizzco. We can do ranked afterwards.

Kurt: oof, honey, but then there’ll be a Tower Control on The Reef and Moray Towers after that one in ranked.

Blaine: oh my dear, I will have to try that in order to break out my Glooga Dualies so that I can test my charge rate on my ink jet with this newly stacked Special Charge Up abilities!

Wes, Thad and David:

#dank memes about my fics #kinda #in my head this takes place AFTER the fic #maybe when kurt meets blaine's friends #great first impression! #klaine 321 prompt bang

[forabeatofadrum]

Not to be back on my Splatoon bullshit but this kinda stuff is EXACTLY what Blaine in Ebb & Flow fawns over.

#story extras #klaine 321 prompt bang

[forabeatofadrum]

you BET your sweet ASS i am putting a line from the House in the Cerulean Sea in Ebb and Flow because that book is *chef’s kiss*

#lb writing #klaine 321 prompt bang

[forabeatofadrum]

me, opening Ebb and Flow:

#tbh at this rate i am writing... like.... 2 lines a day but it's progress #i think i might be getting somewhere #i was once again ~unhappy~ with something but i changed that #lb writing #klaine 321 prompt bang #dank memes about my fics

[forabeatofadrum]

Ebb and Flow (12/12)

Notes: And here it is, we’ve reached the end!

AO3 | S&C | Tumblr

--

Blaine’s in his hallway, but instead of going to number 23, he follows Kurt to number 21. Kurt unlocks his door, but he shoots a quick glance towards Blaine’s door.

“Still so weird.”

“I agree,” Blaine says.

“I can’t believe we got mad at each other for celebrating Splatoon 2 wins together.”

“You also got mad at me rehearsing for The Street.”

“I knew the music sounded familiar!” Kurt opens the door and Blaine follows him inside. Kurt’s apartment has the same lay-out as Blaine’s, only mirrored, which is why their office spaces were next to each other.

“In your defence, I only played one instrument at the time, instead of the full song.”

Kurt turns back to Blaine with a nervous look on his face. Blaine raises an eyebrow.

“You’re… the first guest I’ve ever had,” Kurt says quietly and Blaine’s heart breaks all over again, but then he sees that despite the nervosity, there’s also a hint of pride on Kurt’s face, “So, uh, what do you think?”

Blaine can’t help it. He sees the look on Kurt’s face and he instinctively takes a step forward and he takes Kurt’s hand in his without thinking. He doesn’t realise he’s holding Kurt’s hand until he sees Kurt’s eyes flicking down to their joined hands.

But Kurt doesn’t seem uncomfortable, so Blaine doesn’t shy away.

After all, they have admitted how they feel.

“It’s lovely,” Blaine says and he squeezes Kurt’s hand, “You’re lovely.”

Kurt turns a bit red.

“Oh, stop it, you’ve barely looked around,” he jokes.

“Well, then, give me the grand tour of number 21!”

“Be my guest,” Kurt says with an overly formal voice.

Then he proceeds to lead Blaine around the apartment and he gives Blaine an actual proper tour, only Blaine barely registers it. How can he look at Kurt’s fancy kitchen appliances when Kurt’s hand is in his? How can he be interested in Kurt’s nice TV, when he is dying to kiss Kurt? How can he appreciate the paintings on the wall when Kurt is the most beautiful thing he’s seen?

“And this is my dad,” Kurt picks up a photo frame and that does snap Blaine back to reality. He’s already ashamed of zoning out when Kurt was talking about the colour of his couch, so he absolutely will never forgive himself if he doesn’t give the memory of Burt Hummel his full attention.

It’s also the first time that Blaine gets to see the face behind this name. Burt has a kind face and the smile seems to light up the room, even from a photograph.

“Will you be going home soon?” Blaine asks. It’s almost the anniversary of Burt’s death.

Kurt nods.

“Will you come with me?” he says.

Blaine’s head jerks toward Kurt. His eyes go wide with disbelief. Kurt looks equally stunned by his question and he starts to backtrack.

“I mean, you don’t have to! It’s silly! We only just met and this is a big deal- I don’t want to burden you- and I don’t even know if my stepmother- I mean, don’t feel pressured! You’re just- I mean… I know this is a big step and everything…”

While Kurt’s stumbling over his words, Blaine’s started to grin. Kurt trails off when he sees it.

“I’d love to go with you,” Blaine says, “If you’ll have me.”

“Of course I’ll have you! I just asked.”

Kurt puts the photo back and he continues the tour. Blaine looks over the shoulder, back to the photo of the smiling Burt. He knows that the man’s dead and Blaine doesn’t really believe in anything after death, but he still gives Burt a nod, promising him that he’ll be there for Kurt. It only feels right, since Blaine knows how important Burt is.

Since number 21 and 23 have the same layout, only mirrored, Blaine knows where they’re heading next. The office space.

Kurt turns on the lights and Blaine cannot believe what he’s seeing. Yes, his eyes fall on Kurt’s Nintendo Switch, which is docked on a desk with a fancy monitor, but that’s not the most impressive part. There are mannequins everywhere. Rolls of fabric are lined against the wall. Kurt even has an old looking sewing machine.

“Holy shit,” Blaine breathes out, “Now I definitely need to apologise for all my loud music. I hope I didn’t break your concentration, because this is impressive.”

This is clearly Kurt’s passion. Blaine looks around the room some more, taking it all in. Now, Blaine knows there’s nothing wrong about working in a wardrobe crew. After all, Blaine also works behind the scene in the theatre, but as he looks around he realises that Kurt can go very far in the fashion industry. This is amazing. Kurt is amazing.

“Thank you,” Kurt says bashfully. He blushes and it’s adorable and Blaine can’t help himself. He wants to kiss Kurt so badly.

He turns back to Kurt, ready to finally kiss him, when suddenly Kurt’s hand are cupping his face.

And then Blaine’s being kissed. Lips are pressed against his own and it takes only a split second for Blaine’s mind to catch up with what is happening. He reaches Kurt’s hands and he places his own over them. He kisses back.

He’s thought about this from the moment Kurt showed up at Think Coffee. Maybe even before that. The wait was so worth it. Blaine doesn’t want this to end. One of his hands reaches the back of Kurt’s head and he pulls him closer.

The two of them stumble backwards until they run into one of the mannequins.

“Oh my-” Blaine quickly reaches to steady Kurt’s work and he hears Kurt chuckle in the background.

“I think we were a little bit excited,” Kurt says, “I’ve been wanting to do that forever. It- I wish it hadn’t taken so long, if only I just…”

“We got there in the end,” Blaine says quickly and he presses a kiss on Kurt’s cheek. Because he can do that. He gets to kiss Kurt. “And besides, it’s not as if I ever gave you the time of day.”

“I’m glad you started working at The Street and I slowly got to know you.”

Blaine barks out a laugh. “God, and to think I was jealous of myself!”

“Well, so was I, at the very end!” Kurt laughs along. They’re ridiculous. They’ve been next to each other all this time, at the building, but also at The Street.

Blaine’s almost tempted to suggest calling in sick, so that the two of them could have the evening to themselves, but they also both love working at The Street. So instead, he suggests his favourite restaurant for takeout. It’s time for an early dinner, since they leave around 6PM to go to the theatre.

Blaine insists on paying, since that’s the etiquette for a first date. He’s a gentleman after all.

“First date?” Kurt quirks an eyebrow, “Are you planning on a second?”

Blaine nods eagerly.

“And a third. And a forth. And so on,” he says. Kurt’s face softens and it makes Blaine want to kiss him all over again.

Then he realises that he can.

Maybe he’s being a bit too bold, but Blaine tugs at Kurt’s vest to pull him closer and he plants a huge kiss on Kurt’s mouth. When Kurt doesn’t immediately kiss back, Blaine worries he’s overstepped, but then Kurt pushes him against his dining table and kisses him with full-force.

Blaine’s still tugging at Kurt’s clothes and Kurt’s hands are also roaming around Blaine’s chest. Kurt has no problems taking what he wants. Where has this Kurt been hiding?

Well, Blaine knows.

He’s so happy that Kurt can be comfortable around Blaine.

Blaine has no idea how long they’ve been kissing, but at one point they break away. Kurt leans his head on Blaine’s shoulder and Blaine needs to take some time to regain his composure.

“Maybe we should… uh… cool down before dinner and work,” Kurt stumbles through his words. Blaine also readjusts his bowtie. Kurt’s probably right. Blaine lifts Kurt’s head and he presses their foreheads together.

“What do you suggest we do then?” he asks.

“We could play a round?” Kurt suggests and it’s as if a lightbulb lights up, “You know, as a distraction of sorts. It makes sense for us.”

Yes, of course, Splatoon 2! The thing that brought them together in the first place.

“Yes!” Blaine exclaims, “Hopefully there’s some Clam Blitz!”

“Go get your Switch then!”

Kurt and Blaine rush to no. 23. Blaine forgoes the tour. They can do that another time, since they now have that time, but Kurt still looks around. Once they’re in the office, Kurt’s impressed by the many instruments.

“Wow, and you said I was impressive,” he says while Blaine searches for his procontroller, “I know you are talented, but this really proves it.”

“Ah, it’s nothing,” Blaine tries to shrug it off, but he still feels a warm, affectionate feeling. The two of them go back to Kurt’s apartment.

Blaine goes to unplug his Switch dock, but Kurt stops him.

“You can use my dock,” he says, “I play Splatoon 2 in handheld.”

“Really?” Blaine says with wide eyes. They’ve been playing together for months and he never knew this. “How do you do that?”

“How do you play in TV or tabletop mode, Blaine?” Kurt says back in the same tone.

Blaine gets his stuff and they walk back to Kurt’s apartment. Blaine’s mind still boggles when he thinks about how Kurt was here next to him all this time. It’s a new place for Blaine, but it already feels so familiar, since he knows Kurt. Is it too soon to think about exchanging spare keys, because they’re already going back and forth.

Kurt and Blaine get ready to play Splatoon 2, like usual, but now they’re next to each other, in the flesh. Blaine gives Kurt a wink and he starts the game.

--

Avalon does a double take then they see Kurt and Blaine arriving hand in hand with huge grins on their faces.

“Blaine Anderson! I… you… oh… Is this what I think it is?”

“Avalon Chanthara, it is,” Blaine says knowingly, when he sees that Avalon opens their mouth to say something.

Avalon claps both Kurt and Blaine on the back.

“Sweet, Viola owes me ten bucks now,” they say before running off to the pit. Kurt and Blaine can hear them yell: “Yo, Viola! Viola! You never guess what happened! Where are you?”

“Someone’s excited,” Kurt says with a smile.

Blaine shakes his head and laughs.

“God, my high school friends are going to be insufferable when they find out.”

Wes has been texting him all day, but Blaine thinks he can let him wait a little bit longer. He wants today to be about Kurt. He can deal with the Warblers tomorrow.

“Yeah,” Kurt sounds somber.

Blaine cups his face.

“Hey, you know who else will definitely have an opinion on this?” he asks.

Kurt raises an eyebrow.

“Sam, Artie and Mike,” Blaine answers.

“Oh.”

“Give them a call, Kurt,” Blaine says sweetly, “They miss you.”

“I miss them,” Kurt admits, “I miss all of them so much, Blaine.”

“I know you’ve already started reaching out to some of your friends-”

“Mercedes, Rachel, Elliot…”

Those names mean nothing to Blaine, but that also intrigues him in a way. Now that they know each other offline, there’s so much more to learn about Kurt and Blaine can’t wait to get to know him better, including his friends.

“-and of course, there is no rush, but I think they’d be very glad to hear from you.”

“I…” Kurt looks alarmed, “I can… try, yeah. My dad- they’ll- fuck. My brother too. They were huge friends with my brother.”

A name rings in Blaine’s mind. Something like Winn? Finn? Gwyn? Whatever it is, Blaine remembers that Artie, Mike and Sam had a little private moment when they discussed their friends. Blaine obviously couldn’t have known before, but he realises that they probably mentioned Kurt’s brother.

Blaine pulls Kurt into a tight hug.

“You can come along next week?” Blaine suggests, “We’re meeting at Sam and Mike’s place to brainstorm.”

“Thanks,” Kurt hugs back, “I’ll think about it.”

They hug for a little while, but it’s really time to get to work. Blaine gives Kurt a quick kiss and they part ways, but they know they’ll see each other during the break and after work. It’s all great.

--

The pace of the music speeds up. It’s the last minute of the match, which means that Now or Never kicks in.

“One more minute,” Kurt says.

“On it,” Blaine says back.

Blaine shoots one of the ink switches to move the platform so that he can cover more turf. Zappy Longshocking is a great Shifty Station stage. He hopes that all these exclusive stages become available to play again one day.

There was a bit of contention about this Splatfest’s teams. Blaine is definitely team Pulp. He definitely agreed with Pearl: orange juice is supposed to be fruity and pulpy, otherwise it’s just flavoured water. Kurt didn’t have any strong feelings about it, but he admitted that No-Pulp is probably the best way to drink orange juice, and he likes to pick Marina’s team when he doesn’t know which side to pick.

In the end, he picked Blaine over Marina, so now Kurt and Blaine are on team Pulp together for this Splatfest.

Playing with Artie, Sam and Mike is amazing and they’re training hard to see if they can join actual small-scale competitions, but Blaine still gets a certain rush from playing with Kurt. Blaine knows Kurt’s playstyle like no other.

Kurt still doesn’t want to do competitive, but he relented and told Artie, Sam, Mike and Blaine that he can be on reserve, if needed. It doesn’t hurt that this means that Kurt will come along to possible upcoming competitions.

“Inkstorm incoming!” Kurt yells as he launches his special. Blaine swims to the other side of the stage under Kurt’s inkstorm and he launches a burst bomb, splatting an opponent.

“Yes!” Blaine cheers and he holds up his hand for a high five. They no longer need to slam their tables, now that they are actually sat next to each other.

“Nice one!” Kurt returns the high five.

On screen, Little Judd announces that team Pulp has won the match. Kurt and Blaine jump off the coach to hug and cheer and they jump the living room in Kurt’s childhood home. They must’ve made quite some noise, because Carole looks up from her book. She’s sitting at the dining table.

“Having fun?” she asks with an amused look on her face.

Kurt and Blaine tried explaining the game to her, since they wanted to explain how they met in the first place, but Carole doesn’t quite understand it. That’s fine. After she scolded Kurt for meeting a stranger on the internet in real life (“Carole, it’s 2018, people fall in love through the internet all the time!”), she welcomed Blaine with open arms.

Blaine was a bit worried about imposing on such an important moment, but Kurt wants Blaine to be here to celebrate his father’s life, and Carole is just happy to see Kurt happy.

“Carole, the rush of playing this game is unmatched!” Kurt says happily. He still has his arm around Blaine’s shoulders and Blaine is grinning.

Carole shakes her head, but she has a fond look on her face. Then she goes back to her book.

“Another round?” Blaine reaches for his controller and he sits down on the couch. Kurt grabs his Switch and he sits down next to Blaine. He leans his head against Blaine’s shoulder.

Blaine sees that as a yes. He starts the next match and Kurt and Blaine get ready to play.

--

End notes: Woah, we did it! We’ve reached the end. 

I want to thank @the-lima-bean for hosting. This was my first ever fest and I’ve learnt a lot. I also love seeing the other entries, so definitely check them out on The Lima Bean’s blog or in the AO3 collection. 

Thank you Beth @quizasvivamos for giving me a reason to use Splatoon 2 as a love language. Never thought I’d say that. It brought me a lot of joy to drop random Splatoon 2 stuff in a fic. If someone still has questions about Splatoon 2, I’ll once again redirect you to the Splatoon 2 Glossary, or you can ask me.

A big, big, big thank you to Judas @catb0ycore, who surprised me with not one but 3 art pieces! I am so happy with how it turned out and it made me even more excited to share this story.

On a small tangent, I want to sort of thank a Zimbits (the from Check, Please! comic) fic called Will Wonders Never Cease. There were some moments that I got stuck writing Ebb & Flow and this fic really worked as an inspiration and helped me get out over several writer’s blocks. It only feels fitting to thank it.

And lastly, thank you for reading. As they’d say in Splatoon 2: Don’t get cooked, stay off the hook!

#klaine #glee #klaine 321 prompt bang #Klaine321promptbang2022 #k321pb2022 #multichaptered #2022 #holy fuck I wrote #story: ebb and flow

[forabeatofadrum]

#mae anniek ndeye faal-de vries my beloved #it's just a cameo #but hi wanted mae in it #also i still havent written anything new and tomorrow if the funeral so i def won't write then #but i am reading what i already have to get a bit back to it #klaine 321 prompt bang #dank memes about my fics #lb writing